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12 YEAR-OLD WRITES SONG TO INSPIRE AND RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT MALALA YOUSAFZAI

 Read the document and answer the questions.

12 year-old writes song to inspire and raise awareness

about Malala Yousafzai

January 11, 2013

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12 year-old Samantha Anne Martin recently heard the story of Malala Yousafzai , the 15 year-
old Pakistani female activist who was shot by the Taliban on her way home from school.
Inspired by Malala's courage and fight for women's rights, Samantha wrote an original song and
recorded a music video with the help of her father. Malala Yousafzai spoke out against the
Taliban for their frequent ban of girls attending school, as well as many other human rights she
deserved, yet was denied. She is currently recovering from the near fatal shot at a hospital
located in England.

Martin named her tune Ricochet (Malala's Song) and uploaded the inspirational song to iTunes.
ALL of the money raised from iTunes purchases is donated to the Malala Fund. The "Malala
Fund for Girls' Right to Education" aims at raising billions of dollars to ensure that all girls go
to school by 2015 in line with United Nations Millennium goals. The video, included at the end
of this article, is continuing to gain momentum and popularity on YouTube. The song was even
played in full at the Holiday Bowl, a nationally televised college football game between Baylor
and UCLA.

Halfway across the world, Malala's father got word about the video and watched it with his
daughter. In a recent email to Martin, Malala's father wrote that he could not control his tears.
Martin was beyond excited about the response.
"Her family was so touched that they contacted us to say thank you and told us that it made
them cry," Martin wrote in an email to SunnySkyz. Martin is also trying to earn Malala a
nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. In her video, she asks that you
visit change.org/malala and sign the petition.
PART 1 : General Comprehension
 Answer the Wh-Questions or tick  the correct answers.

 The document is an online article 

 According to you, what may ( l.17) refer to ?

 It may refer to the name of an online magazine or newspaper or a website.
 When was it published?
 It was posted on January 11, 2013.
 What is it about ?
 It is about a song written by a young girl to raise awareness about Malala.
 Who are the 2 main persons mentioned ?
 The 2 persons mentioned are Samantha Anne Martin and Malala Yousafzai.
 How are they related ?
 Samantha was inspired by the personal story of Malala Youasfzai .
 What is the Human Right being abused ?

Right abuse  The Right to Education

PART 2 : Detailed Comprehension

  Answer the questions, fill in the grids or tick  the correct answers.

 Read carefully and highlight all the passive forms.

 About the 2 girls : Fill in the ID Cards with elements from the article.

About the singer-songwriter About her source of inspiration

Samantha Anne Martin Malala Yousafzai
12 years old 15 years old
American Pakistani
Singer-songwriter Female activist
 About the SONG : Fill in the grid :

Song Title
“Ricochet” best known as “Malala’s song”
Theme of the song
Malala Yousafzai and her fight for women’s rights
Purpose of the song
To inspire and raise awareness about Malala Yousafzai
Adjectives (best describe it)
Inspirational / popular/ original

 Focus on PART 1 ( l.1/ l.7 ) .

 Explain in your own words (20-30 words) what the article tells us about the girl who has inspired
Samantha Anne to write a song. Make use of the notes taken previously.

Samantha was inspired by a 15-year old Human Rights activist from Pakistan called Malala
Yousafzai who was shot by the Taliban for demanding the right to education for girls in her
country.

 Focus on PART 2 ( l.8 / l.14 ) .

 What does “Malala Fund” refer to ? Explain in your own words by quoting elements from the text.

“Malala Fund ” refers to a “UN “organization which aims at “raising money for “Girls’
Education”. The organization was named after “Malala “and helps “girls to go to school “and
raise their voices for the “right to education”.

 Explain what makes “Ricochet” so special .

What makes “Ricochet ” so special is that it is a tribute song to honour the young Pakistani
girl as a Human Rights activist, for her courage and commitment. The song and the music
video quickly became popular online and on TV. The song which can be downloaded from
Itunes is aimed at raising money for the Malala Fund .

 Focus on PART 3 ( l.15 / l.21 ) .

 Say what the nouns or pronouns refer to .

a. her ( l.18) : Malala’s family

b. us ( l.18) : Samantha Martin and her father
c. them ( l.19) : Malala’s family (father / Malala)
d. Martin ( l.19) : Samantha Anne

 Say if the statements are Right or Wrong. Justify your answers by quoting the text.

a. The song was written before Malala was shot by Taliban gunmen ? Wrong
Justification  (l. 1/2 / l. 6 ) “recently heard the story of Malala Yousafzai , the 15 year-old
Pakistani female activist who was shot by the Taliban on her way home from school…” / ” She is
currently recovering from the near fatal shot at a hospital…”

b. Malala is a brave and committed young girl. Right

Justification  (l. 3 ) “ Inspired by Malala’s courage and fight for women’s rights…”

c. Samantha wrote the song by herself. Wrong

Justification  (l. 4 ) “ … with the help of her father “.
d. Malala was nearly killed in the shooting . Right
Justification (l. 6 ) ” She is currently recovering from the near fatal shot at a hospital…”

e. Malala’s crime is to have spoken up for the right of girls to be educated in her country .
Right

Justification  (l. 4) “Malala spoke out against the Taliban for their frequent ban of girls
attending school”…

f. Malala is now recovering from her wounds in Pakistan. Wrong

Justification (l. 7 ) “ … at a hospital located in England”.

g. The song was written to raise money for a good cause. Right
Justification  (l. 3 ) “ … the Malala Fund for Girls’ Right to Education … by 2015”

h. The song doesn’t seem to be successful. Wrong

Justification  (l. 13 ) “ … is continuing to gain momentum and popularity on You Tube “/ “ The
song was even played … Bowl”.

i. Malala has e-mailed the young singer-songwriter to thank her personally. Wrong
Justification (l. 16 ) “ In a recent email to Martin, Malala’s father wrote that …”
j. According to the article, Malala was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize Wrong
Justification  (l.19/20 ) “ Martin is also to earn Malala’s nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.
 Say who the following adjectives best apply to (Samantha / Malala / Both / Malala’s father).
Get ready to justify your choice(s) by quoting the text.
brave/courageous (Malala)
involved (both)
touched (Malala + her father)
inspired (Samantha)
proud (father)
committed (both)
concerned (both)
excited (Samantha)
sad (Samantha)
pleased (Malala + her father)
grateful (Malala + her father)
enthusiastic (Samantha)
determined (Malala + Samantha)