Russia in Ukraine Missile Threat

1. To provide a sense that an armed conflict between the Russians and Ukrainians might happen at any moment.
2. To offer a sense of justice to this article, showing readers that the Russians feel mistreated by the Ukrainians.
3. To ensure that the reader is aware of the location of Russian missiles.
4. To suggest that Russia is a dictatorship led by an evil man.
    
   Based on the selection, which description best describes Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko?

    

   1. A leader that totally supports Vladimir Putin and Russian government.
   2. A leader that leans toward supporting western countries like the USA and hopes to deal with Russia in an open and truthful way.
   3. A leader who is trying to rip of a Russian gas company.
   4. A leader from a country that nobody knows anything about and really doesn't matter at all.

    

    

    

   Based on the information from the selection, which of the following relationships is similar to the relationship below?

   Gazprom : Russia ::__________

    

   1. London : United Kingdom
   2. Viktor Yushenko : Ukraine
   3. Duke Power : USA
   4. North Carolina : Carolina Power and Lights

    

    

   Volga road trip: Stalingrad

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7241042.stm

   IN this final journal entry Rupert reaches Volgograd, or as he still calls it, Stalingrad.  In this journal he relects on the battle of Stalingrad during WWII, the wreckage of the city that still remains, and visits the huge war memorial built by Khrushchev.  He ends the piece by talking to students and older ladies about their views on the west.  He gets very interesting responses about how the west is plotting against Russia.

    

   Questions

   Based on the information from the selection, which of the following relationships is similar to the relationship below?

   Russians:Stalingrad::_______________

    

   United Kingdom:London

   Washington DC:USA

   Americans:Pearl Harbor

   Vladimir Putin:Russia

    

   What is the effect of beginning the selection with the sentence, "Stalingrad. It is a name that reverberates through the history of the 20th Century."

    

   To let the reader know that Stalingrad is not an important place at all.

   To help the reader understand that Stalingrad is now called Volgograd.

   To give the reader the feeling of fear.

   To help the reader see that Stalingrad is an important place in the history of Russia and the world.

    

   Volga Road Trip: Silver Bears

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7234960.stm

   In this journal entry Rupert waxes poetic about the Russian Winter, the city of Saratov and then visits the airbase that houses the Russian Nuclear Bomber Fleet.

    

   Questions:

   What is the effect of beginning the selection with the sentence, "If you've never been to Russia in deepest winter then your impression may be of a land of endless cold and darkness.  And sometimes it can indeed feel like that."

    

   1. To get your mind off what you think a Russian winter might be like and open you up for the author's description.
   2. To add fear and foreboding to the piece.
   3. To make you cold.
   4. The author did not know how else to begin the piece.

    

   Based on the selection, which description best describes the Bear Bombers airbase?

    

   1. Super impressive with the most advanced technology money can buy.
   2. Very secrative and unwelcoming to everyone.
   3. An airbase that is ready to start another Cold War.
   4. An overlooked place that isn't nearly as important as it once was.

    

   Based on the information from the selection, which of the following relationships is similar to the relationship below?

    

   Russian Winters : Beautiful :: _________________

    

   1. Tu-95 squadron leader : Josef Stalin
   2. B-52 : Tu-95
   3. Russia : dark
   4. Friends : Mean

   Russia's Bear bomber returns

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6984320.stm

   The Tupolev Tu-95 is an icon of the old Soviet arsenal, flying the flag for Russia's robust new foreign policy.  The plane was used during the Cold War.

    

   Why does the author choose to use the phrase, "cat and mouse encounters" when he describes the Cold War?

    

   1. The phrase allows the reader to get a mental picture of what the Cold War was actually like.
   2. The author wants to add comedy to his work.
   3. The author is unaware of the effect that this will have on the reader.
   4. The author does not know any other way to explain the Cold War to the "average" reader.

    

   Putin vows 'arms race' response

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7234817.stm

   Russia's President Vladimir Putin says the world is engaged in a new arms race and Nato is failing to accommodate Russia's concerns.

    

   Based on the selection, which description best describes the Russian government?

   1. The Russian government does not agree with the United States are showcasing a new "assertiveness."
   2. The Russian government is cool about the US going to Poland and hopes that they can work together.
   3. The Russian government is neutral and could care less about what the United States is doing in Poland.
   4. The Russian government is highly upset and are ready to begin working with Iran to attack the United States.

    

   Based on the selection, what will happen next?

    

   1. Russia will completely ignore NATO and the United States and continue life as usual.
   2. Russia will begin to build up its' military in an attempt to be 'bigger" and "better" than all other countries.
   3. Russial will return back to a communist government where Putin will be the head.
   4. Russia will begin to attack the United States.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   Volga road trip: Political farce

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7230502.stm

    

    

   Poland 'agrees' to host US shield

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7223568.stm

    

   Poland has agreed to host the US interceptor missle system, built to defend European allies from enemy attack.  The plan is not popular in Russia where it is seen as the USA version of the Cuban Missle Crisis.

    

   Questions:

    

   Based on the selection, which description best describes the Polish government?

    

   1. They are against the USA and support Russia.
   2. They are friendly with the USA, but concerned about what Russia may do in response to their decision.
   3. The want to stay neutral in all matters of international relations.
   4. They are eager to get USA missles in their country, as they will make them a superpower nation.

    

   Based on the selection, what will most likely happen next?

    

   1. Nothing, everyone will cool off and be at peace.
   2. Russia will be very upset with the missile system and possible develop their own version pointed at Europe.
   3. North Korea will launch a missile at the USA and these missiles will save the day.
   4. Russia will team up with Iran to invade Europe.

    

   Based  on the information from the selection, which of the following relationships is similar to the relationship below?     USA:Poland::_______

    

   1. Czech Republic::USA
   2. Cuba:Soviet Union
   3. Soviet Union:Cuba
   4. Russia:Iran

    

    

   Profile: Lech Walesa

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/963417.stm

    

   This bio was done in 2004 when Walesa was working to try and help end the political crisis in the Ukraine.  It details his early life and why he is remembered today.  It also talks about how he is no longer a powerful political character.

    

   Questions:

   Based on the information in the selection which of the following relationships is most similar to the one below,

   Lech Walesa:Poland::

    

   George W. Bush:USA

   Russia:Vladimir Putin

   Mikhail Gorbachev:Soviet Union

   Boris Yeltsin:Russia

    

   Which of the following best describes Lech Walesa?

    

   A tricky man who used his sneekiness to gain power.

   A bumbling man who became Poland's president by chance.

   An anti-Communist hero, who is no longer seen as an important political figure.

   An anti-Communist hero, who is still very popular and important in his native Poland.

    

    

   Moscow Diary:  A Putin Puppet?

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7228185.stm

    

   With less than a month to go before Russia's presidential election, the BBC's James Rodgers wonders whether the country will change much under Vladimir Putin's successor. His diary is published fortnightly.

    

   Using prior knowledge, how do you think the current Russian government is going to react to this editorial?

    

   1. They are going to love the attention this article brings to their country and national election.
   2. They will not be happy and wish they could muzzle this editor and stop him from meddling in the affairs of Russia.
   3. They will not care in the least, he is a British journalist and most people in Russia don't speak English.
   4. The Russian Government will assume that this editor is completely clueless about Russian government affairs.

    

   Which experience is most like voting in Russia according to this article?

   1. Mowing the lawn before it rains.
   2. Moving into a new house right after repairs.
   3. A father losing his son at a baseball game.
   4. A judge sitting in a courtroom and sentencing a criminal.

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

    

   Volga Road Trip:  Back in the USSR

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7226848.stm

    

   The BBC's Rupert Wingfield-Hayes is travelling in a Volga car along the Volga river to take a snapshot of life in Vladimir Putin's Russia, as the presidential election looms. This is his third piece, from the city of Ulyanovsk.

    

    

   What was the purpose of Rupert Wingfield-Hayes including the Volga (car) in this entry?

   1. To illustrate to the reader that the Volga is not such a bad car after all.
   2. To lessen the suspense of the reader.
   3. To ensure that the reader is aware of location of the Volga.
   4. To provide comedy to the entry.

    

   Based on the information from the selection, which of the following relationships is similar to the following relationship:  Lenin: USSR

    

   1. Russia: Kasyanov
   2. George Washington: United States
   3. Pharoh: Egypt
   4. George Bush, Jr: United States

    

   Which experience is most similar to visiting Ulyanovsk?

   1. A family visiting the "Old-Time" village at the State Fair. 
   2. A father watching his son at a football game.
   3. A grandmother taking her granddaughter out for a walk.
   4. A judge sentencing a criminal.

    

    

    

    

   Super Tuesday Show Down

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/newsid_7220000/newsid_7227500/7227583.stm?bw=bb&mp=wm&asb=1&news=1&bbcws=1

    

   The US Presidential election heats up today as 24 states hold primary contests to choose their candidate in the next election.

    

   Questions to use:

    

   Which experience is most similar to the candidate's experience on Super Tuesday?

    

   1. A mother of a new born trying to calm her child.
   2. A quarterback on the last play in a really close Super Bowl.
   3. A criminal on the run from the police.
   4. A middle school student starting school for the first day.

    

    

   What is the effect of beginning the video with a hoarse sounding Hillary Clinton?

    

   1. The mood of the story is set, showing that this campaign is incredibly demanding.
   2. The reader gets the sense that something bad is about to happen to Mrs. Clinton.
   3. The author had no other way to introduce the candidates to the audience.
   4. Hillary Clinton is introduced as the most important candidate in today's election. 

    

    

    

    

   Russian ship seized off Somalia

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7225769.stm

    

   A Russian Tug, on course for far east Russia, was captured by pirates of the coast of Somalia.

    

   Questions:

   Based on this selection, what detail reveals the most information about the threating situation?

    

   The trip from Western Russian to far East Russia is long and hard.

   Pirates fly the skull and crossbone flag

   Pirate attacks in the region had become more violent and pirates were better armed.

   The tug was going to do work on an oil platform

    

   Based on this selection, what will most likely happen next?

    

   Vladimir Putin will personally fly to Somalia to go after the pirates.

   The owner of the boat and the Russian government will negotiate the release of the boat and crew.

   The Russian military will be sent in to attack.

   The crew will be on their own to escape.

    

   Based on the context of this article complete the following analogy, Somali coast:Pirates:: __________________

    

   Lighthouses:North Carolina Coast

   Moscow malls:shoppers

   Inner cities:gangs

   Czech Republic:radar system

    

   Moscow Driving Tips

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7178502.stm

    

   Russia's ferocious winter tests the resourcefulness of drivers in all sorts of ways, the BBC's James Rodgers reports. His diary is published fortnightly.

    

   Questions to Use:

    

   Which of the following best describes the author:

   1. Playful in the face of challenges.
   2. Quick to surrender when the going gets tough.
   3. Critical of the Russians and their ways.
   4. Empathetic for winter drivers everywhere.

    

   Which experience is most similar to the experience of Russian drivers in winter time?

   1. A mother losing her child in the mall.
   2. A judge sitting in a courtroom and sentencing a criminal.
   3. A hiker who is half-way through a difficult trip.
   4. A grandfather remembering the bitter cold of mid-western winters. 

    

   Based on the information from the selection, which of the following relationships is similar to the following relationship:  Russian Winters : Cars

   1. Parents : Disobedient Child
   2. Prison : Prisoner
   3. Teacher : Student
   4. Putin : His Critics

    

    

    

   Bolshoi Theatre to reopen in 2009

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7222206.stm

    

    

   Russia's Blue Jean Blues

   http://mnweekly.ru/columnists/20080131/55306915.html

   This article deals with the cost and buying experience of purchacing blue jeans in Russia.  According to the author it is not easy or enjoyable to shop for jeans in Russia.

    

   Questions:

    Based on the context of the article, complete this analogy,

    

   Russia:Okhotny Ryad, GUM and TSUM:: _______________

    

   1. JC Penny:USA
   2. United Kingdom:Parliament
   3. USA:Hudson Belk
   4. Russia:Duma

    

   Which of the following best describes the narrator?

    

   1. Surprised at the cost of jeans in Russia, similar to the cost of a barrel of oil.
   2. Desperate to find a pair of jeans, he needs the jeans to fit in with his Russian friends.
   3. Nervous that he is going to be mugged for his jeans, gangsters are everywhere, including the malls.
   4. He really finds the whole jean buying experience in Russia a bit crazy and also finds a little humor in shopping for jeans.

    

    

    

    

   Volga road trip: A dying industry

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7217149.stm

   This is the continuation of the trip Rupert Wingfield-Hayes is planning along the Volga river.  In this installment he discusses Russian cars and how the Russian car industry is lightyears behind the rest of the industrialized world.  Plus he really hates the Volga car!

    

   Questions for Hutch:

    

   Complete the following analogy,

   Rupert Wingfield-Hayes : Volga car::_______________________

    

   Mikhail Gorbachev: USA missle plan for Eastern Europe

   Vladimir Putin: Contol

   DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Vladimir Putin

   Mr. Hutchinson:Star Wars

    

    

   Why does the author choose to use the phrase, "mutton dressed as lamb," when he described the new Russian car, the Siber?

    

   The car looks a lot like a sheep.

   The car is weak, much like a lamb.

   The car is an old Chrysler car with a new skin put over it.

   The car company is trying to 'pull the wool over the eyes' of the Russian car buyers.

    

    

   Questions for Ferriter:

    

   Which of the following best describes the narrator of this article:

    

   1. surprised because the "soviet icon" is a complete "horror of Soviet Engineering."
   2. desperate to finish his trip, despite his "ancient" Volga.
   3. excited to be able to learn more about history and his country.
   4. anxious about what will happen on his trip.

    

    

   Based on the context of the article, complete the following analogy:  Volga : Ancient

    

   1. Buick : Sacred
   2. Rivers : Transportation
   3. Toyota : Japan
   4. Dodge Ram : Modern

    

    

    

    

   Gorbachev Worries About Missile Plan

   http://mnweekly.ru/world/20071129/55293408.html

   Mikhail Gorbachev gives a critical speech about Americas' plan to build a missle defence system in Eastern Europe.  He says the target of this missles will be Russia not Iran.

    

   Questions:

    

   Complete the following analogy,

   Mikhail Gorbachev:Soviet Union

    

   Vladimir Putin:Russia

   USA:George Bush

   Bill Clinton:USA

   Dmitry Medvedev:Russia

    

   Why did the author choose to include the fact that Mikhail Gorbachev has won a Nobel Peace Prize?

    

   To show that he cared about peace at one time, but now is more interested in war.

   To show how much research the author did on Gorbachev's past life.

   To illustrate that Gorbachev is someone who knows something about working for peace at a national level.

   To make the reader fear both Russia and Iran.

    

   Volga roadtrip: A Soviet icon

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7213397.stm

    

   A British journalist is setting off on a road trip, driving a Russian car called a Volga, along the Volga River.  He hopes to get a better picture of life in Russia outside of Moscow.

    

   Questions:

    

   Based on the context of this article complete the following analogy,

   Soviet Union : Volga

    

   1. Russia : Volga
   2. Mississippi : USA
   3. Europe : Rhine
   4. USA : Buick

    

   Which of the following best describes the narrator of this article:

   1. Interested in learning more about history and his country.
   2. Confident that Russia is in good hands with Putin as a leader.
   3. Doubtful that his trip will be meaningful.
   4. Anxious about what will happen on his adventure. 

    

    

   How would the results of this experience help those who are trying to understand modern day Russia?

   1. They will be able to study Putin's hometown and understand his motivations.
   2. They will know to stay away from the scarier towns where Russians aren't safe.
   3. They will be able to convince others that Russia is a country that we shouldn't trust.
   4. They will be more aware of what life is like for average Russians living away from big cities.

    

    

   Using prior knowledge, how do you think the current Russian government is going to react to this article?

    

   1. They are going to love the attention this article brings to their country and national election.
   2. They will not be happy and wish they could muzzle this journalist and stop him from asking about life in Russia
   3. They will not care in the least, he is a British journalist and most people in Russia don't speak English.
   4. This British journalist is probably a marked man and needs to get out of the country as fast as he can if he values his life.

    

   Kasyanov barred from Russian poll

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7211622.stm

    

   Russia's election officials have barred former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov from running as an opposition candidate in the March presidential election.

    

   Question to use:

    

   How would a committed supporter of Vladimir Putin likely react to this selection?

   1. Take sides with Kasyanov and believe that Putin was interfering with the election.
   2. Believe that Kasyanov is whining and complaining about nothing.
   3. Empathize with political candidates everywhere.
   4. Be proud that Putin has complete control over his land. 

    

    

   Political Cartoon:

    

   What was the artist's purpose for including the bear claw on Vladimir Putin?

    

   1. To provide an image that adds comedy to a serious scene.
   2. To offer a sense of justice and fairness to the Russian elections. 
   3. To provide a sense of panic and fear to the scene. 
   4. To suggest that Russia's elections are being controlled.

    

    

    

   Murmansk's oil and metals bonanza

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6103388.stm

    

   (We will read the opening sentence and the section under the subtitle "Rich Oceans.")

    

   Questions to Use:

    

   Article:

    

   What is the effect of beginning the selection with the sentence, "The potholed roads and the weather-beaten, crumbling, facades of many of Murmansk's buildings send a clear signal: a cash injection is desperately needed."

    

   1. The reader gets the sense that something bad is about to happen.
   2. The author didn't know how else to introduce the city of Murmansk.
   3. The mood of the piece is set to invite the reader to laugh.
   4. The author is working to compare the poverty of Murmansk to the wealth it is likely to develop. 

    

    

    

    

    

    

   Russia's Cossacks rise again

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6937562.stm

   In the first of a series from southern Russia, the BBC's Steven Eke reports on the Cossacks, who have emerged as an influential political group in the region, strongly supportive of Vladimir Putin and his idea of Russia's "greatness". 

    

   Questions to Use:

    

   How would a critic of Vladimir Putin likely react to this selection?

    

   1. Argue with the Cossacks about Putin's strengths and see them as "old fashioned."
   2. Take sides with the Cossacks and be convinced that "the old ways" are best.
   3. Empathize with the Cossacks, wishing they lived a similar simple life.
   4. Doubt the intelligence of the Cossacks and see them as "simpletons."

    

   Political Cartoons:

    

   What symbols does this artist use to show that he doesn't respect those who support Putin?

    

   1. Some of the supporters are wearing military hats.
   2. Most of the supporters have big noses, long hair and are unshaven.
   3. All of the supporters look happy to be singing for Putin.
   4. Putin is drawn in an aggressive way. 

    

    

    

    

   Putin's hold on the Russians

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/667749.stm

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/guides/457000/457038/html/default.stm

    

   BBC News profiles Vladimir Putin, whose presidency has seen Russia make a bold bid to justify its place among the world's most powerful nations.

    

   Questions to use:

    

   Article: 

    

   Why does the author choose to use the phrase, "After the hungry, often desperate years of the Yeltsin era, it is a prosperity few Russians may stop to question" to describe life in Russia today?

    

   1. To suggest that life in Russia was better under Yeltsin.
   2. To highlight just how much life has improved in Russia under Putin.
   3. To convey Putin's personal feelings and opinions about life in Russia.
   4. To communicate the dangerous life that many Russian's lead today. 

    

   Political Cartoon:

    

   Why does the artist use a garbage can to represent the vote collecting device for "other" candidates in Russia's upcoming election?

    

   1. To prove that votes for other candidates will be thrown away or ignored.
   2. To highlight just how difficult it will be for Putin to get re-elected.
   3. To convey the message that the upcoming elections in Russia will be unfair. 
   4. To communicate just how frustrated Russians are with Putin.

    

    

    

   Putin opponent to be investigated

   http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7201806.stm

    

   Russian prosecutors have opened a criminal case against former PM Mikhail Kasyanov - an opposition candidate in the 2 March presidential election.

    

   Questions to use:

    

   Article:

    

   According to this article, how is Vladimir Putin trying to exert "political pressure" on his opponents?

    

   1. By having them thrown in prison.
   2. By preventing them from holding high level positions in the government.
   3. By outspending them in political campaigns.
   4. By threatening to have them arrested and hinting that they are cheating.

    

   Cartoon for Hutchinson:

    

   Why does the artist show Vladimir Putin trying to hear a heartbeat in the old Soviet Union?

    

   1. To suggest that Putin is longing for the control the government held during Soviet times.
   2. To suggest Putin would love to bring some of his fallen Soviet friends back from the dead.
   3. To illustrate that by being a black belt in Judo and an ex-KGB, Putin is very good at killing people.
   4. To communicate how Putin feels toward his nation's history.

    

    

    

    

   Cartoon:

    

   Why does the artist choose to label the knight's sword "oil" and mace "gas?"

    

   1. To suggest that Russia's oil and gas resources have given Putin great power.
   2. To express the anger that the people feel towards Putin's treatment of opponents.
   3. To illustrate the ways that Putin is likely to be overthrown.
   4. To communicate the feelings of the United States towards Putin.