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GENERAL ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · UPPER-INTERMEDIATE (B2-C1)

A
SEGREGATED
SOCIETY
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1 Warm up
You are going to watch a TED talk called, "Is inequality inevitable?" It’s helpful to start by watching
a short segment of a talk like this so you can get used to the accent of the speaker and how quickly
they speak.

Watch 00:00 – 00:38 of the talk and then answer the questions.

1. Which country does the speaker use as an example of a highly unequal society?

2. What do we know about inequality in the past?

3. How would you answer the question in the title of the talk?

2 Vocabulary for parts 1 and 2

Before you watch the talk, you need to be familiar with some vocabulary.

We use the suffix -ism at the end of nouns that describe systems of belief, practice or philosophy
related to economic systems. Match each item with its definition.

capitalism colonialism communism imperialism socialism

1. : the aim of this economic system is for individual people to become wealthy

2. : in this economic system private property still exists but the aim is to ensure
greater equality for all citizens
3. : in this economic system, the state controls the means of production and
aims to ensure greater equality for all citizens
4. : a form of economic and political domination of one country over another
through the practice of controlling a foreign area and extracting wealth from
it
5. : the beliefs behind colonialism, e.g. that one country deserves to colonise
another because it’s better in some way

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Read the paragraph and complete the information using the words in the list.

The of wealth and power in many societies is unequal, often because of

against certain groups of people. This could be based on their , with women often at
a disadvantage, or on , when the colour of someone’s skin affects their opportunities.
Finally, someone’s , or position within the social structure can also have a strong effect
on their access to wealth and power.

3 Watching part 1

Watch the first part of the talk (00:38 – 02:19) – the images will help you understand more. Do not
make notes or answer the questions yet.

Complete the sentences below. Write no more than two words or a number from the recording.

1. The Gini index estimates inequality by comparing wealth distribution of a society

with its actual distribution.

2. A Gini index of (perfect inequality) is impossible in real life because if one person
had everything, everyone else would die.

3. A Gini index of 0 is unlikely in real life because everyone would have to receive the
wage.

4. Many developed countries today have a Gini index of around .

5. A Gini index cannot tell us about differences in wealth distribution between ,

and educational backgrounds.

6. It also can’t tell us how difficult it is to .

7. A Gini index does not explain historic inequality resulting from of discrimination,
imperialism and colonialism.

Watch this part of the talk again to confirm or improve your answers.

4 Stop and think 1

Answer the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Do you know what the Gini index for your country is? If not, guess the figure and then check.
2. What effect do gender, race and educational background have on inequality in your country?
3. What roles have colonialism and imperialism played in your country’s Gini index score?

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5 Watch part 2

Watch the second part of the talk (02:19 – 04:05) – the images will help you understand more. Do
not make notes or answer the questions yet.

Choose the correct letter A, B or C to answer these questions.

1. Which factor that has a significant effect on a country’s economic inequality does the speaker
discuss?
a. How many young people are in the country’s population

b. The natural resources that the country controls.

c. The type of economy a government chooses to use.

2. According to the speaker, which country had particular success in reducing economic inequality?

a. China

b. The Soviet Union

c. Cuba

3. What’s the best description of incomes under communism in the two countries mentioned?

a. equal and low

b. equal and mid-level

c. unequal

4. How did China increase incomes after the late 1970s?

a. it acquired large amounts of gold

b. it changed its economy to a more capitalist system

c. it directed companies to raise everyone’s wages

5. Why does the speaker mention France, Ireland, Denmark and the Netherlands?

a. Because they can’t control their Gini scores.

b. Because they combine socialist and capitalist systems.

c. Because they have steady or decreasing Gini scores.

Watch this part of the talk again to confirm or improve your answers.

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6 Stop and think 2

Answer the questions in pairs or small groups.

1. Why did the speaker mention the Disney character Scrooge McDuck?

2. How important is the issue of economic inequality for citizens/voters in your country?

3. How do you think countries can maintain or reduce levels of inequality?

7 Vocabulary for part 3

Before you watch the rest of the talk, you need to be familiar with some vocabulary. Choose an item
from the list that goes with the word in bold to complete the sentence.

digital disposable income inheritance

loops mobility reinforcing revenues

1. Feedback can act to speed up or slow down the process of global heating.

2. My aunt left me all her savings when she died, but it wasn’t much after I paid tax.

3. Societies with high levels of social and economic allow hard-working people to
make a better life for themselves.

4. Success leads to publicity and publicity leads to sales and sales lead to more success, and so on –
this is an example of a self- snowball effect.

5. The government decides how they want to spend tax .

6. The more money you earn in your job, the more tax you have to pay.

7. We saw during the pandemic that the divide had a strong effect on children’s
access to education.

8. When you calculate your income, remember to subtract costs like housing and
food.

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8 Watch part 3

Watch the final part of the talk (04:05 – 06:30) – the images will help you understand more. Do not
make notes yet.

The speaker describes different ways that governments in some countries reduce social inequality.
Match items 1-7 with the appropriate information A-G.

1. France

2. Germany and many other European countries

3. Italy

4. Workers

5. Very wealthy individuals

6. Egypt

a. has much less money than just three Americans

b. control(s) social media platforms and influence politicians

c. benefit(s) from free or low-cost education and healthcare

d. a significant part of many people’s income comes from government transfers

e. tax(es) income to redistribute wealth

f. have/has high inheritance taxes

Watch this part of the talk again to confirm or improve your answers.

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9 Stop and think 3

Answer the questions in pairs or small groups.

Comment on what your government does about economic inequality and compare these measures
with the information in the talk.

The talk concludes with a warning:

"power and wealth are self-reinforcing, which means that equality is not. Left to their own
devices, societies tend toward inequality — unless we weaken the feedback loops of wealth
and power concentration."

How can we weaken the feedback loops of wealth and power? Why should we do this?

Read the essay question and make some notes about how you would respond (250 words):

Some people think that governments should pay all their citizens a universal basic income
which takes care of at least some of their immediate needs. Anyone who wants greater wealth
can work to obtain this. What are some advantages and disadvantages of this proposal?

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10 Optional extension

The Gini index provides some useful information, but, as we have seen, does not tell us everything
we need to know. An alternative measure is the Palma ratio.

Examine the map and answer the questions. Darker colours show higher levels of inequality.

What information does the Palma ratio give that the Gini score doesn’t?

1. Does anything on the map surprise you?

2. According to the Palma index, how equal is your country?
3. How has this situation in your country changed over time?
4. How might it change in the future?
5. What are some of the disadvantages associated with living in a highly unequal society?
6. Can you see any problems with this measure of inequality?
7. What else would you like to know about this measure of inequality? Where could you find out?

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