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GENERAL ENGLISH · ENGLISH IN VIDEO · ADVANCED (C1-C2)

A BRIEF
HISTORY
OF
DIVORCE
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worksheet

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1 Warm up
In pairs, look at the following photographs of groups of people and answer the
questions.

1) 2) Muslims 3) Catholics 4) Buddhists

Incas

5) Hindus 6) Protestants 7) Inuits 8) Jews

Discuss:

• What do you think the divorce laws were in the past for the groups of people in the photographs
above?
• How do you think divorce laws have changed since then?
• Do you know anyone from any of the above groups of people, or do you belong to any of them?
What do you know about their ideas on divorce?
• Is divorce common in your country or not? Why?
• What are the main causes of divorce, in your opinion?

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF DIVORCE

2 Understanding the introduction

Order the sentences from the script of the video you will watch from 1 - 8. The first one has
been done for you.

Among the Inuit people, divorce was discouraged, but either spouse could demand one. 5

But once a marriage was formalized, there was no getting out of it. 4

Divorce is a battlefield for some of society’s most urgent issues, including the roles of church and
state, individual rights, and women’s rights. 8

Formally or informally, human societies across place and time have made rules to bind and dissolve
couples. 2

Inca couples, for example, started with a trial partnership, during which a man could send his partner
home. 3

Or they could exchange partners with a different couple - as long as all four people agreed. 6

The earliest known divorce laws were written on clay tablets in ancient Mesopotamia around 2000
BCE. 1

The stakes of who can obtain a divorce and why have always been high. 7

Watch the video (00:00 - 01:00) to check your

answers.

Now find words in the above introduction that have the following meanings.

1.
clay
a natural substance from the earth that is used to make pots and bricks

2. bind
to formally connect people with a promise

3. dissolve
to end an official agreement

4. formalized
to have made something official

5. spouse
a married partner

6. stakes
something important that you could lose

7. battlefield
a situation where there are different opinions and arguing

• What do you think about the marriage rules for Inca couples?
• What do you think about the marriage rules for Inuit couples?

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF DIVORCE

• Does anything about either of them surprise you? If so, what?

3 Focus on vocabulary

Part A: Match the words to the

definitions.
1. adultery (n) a. a law or a group of
laws
2. secular (adj.) b. an official agreement that something is
allowed
3. usher in (phr. v) c. a person or thing that was replaced by someone or something
that performs the same function now
4. consent d. a sexual relationship between a person who is married and
(n) someone they are not married to
5. legislation (n) e. having no connection to religion or spirituality

6. enforce f. to bring in something new

(v)
7. predecessor g. to formally give permission for something to happen
(n)
8. sanction h. to make people follow a rule or a law
(v)

Write the words from Part A in the gaps in the following sentences. You may need to change the
form of the word.

1. The protestors were angered by new legislation which would increase

security checks on gun owners.
2. Jeanine’s family was rather traditional, so Pablo asked for her father’s consent

before asking Jeanine to marry him.

adultery
3. His wife tried to divorce him due to his , but he insisted it had
never happened.
4. Although he was religious, he felt it was important that the laws remained
secular
.
ushered in
5. The 1960s a new age of freedom for young people, with music
and fashion aimed at them more than ever before.
predecessor
6. In his first speech to the country, the Prime Minister thanked his
and promised to continue the good work that she had started.
enforce
7. Students aren’t allowed to have phones, but it’s a very difficult rule to

sanction
as they often need them to communicate with their parents.
8. The government has refused to the protests and promised it will
respond with force if they move forward.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF DIVORCE

Now answer the following questions.

1. Are schools in your country generally religious or secular? Which kind do you prefer? Why?
2. Has there been any new legislation in your country recently which was either very popular or
very unpopular? What was it? Why did people react to it the way they did?
3. To your knowledge, is adultery something that commonly happens in your country? What can the
consequences for it be?
4. How did your parents enforce the rules when you were growing up?
5. Have you ever had to officially give your consent for something? What was it? Why did you
have to give your consent?
6. If you start a new job, do you think it’s a good idea to keeping doing things in the same way as
your predecessor, or is it better to change things? Why?

4 Comprehension

Now watch the rest of the video (01:00 - 05:19) and choose the best answer to the following
questions.

1. According to the video, what do the rules of the Quran require for a woman to divorce her
husband?

a. the husband to have committed adultery

b. the husband to have left the wife
c. the agreement of the husband
d. the husband to have broken the law

2. What was the difference between Protestant and Catholic approaches to divorce?

a. The Catholic Church did not allow it, but it was allowed by the Protestant Church in certain
situations.
b. Neither the Catholic Church nor the Protestant Church allowed it, so there was no difference.
c. The Catholic Church allowed it for adultery, but it was not allowed in the Protestant Church.
d. The Protestant Church allowed divorce for many reasons, but it was banned by the Catholic
Church.

3. What happened towards the end of the 18th century that had an impact on divorce law?

a. Women started to have a greater amount of power.

b. Larger numbers of people started to leave religions and have secular views.
c. A large number of wars gave more power to royal families.
d. In Europe, there was an increased separation of church and state.

4. Which of the following is an example of the divorce law being unequal in the 19th century?

a. Men were responsible for paying for the cost of divorce, not women.
b. Women had no right to see their children after a divorce.
c. Adultery was seen as not as bad for men as women.
d. Men could not use violence against them as a reason for divorce.

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF DIVORCE

5. What change to divorce law was not made until the 20th century?

a. Men had to pay the costs of taking care of their children.

b. A wife could divorce her husband if he beat her.
c. Adultery by men became a reason for divorce.
d. Women could get divorced without their father’s consent.

6. What changed in the 60s and 70s?

a. Men and women could divide their wealth equally after divorce.
b. Women had greater power to keep their children after divorce.
c. Couples could get divorced without giving a reason or asking permission.
d. The process of divorce took far less time.

7. Which aspect puts women at a disadvantage with divorce?

a. laws which naturally work against them

b. negative views within the culture
c. pressures from within their community
d. all of the above

8. What does the video conclude about modern-day divorce?

a. Men and women are now treated equally and fairly.

b. Women’s rights have improved the situation for women.
c. Getting a no-fault divorce has made it so much easier.
d. Divorce remains complicated from a philosophical and emotional point of view.

5 Talking point

In pairs, discuss the following questions.

1. In what circumstances, if any, do you think divorce should be allowed? Explain your opinion.
2. Is there any stigma attached to divorce in your country? Is it common for people to get divorced?
3. Are there different consequences for men and women who get divorced in your country? If so,
why?
4. What steps do you think a couple who are having problems in their marriage should take to avoid
divorce?

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A BRIEF HISTORY OF DIVORCE

6 Extra vocabulary in context (optional task)

Look at the words in bold in the following sentences. The words have been taken from the
video you’ve watched. In pairs, discuss what you think they mean and write down your own
definition.

I think his immoral actions are absolutely grounds for divorce.

1. a good reason for something

The reason she gave for wanting to divorce him was his desertion.

2. leaving a relationship and not staying in contact or giving help

Can’t you see what a double standard that is?

3. applying a rule unfairly or having different rules for different people

I don’t think you understand the fundamental problem with what you’re saying.

4. the basic or most important part of something

I hear they are pursuing a no-fault divorce.

5. when no particular person is to blame for the breakdown of the marriage

After some time, the divorce was granted.

6. officially allowed to do something that was requested

.
The house dated back to colonial times.

7. related to a time when one country controlled another

It’s perfectly legal, but there’s still a cultural stigma attached to it.

8. negatives ideas or feelings about a particular thing which people have, sometimes unfairly

Now in pairs, answer the following questions.

1. What do you think are grounds for getting married?

2. What examples of double standards have you seen?
3. When was the last time you were granted entry into another country? Where was it? Why did
you go?
4. In your country, is there any stigma attached to a couple living together if they are not married?

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7 Extended activity/homework
Read the question.

When couples get married, they make a promise to be together for life. This promise means
nothing if they can simply change their minds later on. Couples who are having problems
need to address them, not run away from them by getting divorced. Divorce should be
banned.
• To what extent do you agree with the above opinion?

You should:
• Write a minimum of 250 words.
• Check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

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