BEST IELTS Academic Reading Test 467

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IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST 467 – PASSAGE – 1

IELTS ACADEMIC READING TEST – 467

READING PASSAGE – 1

SAMUEL GOMPERS

In the early 1890’s, during the worst period of a national economic recession, unrest among workers was high. In August, 1893 the situation in Chicago was extremely volatile. Mayor Carter Henry Harrison warned that there was good chance unemployed workers would riot and this could cripple the country as similar riots could erupt in other cities across the nation. Samuel Gompers addressed 25,000 unemployed workers at a rally on the shore of Lake Michigan. Gompers railed against those who con- trolled the economy as well as industrialists and bankers. He also called into question why unemployed workers were forced to walk homeless while the industrialists and bankers lived it up in comfort.

At the beginning of his labour career, Gompers was familiar with and sympathetic to the precepts of Georgism, which professes the idea that economic value is derived from natural resources which should belong to all residents of a community, but that people should also own the value of what they create. He was sympathetic to the precepts of socialism as well.

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Despite his early views, he gradually adopted a more conservative approach to labour relations and by 1896, he and the American Federation of Labour sought to make peace with the American system of capitalism and endorse harmony between social classes and a more benevolent capitalism in which sympathy would be granted to all who are needy. Gompers was politically neutral, but he did endorse a single tax throughout his life.

Gompers’ basic view of labour unions was that they are for the economic benefit of workers. Gompers fought for higher wages, shorter working hours and safe working conditions. He believed that all workers should be able to enjoy an American standard of living, which included a decent home, decent food and clothing and enough money to educate their children. He felt that reorganising economics so that all could benefit was the most direct way to achieve the improvements he desired.

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Although he was politically neutral, he did encourage union members to vote and participate in politics on the basis of their own economic interests. Among most union leaders, Gompers’ philosophy and bargaining style with business was unacceptable. Gompers’ opponents who held the view that capitalism should be supplanted with a workers commonwealth established the Industrial Workers of the World Union. Several of the leaders of the IWW were leaders of the Western Federation of Miners. Despite the disparity of views between the two organisations, Gompers did offer assistance when this union was faced with government abuse.

During the 1910’s, Gompers and the AFL fought against the IWW. He even went so far as to cooper- ate with widespread arrests of union leaders associated with the IWW for their militant stance against America’s involvement in World War I. By 1920, the IWW was dead as an organization. Because Gompers sought to find harmony between workers and business, he became opposed to socialists, thereby relinquishing his earlier sympathies towards socialism. Socialist leaders wanted to use the unions to advance their radical political causes. The presidential campaign of socialist leader Eugene Debs was supported by these socialists unions. By 1920, Gompers had marginalised the socialists’ role to just a few unions, primarily coal miners and clothing manufacturers.

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Gompers is looked upon fondly by later generations of union leaders. Many union leaders have paid tribute to him and look upon him as having pioneered a uniquely American brand of unionism. Gompers’ strong belief in class harmony led to the development of the current procedures for collective bargaining and contracts between union and management representatives. Because of Gompers, AFL unions became important in many industrial cities.

In these cities, the AFL formed central labour offices to coordinate the actions of different member unions. Typically, the AFL oversaw issues regarding wages and work hours and would also declare strikes. Many of these strikes were about the assertion of jurisdiction of a particular union. For instance, electrical workers would use strikes to ensure that all major construction projects in the city used only union electricians. In a show of support, the other unions would strike or take up other measures that would help to meet the goals of the member unions. AFL field offices were thus able to strengthen their individual member unions.

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Questions 1-5

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

1. What was the concern of the mayor of Chicago?

A. Dissatisfaction of workers due to high unemployment

B. Out of job people threatening to go on strike

C. Possibility of unemployed workers indulging in rioting, which could spark riots across the nation

D. The riots in Chicago spreading to other parts of the country.

2. Georgism is described as being the idea that

A. people own their own creations, but all have a share in owning natural resources

B. people share in ownership both natural resources and what a single person produces

C. economic value comes from the sharing of natural resources

D. ownership of natural resources and individual creation is not mutual

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3. What was Gompers’ basic view regarding labour unions?

A. They fought for higher wages, shorter hours and safer conditions.

B. They helped in granting workers the opportunity to enjoy an American standard of living.

C. Unions served to positively influence the economic welfare of members.

D. Unions were a way of reorganising economics that could benefit all.

4. Why did Gompers come to disregard socialist union leaders?

A. They wanted harmony between workers and business.

B. They often got his supporters arrested.

C. They wanted to advance the cause of socialist politics.

D. They supported socialist political leaders such as Eugene Debs.

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5. Gompers is looked upon fondly by union leaders because

A. he developed the current procedures for collective bargaining

B. he believed in class harmony

C. he created a distinctly Americanised form of unionism

D. he led the AFL to become an important organisation in many cities

Questions 6-14

Choose your answers from the list of choices in the box below the summary.

Tip: There are more words than spaces, so you will not use them all.

Gompers was (6)_______ sympathetic to the ideas of (7)_______ . However, he slowly distanced himself from socialist philosophy and adopted a more conservative (8)_______ towards labour relations, came to accept the American (9)_______ system and supported harmony between social classes. He advocated humane capitalist system where everybody’s needs would be addressed (10)_______ Gompers definitely wanted (11)_______ emoluments, (12)_______ working hours and better working conditions for the workers. The American standard of living, according to Gompers, must include a (13)_______ home, decent food and clothing, as well as (14)_______ education for one’s children.

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List of Choices