Daily Reads 3: News Sources | Verbal Ability (VA) & Reading Comprehension (RC) - CAT PDF Download

Article 1

Article Name: Workers for fast fashion brands fear starvation as they fight for higher wages
Source: The Guardian

Garment workers making clothes in Bangladesh for UK high-street brands say they are facing starvation and are having to steal and scavenge food from fields and bins to feed their children, as protests continue over a new minimum wage for the garment workforce of 4 million people.

Read the full article here: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/nov/07/workers-for-fast-fashion-brands-fear-starvation-as-they-fight-for-higher-wages

Summary and Theme

Workers in the fast fashion industry are facing the threat of starvation as they advocate for higher wages. The struggle highlights the dire conditions and the stark disparity between the profits of fashion brands and the poverty of their workers. The article delves into the workers' fight for survival and fair compensation in the face of global economic pressures.

Difficult Words and Meanings

• Subsistence: The minimum means necessary to support life.
• Precarious: Not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse.
• Mobilization: The action of organizing and encouraging a group of people to take collective action in pursuit of a particular objective.

Article 2

Article Name: Can Seawalls Save Us?

By: Daniel A. Gross

Source: The New Yorker

Pacifica, California, just south of San Francisco, is the kind of beachfront community that longtime residents compare to Heaven. One of its streets is called Paradise Drive; local fishermen brag that Pacifica Pier is among the state’s best places to catch salmon, striped bass, and crab. 

Read the full article here: https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-a-warming-planet/can-seawalls-save-us

Summary and Theme

The potential and pitfalls of using seawalls as a defense against rising sea levels and storm surges are examined. The discussion revolves around the effectiveness, environmental impact, and social implications of such structures, questioning whether they offer a sustainable solution or merely a temporary reprieve at a high cost.

Difficult Words and Meanings

• Riprap: Loose stone used to form a foundation for a breakwater or other structure.
• Managed retreat: A strategy that involves moving structures or abandoning land to the advancing sea.
• Moral hazard: The lack of incentive to guard against risk where one is protected from its consequences.

Article 3

Article Name: India successfully test-fires 'Pralay' short-range ballistic missile off Odisha coast

Source: The Telegraph

India on Tuesday successfully test-fired its surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile (SRBM) 'Pralay' from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast, a Defence official said.

Read the full article here: https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/india-successfully-test-fires-pralay-short-range-ballistic-missile-off-odisha-coast/cid/1978280

Summary and Theme

India's successful test of the 'Pralay' short-range ballistic missile is a demonstration of its advancing defense capabilities. The missile, designed for tactical deployment along contentious borders, reflects the country's strategic military objectives and its response to regional security dynamics.

Difficult Words and Meanings

• Ballistic missile: A missile with a high, arching trajectory, which is initially powered and guided but falls under gravity onto its target.
• Trajectory: The path followed by a projectile flying or an object moving under the action of given forces.
• Tactical: Relating to or constituting actions carefully planned to gain a specific military end.