Discover India's booming cities, volunteering projects, and fair wages debate — while practising if-clauses and the passive voice.
Read the text about Mumbai, Indian companies, and volunteering, then answer the comprehension questions.
India is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.4 billion people. Its largest city, Mumbai, is home to more than 20 million residents and serves as the country's financial capital. Mumbai's skyline is a mix of modern glass towers and historic colonial buildings. The city is famous for Bollywood, India's enormous film industry, which produces over a thousand films every year — more than any other film industry in the world.
India's economy has grown rapidly in recent decades, driven largely by the technology sector. Companies such as Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and Infosys employ hundreds of thousands of people and provide IT services to businesses around the globe. However, the issue of fair wages remains a serious concern. Entry-level engineers at major IT firms often earn starting salaries that have barely increased in over ten years, even though the cost of living has risen significantly. Many young workers feel that the gap between executive pay and the wages of ordinary employees is too large.
At the same time, India has a growing culture of volunteering, especially among young people. Organisations such as Teach For India recruit volunteers to work in schools in disadvantaged communities, helping children with reading, writing, and mathematics. In Mumbai alone, thousands of volunteers give up their weekends to teach in community centres, organise health camps, and run environmental clean-up projects. Many Indian schools now include community service as part of the curriculum, encouraging students to understand the challenges faced by less fortunate members of society.
Fair trade is another important movement in India. Fair trade organisations work with small-scale farmers and craft workers, ensuring they receive a reasonable price for their products. Tea, coffee, spices, and textiles are among the most common fair trade goods exported from India. By buying fair trade products, consumers in Europe and elsewhere can help support better working conditions and fair pay for Indian producers.
1 Mumbai is described as India's .
2 Bollywood produces more films per year than .
3 India's economic growth has been driven mainly by the .
4 A key problem with wages at major IT companies is that starting salaries have .
5 Teach For India recruits volunteers to work in .
6 Many Indian schools now include as part of the curriculum.
7 Fair trade organisations ensure that small-scale producers receive .
8 Common fair trade goods exported from India include tea, coffee, spices, and .
Complete the sentences about India with the correct if-clause form. Remember: Type I (if + simple present → will + infinitive) describes real/possible situations. Type II (if + simple past → would + infinitive) describes unreal/hypothetical situations.
Type I (real/possible): If it rains tomorrow, we will stay at home.
Type II (unreal/hypothetical): If I lived in Mumbai, I would visit Bollywood studios every week.
1 If you Mumbai, you will see some of the tallest buildings in India. (Type I)
2 If I for a fair trade organisation, I would help farmers get better prices. (Type II)
3 Companies will attract more talented workers if they fair wages. (Type I)
4 If every student for just one hour a week, it would make an enormous difference. (Type II)
5 If the government more in education, more children will be able to go to school. (Type I)
6 If I a Bollywood director, I would make a film about fair wages. (Type II)
7 You will learn a lot about Indian culture if you a volunteer programme. (Type I)
8 If all consumers only fair trade products, farmers around the world would earn a decent income. (Type II)
Choose the correct passive voice form to complete each sentence. Remember: passive = form of "be" + past participle. The focus shifts from who does the action to what is done.
Active: Volunteers teach children in community centres.
Passive: Children are taught by volunteers in community centres.
1 Over a thousand Bollywood films in India every year.
2 Fair trade tea from India to countries all over the world.
3 Thousands of children in Mumbai by volunteer teachers every weekend.
4 The Taj Mahal in the 17th century by Emperor Shah Jahan.
5 Many new schools in rural areas of India right now.
6 The workers fairly for their work last year.
7 Indian spices around the world for hundreds of years.
8 A new community centre in the village last month.
Write a paragraph (80–120 words) about one of the following topics. Use at least two passive voice sentences and one if-clause in your text.
Topic 1: Why is volunteering important for young people? What can teenagers learn from helping others? Think about experiences in India or in your own community.
Topic 2: Should all companies be required to pay fair wages? What would happen if every company paid its workers fairly? Think about the situation in India and in Europe.
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