POST-READING

EXTRACTING THE MAIN IDEA

Which of the following is the most appropriate as the main idea of the passage?

  1. Since the execution of Vanzetti and Sacco, there has been a lot of argument about the menʼs guilt.
  2. The trial of Vanzetti and Sacco included several witnesses who could not remember what the robbers looked like, but the decision to execute was made by the jury.
  3. Demonstrations were held in the United States and Europe after Vanzetti and Sacco were found guilty.
  4. Vanzetti and Sacco, immigrants from Italy, were executed for robbery and murder without any clear evidence.

SHARING YOUR OPINION

MORE! SHARING YOUR OPINION

Working in Pairs, share your opinions about the following questions.

Question A Vanzetti and Sacco were executed with no real proof of their guilt. What do you think about this?

Question B If you were a lay judge＊ and had to make a decision in a similar case, what would you regard as the most important factor?
＊a lay judge = 裁判員

Useful Words or Phrases
  • 嫌疑，告発　charge
  • 不当に　wrongfully
  • 公正，公平　fairness

CHECKING THE FRAMEWORK

Fill in the blanks, selecting from a ～ g below the most appropriate title for each section. Also check how the sections and paragraphs relate to each other.

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SUMMARY

Fill in the blanks, thinking back to the answer to the question following each section numbers. Read the finished summary aloud.

Vanzetti and Sacco were immigrants from Italy in the early 1900s. At the time people in the US felt immigration should be stopped because they were afraid that ①（immigrants were taking their jobs）. In addition, the US government considered anarchism ②（(to be) a dangerous political idea）. It seems the police were watching Vanzetti and Sacco closely because they were ③（immigrants and anarchists）. In 1920, they were accused of attempted robbery which happened ④（in (the town of) Bridgewater） in 1919. They were also accused of robbery and murder which happened ⑤（in (the town of) South Braintree）. It was clear that the trial was an unfair one. After ⑥（they were found guilty） in the trial, some people thought the decision was a result of ⑦（prejudice against them as immigrants） and because of their political views. In spite of many demonstrations and protests from people all over the US and in Europe, Vanzetti and Sacco were executed with no ⑧（real proof that they had committed） the crime.