Traitor’s fart echoes around the world

Explain the idea of the author’s argument regarding Celia Imrie’s flatulence on television.

Which word is the closest synonym for “reviled”?

A: Celebrated

B: Praised

C: Admired

D: Loathed

According to the text, which of the following is not a historical example of flatulence or a piece of writing about it?

A: A lengthy comic passage in The Canterbury Tales.

B: A humorous essay called Fart Proudly by Benjamin Franklin.

C: A treatise by Jonathan Swift on the benefits of farting for women.

D: An ancient Greek play featuring a king who was dethroned after a loud fart.

Why did Greek historian Herodotus claim that flatulence caused an ancient regime change?

A: He credited it with generating hysteria in polite society.

B: He claimed that one passage of wind had unseated the tyrannical King Apries of Egypt.

C: He theorised that it was due to flatulences not adequately vented by the ruling class.

D: He used it in a classic coming-of-age novel to criticise a boy.

According to anthropologist Kirsten Bell, what is the universal reason why farts are “reviled”?

A: They are unpleasant and difficult to discuss with medical professionals.

B: They are not as quintessentially human as smiling or laughing.

C: They cause a feeling of shame and embarrassment for the person who commits the “gaffe”.

D: They constitute an invasion of our personal space because little can be done to protect ourselves from the “sensory invasion”.

The article suggests that medical professionals are encouraging people to “shed our prejudices” about bodily functions. Do you agree that we should be more open about discussing functions like flatulence, and why?