Will people fight to get it back? The people of Afghanistan face a total internet blackout. The effect has already been enormous — and could change the face of the country forever.
Taliban shuts down Afghan internet
Blackout blow: In cutting off the internet, Afghanistan's Taliban government has stopped girls over 12, whose lives were already very difficult and restricted, from being able to learn at home. Comprehension quiz
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What crucial facility can people no longer access in Afghanistan as an immediate and massive effect of the total internet blackout?
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Which word is the closest in meaning to “deafening” as used in the text (“The silence is deafening.”)?
A: Quiet
B: Distracting
C: Overpowering
D: Pleasant
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What is one immediate effect of the internet blackout on business in Afghanistan?
A: It has caused a boom in online shopping.
B: It has “totally frozen” the activities of all businesses that rely on mobiles for orders and deliveries.
C: It has allowed shopkeepers to start taking cash-only payments.
D: It has increased the speed of financial transactions.
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How does the internet blackout threaten the survival of many Afghans, according to the text?
A: It has meant a total stop to food aid from neighbouring countries.
B: It has prevented the use of aeroplanes to fly in essential medical supplies.
C: It has blocked the international financial payments from relatives abroad and aid groups that many rely on to live.
D: It has forced people from remote mountain villages to relocate to the bustling capital, Kabul.
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What is the main concern about how the internet blackout affects women and girls in Afghanistan?
A: They are unable to contact relatives abroad.
B: It has destroyed their “last hope” of secret online learning, as they are already restricted from education and work.
C: They can no longer play games or watch social media clips.
D: The government has removed their books from university libraries.
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The article discusses both the Taliban’s justification for the ban (ending “immorality”) and commentators’ belief that it is an attempt to control the population. In your opinion, which of these reasons is more likely to be the primary motive, and why?
Answers
Tap to reveal
1: Emergency services, 2: C, 3: B, 4: C, 5: B, 6: Your views!
1: Emergency services, 2: C, 3: B, 4: C, 5: B, 6: Your views!
Glossary
Afghanistan - A mountainous Asian country, slightly larger than France, whose neighbours include Pakistan, Iran and China.
Taliban - A violent fundamentalist Islamic movement that enforces sharia law and denies education to women.
Watchdog - A watchdog is an individual, organisation or media outlet that monitors the activities of another entity.
Fibre-optic cables - High-speed network cables that transmit data not with electricity like traditional copper wires, but with pulses of light.
Diaspora - A group of people who have spread out from their original homeland and now live in different places around the world.
Sharia law - A legal system based on Islamic teaching. Gay Afghans and Afghan women say the Taliban’s strict reading of Sharia is not compatible with their human rights.
Immorality - Behaviour that is morally wrong.
Pornography - Pictures, videos or text with sexual imagery, made with the intention of causing sexual arousal.