International Women’s Day
March the 8th is celebrated around the world as International Women’s Day. Here is a B2 level Use of English test PDF that you can download and share with your students to mark the event.
Photo by Anya Juárez Tenorio, Pexels
Cambridge B2 First Use of English | Part 2
For questions 9–16, read the text below and decide which word best fits each gap. Use only one word for each gap. In the separate answer sheet, write your answers in capital letters, using one box per letter.
The History of International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day (IWD) (9)_____________ celebrated each year on March 8th. IWD focuses on important issues, such as gender equality and violence against women, but it also allows time to celebrate the achievements of incredible women (10)_____________ the world.
IWD might seem (11)_____________ a very modern type of celebration, but in fact it has deep roots in the history of feminism and the socialist movement, and it has had a far-reaching impact on history.
The first ‘Women’s Day’ took place in New York as far back (12)_____________ 1909. It has been claimed that the event was set up by the Socialist Party to commemorate a successful strike by clothing workers the previous year, but this story has sparked a debate amongst historians. Whatever the reason for this first celebration, European socialists heard all (13)_____________ the event, and by 1911 had declared the first International Women’s Day.
In many countries, IWD was linked closely to the suffrage movement, and acted as a rallying point (14)_____________ supporters of votes for women.
(15)_____________ 1917 the celebration of International Women’s Day in Petrograd in Russia led to a day of strikes and industrial action, which helped to kick start the February Revolution, and in turn the Russian Revolution.
In the 1960s IWD (16)_____________ picked up and celebrated by the fast-growing feminist movement, and, in 1977, it was adopted by the United Nations as an official event. Today it is a public holiday in many countries, and observed by many more.
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