Level-graded English lessons with reading, listening, activities, and discussion.
Lesson Info
Lesson Content
Warm-up, Vocab List, Reading and Audio
Understanding: Main Idea, True or False, Multiple Choice
Language: Words That Go Together, New Sentences
Use It: Discussion Builder, Discussion Questions
Answers
(1) What do you know about Mississippi?
(2) Would you prefer to vote for an experienced politician or someone new to politics? Why?
Vocab List
Democrat Scott Colom has narrowly defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, according to the Associated Press, becoming the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.
The result came after more than a week of counting outstanding absentee and provisional ballots. Colom won by just a few thousand votes in the country’s closest Senate race, ending more than 40 years without a Democratic Senate victory in Mississippi.
The breakthrough came in a state President Trump won by 23 percentage points in 2024. Black voters make up close to 40% of Mississippi’s electorate, the highest share in the country, and a surge in Black turnout helped drive the Democratic victory.
Colom, a district attorney, put the cost of living at the center of his campaign. Rising prices had hit Mississippi’s rural, agriculture-heavy economy particularly hard.
One memorable campaign ad turned Hyde-Smith’s words against her. When asked about high beef prices, the senator had suggested choosing a different protein. Colom’s ad responded by suggesting that instead of picking another protein, voters should "pick another senator."
Hyde-Smith conceded after the AP called the race Wednesday, saying she respected voters’ decision and wished Colom well.
At historically Black Tougaloo College in Jackson, an emotional Colom thanked his campaign and shared the credit with supporters.
“… it’s not something that I did, y’all,” he said. “It’s something that we did!”
Scott Colom Wins Historic Senate Race in Mississippi
(1) What do you know about Mississippi?
(2) Would you prefer to vote for an experienced politician or someone new to politics? Why?
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Reconstruction (n.)
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outstanding (adj.)
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absentee ballot (n. phrase)
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provisional ballot (n. phrase)
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electorate (n.)
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surge (n.)
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turnout (n.)
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district attorney (n. phrase)
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concede (v.)
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call a race (v. phrase)
Democrat Scott Colom has narrowly defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, according to the Associated Press, becoming the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.
The result came after more than a week of counting outstanding absentee and provisional ballots. Colom won by just a few thousand votes in the country’s closest Senate race, ending more than 40 years without a Democratic Senate victory in Mississippi.
The breakthrough came in a state President Trump won by 23 percentage points in 2024. Black voters make up close to 40% of Mississippi’s electorate, the highest share in the country, and a surge in Black turnout helped drive the Democratic victory.
Colom, a district attorney, put the cost of living at the center of his campaign. Rising prices had hit Mississippi’s rural, agriculture-heavy economy particularly hard.
One memorable campaign ad turned Hyde-Smith’s words against her. When asked about high beef prices, the senator had suggested choosing a different protein. Colom’s ad responded by suggesting that instead of picking another protein, voters should "pick another senator."
Hyde-Smith conceded after the AP called the race Wednesday, saying she respected voters’ decision and wished Colom well.
At historically Black Tougaloo College in Jackson, an emotional Colom thanked his campaign and shared the credit with supporters.
“… it’s not something that I did, y’all,” he said. “It’s something that we did!”
Main Idea
Choose one answer, then click CHECK to see your result.
Main Idea
Choose one:
- Colom’s victory highlights the power of a campaign focused on the cost of living.
- Colom’s narrow victory marks a historic political breakthrough in a strongly Republican state. Correct answer
- Colom’s victory highlights the importance of Black voter turnout in deciding Mississippi’s elections.
True or False
Answer each question by selecting True or False, then click CHECK to see your results.
True or False
1. The close election result took more than a week to establish because absentee and provisional ballots still had to be counted. TRUEFALSE True
2. Colom’s focus on living costs addressed a problem that had hit Mississippi’s rural economy particularly hard. TRUEFALSE True
3. Hyde-Smith accepted defeat before the Associated Press announced the winner. TRUEFALSE False
Multiple Choice
Answer each question by selecting A, B, or C, then click CHECK to see your results.
Multiple Choice
1. What makes Colom’s victory historically significant?
a) It ended a Democratic Senate losing streak of over 40 years and made him Mississippi’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.Correct
b) It ended a Democratic Senate losing streak dating to Reconstruction and made him Mississippi’s first Black senator in over 40 years.
c) It ended Hyde-Smith’s Senate career of over 40 years and made him the first Black U.S. senator in Mississippi’s history.
2. How does the article explain Colom’s breakthrough in a state Trump won by 23 percentage points?
a) Colom gained support as rural voters moved away from agriculture.
b) Colom benefited from a fall in the Republican share of the electorate.
c) Colom benefited from increased turnout among the state’s large Black electorate.Correct
3. How did Colom’s campaign ad use Hyde-Smith’s advice about beef prices?
a) It presented her advice as evidence that she supported his economic plans.
b) It turned her suggestion about changing food into a call to change senators.Correct
c) It used her suggestion to explain his plan for lowering food prices.
4. What message did Colom emphasize in his remarks at Tougaloo College?
a) The victory was a shared achievement with his campaign and supporters.Correct
b) The victory showed that his work as a district attorney had won voters’ trust.
c) The victory reflected the success of his campaign’s memorable advertising.
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio on eslnewsstories.com and complete the gaps below:
Democrat Scott Colom has narrowly (1) Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in Mississippi, according to the Associated Press, becoming the state’s first Black U.S. senator since Reconstruction.
The result came after more than a week of (2) outstanding absentee and provisional ballots. Colom won by just a few thousand votes in the country’s closest Senate race, ending more than 40 years without a Democratic Senate victory in Mississippi.
The breakthrough came in a state President Trump won by 23 percentage points in 2024. Black voters make up close to 40% of Mississippi’s electorate, the (3) share in the country, and a surge in Black turnout helped drive the Democratic victory.
Colom, a district attorney, put the cost of living at the center of his campaign. Rising (4) had hit Mississippi’s rural, agriculture-heavy economy particularly hard.
One memorable campaign ad turned Hyde-Smith’s words against her. When asked about high beef prices, the senator had suggested (5) a different protein. Colom’s ad responded by suggesting that instead of picking another protein, voters should "pick another senator."
Hyde-Smith conceded after the AP called the race Wednesday, saying she respected voters’ decision and wished Colom well.
At historically Black Tougaloo College in Jackson, an emotional Colom (6) his campaign and shared the credit with supporters.
“… it’s not something that I did, y’all,” he said. “It’s something that we did!”
Listen and Fill Gaps
Listen to the audio and complete the gaps below:
Loading listening activity...
Words That Go Together
Drag each word to its match below, or select a word and then select its match:
Loading vocabulary activity...
Words That Go Together
Match each word with the words it goes with:
1. concedef) defeat
2. calle) a race
3. voterd) turnout
4. campaignc) ad
5. hitb) hard
6. sharea) the credit
a) the credit
b) hard
c) ad
d) turnout
e) a race
f) defeat
New Sentences
Choose the best word for each new sentence.
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The bank refused another loan while he still had {blank} debts.
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The shop hired extra staff after a {blank} in online orders.
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She requested an {blank} because her overseas job kept her away on election day.
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The {blank} asked the court to send the armed robber to prison.
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Heavy snow kept voters home, and {blank} fell below twenty percent.
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After the judges announced the scores, the losing team refused to {blank}.
New Sentences
absentee ballot / concede / district attorney / electorate / outstanding / provisional ballot / surge / turnout
- The bank refused another loan while he still had debts.
- The shop hired extra staff after a in online orders.
- She requested an because her overseas job kept her away on election day.
- The asked the court to send the armed robber to prison.
- Heavy snow kept voters home, and fell below twenty percent.
- After the judges announced the scores, the losing team refused to .
Discussion Builder
1) Contrast 2) Condition
Q: How well does working as a district attorney prepare someone to become a senator?
A:Q: How would you explain the value of a single vote to someone who thinks voting makes no difference?
A:
Discussion Builder
Choose the best phrase for each gap:
Q: How well does working as a district attorney prepare someone to become a senator?
A: Working as a district attorney provides legal experience. writing national laws calls for a much broader range of skills.
Having said that, / Because of that,
Working as a district attorney provides legal experience. Having said that, writing national laws calls for a much broader range of skills.
Q: How would you explain the value of a single vote to someone who thinks voting makes no difference?
A: I'd remind them that one vote can decide a close race. It's worth voting getting to the polling station takes some effort.
because / even if
I'd remind them that one vote can decide a close race. It's worth voting even if getting to the polling station takes some effort.
Discussion Questions
- Why does becoming a state’s first Black senator in generations matter beyond the election itself?
- How would you react to a politician who suggested buying a different food when your usual choice became too expensive?
- What do you think motivates people who usually stay home to turn out and vote?
- How would you explain the value of a single vote to someone who thinks voting makes no difference?
- When should news organizations call a race if some ballots are still being counted?
- How well does working as a district attorney prepare someone to become a senator?
- Which rising everyday cost has had the biggest effect on people’s habits where you live?
- What makes people feel that a political candidate understands their daily lives?
- Think of a successful team you’ve been part of. How should credit be shared between the leader and the other members?
Discussion Questions
- Why does becoming a state’s first Black senator in generations matter beyond the election itself?
- How would you react to a politician who suggested buying a different food when your usual choice became too expensive?
- What do you think motivates people who usually stay home to turn out and vote?
- How would you explain the value of a single vote to someone who thinks voting makes no difference?
- When should news organizations call a race if some ballots are still being counted?
- How well does working as a district attorney prepare someone to become a senator?
- Which rising everyday cost has had the biggest effect on people’s habits where you live?
- What makes people feel that a political candidate understands their daily lives?
- Think of a successful team you’ve been part of. How should credit be shared between the leader and the other members?
Answers
Listening: (1) defeated, (2) counting, (3) highest, (4) prices, (5) choosing, (6) thanked
Main Idea: Colom’s narrow victory marks a historic political breakthrough in a strongly Republican state.
True or False:
- True. The result came after more than a week of counting outstanding absentee and provisional ballots.
- True. Rising prices had especially hurt the state’s rural, agriculture-heavy economy, and Colom made living costs central to his campaign.
- False. She conceded after the Associated Press called the race for Colom on Wednesday.
Multiple Choice: a, c, b, a
Vocabulary:
- concede: defeat
- call: a race
- voter: turnout
- campaign: ad
- hit: hard
- share: the credit
New Sentences: 1. outstanding; 2. surge; 3. absentee ballot; 4. district attorney; 5. turnout; 6. concede
Discussion Builder:
Hints: 1) Contrast. 2) Condition.
- Having said that,
- even if