Rosa Parks: The Driver Told Her to Stand Up… She Said No
Level A1 (Beginner) · Watch the video and do the online quiz at https://brightlivesenglish.com/lessons/rosa-parks-she-said-no/
A Match the words to their meanings
- sit (verb)
- rule (noun)
- bus (noun)
- seat (noun)
- driver (noun)
- law (noun)
- tired (adjective)
- quiet (adjective)
- needing rest
- a rule made by a country or a state
- calm, not loud
- a big road vehicle that carries many people
- a person who drives a car or a bus
- to rest on a chair or a seat
- it says what you must do or can't do
- a place to sit
B Complete the sentences from the story
quiet · rule · law · seat · bus · tired · sit · driver
- The told her to stand up.
- Rosa went home on the .
- The was not fair.
- She sat in a in the middle.
- She was , but she was strong.
- Black people had to at the back.
- People said she was , but she wasn't.
- In 1956, the changed.
C Did you understand?
- Rosa stood up for a white passenger.True / False
- Where did Rosa sit?
- At the front
- Next to the driver
- In a seat in the middle
- On the floor
- How long did people not take the buses?
- One day
- 381 days
- One week
- Ten years
- Rosa was tired of giving in.True / False
D Put the words in order
- stand / she / up / Did
E Grammar: Did + person + verb…? → Yes, she did. / No, she didn't.
We use it for to ask about the past; the main verb goes back to its first form: stand, not stood. Did she stand up? No, she didn't. · Did people take the bus? No, they didn't.
Example from the story: Did she stand up? No, she didn't.
- she stand up? No, she didn't. (Did / Does / Was)
- Did people take the bus? No, they . (didn't / don't / weren't)
- Did she in the middle? Yes, she did. (sit / sat / sitting)
F Your turn
Retell Rosa Parks's story in 5–6 sentences. Use at least three words from exercise A.
Transcript
A bus driver told a woman to stand up.
She said no.
This is the story of Rosa Parks.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
Sit. You sit on a chair.
Black people had to sit at the back.
Rule. A rule says what you must do.
The rule was not fair.
Bus. A bus carries many people.
Rosa went home on the bus.
Seat. A seat is a place to sit.
She sat in a seat in the middle.
Driver. A driver drives a car or a bus.
The driver told her to stand up.
Now, one pattern: did.
Did she stand up?
No, she didn't.
Ready? Let's begin.
Rosa Parks lived in Alabama.
On the buses, white people sat at the front.
Black people had to sit at the back.
The rule was not fair.
In 1955, Rosa went home on the bus.
She sat in a seat in the middle.
Then white people got on.
The driver told her to stand up.
Three Black people stood up.
Did she stand up?
No, she didn't.
The police took her away.
She was not tired.
She was tired of giving in.
Did people take the bus?
No, they didn't.
They walked for 381 days.
In 1956, the bus rule changed.
Let's review. Black people had to sit at the back.
The rule was not fair.
Rosa went home on the bus.
She sat in a seat in the middle.
The driver told her to stand up.
And remember: did she stand up?
No, she didn't.
Rosa Parks's story teaches us: one no can change a rule.
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Answer key
A. 1f 2g 3d 4h 5e 6b 7a 8c
B. 1 driver · 2 bus · 3 rule · 4 seat · 5 quiet · 6 sit · 7 tired · 8 law
C. 1 False · 2 c · 3 b · 4 True
D. 1 Did she stand up.
E. 1 Did · 2 didn't · 3 sit