A Pledge at the Crossroads

Word Bank

These words appear in the reading and the exercises below. Hover or click a word to see its definition.

divide the world into US and THEM verb phrase tribalism n. manifesto n. pledge v. representative n. citizen n. put people before politics fixed phrase restore v. extend v. fairness n. jargon n. beacon n. empty promises n. economic inequality n. irreparable damage n.

Full vocabulary notes (examples, collocations, related words)

divide the world into US and THEM verb phrase — to separate people into two opposing groups, usually your group and other people Many politicians divide the world into US and THEM to win support.Collocations: divide the world into us and them, us-versus-them thinking, us-and-them mentalityRelated: polarise people, create divisionsContrasts: bring people together, unite peopleNotes: US/THEM often capitalised to show group identity; critical, used in discussions of polarisation.

tribalism noun — strong loyalty to your own group and dislike or distrust of other groups Online tribalism can make public debates very aggressive.Collocations: political tribalism, social tribalism, appeal to tribalismRelated: group loyalty, factionalismContrasts: cooperation, opennessNotes: Modern political/psychology use; often negative, linked to polarisation.

manifesto noun · in the reading — a written statement of the beliefs and aims of a political party or candidate The party published its manifesto before the election.Collocations: political manifesto, party manifesto, election manifesto, campaign manifestoRelated: platform, programmeNotes: Often used in politics, usually countable.

pledge verb · in the reading — to make a serious or formal promise to do something I pledge to listen carefully to the people in my town.Collocations: pledge to help, pledge to improve, pledge support, pledge to fightRelated: promise, commitNotes: Common in political speeches and formal contexts.

representative noun — a person who has been chosen to speak or act for other people The town elected a new representative to speak for them.Collocations: elected representative, local representative, community representative, people's representativeRelated: delegateNotes: Often used for politicians elected to parliament or councils.

citizen noun — a person who belongs to a particular country and has its rights All citizens should have access to good healthcare.Collocations: citizen of Westwend, ordinary citizens, local citizens, responsible citizensRelated: resident, inhabitantNotes: Often used in legal and political contexts.

put people before politics fixed phrase · in the reading — to care more about people and their needs than about political games or power Our movement will always put people before politics.Collocations: put people before profits, put safety before profitsRelated: prioritise peopleContrasts: put politics before peopleNotes: Common campaign slogan type; metaphorical.

restore verb · in the reading — to bring something back to its previous good condition or status They promise to restore full services at the local hospital.Collocations: restore services, restore confidence, restore order, restore trustRelated: bring back, reinstateNotes: Often used with confidence, order, services.

extend verb · in the reading — to make something last longer or reach more people The government plans to extend free childcare for working parents.Collocations: extend services, extend a deadline, extend a programme, extend opening hoursRelated: expand, lengthenNotes: Often used with deadlines, services, programmes.

fairness noun · in the reading — the quality of treating people equally and in a reasonable way They say they will fight for fairness in government.Collocations: fairness in government, sense of fairness, basic fairness, demand fairnessRelated: justice, equityContrasts: unfairness, injusticeNotes: Often paired with justice and equality.

jargon noun · in the reading — special words used by a particular group that are difficult for other people to understand He promised to explain policies clearly, without using jargon.Collocations: technical jargon, legal jargon, political jargon, full of jargonRelated: technical languageNotes: Negative in everyday use; suggests confusion.

beacon noun · in the reading — something that guides or encourages people, or is a good example of something They want the town to be a beacon for business and tourism.Collocations: beacon for business, beacon for tourism, beacon of hope, beacon of democracyRelated: shining exampleNotes: Common metaphor: beacon of hope, beacon for change.

empty promises noun · in the reading — promises that are not kept or never meant to be kept Voters are tired of empty promises from politicians.Collocations: make empty promises, tired of empty promises, enough of empty promisesRelated: broken promisesNotes: Very common critical phrase.

economic inequality noun · in the reading — a situation where some people have much more money or resources than others Economic inequality is increasing in many parts of the world.Collocations: growing economic inequality, reduce economic inequality, level of economic inequalityRelated: income inequality, wealth gapContrasts: economic equality, equal opportunityNotes: Often discussed with issues like poverty, justice, social policy.

irreparable damage noun — harm that is so serious that it cannot be repaired or fixed Corruption can cause irreparable damage to public trust.Collocations: cause irreparable damage, suffer irreparable damage, avoid irreparable damageRelated: permanent harm, lasting damageContrasts: temporary damageNotes: Strong negative phrase; often used about environment, institutions, relationships.

Reading

Read the text, then try the exercises below.

Tomasz Kowal sat in a conference room at Volta Drive’s headquarters in Gliwice, staring at a draft of a new manifesto for the company’s UK distributor. The document had to balance the pressures of economic inequality in the market with the need to restore customer trust. Competitors had slashed prices, and Tomasz knew that if Volta Drive didn’t respond, they risked losing a significant portion of their 70% export market. His boss, Marek Nowicki, had urged him to pledge a more transparent approach to pricing—something Tomasz had always found difficult in long meetings. He had always preferred to ‘come back to you on that’ rather than make a firm promise. But this time, he felt the need to put people before politics, not just in his personal life, but in the way Volta Drive conducted business with its clients.

As he read through the document, he noticed a growing divide the manifesto could not easily bridge. The UK market was becoming increasingly tribal, with customers loyal to certain brands and distrustful of others. Tomasz worried that empty promises in the manifesto would only deepen this divide. He wanted to extend the company’s values beyond jargon and into something more tangible. He thought of Magda, who had asked him to promise her a full week off after their wedding, and wondered if he could be as committed to that as he was to his work. The manifesto needed to be a beacon of fairness, not a list of slogans. He knew that if he failed, the damage could be irreparable—not just for the company, but for the community in Gliwice that relied on Volta Drive’s success.

Fill in the Blank

Pick the word that best completes each sentence. The sentence may use a different form of the word (a plural, or -ed / -ing).

Matching

Click a word, then click its definition — or drag from one to the other. Use the undo button if you change your mind.

Teacher Notes

All vocabulary in this lesson comes directly from the bank at C1 level, filtered by the topic "politics".
Exercise #1 (Matching) practices recognition; Exercise #2 (Gap-fill) practices production in context.
This lesson blends 14 related sub-themes rather than one narrow group -- worth pointing out the connections between them explicitly if students seem to treat the words as unrelated.
Several items have register/usage notes worth raising in class: divide the world into US and THEM, tribalism, manifesto, pledge, representative.