Section 1.2 Knowledge Check

It's time to check your knowledge! Complete this exercise to see how well you understand these topics. Review the resources again if you need to before moving on to the Unit 1 Assessment.

Arrests made in theft of sold toilet in England

Read the following passage, then select from the drop down table below whether the passage is a statement of the "Central theme", "Conclusion", or "Cause and Effect".

Arrests made in theft of sold toilet in England

Yesterday, Thames Valley Police said they had arrested a second man in connection with the theft of a gold toilet. The toilet an artwork, was stolen on Saturday from Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. Mother man, who was arrested on the day of the theft, was released on bail. The toilet has not been recovered.


The toilet seen installed at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, New York, 2016


Blenheim Palace seen from the water terraces in 2016

Police arrested a 36-year-old Chettenham man on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle. They subsequently released him pending investigation. On Saturday they arrested a 66-year-old man on suspicion of burglary, and released him on bail till October. "We are continuing to investigate this incident and have made a second arrest in connection with it. Our priority is to locate the stolen item, and I would urge anyone with any information to contact police by calling 101", said Detective Inspector Steven Jones.

The toilet is an artwork entitled America made by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan. It is a fully functioning toilet made from 18-karat gold. Dominic Hare, chief executive of the palace, placed the value of the artwork in the range of five to sbc million US dollars. It had been fully plumbed and installed for visitors to use at Blenheim. When it was removed by the burglars it caused flooding and water damage to the building. Police said on Monday they believe the theft involved a group of thieves and multiple vehicles.

"M first, when they woke me up this morning with the news, I thought it was a prank Who's so stupid to steal a toiler' wrote Cattelan, the artist, in an e-mail to The New York Times. "I had forgotten for a second that it was made out of gold".

Back in 2017, the artwork was offered to Donald Trump, the president of the United States. Dominic Hare said the toilet represented a "comment on the American dream".


Exercise:

Make a list that is numbered 1-5. Read the corresponding passages below and write down whether they are the "central theme", "conclusion", or "cause and effect". Check your answers on the next page.

  1. Despite initially thinking the burglary was a hoax, police are acting to recover the lost art.
  2. Valuable artwork was stolen from a British museum.
  3. Removal of the gold toilet led to flooding and water damage at the museum.
  4. The gold toilet was worth five to six million dollars, making it attractive to thieves.
  5. Police will arrest those they suspect of taking part in the theft.

Source: Saylor Academy
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