New Yorkers told to 'pull their pants up'

A "Stop the Sag!" billboard is seen on the side of a building in Brooklyn

Eric Adams, a state senator from Brooklyn, is behind the $2,000 'Stop The Sag' advertising campaign showing two men in jeans that hang low enough to display their underwear.
Mr Adams is calling for the end of the trend that has become popular in men's fashion. In an online message posted on YouTube, he said: "You can raise your level of respect if you raise your pants", while pleading to young people not to "surrender control over your own image". The politician, a retired police captain, is the latest to speak out on the trend. He follows Larry Platt, an American Idol performer who became an internet sensation earlier this year with his song "Pants on the Ground". Even Barack Obama has previously said: "Some people might not want to see your underwear. I'm one of them."
The campaign in New York follows a similar one in Dallas, where officials embarked on a 'Pull Your Pants Up' campaign in 2007. Mr Adams said he had had enough after watching a train passenger who wore a particularly low-slung pair of trousers. "Everyone on the train was looking at him and shaking their heads," he said. "And no one said anything to correct it."
The low-slung trousers trend is adapted from the unbelted and sometimes oversized look of prison uniforms, according to Mark-Evan Blackman of New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. The style has spread from inner cities to suburban shopping centres and school classrooms.


Question 1 (2 points)
Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.
a) Eric Adams has used various means of advertising to get his message across.
b) Mr. Adams used to be a policeman.
c) Mr. Adams appeared on a TV show called American Idol.
d) This is not the first time that this kind of clothing has been criticized.

Question 2 (2 points)
Answer the following questions in your own words.
a) Why did Mr Adams decide to start this campaign?
b) How did this fashion start?

Question 3 (1.5 points)
Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.
a) show (Paragraph 1)
b give up (Paragraph 2)
c) start (Paragraph 3)

Question 4 (1.5 points)
Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.
a) Mr Adams wrote: “You can raise your level of respect if you raise your pants.”
Mr Adams wrote that …
b) Everyone on the train was looking at the passenger but no one told him to pull up his trousers.
The passenger ………………..
c) Officials in Dallas embarked on a “Pull up Your Pants” campaign in 2007. That’s why there is one in New York.
If officials in Dallas hadn’t …………..

Question 5 (3 points)
Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:
“Everyone should have the right to dress the way they want.” Do you agree?