Dialogue about India:

Max: I read the article in Time Magazine about India. Did you read it also?

Emmy: Yes, I did. What was something interesting that you learned about India?

Max: I learned that India is a very large and well-known country. It is one of the world's largest democracies.

Emmy: What is a democracy?

Max: A democracy is a type of government where the people elect the leader by voting.

Emmy: Oh, I see. I learned that India is a very diverse country. For example, in northern India there are the Himalayas, the large, snowcapped mountain range that contains the largest mountain in the world. In the south, there is the Indian Ocean, where the weather is more tropical. The people are also diverse, with a mixture of traditional life and modern technology.

Max: Many computer software programmers come from India, working for major computer companies such as Microsoft and Apple.

Emmy: Wow! I didn't know that.

Max: The economy is pretty extreme, there are some people who are very rich, but many more who are extremely poor.

Emmy: I heard that the government wants to build more roads or highways to help transport products from farms to the cities, and therefore possibley help them make more money.

Max: Interesting idea. Do you want to visit India?

Emmy: Yes I do. I would love to go to the mountains and climb Mount Everest!

Max: Mount Everest is in Nepal, a country that borders India. I want to visit Mumbai and see where they make the Bollywood films. I would also like to see the beautiful country Sri Lanka and go swimming in the beautiful ocean.

Emmy: Let's go! That sounds great.

Max: Maybe someday we can travel to India together.

Discussion questions:

Why do you think India is a diverse country?

What is a democracy?

What do you know about the economy in India?

What kind of landscape can be seen in India? How is the north different from the south?

What do Max and Emmy want to see most in India?