Street Art or Vandalism?

Maalata piiloon, maalata päälle

To paint over (graffiti)

Tägätä, kirjoittaa nimimerkki seinään

To tag a wall

Kitkeä, iskeä kovalla kädellä johonkin

To crack down on (something)

Yleistyä, tulla suosituksi, alkaa vetää

To catch on

Ilmaantua, syntyä nopeasti

To spring up

Hankkiutua eroon, lakkauttaa, tehdä loppu jostakin

To do away with (something)

Hangata pois, kuurata puhtaaksi

To scrub something off / to scrub it clean

Salakuljettaa, ujuttaa salaa

To smuggle (wit) onto the street

Siirtyä eteenpäin, jatkaa matkaa

To move on

Kurottaa kohti, tavoitella

To reach for (a balloon)

Sapluuna, maski

A stencil

Tägi, nimimerkki

A tag (as a verb: to tag)

Seinämaalaus, muraali

A mural

Kunnanvaltuusto, kaupunki(hallinto)

A council (local government)

Suostumus, lupa

Consent

Luvaton tunkeutuminen/käyttö

Trespass

Perintö, kulttuuriperintö

Heritage

Tilata, teettää (taideteos)

To commission (a mural)

Syyttää, nostaa syyte, viedä oikeuteen

To prosecute (someone)

Myöntää, antaa periksi

To concede (ground)

Luokitella uudelleen

To reclassify (a crime as culture)

Nimetön, anonyymi

Anonymous (artists)

Nuhjuinen, rähjäinen, ränsistynyt

Shabby (side street)

Tilattu vs pyytämätön

Commissioned vs unsolicited

1. What is the writer's main point in the text? — Whether street art counts as culture or crime often depends on who made it and whether it becomes valuable.
2. According to the second paragraph, how did authorities once treat graffiti? — They spent large sums covering it up and treated it as damage.
3. What changed public attitudes to graffiti, according to the third paragraph? — Anonymous artists began adding wit and politics, and their images attracted tourists.
4. What does the writer suggest by saying heritage is "vandalism that has grown old, become fashionable, or been signed by the right name"? — That the difference between crime and culture is often about fame and value, not the work itself.
5. How would you best describe the writer's tone towards both sides of the debate? — Balanced, giving each side a fair hearing while refusing an easy answer.
6. In the phrase "the same walls that a council had once scrubbed clean were suddenly worth protecting", the word "scrubbed" is closest in meaning to — cleaned by hard rubbing
7. Which of the following would make the best alternative title for the text? — When Does a Crime Become Culture?
8. Read the passage and choose the best alternative for each gap. —
9. The passage below quotes the study text (paragraphs 4 and 5). Fill each gap using the grey hint shown in the gap. — between, commissioned, an, admission, off, admired, belongs, than, talented, away, into, uneasily