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2020 ‫מועד קיץ‬ - 49 - ‫ פרק שני‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) A Dictionary of American Underworld Lingo (1950), a guide to the rich, colorful
terminology of the criminal subculture, is one of the most bizarre reference books ever
published. The book was not intended to be a curiosity, nor a training manual for
potential criminals, but rather a serious source of information for police, judges,

(5) lawyers, and social workers. It includes thousands of words related to crimes and the
criminals who commit them. Among the entries are: bone-orchard (meaning
graveyard); kisser, moosh, mug, and squash (referring to a person's face); and boodle,
buck, buttons, cabbage, gelt, kale, silk, and spinach (all synonyms for money).

The dictionary was not the first of its kind. It was, however, the first that came from
(10) the "inside": Great Meadow Prison in northern New York State. The initiator of the

project, Rabbi Hyman E. Goldin, was a practicing lawyer who also served as a chaplain
at the prison. As unrabbinic as the project may seem, it was born of Goldin's love of
language and, even more, of his love of people and his desire to give the convicts an
opportunity to accomplish something positive. The editors, Frank O'Leary and Morris
(15) Lipsius, were both prisoners, as were the thirty contributors, all of whom were chosen
for their "expertise" in different areas of crime.

After their release from prison, O'Leary and Lipsius left the underworld behind and
made new lives for themselves. Lipsius even wrote a story that was made into a film.

Questions

18. An appropriate title for this text would be -

(1) A Dictionary of American Underworld Lingo: An Inside Job
(2) Great Meadow Prison: Giving Convicts a Second Chance
(3) A Dictionary of American Underworld Lingo: How to Commit the Perfect Crime
(4) From Criminals to Honest Men: The Lives of Frank O'Leary and Morris Lipsius

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬
.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬