A Prison Vacation
Feeling stressed? Maybe 48 hours alone behind bars would help you relax--or at least that's the thinking behind a mock jail in Hongcheon, South Korea. At "Prison Inside Me," as the facility is known, each "inmate" is assigned to a small cell and given a uniform, notepad, yoga mat, and tea set. Everyone sleeps on the floor. To pass the time, they can attend meditation classes, but they aren't allowed to talk to one another or use electronic devices. Solitary confinement might not sound like a fun way to spend a weekend, but according to a recent survey. South Koreans worked 2,024 hours on average in 2017 (Americans averaged 1,780 hours). That may explain why the facility has become popular among those who want to escape their demanding lives. "I shouldn't be here right now, given the work I need to do," Park Hye-ri, who paid $90 to spend 24 hours locked up, told Reuters. "But I decided to pause and look back at myself for a better life." •
5. After reading the passage above, what is the best central idea of the passage?
a. South Koreans are so busy that they need jail time to calm them down and help them stay on track.
b. South Koreans are paying to de-stress their lives in a prison type atmosphere.
c. Americans need this type of de-stressing because of their hectic work lives as well.
d. People in South Korea would rather be in jail than to work the insane amount of time they do.