This reading passage tells the story of Yassine Berrada, a fictional Moroccan stand-up comedian, and explores what makes his brand of humour so popular. Reading it will help you practise identifying key details, understanding vocabulary in context, and drawing simple inferences about a person’s character.
Reading Passage: A Talented Humorist
Yassine Berrada never planned to become a comedian. Growing up in a large, noisy family in Fez, he discovered early on that a well-timed joke could turn an awkward silence into a room full of laughter, and he decided that this was a talent worth using.
In his early twenties, Yassine began performing short stand-up routines in small cafés, poking fun at the small, everyday problems that everyone in Morocco recognised: traffic jams, family gatherings, and his own clumsiness. Audiences loved his self-deprecating style because he always laughed at himself before laughing at anyone else. Word of his talent spread quickly, and within a few years he was touring comedy clubs across the country.
What makes Yassine different from many other comedians is that he refuses to use sarcasm to hurt people. Instead, he believes that humour should bring people together, not divide them. His shows mix gentle satire of modern life with warm, observational jokes about family and friendship. Despite his growing fame, he remains humble, insisting that a good sense of humour is simply the ability to notice the funny side of ordinary life. Today, young comedians across Morocco see him as an inspiration and a master of his craft.
Practice Exercises
Exercise 1 — Where did Yassine grow up, and how did this shape his early sense of humour?
Exercise 2 — True or False: Yassine began his career performing in large theatres. Justify your answer with a detail from the text.
Exercise 3 — What kinds of subjects does Yassine make jokes about, according to the passage?
Exercise 4 — Find a word or phrase in the passage that means ‘making fun of oneself’.
Exercise 5 — Why does Yassine refuse to use sarcasm in his shows, and what does he believe humour should do instead?
Exercise 6 — In your own words, explain what ‘a good sense of humour’ means according to Yassine.
Answer Key
Answer 1 — He grew up in a large, noisy family in Fez, where he learned that a joke could turn an awkward silence into laughter.
Answer 2 — False — he began performing short routines in small cafés, not large theatres.
Answer 3 — Everyday problems such as traffic jams, family gatherings, and his own clumsiness.
Answer 4 — self-deprecating
Answer 5 — He believes sarcasm hurts people, and that humour should bring people together instead of dividing them.
Answer 6 — Open answer, e.g. It means noticing and appreciating the funny side of ordinary, everyday life.
