Idioms
What is a "shot in the dark"?
A random guess based on little information.
This informational text is all about the effects of "populuxe" on the consumer. What is populuxe?
A portmanteau of popular and luxury.
What is an illusion?
a deceptive appearance or impression.
How do bees communicate?
Elaborate dances that resemble language
What was the name of the fungus in question?
What does it mean to "stick to one's guns"?
To refuse to compromise or change, despite criticism.
How many household items did most Chinese aspire to own in the 70s?
Four
What do the two experiments in the text tell us?
The portion of food relative to plate size can psychologically dupe people into thinking they've received more or less food.
the ability to combine small, limited linguistic units to make larger units of meaning
What is the relationship between warmbloodedness and immunity to fungi?
The ability of mammals to raise their body temperature in response to an antigen conferred natural immunity since fungi cannot take the heat!
What does it mean to "clear the air"?
To make up with someone after a dispute
What does the word "austere" mean?
(of living conditions or a way of life) having no comforts or luxuries; harsh or ascetic.
"conditions in the prison could hardly be more austere"
What can consumers do to counteract the influence of marketers?
Do not rely on labeling.
By what age do students acquire most of the rules of their native language?
How have fungi evolved to infect humans today?
Degree by degree via natural selection
I really wanted to tell my boss where to shove it, but I thought it better to bite my _____ lest I lose my job.
bite
What is another way to say "intangible"?
What is an example of irony in this article?
Multiple responses
What do languages tend to do when the adopt words from another language?
They change the sounds of the words to suit their language.
They appeared in separate parts of the world at the same time.
below the belt
Without looking, what is one example of irony in the text?
Multiple responses: use of "", highflown language (superfluity), humorous phrasing ("the ability to be bored")
What is meant by the phrase "vanity sizing" when discussing clothing retail?
The practice of labelling clothing at a smaller size than they actually are
What was the purpose of the Wug Test?
To test children's ability to use language rules rather than simply imitating speech sounds.
What allowed mammals to replace reptiles on Earth? Be specific.
Their warmbloodedness after the mass extinction event- in which the world's forest were decaying rapidly and covered in fungi- gave them an adaptive evolutionary advantage over the reptiles that could not raise their body temperature in response to infection.