31st May 2023 by Jaksyn Peacock
Pre-listening vocabulary
- intentionally: on purpose
- encyclopedia: a book that contains information about many topics
- plagiarism: the act of copying someone else’s work
- source: a text that is used to find information
- define: to explain the meaning of a word
Listening activity
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:14 — 1.1MB)
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Gapfill exercise
Comprehension questions
See answers below
- A mountweazel is
a. a type of encyclopedia
b. a piece of false information
c. a dishonest publisher
- The article about Lillian Virginia Mountweazel claimed she was
a. a photographer
b. a soldier
c. a mapmaker
- The purpose of a mountweazel is
a. to sell more encyclopedias
b. to entertain the reader
c. to catch plagiarism
Discussion/essay questions
- With modern technology, false information spreads very quickly. Have you ever believed something and then learned it was false? What can people do to make sure they have the truth?
Transcript
A mountweazel is a piece of false information that a publication includes intentionally. The word “mountweazel” comes from Lillian Virginia Mountweazel, a woman who appeared in an article in the 1975 New Columbia Encyclopedia. The article about Mountweazel claimed that she was a photographer who died in an explosion. In reality, Mountweazel never existed at all. The purpose of the fake article was to protect the encyclopedia from plagiarism. If someone else wrote about Mountweazel, the encyclopedia’s publishers would know that their text was the source. Other types of publications also use mountweazels to catch plagiarism. Dictionaries sometimes define fake words, and maps sometimes include fake towns.
Answers to comprehension questions
1b 2a 3c
Tags: copyright, dictionary, encyclopedia, false information, hoax
Posted in Interesting facts✔️ | 9 Comments »
22nd March 2023 by Jaksyn Peacock
Pre-listening vocabulary
- prank: a trick that is meant to entertain or embarrass someone
- hoax: a false story that is reported as fact
- gullible: willing to believe many things, even if they are strange or obviously untrue
- fictitious: not real, nonexistent
- dispute: to disagree about something
- evolve: to grow and change
- target: someone who is the victim of a cruel or deceptive act
Listening activity
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:19 — 1.2MB)
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | More
Gapfill exercise
Comprehension questions
See answers below
- In 1698, a London newspaper published a hoax about
a. a disastrous festival
b. a lion-washing ceremony
c. England switching to a lunar calendar
- The Roman festival Hilaria was a celebration of
a. the stars
b. the equinox
c. the theatre
- A hoax about the history of April Fools’ was accidentally reported by
a. the BBC
b. the Associated Press
c. the Washington Post
Discussion/essay questions
- Have you ever been pranked or pranked someone else? Why do you think pranks bring us joy?
- Hoaxes have become more common in the age of the internet. Have you ever believed a hoax? What are some good practices for determining if information is true?
Transcript
Many countries around the world celebrate a day of pranks and jokes on April 1st. Most April Fools’ pranks take place between friends, but the day is also an opportunity to trick the general public. Media companies often report hoaxes on April 1st to fool gullible audience members. This tradition dates back to 1698, when a London newspaper reported on a fictitious lion-washing ceremony. The origins of the holiday are disputed. One theory is that it evolved out of Hilaria, a Roman spring equinox festival. Another is that it began with the switch to the Gregorian calendar in 16th-century France. People who continued to celebrate the new year in April became the targets of pranks. There have even been April Fools’ hoaxes about the history of April Fools’, one of which was accidentally reported by the Associated Press in 1983.
Answers to comprehension questions
1b 2b 3b
Tags: history, hoax, holidays, media, pranks, theories
Posted in Interesting facts✔️ | 4 Comments »