Shankar Vedantam, The Telescope Effect

The Telescope Effect

Shankar Vedantam 

READING COMPREHENSION QUIZ

Take the quiz below to check your comprehension of the reading selection:

Question 8.21

How much was one check to help save the dog?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect. The answer is D.

Question 8.22

Who did others believe the money should have gone to?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect. The answer is C.

Question 8.23

Why do people have problems helping suffering on a large scale?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect. The answer is A.

Question 8.24

What is it called when people don’t feel sadder when higher numbers are involved?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect. The answer is D.

Question 8.25

What was the name of the dog that was trapped?

A.
B.
C.
D.
Correct.
Incorrect. The answer is A.

READING SUMMARY

Question 8.26

Summarize “The Telescope Effect.” Be sure to put the summary in your own words and to avoid using the sentence structure of the reading selection. Remember that your summary should restate the author’s main idea (or thesis) and that it should include only the author’s most important supporting ideas.
Below is an example summary of this reading selection: Vedantam argues that people will spare no expense to save an individual person or animal when needed but have difficulty when the number rises. The reason for this difficulty is the abstract nature of large numbers. Your summary will differ from this one in the way it is written, but it should include roughly the same information.

VOCABULARY QUIZ

Explain the meaning of each of the following words as it is used in the reading:

Question 8.27

Incensed (par. 4)
Incensed means angry or infuriated.

Question 8.28

Discrepancy (par. 8)
Discrepancy means inconsistency or difference.

Question 8.29

Blasé (par. 9)
Blasé means unconcerned or unmoved.