Answer Key: Candidates, Good Looks

Lesson Plan: Good Looks + Germs = Votes at the Ballot Box?

I. Pre-Reading Activities

 Predictions

Analyzing headings and photos

Suggestions for words:  elections, United States, candidates, Presidents, Obama, Hillary Clinton.

II. While Reading Activities

Word Inference

  1. stand-in stænd ˌɪn|-noun-a person who stands in for another, esp. in a performance; a substitute: his stand-in does all the dancing sequences.
  2. triumphs |ˈtrīəmf|-noun-a great victory or achievement: a garden built to celebrate Napoleon’s many triumphs.
  3. attribute verb |əˈtriˌbyo͞ot| [ with obj. ] (attribute something to)regard something as being caused by (someone or something): he attributed the firm’s success to the efforts of the managing director
  4. traditional |trəˈdiSHənl|–adjective-existing in or as part of a tradition; long-established: the traditional festivities of the church year.
  5. vestigial |veˈstij(ē)əl|-adjective-forming a very small remnant of something that was once much larger or more noticeable: he felt a vestigial flicker of anger from last night.
  6. indicators |ˈindiˌkātər|-noun-a thing, esp. a trend or fact, that indicates the state or level of something: car ownership is frequently used as an indicator of affluence.
  7. germs  jərm|-noun-a microorganism, esp. one that causes disease.
  8. phenomenon |fəˈnäməˌnän, -nən|-noun- ( pl. phenomenona |-nə| ) a fact or situation that is observed to exist or happen, esp. one whose cause or explanation is in question: glaciers are unique and interesting natural phenomena.• a remarkable person, thing, or event.
  9. preference |ˈpref(ə)rəns|-noun-a greater liking for one alternative over another or others: a preference for long walks and tennis over jogging | he chose a clock in preference to a watch.
  10. extended |ikˈstend|-verb [ with obj. ]-cause to cover a larger area; make longer or wider: the Forest Service plans to extend a gravel road nearly a mile. beyond the original limit: 

Source: New Oxford American Dictionary

 Reading Comprehension

 Fill-ins

Words in the order they appear in the paragraphs:

hypothesis, voting patterns, analyses, disease, candidates, good-looking, twice,  win,  contrast, healthier, electoral, alternative,  phenomenon, controlled, unhealthy, disease,  preference, leaders, threats,

Grammar Focus

Sentence Scramble

  1. Scientists had previously theorized that the general preference for attractive leaders was just another example of a “halo effect.”
  2. But our work challenges this traditional view.
  3. Our ancestors frequently confronted devastating epidemics that wiped out many of the members of their groups.
  4. To test this hypothesis, we first examined the links between health statistics and voting patterns for winners and losers.
  5. People who said they were concerned with disease were more likely to desire that a more attractive person take on the boss role.