Vocabulary - Follow the Crowd

"Well, the research is what I'd call a new look at an old idea, Steve, and the idea is peer pressure.  There's new research that shows that students desperately want to fit in with their peers."
What words from the article provide the best clue about the meaning of the words, "peer pressure"?

• old idea
• new research
• fit in with their peers
• a new look

"When they believed that the other students will find out about their choice, the sign-up goes down by 11 percentage points.  So instead of 72, we see 61 percent, big drop.  Many students are forgoing this opportunity just because they don't want their peers to find out."
Which definition of "forgoing" most closely matches the meaning of the word in the context of the sentence?

• to refrain from, do without
• to understand, comprehend
• to claim, agree to
• to argue for, defend

What is the best summary of the results of the test?

• The low performing kids agreed to the help in private because they didn't want their peers to think they cared about grades.  The high performing kids agreed to the help publically because they thought it would impress their peers. 
• The low performing kids agreed to the help in private but the high performing kids didn't agree to the help.
• The students who agreed all did so in private because they didn't want their peers to know they signed up.
• The low performing kids agreed to help because they thought it would impress their peers, the high performing kids disagreed with the help because they didn't want their peers to think they needed it.

"Sometimes it's not the best idea to say everyone who wants to go the extra mile in class because it's better to allow students to make those choices in private so they don't feel ostracized by their peers."
Which definition of "ostracized" most closely matches the meaning of the word in the context of the sentence?

• to be included in a group
• to be accepted by a group
• to be excluded from a group
• to be looked at favorably by a group

Read the sentences.
Steve, teachers and parents need to be keenly aware of how much peers affect the choices that students make.  Sometimes it's not the best idea to say everyone who wants to go the extra mile in class put up your hand because sometimes it's better to allow students to make those choices in private so they don't feel ostracized by their peers.
What is the main function of these lines?

• To provide background to the reader
• to emphasize the studies' results
• To offer a conclusive solution
• To highlight the possible reasons for the test results

Read the lines.
"Wow, so students essentially don't want to be seen as a nerd, or in any case, they don't want to be seen as different than what their peers are doing."
How does the use of the word "nerd" contribute to the tone of the article.

• It creates a informal tone.
• It suggests a doubtful tone.
• It creates an uptight tone.
• It suggests a concerned tone.

What textual evidence supports the idea that the researcher already had an opinion about the topic prior to beginning his research?

• "And I mean, you can't always control the peers that your kids are with."
• One of the things that the researchers tried to establish is that they offered these courses in public or in private in the different classes."
• "they sometimes caught students sitting in honors classes and sometimes they caught them sitting in non-honors classes."
• "Well, the research is what I'd call a new look at an old idea."

"Now students sitting with the high- performing peers, where the norm was to do well academically, these students were more likely to sign up for the SAT prep course when the choice was public."
What is the best meaning of the word, "norm"?

• an exception
• a mathematical average
• a typical response
• a midpoint

Read the sentences.
Now, there was a catch in the way they conducted the study - by going into these schools at random times, they sometimes caught them sitting in the non-honors classes.
What word from the sentences provides the best clue about the meaning of the word "random"?

• caught
• sometimes
• sitting
• classses

What was the final outcome of the study performed by Shankar Vedantam?

• Students usually conform to what is expected regardless if the choice is private or public.
• Students are more likely to follow what their peers are doing, especially when that choice is made public.
• Students are less likely to follow what their peers are doing when that choice is made public.
• Students' choices depend on what class they are a part of, not what their peers think.