"What Is a Meme?" Reading Check

One definition of "hive mind" is "the collective thoughts, ideas, and opinions of a group of people (such as Internet users) regarded as functioning together as a single mind". How might this relate to hives and bees?

"MEMES AND THE internet—they're made for each other. Not because they’re digital visual communication (though of course, they are that), but because they are the product of ahive mind. They are the shorthand of a hyper-connected group thinking in unison. And, friends, the web hive mind is a weird (often funny, sometimes dangerous) place."

• bees live together and people interact on the Internet together

• bees sting and often memes have a "stinging" effect

• just as bees work together and share resources, people on the Internet share their thinking (and memes)

• bees have a queen and the user is the "queen" of the Internet

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.4

CCSS.RI.8.4

CCSS.RI.9-10.4

CCSS.RL.11-12.4

CCSS.RL.8.4

"What Is a Meme?" may best be described as a:

• poem

• article

• op-ed

• short story

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.10

CCSS.RI.6.10

CCSS.RI.7.10

CCSS.RI.8.10

CCSS.RI.9-10.10

Which of the following best represents Richard Dawkins' definition of a meme?

• an inside joke

• propaganda

• image macros

• shared culture

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RI.9-10.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

Which sentence BEST reflects the most significant change in Internet Memes over the years:

• Internet memes now have use video

• Internet memes are significantly meaner

• Internet memes may spread more quickly and fade out faster

• Anyone can create an Internet meme

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which meme came first?

• #TheDress

• Rickrolling

• LOLcat

• "Harlem Shake"

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RI.9-10.7

Which of the following is NOT true:

• there are websites that help you create memes

• ISIS has used memes as a recruiting tool

• memes have been made into Halloween costumes

• the originator of the phrase "On Fleek" is now rich

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.11-12.8

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RI.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7

Which of the following best describes the author's overall hope for memes in the following paragraph?

"If there’s any justice at all, meme making will become a job, and companies will hire the people who have been making you snort at your laptop screen for years. Some already are, like Instagram star k@5sh. Might that kill the fun? Possibly. But our appetite for memes is virtually unlimited and there’s room for professional and amateur memes alike, and memeing thoughtfully and often may be the only antidote to those toxic political and fake news memes we were talking about earlier. Engaging trolls never works. The only way to beat them is to drown them out. So here’s to the future meme masters keeping Pepe the Frog way down at the bottom of your feed."

• people will stop making memes

• there will be more positive/humorous memes than negative ones

• people will finally be paid for making memes

• companies will sell memes

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

CCSS.RI.8.6

CCSS.RL.11-12.6

Which of the following best explains the author's point in including the following sentence:

"Memes used to appeal to humanity’s fundamentals—everyone feels awkward sometimes, everyone likes watching a kitten acting a fool. "

• everyone loves cute animals

• memes are funny because everyone can understand them

• people should only create memes of kittens and awkward moments

• memes today are increasingly used to divide people

The purpose of this text is to:

• inform the reader of the history and influence of memes

• entertain the reader with examples of memes throughout the years

• persuade the readers to make their own memes

• explain to the reader how to create a good meme

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.6

CCSS.RI.8.9

CCSS.RL.9-10.6

CCSS.RI. 9-10.6

CCSS.RL.8.6

Which question is best answered in the following text :

Cartoonish in-jokes turn out to be an effective, nonthreatening entry point for even the most extreme ideologies. If you’re an isolated person looking to feel a sense of belonging, there’s no better way to project that you’re in the know than sharing a meme.

• Do memes have to be realistic?

• How can memes spread propaganda?

• How do memes help shy people?

• How can memes threaten people?

Tags

CCSS.RI.2.1

CCSS.RI.3.1

CCSS.RL.1.1

CCSS.RL.2.1

CCSS.RL.3.1