Is Survival Selfish?

What is the meaning of the word "berate"?

• To praise someone highly
• To scold or criticize someone
• To consume food or drink
• To issue a decree or order

What does the word "edict" mean?

• To consume food or drink
• To issue a decree or order
• To praise someone highly
• To scold or criticize someone

Which of the following is the best synonym for the word "laud"?

• Consume
• Berate
• Transfix
• Praise

What does it mean to "transfix" someone?

• To scold or criticize someone
• To eat, drink, or ingest food or drink
• To cause someone to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment
• To issue a decree or order

Which of the following best describes an argument?

• A statement of fact
• A personal opinion
• A claim supported by reasons and evidence
• A rhetorical question

What is the purpose of reasons in an argument?

• To provide evidence
• To engage the audience
• To support the claim
• To distract from the main topic

Which of the following is NOT considered evidence in an argument?

• Facts
• Statistics
• Personal experiences
• Opinions

What is the role of a persuasive conclusion in an argument?

• To introduce the claim
• To summarize the evidence
• To revisit the claim and persuade the audience
• To ask rhetorical questions

Which is the best summary of the selection?

• In moments of mortal danger, more people freeze than run, a response that goes against our survival instincts.
• In extreme crises, people either hold it together or fall apart, and there is no telling who the heroes will be until danger strikes.
• Heroes are admired when they risk or sacrifice their own lives to save others, but their actions go against accepted survival protocols, which prioritize personal safety.
• People who demonstrate the virtue of selfishness by putting their own lives before the lives of others in an emergency are often criticized publicly and in the press.

Read this sentence from paragraph 2 of the selection. The “women and children first” protocol of the Titanic may not be as strong a social stricture as it was a century ago. Which word is a synonym for protocol as the author uses it in this sentence?

• Structure
• Convention
• Law
• Falsehood