Understanding Applebaum's Insights: Putin's Three Years of...

When we read Trump’s “sick of it” comment about Zelensky yesterday, our class let out a collective groan like when the Wi-Fi crashed during the vocab quiz. What does that vibe tell us about how we took Trump’s words?

• We thought he sounded bored and clueless, just like Applebaum suggests.

• We figured he was secretly cheering for Putin to win fast.

• We assumed he was joking, like when we laughed at Detective Q’s “wiggle room.”

• We decided he’s an expert on Ukraine, unlike what Applebaum thinks.

How would Detective Q describe Applebaum’s line “Zelensky might not have money, but he does have other kinds of power” from our reading?

• “A sneaky ‘might’ that keeps it real—no wild promises here!”

• “A bold slap at Trump—like she’s daring him to argue!”

• “A boring fact dump—should’ve jazzed it up with ‘always’!”

• “A lazy dodge—she’s scared to say what’s true!”

After the chaos of our Clue Hunt yesterday, what’s the best way to rewrite Putin’s goal—“destroy Ukraine’s sovereignty” from the article—with Applebaum-style nuance?

• “Putin’s probably itching to mess with Ukraine’s freedom, if he can.”

• “Putin will absolutely crush Ukraine’s independence, no doubt.”

• “Putin’s always dreaming of Ukraine’s sovereignty disappearing.”

• “Putin might politely ask Ukraine to give up its sovereignty.”

If our class picked the sneakiest qualification in Applebaum’s argument after yesterday’s Interrogation Mode, which line from the reading would we crown?

• “He leads a society that organizes itself”—sounds simple but sneaky deep!

• “Ukraine’s million-man army is still fighting”—too obvious, no tricks there.

• “Russia would need 83 years to capture Ukraine”—just a wild guess, not clever.

• “Putin’s military production is cannibalizing his economy”—too factual, no nuance.

What’s the most Detective Q-worthy reaction to Applebaum’s “Putin can win in his enemies’ heads—if we let him” from our article discussion?

• “Ooh, that ‘if’ is like a plot twist—keeps us guessing!”

• “Lame! She should’ve said ‘when’ to make it epic.”

• “Sounds like a horror movie—Putin’s the brain zombie!”

• “Too safe—she’s dodging the real fight!”