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WorksheetsModern Folklore Skills Test
Total questions: 10
Worksheet time: 15mins
Which statement best describes the connection between superstition and magic as discussed in the article?
To believe in superstition, one must believe in magic.
In the past, people actually believed in many forms of magic.
Both superstition and magic are based on the ideas of luck and good fortune.
Magic is the cause of superstition as we know it today.
2. Based on the article, which statement below is an old wives’ tale?
a. Did you hear about the crook who stole a calendar? He got 12 months.
b. If you swallow gum, it will stay in your stomach for 7 years.
c. The number 13 is an unlucky number.
d. If you eat cookies in bed, ants might colonize your brain.
3. Which evidence from the article most strongly supports your answer to the previous question?
a. Traditionally, these phrases were shared and spread by old women who were considered to be wise in their old age.
b. Old wives’ tales are another form of modern folklore that have been passed around and are generally believed to be true.
c. Unlike urban legends though, some old wives’ tales are actually true.
d. An old wives’ tale is often a one-line piece of advice.
4. Belief in which type of folklore is said to be irrational?
a. urban legends
b. old wives’ tales
c. superstition
5. Which of the following statements does NOT support the overall idea that most modern folklore is complete fiction?
a. According to Dr. Charles Smith of the Family Preventative Medicine Department at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, there is no medical evidence to support the myth.
b. It is simply human nature to enjoy hearing a sensational story and then later repeat it to someone else.
c. Spiders, need I say, do not find the human body a suitable site for egg laying, and no actual case [of] anything like this can be found anywhere in scientific or medical literature,” says Rob Crawford, arachnid expert at the University of Washington.
d. According to Dr. Stephen Rennard, a researcher at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, “chicken soup acts as an anti-inflammatory agent for your nasal cells, giving your nose the relief it needs."
6. According to the article, in what ways do human beings contribute to the perpetuation of modern urban legends? Select all that apply.
a. by forwarding emails
b. by fact-checking
c. by sharing viral social media posts
d. by retelling sensational stories
e. by studying the art of magic
What are 2 reasons people believe urban legends?
What is one reason people believe old wives' tales?
Why do people believe in superstitions?
Describe a superstition you've heard that was NOT mentioned in the article or video.
