Name ______Date ______Hour ______
English Skills Exercise – “What Is Love?”Focus: Comma rules 1-5: Items in a series, Adjectives, FANBOYS/Run-On Sentences, Interrupters, Introductory Elements/Subordinating Conjunctions
Directions: Read the passage on the left. Circle the response on the right that best answers each question. After each question, briefly write why the answer you chose is correct. Be ready to discuss.
Text / Questions
If you studied pictures that early cave dwellers left on rock walls and you tried to determine their meaning, you would not detect a deep interest in romance among the artists. Instead, you would see plenty of animals with young people running after them. Life for ancient people seemed to center on hunting and gathering wild foods for meals.
In modern times, when food is available in grocery stores, finding love is more central to people’s lives. The proof is all around us. It is easy to prepare a list of modern stories having to do with love. An endless number of (1) books, movies and other forms of stories quality as love stories in popular culture.
Researchers are studying whether (2) love, a highly valued emotional state, can be created. They ask, What is love? Toothpaste companies want us to think attraction is all about clean teeth, but clean teeth go only so far. Scientists wonder how much the brain gets involved. You have probably heard that opposites attract but that similarities attract, too. One thing is certain: The truth about love is not yet set in stone.
FIRST IMPRESSION
To help determine the ingredients of attraction, researchers paired 164 college classmates and had them talk (3) for three; six; or ten minutes so they could get a sense of each other’s individuality. Then students were asked to predict what kind of relationship they were likely to build with their partners. After nine (4) weeks they reported what happened.
As it turned out, their initial judgments often held true. Students seemed to discriminate early on who would best fit into their lives. One of the researchers in the study said first impressions, whether right or wrong, are “almost a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
THE NOSE KNOWS
Scientists have also turned to nonhumans to increase understanding of attraction. Many animals give off pheromones – natural chemicals that can be detected by, and then can produce a response in, other animals of the same species. Pheromones can signal that an animal is either ready to fight or is feeling open to partnerships. Humans do not seem to be as gifted as other animals at detecting such chemicals, however. The part of the brain that responds to pheromones appears to be smaller in humans that in, say, buffalo.
(5) Smell however, does seem to play a part in human attraction. Although we may not be aware of chemicals like pheromones consciously, we give the receive loads of information via smell in every interaction with other people. We greet one another by a handshake or a kiss on the cheek, and the hands and the face are places with sweat glands, which produce a scent. In effect, we give one another a shake and a sniff.
FACE VALUE
Falling for someone seems to have a number of factors, including seeing something we find attractive. Penn State University researchers had people rate faces for attractiveness. The people involved had 0.013 seconds to view each face; yet, somehow they generally rated the image the same as people who had more time to study the same faces. The way we assess attractiveness seems to be somewhat automatic.
When shown an attractive face and then words with good or bad (6) associations people responded to positive words faster after viewing an attractive face. Seeing (7) an attractive, pleasant image seems to cause happy thinking.
LOVE LIGHT
One researcher at Rutgers University says her studies have led to the determination that love has three states – each sending a different set of chemicals coursing through the body. In the first stage of love, chemicals in the body cause both men and women to be attracted to another person. It is what happens when you have a “crush” on someone. In the second stage, chemicals called neurotransmitters carry signals between nerve (8) cells and these signals make people lose their appetites. Stage 3 is attachment, when certain hormones enter the nervous system, preparing feelings of closeness and comfort.
What do you think? A cynic, whose outlook tends to be scornfully negative, might say love is just body chemicals being tripped into action. Other people say love is magic. Do we carry around ideas of what is right for us, looking for one true love, or can we change these ideas like socks?
Love does appear to be real, say researchers, whether is it happening to a cynic or to a romantic. Images in the brain activity in the early stages of romance can be discriminated from images of regular brain activity. During these stages, areas on the right side of the brain light (9) up, and this activity makes the brain concentrate on a specific individual. That romantic response overlaps with a response on the left side of the brain, tied to a physical attraction and excitement. The two responses relate in steps and (10) ingredients but are not the same. In the end, what are we really feeling at first sight: love, attraction, or both? / 1. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. books, movies, other forms
C. books and movies and other forms
D. books, movies, and other forms
2. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. love, a highly valued, emotional, state can
C. love; a highly valued emotional state can
D. love a highly valued emotional state can
3. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. 4 3, 6 or 10 minutes
C. for three, six, or ten minutes
D. for three, six or ten minutes
4. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. weeks they,
C. weeks, they
D. weeks. They
5. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. Smell, however, does
C. Smell; however, does
D. Smell however does
6. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. associations. People
C. associations, and people
D. associations, people
7. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. an attractive, and pleasant image
C. an attractive, pleasant, image
D. an attractive pleasant image
8. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. cells, and these signals make
C. cells and then these signals make
D. cells, and make
9. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. up. and this
C. up and this
D. up, and, this
10. Which is the best choice? Why?
A. NO CHANGE
B. ingredients, and are
C. ingredients; but are
D. ingredients, but are
Adapted from Reality Central. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education, Inc., 2010. (p. 149-151)
Name ______Date ______Hour ______
Writing Application – “What Is Love?”
Directions: Respond to the following prompt in the space provided. Your response must be at least 10 sentences and include NO RUN-ON SENTENCES. See the rubric for specific requirements.
Prompt: We have all heard the stories about two young people meeting and falling in love. Some of us may have experienced this feeling for ourselves, some may look forward to this feeling one day, and others may have no desire to fall in love. There are, however, other kinds of love as well, such as love for your family and friends or love for a pet. What, in your opinion, is love? Begin with the phrase, “Love is…” or “Love is like....” Use comparisons and details.
Write response here:
______
GRADING RUBRIC
Requirements: Writer uses at least two sentences with correct use of commas. At least one should be non-essential.
15 / 0(10 points after correction) / No Grade
(10 points after correction & re-write)
Comma Splices
Writer includes NO unnecessary commas. / Comma Splices
Writer includes ONE unnecessary comma – must complete correction exercise. / Comma Splices
Writer includes 2+ unnecessary commas – must complete correction exercise and re-write.
Run-On Sentences
(fanboys/abbi/non-essential)
Writer includes NO run-on sentences. / Run-On Sentences
(fanboys/abbi/non-essential)
Writer includes ONE run-on – must complete a correction exercise. / Run-On Sentences
(fanboys/abbi/non-essential)
Writer includes 2+ run-on sentences – must complete correction exercise and re-rewrite.