Birth Order
Instructions: Complete the following questionnaire. After you have completed the questionnaire, you will be given time to discuss your answers with the other members of the class.
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Vocabulary Word |
Word Form |
Definition |
Your Sentence |
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enormous |
adjective |
large, vast |
The enormous oil deposits in Alberta’s tar sands contain the second-largest oil reserves in the world. |
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motto
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unimpeded
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trailblazer
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burden
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strict
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anxious
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Instructions: Read the following text and supply the appropriate verb tense. When you have finished reading the article, complete the comprehension questions that follow.
[1] There _________ (be) an old saying in real estate, “location, location, location.” Hence, where a property _________ (locate) has an enormous impact on the value of the property. The same motto could be applied to child development as well. The importance of birth order can not be underestimated when discussing its impact on a child’s behaviour, personality and future success.
[2] A first-born child ______________ (thrust/immediately) into the spotlight and his/her parents project all of their hopes and dreams on this revered child. First-borns _________ (receive) unimpeded attention from not only parents but also grandparents. If you don’t believe me, a quick peruse of any family’s photo album _________ (substantiate) the fact that there are probably two times as many pictures of the first-born child compared to the subsequent siblings. First-borns _________ (have) complete reign over the family dynamics and this supremacy is challenged with the arrival of a new baby brother or sister. Thus, the older child _________ (tend) to spend a great deal of energy showing how he/she is superior to the younger child. Without a doubt, first-borns _________ (be) trailblazers; they are pioneers who establish the standards, or rules, that younger siblings have to follow. When _________ (interview) first-borns, a common refrain is that they feel that their parents were much stricter and more anxious with them than with the younger children in the family. In his book The Birth Order Connection, Dr Kevin Leman states that first-borns _________ (be) “natural leaders” and “high achievers.” These detail-oriented individuals _________ (be) perfectionists who _________ (possess) excellent managerial skills; not surprisingly, many politicians and business executives are first-borns.
[3] Youngest children, especially when there are three or more children in a family, _________ (hold) the ‘favored’ status in a household. Because their parents have now been broken-in, these children are not burdened by the same degree of pressure and expectation that the first-borns encounter. Not surprisingly, the ‘baby’ of the family tends _________ (have) more space in which to develop individualistic talents that often lead to great success. When you ask older siblings how the ‘baby’ of the family was treated when she/he _________ (be) growing up, they typically _________ (say) that “she/he was spoiled rotten.” Another interesting fact is that by and large parents are eager for their eldest child to stand on his/her own two feet and enter the real world; whereas most parents have difficulty letting their ‘baby’ leave the nest. Dr Leman describes last-borns as possessing “strong people skills” and an uncanny ability to make friends and make others feel at home.
[4] This leaves us with second-born, or middle children. These children are immediately under the gun and experience incredible pressure from their older sibling(s). Competition begins with birth and _________ (remain) fairly constant while growing up. There is anecdotal evidence _________ (suggest) that second-borns adopt personalities and behaviors which are polar opposite to the first-born’s. If the eldest is a trouble-maker, the second-born will most likely be an angel. If the eldest _________ (excel) academically, the second-born will be attracted to sports or the arts. This is the child who is generally referred to as the “black sheep” of the family, destined to strike out on his/her unique path in life. According to Dr. Leman, middle-borns “hate confrontation” and thus, their motto can be summed up as “peace at any price.” Because they _________ (be) adept listeners, they make ideal negotiators or arbiters.
[5] Last but not least, what characteristics are typical of only children? Right off the bat it should be stated that only children spend a great deal of their childhood in the company of adults. Consequently, it is not unusual that these children _________ (adopt) behaviors that result in praise from the adults surrounding them. These pampered children are very good at amusing themselves and often prefer to spend time alone. They carry a heavy burden in that they alone must carry all the expectations of their parent on their shoulders. Finally, Dr. Leman _________ (describe) only children as overly “sensitive” to criticism, but exceptionally endowed with organizational abilities. They “feel extremely comfortable with responsibility” and hence, _________ (seek) positions of authority in society.
1. An appropriate title for this article is: (a) Born to be Wild (b) Is Birth Order Destiny? (c) Parents Beware! (d) Bringing up Baby.
2. The word “hence” (in paragraph one) is: (a) a noun (b) a verb (c) an adverb (d) an adjective
3. The word “pampered” (in paragraph five) is: (a) a noun (b) an adjective (c) a verb (d) an adverb
4. The phrase “by and large parents are eager for their eldest child to stand on his/her own two feet” (in paragraph 3) means: (a) Parents want to protect their eldest child from getting hurt. (b) Parents try to ease the transition into the real world. (c) Parents are anxious about their eldest child leaving home. (d) Most parents feel confident that their eldest child can meet the challenges faced in the real world.
5. Based on the information presented in the text, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT: (a) First-borns often are the family “lab mice” as their parents learn how to be parents. (b) There is a strong sense of rebellion in middle-children. (c) Parents are eager to push the baby of the family out of the nest. (d) First-borns usually resent the addition of a new baby brother or sister to the family.
6. Find a word in the text that means “honored/admired”. ________________
7. Find a word in the text that means “agitator/pest”. ________________
8. Complete the following statement.
One good thing about being an only child is_______________________________ ;
and one bad
thing would be
________________________________________________ .
? Paragraph Writing: top
Instructions: Select any one of the following quotes and write a one-paragraph response.
1. Ask to comment on the influence of sibling rivalry in his family Luciano Pavarotti said: “The rivalry is with ourself. I try to be better than is possible. I fight against myself, not against the others.”
2. “Love the whole world as a mother loves her only child.”
(Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta, the founder of Buddhism, 563-483 B.C.)
3. Siblings are the people we practice on, the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation and kindness and caring - quite often the hard way. Pamela Dugdale
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