On the Perils and Pleasures of Confronting Pseudohistory (YB p. 3-4)

Uncover the truth about pseudohistory. Practice critical analysis and vocabulary skills.

Based on the text “On the perils and pleasures of confronting pseudohistory” by R. Fritze, do the following activities: VocabularyBased on the context of the reading, match the words with the correct meaning. If you cannot infer from the context, use your dictionary. Site a place where something is, was, or will be built, or where something happened, is happening, or will happen Idle not working or being used Fringe the outer or less important part of an area, group, or activity Unbaised able to judge fairly because you are not influenced by your own opinions Debunk to show that something is less important, less good, or less true than it has been made to appear Stance a way of thinking about something, especially expressed in a publicly stated opinion Pernicious causing great harm; destructive: ScanningScan the text to answer the following questions. 1. What are two expressions of pseudohistory? Write complete answers. 2. Those who believe in Pseudohistory have caused horrendous actions throughout history. What are two examples of these events? What were the beliefs that led them act in that way? Reading between lines - InferencesSometimes the writers do not express their feeling or ideas in a direct way, so the readers have to find the meaning that is intended but not directly expressed. This is what is known as “reading between lines”. With you own words explain what you understand from the following statements. 1. “Pseudohistory can be fun, just like a Star Trek convention or a Renaissance fair can be fun – as long as your pockets are deep enough and your skepticism sufficiently submerged” (Paragraph 2) 2. “In that world, opinion masquerades as respectable theory or even proven fact. Bias, prejudice, or a quest for large royalty checks are the primary motivators, not an objective search for the truth” (Paragraph 8) 3. What does the author want to say when he asserts “Scholars attempting to refute pseudohistory and pseudoscience face an uphill battle” (P.8)? Cause-effect RelationshipLook at the following phrases They refers to cause-effect ideas. Based on the reading, which are are causes and which one effects? Place them in the correct column. Do not use inferences here, rather analyze what the article explains. CAUSES Ideologies on beliefs about the human past Movies, TV series, Video games based on pseudoknowledge They killed themselves so they could join god-like aliens. Each time they espouse their ideas they get negative answers. People seem to be under the control of Satan EFFECTS Nazism - Holocaust These ideas fascinate people. Heaven’s gate killed themselves They were killed by identity Christians Adherents of pseudo knowledge have a fortress mentality Context clues - Working with the readingUsing context clues for help, write the letter of the best meaning for each italicized word or words. Try not to use your dictionary.1. They need reliable facts and unbiasednarratives so they can see for themselves why genuine history is based on valid, verifiable knowledge, while pseudohistory is raised up on false knowledge masquerading as history. (P4, L4) impartial deceiving unfair 2. This circumstance allows various fringe scholars to form alliances, even though their individual theories often stand in stark contradiction to one another. (P7, L10) odd unconventional typical 3. They have experienced a lot of negativity in espousing their beliefs, so they tend to take a defensive stance almost immediately. It is sufficient in their beleaguered arena to find solidarity in the shared stance against commonly accepted ideas and the theories of mainstream scholars about the human past. (P7, L6,12) opinion belief viewpoint 4. Another problem for academics who debunk fake and spurious knowledge is the uncertainty about the nature and methods of history that have arisen out of postmodernism. (P9,L1) reveal reject discredit 5. If history is deprived of the truth, we are left nothing but an idle, unprofitable tale.” (P10, L8) useless unlikely sad Cause-Effect Transition wordsTake a look at the following picture. You can see there are cause effect transition words whenever you want to mark cause-effect relationship. Write three sentences based on the reading that express cause-effect relationship. Pay attention to punctuation and meaning.