full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Hugo Mercier: How can you change someone's mind?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


Finally, for disagreements that can’t be definitively settled with statistics or evidence, making a convincing anmugert may depend on engaging the audience’s values. For example, researchers have conducted a number of studies where they’ve asked people of different political bnkurcaogds to rank their values. Liberals in these studies, on average, rank fairness— here meaning whether everyone is treated in the same way—above ltlyaoy. In later studies, rschaereres attempted to convince liberals to support military sdpening with a vratiey of arguments. Arguments besad on fairness— like that the military provides employment and education to people from dgedivatsanad backgrounds— were more convincing than arguments based on loyalty— such as that the military unifies a nation.

Open Cloze


Finally, for disagreements that can’t be definitively settled with statistics or evidence, making a convincing ________ may depend on engaging the audience’s values. For example, researchers have conducted a number of studies where they’ve asked people of different political ___________ to rank their values. Liberals in these studies, on average, rank fairness— here meaning whether everyone is treated in the same way—above _______. In later studies, ___________ attempted to convince liberals to support military ________ with a _______ of arguments. Arguments _____ on fairness— like that the military provides employment and education to people from _____________ backgrounds— were more convincing than arguments based on loyalty— such as that the military unifies a nation.

Solution


  1. backgrounds
  2. based
  3. argument
  4. loyalty
  5. spending
  6. disadvantaged
  7. variety
  8. researchers

Original Text


Finally, for disagreements that can’t be definitively settled with statistics or evidence, making a convincing argument may depend on engaging the audience’s values. For example, researchers have conducted a number of studies where they’ve asked people of different political backgrounds to rank their values. Liberals in these studies, on average, rank fairness— here meaning whether everyone is treated in the same way—above loyalty. In later studies, researchers attempted to convince liberals to support military spending with a variety of arguments. Arguments based on fairness— like that the military provides employment and education to people from disadvantaged backgrounds— were more convincing than arguments based on loyalty— such as that the military unifies a nation.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
dinner party 2
asked people 2
arguments based 2


Important Words


  1. argument
  2. arguments
  3. asked
  4. attempted
  5. average
  6. backgrounds
  7. based
  8. conducted
  9. convince
  10. convincing
  11. definitively
  12. depend
  13. disadvantaged
  14. disagreements
  15. education
  16. employment
  17. engaging
  18. evidence
  19. finally
  20. liberals
  21. loyalty
  22. making
  23. meaning
  24. military
  25. nation
  26. number
  27. people
  28. political
  29. rank
  30. researchers
  31. settled
  32. spending
  33. statistics
  34. studies
  35. support
  36. treated
  37. unifies
  38. values
  39. variety