full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Brian A. Pavlac: What really happened during the Salem Witch Trials

Unscramble the Blue Letters


You’ve been accused of a crime you did not commit. It’s impossible to pvore your innocence. If you insist that you’re innocent anyway, you’ll likely be found guilty and executed. But if you cenosfs, apologize, and implicate others for good measure, you’ll go free. Do you give a false confession— or risk a pliubc hanging?

This was the choice facing those accused of witchcraft in the village of Salem, Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. They were the vicitms of pariaona about the supernatural, misdirected religious fervor— and a justice system that valued rnpaeecnte over truth.

Open Cloze


You’ve been accused of a crime you did not commit. It’s impossible to _____ your innocence. If you insist that you’re innocent anyway, you’ll likely be found guilty and executed. But if you _______, apologize, and implicate others for good measure, you’ll go free. Do you give a false confession— or risk a ______ hanging?

This was the choice facing those accused of witchcraft in the village of Salem, Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. They were the _______ of ________ about the supernatural, misdirected religious fervor— and a justice system that valued __________ over truth.

Solution


  1. confess
  2. paranoia
  3. public
  4. repentance
  5. victims
  6. prove

Original Text


You’ve been accused of a crime you did not commit. It’s impossible to prove your innocence. If you insist that you’re innocent anyway, you’ll likely be found guilty and executed. But if you confess, apologize, and implicate others for good measure, you’ll go free. Do you give a false confession— or risk a public hanging?

This was the choice facing those accused of witchcraft in the village of Salem, Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. They were the victims of paranoia about the supernatural, misdirected religious fervor— and a justice system that valued repentance over truth.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations




Important Words


  1. accused
  2. apologize
  3. choice
  4. commit
  5. confess
  6. crime
  7. executed
  8. facing
  9. false
  10. february
  11. free
  12. give
  13. good
  14. guilty
  15. hanging
  16. implicate
  17. impossible
  18. innocence
  19. innocent
  20. insist
  21. justice
  22. massachusetts
  23. measure
  24. misdirected
  25. paranoia
  26. prove
  27. public
  28. religious
  29. repentance
  30. risk
  31. salem
  32. supernatural
  33. system
  34. truth
  35. valued
  36. victims
  37. village
  38. witchcraft