Exhorted by their leader, some 900 members of the Reverend Jim Jones' People's Temple picked up paper cups and drank purple Kool-Aid laced with the deadly poison cyanide. Psychologically, the mass suicide at Jonestown in 1978 is not so incredible as it might seem. The inhabitants of Jonestown were isolated in the jungles of Guyana, intimidated by guards, and lulled with sedatives. They were also
cut off from friends and relatives and totally accustomed to obeying rigid rules of conduct, which primed them for Jones' final "loyalty test." Of greater psychological interest is the question of how people reach such a state of commitment and dependency. Why do people join groups such as the People's Temple? The People's Temple was a classic example of a cult. A cult is a group in which the leader's personality is more important than the beliefs she or he preaches. Cult members give their allegiances to this person, who is regarded as infallible, and they follow his or her dictates without question. Almost always, cult members are victimized by their leaders in some way or another. Psychologist Margaret Singer has studied and aided hundreds of former cult members. Her interviews reveal that in recruiting new members, cults use a powerful blend of guilt, manipulation, isolation, deception, fear, and escalating commitment. In this respect, cults employ high-pressure indoctrination techniques not unlike those used in brainwashing. In the United States alone, an estimated 2 to 5 million people have succumbed to the lure of cults. The second sentence of paragraph one is a statement of
a. opinion.
b. fact.
A
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Read the sentences and then respond to the questions that follow by choosing the letter of each correct answer.
It took me a long time to clean the house today. What can you infer about the state of the house from this statement? a. The house was very neat and tidy before it was cleaned. b. The house was very dirty and needed to be cleaned. c. The house is old. d. The house is very small.
The principal said, "_____________ have decided not to speak to the media about this
incident to protect the young people involved." a) My faculty and I b) My faculty and me
Plot lines from "Ally McBeal" and "The Practice" perpetuate unfounded media
stereotypes. Indicate whether the statement is true or false
What does clarity mean?
What will be an ideal response?