Hoaxes and Myths: teacher key

How to Check If Something Is True, grade 6 edition, written for 6th grade. Some of the most famous stories were never true. Read how fairy photos, a fake skull and a Moon story fooled people, and how to spot a false claim.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What fooled scientists for about 40 years?
   • A skull and jaw put together from a human and an orangutan (answer)
   • A photo of tiny fairies
   • A telescope on the Moon
2. How was the Piltdown jaw shown to be fake?
   • A newspaper said so
   • Scientists tested the bones (answer)
   • The fairies were found
3. Why might people have believed the Piltdown skull so easily?
   • It seemed to match what scientists hoped to find (answer)
   • It was very large
   • It was found in a museum
4. What did the 1938 survey of 5,000 homes find?
   • Most were listening to the Martian play
   • Only 2 percent said the Martian play or one like it (answer)
   • Nobody had a radio
5. What is a conspiracy theory?
   • A secret plan by powerful people said to explain an event (answer)
   • A drawing of a fairy
   • A first-hand record
6. Which is the best reason to check a second place?
   • A tale can spread far and still be made up (answer)
   • Newspapers are always right
   • Photos never fool anyone

Words

• fake: not real
• myth: a false idea
• exaggerate: make bigger
• conspiracy: secret plan
• primary: first-hand