• 7th Grade

• Lexile: 1310

Source: Herd Behavior by CommonLit Staff

Assessment Answers

Question	Answer
Which of the following best summarizes the central idea of the text?	The actions of a large group can greatly influence an individual’s actions.
According to this article, what happens to a person’s sense of individuality when they follow a larger group?	It shuts down.
Which statement best describes the relationship between the stock market and herd behavior?	Herd behavior contributes to stock market changes because it compels stockbrokers to act on emotion rather than reason.
Why does the author likely include the final section titled “Everyday Decision-Making” in the article?	to show how herd behavior can affect us daily

Summarize in 4-5 sentences how herd behavior affects individuals. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Herd behavior significantly impacts individual decision-making, often leading people to conform to group actions, sometimes at the expense of their own judgment.

This phenomenon is observed in various scenarios, such as in emergencies where individuals may abandon individual reasoning in favor of following the crowd, as seen in the example of a fire causing panic and a collective rush to escape.

In the financial world, herd behavior drives stock market trends, with mass buying or selling frenzies fueled by emotions like greed or fear, rather than rational analysis.

Furthermore, even in everyday situations, such as choosing a restaurant, individuals tend to follow the crowd, assuming a busier place is better, illustrating how herd behavior subtly influences even routine decisions.

These examples demonstrate how herd behavior can lead individuals to act more on emotion and less on individual reasoning, both in high-stakes situations and in daily life.

Discussion Answers

Think of a real-life example when you have seen herd behavior in action. What do you think caused the people in your example to think or act as a group? Do you remember seeing anyone who chose to do something different from the rest of the group?

Okay, so there was this time at school during lunch break when everyone suddenly started gathering around this new vending machine they just installed. It was like everyone just wanted to check it out because others were.

I guess they all thought something cool was happening there because of the crowd. It’s like when you see a bunch of people looking at something, you just wanna know what’s up, right?

Most people were just following each other, not really knowing why. I think they just didn’t want to feel left out or something. It’s kind of funny because it was just a regular vending machine, nothing special.

But, oh yeah, there was this one kid, Alex, who didn’t go check it out. He just sat at the table, eating his sandwich and reading a book, like he didn’t even care. I guess he’s just not into following the crowd or was really into his book.

It was pretty cool to see someone doing their own thing and not getting caught up in the whole herd behavior thing.

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Think of a movie or a book in which someone has to stand up to a group. Why does this
character refuse to follow along and engage in herd behavior? In other words, what makes this character different? What would you have done if you were in this character’s shoes?

Oh, have you ever seen “The Hunger Games”? In that movie, Katniss Everdeen totally stands up to the whole group thing. So, in “The Hunger Games,” all these kids are forced to fight each other because the government, which is like this big, scary authority, says so.

It’s a really messed up situation where everyone just follows along because they’re scared or think they have no choice.

But Katniss is different. She refuses to just play along with this brutal game. She’s super brave and cares a lot about her family and friends, and she’s not about to lose her humanity just because everyone else is doing it. She kind of sees through all the craziness and wants to fight against it.

What makes her stand out is her courage and her willingness to stand up for what’s right, even when it’s super risky.

If I were in her shoes, man, I don’t know. It’s easy to say I’d be brave like her, but that’s super scary stuff. I’d like to think I’d stand up against something that wrong, but honestly, it would be really hard. Katniss is kind of a hero because she does what a lot of us hope we’d do, but not everyone would be able to.

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