Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

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What does the old adage “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics” mean?

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Read the article and check your ideas.B

indy 100 May 2016

Lies, damned lies, and statisticsAs London votes for a new mayor and voters go to the polls in local elections across Britain, the old adage that “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics” attributed by Mark Twain to British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli,

seems as true as ever as politicians seek our votes.

But even though you may doubt many statistics, some of them are actually true. Here are eight statistics that you may find hard to believe, but are definitely not lies.

You could fit the world’s population in the boundary of New York CityHowever, this would only happen if there were no buildings, the land was perfectly flat and everyone stood bunched together exceptionally tightly,

according to calculations by waitbutwhy.com.

It would be pretty uncomfortable though.

The average cloud weighs 500 tonnesAs Peggy LeMone of the National Center for Atmospheric Research says, the water density of a typical cumulus cloud is 1/2 a gram per cubic meter.

The average size of the same cloud is around a kilometre long, wide and tall, meaning they are around one billion cubic meters in

But not all statistics are lies. Say which of these you think are true:

You could fit the world’s population in the boundary of New York City.The average cloud is around a kilometre long, wide and tall, and weighs 500 tonnes.Samsung accounts for 10 per cent of South Korea’s GDP.Nintendo existed at the same time as the Ottoman empire.The University of Oxford is older than the Mayan Empire.In terms of numbers of species, 20 per cent of mammals are cats.Fifty per cent of all humans that have ever lived, are alive now.Only 30 percent of American films made before 1929 still exist.

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

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volume.This means the average

water content of a typical cumulus cloud is 500,000,000 grams, or 500 tonnes.

Samsung accounts for 20 per cent of South Korea’s GDPThe electronics company’s 2014 revenue was $305 billion, 21.67 per cent of South Korea’s 2014 GDP of $1.410 trillion.

Nintendo existed at the same time as the Ottoman empireThe games company was founded as a playing card company in 1889, whereas the Ottoman Empire existed until 1922.

Nintendo only developed into a video game company in the 1970s.

The University of Oxford is older than the Aztec EmpireThe triple alliance between

the city states of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan began in 1427, whereas there is evidence of teaching at the University of Oxford as early as 1096.

In terms of numbers of species, 20 per cent of mammals are batsThere are around 1,240 classified bat species, compared to around 5,400 mammal species.

The mammals group is relatively small in itself, as there are around 1.2 million species of animals, 950,000 of which are insects.

Six per cent of all humans that have ever lived, are alive nowDepending upon population projections at different points in history, slightly over 100 billion homo sapiens are predicted to have been born,

ever.The current population

of the Earth is around 7.3 billion, meaning that today’s cohort is roughly seven per cent of all people to tread on the planet.

Most silent films are lostMartin Scorsese’s Film Foundation has estimated that 90 per cent of American films made before 1929, are gone forever.

Most were intentionally destroyed because studios saw no need to preserve them and the material was too expensive to house.

Other reasons include the fact that nitrate film (commonly used until the 50s) is highly flammable and prone to deterioration or combustion, such as in the studio fires at Fox Pictures in 1937 or MGM in 1967.

Which of the statistics do you find the most surprising? Are there any that you still do not believe?b

1 Mark Twain 2 a kilometre long, wide and tall 3 $305 billion

If these are the answers, what are the questions? Refer back to the article if you need to.V

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics

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Look at the following extract from the article.E

indy 100 May 2016

Here are eight statistics that you may find hard to believe, but are definitely not lies.

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1 difficult2 be small enough or the right size and shape to go somewhere3 without projections or depressions 4 quite; fairly; very5 start an organization, company, political party, etc.6 approximately

Find words in the article that mean the following.V

4 playing cards5 14276 5,400 7 7.3 billion8 because studios saw no need to preserve them

You can often use an adjective followed by an infinitive clause (with to). Typical adjectives are:difficult impossible possible right wrong importantAfter impersonal clauses you can use the preposition ‘of’ or ‘for’ to indicate the person or thing that the adjective relates to. e.g. It was wrong of John to leave early.Write another example here: The negative form is: adjective + not to + infinitivee.g. It’s important not to forget your passport when travelling abroad.Write another example here:

1 Mary has an appointment at four o’clock, but her car has broken down.2 Jane thinks she should stay and finish the report.3 Robert can cancel the meeting and help you instead.4 Susan doesn’t speak German, but wants to work in Munich.5 Sam’s flight arrives at 17:00 and Bob finishes work at 18:00.6 He shouldn’t make so much noise at night.7 I think Nigel made the correct decision to delay his trip.

Rewrite the following sentences, expanding on the idea and beginning with ‘It’ and the adjectives above. Use all the adjectives at least once.

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e.g. Peter has a lot of experience and good qualifications. > It will be easy for Peter to find a job.

Write sentences of your own with the words.V

Lies, Damned Lies, and Statisticslow-intermediate+ (A2+)

week of 09.05.16

student pages 3Teacher’s notes 1

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If these are the answers, what are the questions:V1 Mark Twain > Who attributed the old adage “there are lies, damned lies, and statistics” to British prime minister Benjamin Disraeli?2 a kilometre long, wide and tall > How big is the typical cumulus cloud?3 $305 billion > How much was Samsung’s 2014 revenue?4 playing cards > What did Nintendo originally make?5 1427 > When did the triple alliance between the city states of Tenochtitlan, Texcoco and Tlacopan begin?6 5,400 > How many mammal species are there?7 7.3 billion > What is the current population of the earth?8 because studios saw no need to preserve them > Why are most silent films lost?

1 hard 2 fit 3 flat 4 pretty 5 found 6 roughly

Find words in the article that mean the following.V

1 It will be difficult for Mary to arrive on time.2 It is important for Jane to finish the report.3 It is possible for Robert to cancel the meeting and help you.4 It is important for Susan to learn German.5 It is impossible for Bob to meet Sam at the airport.6 It is wrong of him to make so much noise at night.7 It was right for Nigel to delay his trip.

Rewrite the following sentences, expanding on the idea and beginning with ‘It’ and one of the above adjectives. Use all the adjectives at least once.

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