B2 – Upper Intermediate
Every individual’s reaction to being in a sea of people differs. When people get together in a crowd, some good and some bad come out of it.
Listen to this podcast and read the transcript about the role of crowds in modern life.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2023/ep-230323
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “mob mentality” mean? “But according to John, the idea of mob mentality, that people in crowds are irrational and prone to destructive behaviour, just isn’t backed up by research.”? Use this phrase in a sentence.
- What does “flip side” mean? “The flip side of that is when you don’t feel as much part of the group, and you’re not having a positive experience.” Give 1-2 synonym/s of ‘flip side’ and use the phrase in your own sentence.
- What does “gullible” mean? “When people get together in a crowd, they regress psychologically, their thinking is more primitive, they become more gullible, and that’s also associated with the supposed tendency towards violence as well.” Use this word in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- How do you feel about crowds?
- What might be the good and bad things about crowds?
- What are your thoughts on this statement, “When people get together in a crowd, they regress psychologically.”?
- Cite an incident/s where you’ve witnessed “mob mentality”.
- What is your opinion on this, “In today’s world, crowds are important because of the feeling of power they give us.”?
- Talk about a time when you were amidst a huge crowd. How was this experience for you?