Quiz: TED talk by Cameron Russell
It's time to test your listening comprehension of Cameron Russell's TED Talk: "Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model."
You can either print out the quiz or simply write down your answers on a sheet of paper.
Quiz Questions
1. Cameron Russell is a/an:
a. politician
b. model
c. actress
d. athlete
2. At the beginning of her talk, Cameron changed her outfit (clothes) because she wanted to show us that “image is powerful but image is also superficial.”
What does superficial mean? Check all answers that are correct.
a. something seen in someone’s outward appearance
b. something that is not serious or important
c. something concerned with outward beauty rather than with inward quality
d. something showing deep insight or understanding
3. Cameron says that “… barring surgery, or the fake tan that I go two days ago for work, there’s very little we can do to transform how we look, and how we look, though it is superficial and immutable, has a huge impact on our lives.”
What does immutable mean?
a. something we can change
b. something that we cannot change
c. something that we should change
d. something that is fake
4. Cameron says that she is the recipient of a legacy of beauty.
Oxford Dictionary defines “legacy” as a “situation that exists now because of events, actions, etc. that took place in the past.”
Cameron says this legacy has formed over the past few centuries where beauty has been defined by which of the following qualities? (select all that are correct)
a. short stature
b. white skin
c. slender figures
d. long hair
5. True or false: Cameron says the vast majority of runway models in 2007 were non-white.
a. true
b. false
6. Cameron said that: “Saying that you want to be a model when you grow up is akin to saying that you want to win the Powerball when you grow up. It’s out of your control, and it’s awesome, and it’s not a career path.”
Powerball = a lottery game
What does akin to mean? Select all answers that apply.
a. comparable to
b. like
c. similar to
d. different from
7. True or False: People often ask her if they retouch the photos. She says that they retouch almost every photo.
a. true
b. false
8. True or false: Cameron is often asked if she get free stuff. Although she gets free shoes and clothes, she says the most important free stuff she gets is because of how she looks, not because of who she is.
a. true
b. false
9. True or false: Cameron said that the majority of American girls between the ages of 13-17 love their bodies.
a. true
b. false
10. Cameron is uncomfortable saying that modeling doesn’t always make her happy because:
(Check all answers that are correct)
a. she doesn’t like to model sexy clothing
b. she has received a lot of benefits as a model
c. she is insecure about her looks
d. she has many advantages because of the legacy of beauty today
Quiz Answers
1. b
2. a, b, c
She says image is superficial because it doesn’t necessarily tell you much about a person. However, images are still very powerful. She believes that most people will think of her in a certain way if she is dressed in a short tight black dress and high heels.
3. b
4. b, c
5. b
False. Cameron says that of the 677 runway models that were hired in 2007, only 27 (or less than four percent) were non-white. So the vast majority (96%) were white. A small minority (4%) were not white.
6. a, b, c
7. a
8. a
9. b
False. Cameron cited a study that said that in the United States, 53% of 13-year old girls do not like their bodies and the number increases to 78% by the time they are 17-years old.
10. b, d
How did you do on the quiz? Click here to return to Cameron Russell's TED Talk lesson.
