Here are the grades for October. They will be sent to the Office tonight.
ma330 - 20
em082 -
mo300 - 27
ni200 - 12
be210 - 25
je067 - 28
mi200 - 23
br376 - 28
mi092 - 27
fe001 - 21
el378 - 18
se043 - 27
as300 - 21
kr036 - 21
an381 - 21
pr_chu - 24
ju311 - 16
ANSWERS
1) List the three factors that make birth order difficult to figure for the Weasleys. (the fact that we barely see some characters isn’t one of them.) 3 points each
The occurence of twins
Large number of children
Years spent away from siblings at boarding school (this is the one most of you missed)
2) Looking at the five theories, list the possible placements a NINTH Weasley would be and explain the personality traits they might have? 5 points
Using the theories, the answers would have been 4th,1st,4th,1st,3rd, and last. Some of you confused this and gave me the placements for an EIGHTH child. I assigned points for getting the correct placements and then for giving me the personality traits (you still got points if the traits were right, even if they were for the wrong placements.) Here's some answers I thought were done well.
"Theory A and C would place a ninth Wesley as a 4th born child with a possibility of exhibiting immature behavior similar to Fred and George. Theory B and D would place a ninth Weasley as a first born. This child would most likely be n attention seeker but also one who abides by the rules and would most likely be a leader of some sort, similar to Bill Wesley. He or she may also be a perfectionist. Theory E would place a ninth Weasley as a third born child who may feel vulnerable with his position in the family and may close up and keep their feelings inside. This child could either be fearless or fearful and may wish to exceed his/hers parents' expectations. Third borns are sometimes seen as first borns at heart and have a personality similar to Percy. Finally Theory F places a ninth Weasley as the last child, or the baby and may have a desire for seeking attention and would most likely be out-going. However, there may be feelings of inadequacy and the child may try to mask their insecurities. "
" If a ninth child were born to the Weasley family, the birth order would change depending on what theory you were looking at. According to Theory A, a ninth child would be a fourth child. Fourth born children are usually tormented by their older siblings and are therefore childish and immature.
According to Theory B, a ninth child would be a first born child. They are great leaders and are perfectionists by nature. However, if you were to look at Theory C, a ninth child would be fourth born. This child, as mentioned above, is very childish. And according to Theory D, a ninth child would be a first born again.
If you look at Theory E, a ninth child would be third born. Third born children are, in some ways, like the first born. They often take on leadership roles and are perfectionists. They also feel vulnerable and closed off from the rest of the family.
Finally, according to Theory F, a ninth born will fall into the last child position. With this position, the ninth child will feel inadequate at times. They are constantly trying to step out of their older siblings shadows."
"The ninth for each theory would be: A - 4th
The possibility for immaturity, if the older siblings make them feel
they are not good enough to play/join them. They could become a loner,
if they think no one cares or pays attention to them
B - 1st
Inherent first born quality of feeling lonely at first. Seeking the
truth. Leadership qualities, and also perfectionism qualities if they
have other siblings born later.
C - 4th - possible first/youngest
This one all depends on if it's a twin or not (so either 8 is a twin,
or maybe there's a 10th...or even triplets, and so on) Mostly the same
4th behavioural traits stated above, but it's also possible for
qualities of first born or youngest child (perfectionist, loneliness Adhering
to rules, charming, outgoing). Though if it is a twin the loneliness
might not be as prevelant since twins tend to rely on each other.
D - 1st - possible first/youngest
The same rules or thoughts should apply as they do above, however,
instead of having the 4th born traits of immaturity, there'd be a stronger
sense of first born leadership, discipline, and perfectionist. They do
have the possibility of also developing the youngest traits of
loneliness, charm, and being very outgoing which would stem from always being
lonely thus making a life for themselves with their outgoing nature.
E - second or third
If it's not a twin, or the first in a series of multiple births then
it's a third child, it has traits of vulnerability and may be closed off
emotionally. Depending on the success of the child, they can become
fearless, or fearful from failure.
If it's the not the first, but is included in a series of multiple
births, then it is second born, with traits of out-goingness, but may have
possible feelings of inadequacy and hide their feelings.
F - only or last, depending on certain things like the previous answer.
If it's not a twin, or the first in a series of multiple births, then
it should be like a last, or youngest child. With traits of possible
loneliness, combined with an outgoing nature, and a very charming
personality. Which doesn't make too much sense...
If it's not the first in a series of multiple births, then it will be
like a 2nd born. Possible feelings of inadequacy, with an outgoing
nature. Capable of seeing things about their family, but possibly closed
on the emotional side of things striving to gain attention through
activities other than the first born did."
3) True/False - 2 points
a) Psychology is the study of the brain and what it does.
True or False. This went either way because some people backed up their choices so this was a freebie.
B) The fourth child born to a family can only have a fourth-born personality.
False. Remember that some theories didn't start the typical 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. cycle until the second born. Or a fourth-born could be a twin with the third-born and thus his position would be altered depending on the theory.
c) Birth order can adjust with the birth of other siblings.
True. This is apparent with ONLY and LAST born children. And only child may retain some characteristics when the second child is born, but then he takes on 1st born traits. The same goes for last-borns who suddenly find themselves no longer the baby of the family when another child is born. Since one theory can't be nailed down as correct, try looking at the ideas of birth order and seeing the the whole picture.
d) When Percy left the family the birth order changed for his siblings because he can be taken out of the cycle.
False. Children cannot be removed from the cycle. The years they spent growing up together helped determine their personalities and its birth order that analyzes these relationships. Even if a child is not there physically (leaving because of a family argument or death) their presence is still there and the birth order remains as it is.
e) Second- and third-borns might battle with being perfectionists.
True. In the lesson it states that first- and third-borns might have perfectionist tendencies. Under third-borns it says they may behave like first-borns, so its possible that a perfectionist nature is one of the traits that carries over.
4) We don’t know how many siblings Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had, only knowing that Ron mentions an uncle. What birth orders would you assign them?
This was a free answer so I gave points for offering suggestions and then backing them up with what you know about the personalities of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Here are some answers that completed the question quite well.
"I would assign Mr. Weasley fourth or only birth order position. We
know that an only child, tends to follow rules where they can be seen but will bend them behind the scenes. Mr. Weasley has shown similar trends on many occasions, for instance, the incident of the flying car. He also displays some of a fourth-born’s immaturity, such as, his obsession with Muggle tools and treatments.
Mrs, Weasley, I would assign, first or second birth order position. Like some first-borns, who tend to be the dominating partner in relationships, she certainly has much hold on Mr. Weasley, and is also capable of leading and succeeding. However, she also suffers from various insecurities, though outwardly happy, as the Boggart incident told us in the fifth book. She is usually very aware of things and knows more about each member of the Weasley family than anyone else."
"If I had to place Mr. and Mrs. Weasley into birth positions, I would place Mrs. Weasley as a first or third born. She seeks perfection constantly, especially with her children. She is clearly wearing the pants in the family and demands that her children follow the rules. She also nags her children like a first born will nag his/her younger siblings.
Mr. Weasley could possibly be a second born. He is more relaxed than Molly, as if he was raised by relaxed parents. Arthur is very outgoing, but shows signs of insecurity. He also chose "a career that would make him happy despite its lack of glory."
"Mrs Weasley:
Most likely she is a first born or only child. I lean towards first
born actually because of her strict nature and abhoreness of rule
breaking. She obviously has a caring personality but also a sign of
prefectionism because she does not believe that she is doing her best at raising
all of her children, yet at the same time she is doing a wonderful job.
I also say first born because she does have a tendancy for control
which she would need to have since she has so many children but is actually
a trait from her life if she had younger siblings.
Mr. Weasley: Second born
Most likely he is a second born child. He is very outgoing, yet has
obvious feelings of inadequacy. You never truly know how he is feeling as
he does hide some emotions, yet is strong enough to do what he wants.
His interests stand out on their own in the wizarding world something
that probably gained him some attention from his parents and even his
wife when he chose his set goal while trying to distinguish himself from
an older sibling. However, he did choose something he loved, so he might
have conquered previous insecurities when he was young, given the fact
that he doesn't look for glory but chose something he loved."
"Mr. Arthur Weasley would probably be a second or last-born. It is quite obvious that Arthur is out-going and eccentric, which is a prominent second born trait. He certainly doesn't think within the boundaries of normalcy considering his flexible nature and rather peculiar hobbies involving muggle objects. However, though he is always quiet happy outwardly towards his family and especially Harry, I'd like to think that Arthur Weasley uses it to mask his own concerns and worries in life, something perceived in the fifth book especially, with a particular attention on the situation with Percy.
As for Ms. Weasley, she seemed to be a to hold to the traits of an only child. She displays a feeling of loneliness in her, considering her crush on Lockhart in the Chamber of Secrets as well as the gifts she sends not only her family, but Harry and Hermione as well, making me in particular feel that she's alone unable to do much else. Being the only woman other than Ginny in the family doesn't help either. She's always trying to find out the truth of things, especially when it concerns her children, and is a bit of a perfectionist, which you have to be when you knit 5 sweaters. :P She adheres to rules on the outside, but since she joined the Order of the Phoenix, she definitely doesn't adhere to rules behind the scenes. "
