# data[].attributes.headline
"There is a clear pattern at play: once a name catches on among high-income, highly educated parents, it starts working its way down the socioeconomic ladder. Amber and Heather started out as high-end names, as did Stephanie and Brittany. For every high-end baby named Stephanie or Brittany, another five lower-income girls received those names within ten years.(201)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"There is a clear pattern at play: once a name catches on among high-income, highly educated parents, it starts working its way down the socioeconomic ladder. Amber and Heather started out as high-end names, as did Stephanie and Brittany. For every high-end baby named Stephanie or Brittany, another five lower-income girls received those names within ten years.(201)"

# data[].attributes.body
In his standard and well-established analytical voice, Dubner relates common name statistics to a pattern of shifting name trends in society. He is able to consistently create a logical analysis of the data he presents to his audience. This allows him to fully manipulate the manner in which his readers approach his often distant theories. Name trends are a niche phenomenon upon which Dubner effectively creates an entertaining and informative lecture that embodies the same purpose as the rest of the book. This passage shows how successfully the book is able to explain difficult theories using well analyzed data and statistics throughout.

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"As noted earlier, a child with many books in his home has indeed been found to do well on school tests. But regularly reading to a child doesn't affect test scores. This would seem to present a riddle. It bounces us back to our original question: just how much, and in what ways, do parents really matter?(172)"

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"As noted earlier, a child with many books in his home has indeed been found to do well on school tests. But regularly reading to a child doesn't affect test scores. This would seem to present a riddle. It bounces us back to our original question: just how much, and in what ways, do parents really matter?(172)"

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Here Dubner indicates a false correlation between parent involvement and child success. In the passage he concludes that children have the greatest impact on their own success based on their own desire to explore and learn new things. It is apparent that the purpose of the data being cited on previous page is to provide evidence that this conclusion is correct, or at least logical.

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"If you earn $9,400 while she earns only $150, maybe your incentives aren't aligned after all.(9)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"If you earn $9,400 while she earns only $150, maybe your incentives aren't aligned after all.(9)"

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Incentive(noun): a thing that motivates or encourages one to do something.

His father promised to buy him a truck if he graduated, a great incentive for success.

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"Information is a beacon, a cudgel, an olive branch, a deterrent, depending on who wields it and how. (67)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"Information is a beacon, a cudgel, an olive branch, a deterrent, depending on who wields it and how. (67)"

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Cudgel(noun): A short thick stick used as a weapon.

The thief used a five-pound dumbbell as a cudgel to deter the occupants of the office.

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"A broad swath of psychological and economic research has shown that people will pay different amounts for the same item depending on who is providing it.(47)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"A broad swath of psychological and economic research has shown that people will pay different amounts for the same item depending on who is providing it.(47)"

# data[].attributes.body
Swath(noun): A broad strip or area of something.

The courtyard of the palace had a swaths of garden.

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"Like the proverbial butterfly that flaps its wings on one continent and eventually causes a hurricane on another, Norma McCorvey dramatically altered the course of events without intending to. All she had wanted was an abortion. She was a poor, uneducated, unskilled, alcoholic, drug-using twenty-one-year-old woman who had already given up two children for adoption and now, in 1970, found herself pregnant again.(5)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"Like the proverbial butterfly that flaps its wings on one continent and eventually causes a hurricane on another, Norma McCorvey dramatically altered the course of events without intending to. All she had wanted was an abortion. She was a poor, uneducated, unskilled, alcoholic, drug-using twenty-one-year-old woman who had already given up two children for adoption and now, in 1970, found herself pregnant again.(5)"

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This passage delves into the conversation-like style of writing the author, Steven J. Dubner uses to imitate the natural ability of economist Steven D. Levitt to break down the factors that effect everyday problems and larger scale societal issues. Dubner begins by comparing a woman seeking an abortion to the idea of the "butterfly effect", in which all actions in the universe have random and varying magnitude reactions. The purpose of the passage is to identify the cause of the start of the pro-choice movement. In the passage, Dubner speaks directly to the reader, as if holding a normal conversation. He reaches for emotional reaction by describing the raw details of the woman's situation. The importance of the passage is its part in introducing the style in which Dubner portrays Levitt's enhanced view on the effects of people's daily decisions and actions. It is a glimpse of what's to come in the book as it is centered around explaining the logic behind Levitt's reasoning.

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"You might think that the sophistication of teachers who cheat would increase along with the level of schooling. But an exam given at the University of Georgia in the fall of 2001 disputes that idea.(37)"

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"You might think that the sophistication of teachers who cheat would increase along with the level of schooling. But an exam given at the University of Georgia in the fall of 2001 disputes that idea.(37)"

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Using a logos strategy known as conceding and refuting, Dubner establishes a mocking tone towards a specifically unimpressive example of teacher cheating. Holding the same conversation like writing style, Dubner sides with the reader's assumed common sense and then refutes it by offering an equally as logical but more challenging conclusion. He achieves an effective mode of persuasion by including a real-world example that refutes the assumption that teachers' methods of cheating grow in ingenuity as the level of education heightens.

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"The statistics reveal at least three noteworthy facts. The first is the obvious decrease in lynchings over time. The second is the absence of a correlation between lynchings and Klan membership: there were actually more lynchings of blacks between 1900 and 1909, when the Klan was dormant, than during the 1920s, when the Klan had millions of members--which suggest that the Ku Klux Klan carried out far fewer lynchings than is generally thought.(61)'

# data[].attributes.subject
"The statistics reveal at least three noteworthy facts. The first is the obvious decrease in lynchings over time. The second is the absence of a correlation between lynchings and Klan membership: there were actually more lynchings of blacks between 1900 and 1909, when the Klan was dormant, than during the 1920s, when the Klan had millions of members--which suggest that the Ku Klux Klan carried out far fewer lynchings than is generally thought.(61)'

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Dubner dives head first into a statistical analysis disproving a common misconception about the Ku Klux Klan. This also implies that the 1920s were full of racism and hatred, to the extent of which 791 blacks were lynched by civilians with no affiliation with the Klan.
This passage made me wonder how a conversation with Steven Levitt would be in person. The fact that Dubner is able to so vividly describe and explain the techniques that go into cracking the riddles of everyday life, leads me to believe Levitt himself is proficient in language skills. Dubner reflects Levitt's mindful ability to be understandable, even when explaining abstract theories.

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"So perhaps, you say hopefully, discrimination was practically eradicated during the twentieth century, like polio.(78)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"So perhaps, you say hopefully, discrimination was practically eradicated during the twentieth century, like polio.(78)"

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Eradicate(verb): destroy completely, put an end to.

The Bolivian government was eradicated when a radical, revolutionary leader gained the support of the people.

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"But first Booty wanted to do a little atoning.(98)"

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"But first Booty wanted to do a little atoning.(98)"

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Atone(verb): to make amends or reparation.

After their scuffle in the street, the rival gang members decided atonement would suit them well.

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"He gave government positions to forty family members including his wife, Elena, who required forty homes and a commensurate supply of fur and jewels.(117)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"He gave government positions to forty family members including his wife, Elena, who required forty homes and a commensurate supply of fur and jewels.(117)"

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Commensurate(adjective): corresponding in size or degree; in proportion.

With over 300 students attending each lunch block, Algonguin needs a commensurate array of tables and chairs to accommodate them.

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"Armed with information, experts can exert a gigantic, if unspoken, leverage: fear. Fear that your children will find you dead on the bathroom floor of a heart attack if you do not have angioplasty surgery. Fear that a cheap casket will expose your grandmother to a terrible underground fate.(71)"

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"Armed with information, experts can exert a gigantic, if unspoken, leverage: fear. Fear that your children will find you dead on the bathroom floor of a heart attack if you do not have angioplasty surgery. Fear that a cheap casket will expose your grandmother to a terrible underground fate.(71)"

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This passage is particularly indicative of the purpose of the book, to unravel the tricks and cheats that make society function the way it does. Dubner accomplishes this with anaphora, emphasizing fear as a tool experts use as leverage over their customers/clients/patients. Dubner thus contends that generally speaking, experts abuse their advantage of information to manipulate people they are trusted by. The major point is the following; its a cold world and the more you know, the less there is that can hurt you.

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"So how did the gang work? An awful lot like most American businesses, actually, though perhaps none more so than McDonald's. In fact, if you were to hold a McDonald's organizational chart and a Black Disciples org chart side by side, you could hardly tell the difference.(99)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"So how did the gang work? An awful lot like most American businesses, actually, though perhaps none more so than McDonald's. In fact, if you were to hold a McDonald's organizational chart and a Black Disciples org chart side by side, you could hardly tell the difference.(99)"

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Introducing a theory that contraband businesses reflect the structure of American franchises, Dubner compares a New York City crack gang to the likes of McDonald's. He connects to the audience by referencing a widely known franchise. To build credibility, he insists organizational charts from the two businesses would be indistinguishable. He doesn't use data or research to build his credibility, rather, his confident tone assures the reader he knows what he is talking about and his theory should be considered.

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"The story of abortion in Romania might seem an odd way to begin telling the story of American crime in the 1990s. But it's not. In one important way, the Romanian abortion story is a reverse image of the American crime story. The point of overlap was on that Christmas Day of 1989, when Nicolae Ceausescu learned the hard way-with a bullet to the head-that his abortion ban had much deeper implications than he knew.(119)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"The story of abortion in Romania might seem an odd way to begin telling the story of American crime in the 1990s. But it's not. In one important way, the Romanian abortion story is a reverse image of the American crime story. The point of overlap was on that Christmas Day of 1989, when Nicolae Ceausescu learned the hard way-with a bullet to the head-that his abortion ban had much deeper implications than he knew.(119)"

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This passage shows the ability of Dubner to transfer emotion into logic. While describing the assassination of a Romanian leader, Dubner uses backward reasoning to equate the conflict to the crime story of the United States. The strategy is familiar throughout the book as Dubner often uses comparisons to introduce or explain a point. Repeating the strategy creates an aspect of predictability to the effect of the arguments he introduce. These comparisons, including this one, often include some historical statistic or event that lends itself in building the credibility in Dubner's argument. His method of explanation is effective in creating connections between separated ideas, thus,the reader is enabled to instinctively regard his statements as logical.

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"He ushered the NYPD into what one senior police officer later called 'our Athenian period,' in which new ideas were given weight over calcified practices.(127)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"He ushered the NYPD into what one senior police officer later called 'our Athenian period,' in which new ideas were given weight over calcified practices.(127)"

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Calcify(verb): harden by deposition of or conversion into calcium carbonate

The calcified scraps had been subject to vigorous gnawing from the neighbor's dog.

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"This theory is bound to provoke a variety of reactions, ranging from disbelief to revulsion, and a variety of objectives, ranging from the quotidian to the moral.(139)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"This theory is bound to provoke a variety of reactions, ranging from disbelief to revulsion, and a variety of objectives, ranging from the quotidian to the moral.(139)"

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Quotidian(adjective):of or occurring daily

It was simple to cross the street on a quotidian week day without the added weekend traffic.

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"So it's the imminent possibility of death that drives fear- which means the most sensible way to calculate fear of death would be to think about it on a per-hour basis.(151)"

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"So it's the imminent possibility of death that drives fear- which means the most sensible way to calculate fear of death would be to think about it on a per-hour basis.(151)"

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Imminent(adjective): about to happen, overhanging

People who have anxiety are haunted by the outcomes of imminent life shattering events.

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"We believe especially in near-term causes: a snake bites your friend, he screams with pain, and he dies. The snakebite, you conclude, must have killed him. Most of the time, such a reckoning is correct. But when it comes to cause and effect, there is often a trap in such open-and-shut thinking.(140)"

# data[].attributes.subject
"We believe especially in near-term causes: a snake bites your friend, he screams with pain, and he dies. The snakebite, you conclude, must have killed him. Most of the time, such a reckoning is correct. But when it comes to cause and effect, there is often a trap in such open-and-shut thinking.(140)"

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While explaining the tendency for people to settle causality with tangible solutions rather than distant theories, Dubner gives a specific and digestible example to influence the audience's understanding. He uses this example to take blame away from people who find comfort in falling into this lax method of reasoning. By using the word "trap" to associate with that style of thinking, Dubner changes perspective and takes on a more forewarning tone against the danger of shying away from difficult or distant possibilities.