Comprachicos

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/comprachicos

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the etymological origin?Spanish neologism, 'comprachicos' meaning 'child-buyers'
2. What is the literary catalyst?Victor Hugo's novel 'The Man Who Laughs' (1869) popularized the concept
3. What does the word "Comprachicos" mean?It comes from Spanish and means "child buyers" or "small child buyers."
4. Who made people worry about Comprachicos?Victor Hugo wrote about them in his 1869 novel "The Man Who Laughs," which made many people think about the danger of harming children.

Neologism: A newly coined word or expression, or a new meaning for an existing word.
Mountebank: A flamboyant salesperson, often of dubious remedies, who attracts customers with his or her performance.
Commodification: The process of treating something as a mere article of trade, having no value beyond its price.
Moral Panic: A widespread feeling of fear, often irrational, that some evil threatens the well-being of society.