iBTReadingQuestion:Vocablulary-SimilarChoices
Fromthemailbag:
AninstructorinUzbekistansentusthefollowingquery:
IteachTOEFLiBT,andIneedyourrecommendationsonacingthevocabularyquestionsinthereadingsection.Theprobleminthistypeofquestionsisthemeaningsofthewordsthatareveryclosetoeachother.Whatcanyourecommend,whatdoweneedtopayattentionto?
Letslookatanexample:
Theseedsofthecounterculturehadbeengerminatingsincetheearly1960howeverbyendofthedecade,thecontroversiesoverVietnam,segregation,womensrights,andtherighttovotehadgivenweighttotheirvisionandcompelledmanytobecomemoreactivistintheirpolitics.
Inthissentence,weightcanbestbereplacedwith:
a)gravity
b)levity
c)credence
d)faith
Inthisexample,gravityseemssimilartoweight.Credenceresemblesfaith.Sohowtochoose?
Generally,thebestthingtodoistothrowoutanyknownwronganswers.Thateliminateslevity,whichmeanshumororgaiety.Clearly,thesentenceisnotabouthumor.
Thatstillleavesuswiththreepossibilities;credence,faith,andgravity.Itisherethatthingsgettricky.
Considerbothliteralandfigurativemeanings.Considercommonturnsofphraseusingthechoices,ifyouknowany.Considerwhereinthedifferencemayliewhenwordsappearsimilarinmeaning.Thetrickwillusuallylieinthes-v-oconstruct.
Letslookatcredencevs.faith.Faithmaybethemorefamiliar;afaithinGod,afaithfulservant.Credencemeansbelievability(astherootcredsuggests).Apersonhasfaithinsomethingorsomeone,whileacommonturnofphraseislendscredencetotheargument...
Soanargumentcanhavecredence,butapersonhasfaith.Sincethecontroversieshadgivenweighttoavision,wecaneliminatefaith;visioncannothavefaith.
Sothatleavescredenceandgravity.Cansomethingbegivencredence?Yes,anidea,concept,orvisioncouldbegivencredence.Gravityseemstoalsofit;itlookslikeasubstituteforheavy,anditmeans,figuratively,greatimportance,whichseemstoalsofit.Butalsoconsidertheliteralmeaning.Isgravitysomethingthatisgiven?Ordoesitalwaysexist?Somethingcanhavegravity,butitshardtoconceiveofitbeinggiven.
Givenachoicelikethat,gowiththeeasierfit.Credencecanreplaceweightwithoutthesentencebeingchangedinanyway.Gravityisawkward;itisntgivenandthesentencewouldneedtochangeforittofit.Inotherwords;gravityisatrickanswer.TheanswerisC;credence.
Thefigurativevs.literalandcommonphrasetechniqueonlyworkssomeofthetime;othertimes,youllhavetodelvedeeperintotherootwordsorcontextualhints.Butthisisastart;moreinafutureinstallment.
POSTEDBYTOEFLMONKEYAT7:21AMLINKSTOTHISPOST
LABELS:IBTREADINGQUESTION:VOCABULARY
SATURDAY,OCTOBER27,2007