Part of Speech Questions V.S. Vocabulary Questions
Let's clarify the difference between Part of speech and Vocabulary questions using two examples:
Example 1: Banks _____ require small businesses to submit their financial
statements before lending money.
(A) typical
(B) typically
(C) typed
(D) type
In the first example, each option represents a different part of
speech, which makes it a Part of speech
question. Your job is to find the word that fits the sentence
grammatically. Here, the word "require" following the blank is a
verb, so we need an adverb in the blank. The only adverb is
“typically”. Hence, (B) typically is
the correct answer.
Example 2: The project manager needs to understand the scope of the project
ahead of time and _____ tasks accordingly based on each team
member's strengths and weaknesses.
(A) resign
(B) assign
(C) sign
(D) signify
The second example, however, is a 'Vocabulary' question. All
options are verbs, so you need to select the one that makes sense
in the context of the sentence. In this case, the project manager
needs to "assign" tasks based on each team member's abilities,
making (B) assign
the correct answer.
To efficiently answer test questions, it's important to
distinguish between Part of speech questions and Vocabulary questions. This will allow for a strategic approach in answering,
subsequently reducing the time taken.
For Part of speech questions, the focus is on understanding different components of
grammar, including nouns, pronouns, adjectives, adverbs,
prepositions, and conjunctions. Being able to quickly and
accurately answer these questions can save time for other types of
questions.
Vocabulary questions are pretty straightforward. They test your vocabulary.
Generally, you'll receive four options, all being the same part of
speech but differing in words, to choose from. Your task is to
select the most appropriate word.
|
(1) Choose nouns that are semantically correct
(2) Choose verbs with correct semantics
(3) Choose adjectives with correct semantics
(4) Choose adverbs with correct semantics
|
Example: Winter appliances such as heaters should undergo regular testing
to ______ the life of the equipment.
(A) prolong
(B) enlarge
(C) endure
(D) persist
The correct answer is (A) prolong.
In the context of the sentence, the word "prolong" makes sense
as it means to extend the duration of something. Therefore,
regular testing would indeed help to "prolong" or extend the
life of the heaters.
(B) 'Enlarge" is incorrect because it implies increasing the
physical size of something, which is not applicable in this
context.
(C) "Endure" means to suffer patiently or to remain in existence,
which doesn't make sense in the context as equipment can't endure
or suffer.
(D) "Persist" means to continue firmly or obstinately in an
opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty or
opposition. This does not fit in the context of the sentence,
where the aim is to increase the lifespan of the equipment, not
for it to stubbornly continue without change.