Vocabulary – People and ideas
Part 1 - Vocabulary
A. Identify the meanings of the underlined words according to each sentence context.
| 1. | She was one of my contemporaries at university. We spent a lot of time studying in the library together. contemporary = | ||
| a. | someone who lives or works at the same time as someone else | Correct | |
| b. | someone who lived or worked in the past with someone else | Incorrect | |
| 2. | The moon was a brightly shining crescent. crescent = | ||
| a. | a bright color that can only be observed in the evening sky | Incorrect | |
| b. | a curved shape that is wider in the middle and pointed at the ends | Correct | |
| 3. | The prisoner has been released for humanitarian reasons. humanitarian = | ||
| a. | (a person who is) involved in or connected with improving people's lives and reducing suffering. | Correct | |
| b. | a person who is involved in or connected with improving peoples’ understanding of equality | Incorrect | |
| 4. | Most Muslims wish to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life. pilgrimage = | ||
| a. | a trip to a holy place for a religious reason | Correct | |
| b. | a fasting diet at a holy place for a religious reason | Incorrect | |
| 5. | She reluctantly agreed to step down as managing director. reluctantly = | ||
| a. | redundantly | Incorrect | |
| b. | unwillingly | Correct | |
| 6. | The region is renowned for its outstanding natural beauty. renowned = | ||
| a. | famous and admired | Correct | |
| b. | announced | Incorrect | |
B. Replace the underlined words/ phrases in the following sentences with their synonyms in the box below.
C. Select the correct plural form of the words below.
| singular | plural | ||||||
| 1. | criterion | / | / | Correct! Sorry, try again. | |||
| 2. | phenomenon | / | / | Correct! Sorry, try again. | |||
| 3. | hypothesis | / | / | Correct! Sorry, try again. | |||
| 4. | analysis | / | / | Correct! Sorry, try again. | |||
| 5. | thesis | / | / | Correct! Sorry, try again. |
Part 2 – handedness
In this exercise, you are going to watch a video about a right-handed teacher and a left-handed student. The differences between left-brain (right-handed) people and right-brain (left-handed) people are shown in this diagram:
(Click to see a bigger Picture)
After watching the video, check your understanding of the following vocabulary by completing the matching task below:
Click here to watch the video
Video ©Xtranormal.com
Video ©smarterteacher.blogspot
Part 3 – Idioms with hand
Interpret the definition of the underlined idioms from the context of the following sentences.
| 1. | It's no use asking Alice for help, she's got her hands full looking after the kids. have/ get someone’s hands full = | ||
| a. | not able to intervene | Incorrect | |
| b. | have spare time | Incorrect | |
| c. | have too much to do | Correct | |
| b. | not able to do different things | Incorrect | |
| 2. | It would be wise to have John on our team as he can turn his hand to anything. turn someone’s hand to anything = | ||
| a. | be relied upon | Incorrect | |
| b. | able to do different things | Correct | |
| c. | do everything well | Incorrect | |
| b. | able to help or intervene | Incorrect | |
| 3. | He is what this troubled club needs, a good, solid manager, a safe pair of hands. a safe pair of hands = | ||
| a. | available | Incorrect | |
| b. | reliable | Correct | |
| c. | able to help or intervene | Incorrect | |
| b. | able to do different things | Incorrect | |
| 4. | It's no use asking Alice for help, she's got her hands full looking after the kids. have/ get someone’s hands full = | ||
| a. | have a watch | Incorrect | |
| b. | have spare time | Correct | |
| c. | have time to help someone | Incorrect | |
| b. | have to do something | Incorrect | |
| 5. | I'd like to raise people's salaries but my hands are tied. hands are tied = | ||
| a. | not available | Incorrect | |
| b. | not able to help or intervene | Correct | |
| c. | not able to do different things | Incorrect | |
| b. | does not have too much to do | Incorrect | |
| 6. | She is glad that whenever she got into troubles, her trainer was always on hand to give advice. on hand = | ||
| a. | available | Correct | |
| b. | reliable | Incorrect | |
| c. | together | Incorrect | |
| b. | helpful | Incorrect | |
| 7. | These tax cuts will give small business entrepreneurs a helping hand. Give/lend someone a hand = | ||
| a. | rely on someone | Incorrect | |
| b. | spare someone some time | Incorrect | |
| c. | do this for someone | Incorrect | |
| b. | help someone | Correct | |
| 8. | Prosperity goes hand in hand with investment. goes hand in hand = | ||
| a. | reliably | Incorrect | |
| b. | together | Correct | |
| c. | helpfully | Incorrect | |
| b. | along well | Incorrect | |
Part 4 – Vocabulary Roundup
Select the correct answer for each of the following questions.
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