A Play word games involving differences

For example, “What is different about a bird and a plane? They can both fly, but they are different because...”

A Checking test

Each of the following questions begins with a single word in capital letters. Five answer choices follow. Select the answer choice that has the meaning most opposite to the word in capitals.

1.CEDE:
(A) estimate (B) fail (C) get ahead of (D) flow out of (E) retain

2. ACRID:

(A) surly

(B) vapid (C) damp (D) steady (E) sweet

3. NOISOME:

(A) lurid

(B) healthful (C) peaceful (D) morose (E) rancorous

B Answers

This question type is heavily based on vocabulary. The better your vocabulary, the better you will do. But there are a few tricks you can try to use. For example, if a choice doesn’t have a clear opposite, it can’t be the correct answer. Such words as “hinterland” or “automobile” don’t have very clear opposites and would be incorrect if you were to see them as answer choices. In this case, answer choice (A) does not have a clear opposite and can be eliminated even if you don’t know what “cede” means.

Also, if it’s a tough question and the keyword is really hard, remember to stay away from choices that are too good to be true. The hard questions, which are the last few questions of each question type, often contain choices that are misleading or tricky. For instance, the word “cede” will remind many people of “succeed,” so they’ll pick (B). But the test maker will never reward students for making mistakes. (B) can’t be correct. By the same logic, you could probably eliminate (C) and (D) because “cede” will remind some people of “recede,” as in “receding tide.” That leaves you with choice (E) as the right answer. “Cede” actually means to yield or surrender, which is in fact the opposite of “retain.”

B Note: You will seldom, if ever, be able to eliminate all four wrong answers to an antonym question just by using these kinds of guessing strategies. They can help you eliminate a few choices and increase your guessing odds, but the best way to tackle antonyms is to know what kinds of words tend to show up on the GRE, make flashcards of them, and improve your vocabulary.

C

Cede is to give up one’s rights or possessions. The most opposite phrase in meaning is to get ahead of.

E

Something that is ACRID is sharp and biting to taste or smell. The word most opposite in meaning is sweet.

B

NOISOME can mean harmful or injurious. The best opposite to this is therefore healthful.

A ANTONYMS QUIZ

AMATCHED PAIRS.

Purpose: To review vocabulary. Sometimes, new words can be added to the set, as long as the number of new words s small and not disruptive. A second purpose, if the game is played as a team activity, is to stimulate conversation among the team members—“I think 7 matches 23.” “Do you remember where ____ is?” Finally, the game, like all the card games, is fun and contributes to group building.

Targeted Skill: vocabulary development

Preparation: Choose a category, e.g. antonyms. Write a word on each of 15 cards and the matching antonym on another 15 cards. Shuffle the cards well and then turn the over and number them from 1 to 30 on the back.

Because the purpose of this game is to review something that has been taught rather than teach something new, go over the pairs before the game begins to be sure everybody knows what the 15 pairs are.

B Procedure:

1. Lay the cards out face down with the numbers showing.

2. Taking turns, the students call out 2 numbers. Turn over the called cards. If the cards don’t match (chances are they won’t for the first few turns), the cards are turned back over.

3. When a student makes a match, the matched areas are removed from the lay-out and that student gets another turn, continuing until the cards picked don’t match.

4. When all the cards have been matched, the student with the largest pile wins.

Variations:

1. The game can be played as a team activity. One person from each team is the spokesperson for the team’s collective effort to remember locations. Students can take turns being the spokesperson.

2. When a match is made, the player can be required to use the two card words in a sentence. If the player can’t do this, the cards are retuned to the layout, and the next player gets he opportunity to match and use the two words.

Suggestions:

1. adjective synonyms (big-large; next-following; skeptical-doubtful);

2. antonyms (warm-cool; light-heavy);

3. two-word verbs: separable (find out - discover);

4. two-word verbs; inseparable (come back - return);

5. prefixes (un - believable);

6. idioms (by the way - incidentally);

7. proverbs (Time - heals all things.).