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READING
Skill A UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF A WORD/PHRASE IN CONTEXT
For this skill, you are required to practice and perform the skill of understanding the meaning of a word as it is used in the passage.
To achieve this goal, you need to bear in mind this strategy:
Usually the meaning of the word in question is not the meaning you have already known about this word (e.g. in the dictionary or in other contexts different from the context of the reading passage you are working on. So, the meaning of the word in question should be the meaning in the context of the reading passage. It is the meaning the writer or lecturer intends to use. In some cases, this is the meaning implied by the writer who wishes the readers to understand what he/she really wants to convey.
For this strategy, you are require to:
• use context clues (synonyms, antonyms, examples) to figure out the meaning of a word
• apply knowledge of word parts (roots, prefixes, suffixes, etc.) to help understand the meaning
• apply knowledge of grammar clues such as the verb "be" (for giving definitions), conjunctions, and punctuation marks (dash, colon, parentheses, etc.) to help understand connections and context
Here are some example questions for understanding the vocabulary.
Example Questions
• In stating that __________, the author means that __________
• The author uses the word __________ to indicate that __________
• The word __________ in the passage is closest in meaning to __________
• The word __________ could best be replaced by which of the following?
• The phrase __________ in the passage means __________
Skill B UNDERSTANDING THE REFERENT OF A PRONOUN/REFERENCE PRHASE
For this skill, you are required to practice and perform the skill of:
• Recognizing a noun that is being referred to by a pronoun or other reference word {This noun is known as the "referent.")
• Understanding the different kinds of pronouns and reference words
Here are some tips for this skill.
- Proximity: the noun (referent) that is being referred to usually precede the pronoun or the reference word.
- Topic/theme: if the noun preceding the pronoun or reference word is not the referent you are looking for, then you can look further backward in the previous sentence to identify the theme or topical object that is being discussed or talked about.
- Relevance in substitution: to make sure the word you choose match the meaning of the correct word you can place/insert the word of your choice into the place of the pronoun or reference word to see whether it is relevant to the meaning of the word in question.
Here are some example questions for identify the referent.
- The phrase __________in the passage refers to ___ like
- The word __________ in line ___ refers to
- What does the word __________ in paragraph ___ refer to?
- What does __________ in paragraph refer to?
- What is the meaning of the word __________ in paragraph ___ ?
- The phrase __________ in the passage ___ refers to ___
Now practice the skill of understanding the meaning of a word as it is used in the passage below.
READING PRACTICE 1 (Vocabulary and Reference)
After Germany surrendered after the end of World War Two, the allied nations (Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union) took control of the capital city of Berlin. At first, they agreed to run the city in partnership, but as the Cold War started to unfold, that agreement quickly broke down. The Soviet Union took control of the eastern side of the city and the US, France, and Britain took control of the western side. Many Germans living in East Berlin left, preferring to live in West Berlin, which had a democratic government rather than a communist one. In response, the government of East Germany built a wall separating the two sides of the city.
This wall, known as the Berlin wall, had a significant impact on the lives of the people of Berlin. The wall made travel between the two sides of Berlin almost impossible. No one was allowed through the wall unless they had a permit from the governments of both sides of the wall. Anyone crossing without "these papers" was likely to be shot by the soldiers who guarded the wall at all times. The wall separated many families, and people who had held jobs on the other side of the city lost their jobs and had to find new work. Despite the hardships that it created for Germans on both sides of the wall, the Berlin wall stood for almost thirty years. For many people the Berlin wall became the most visible symbol of the Cold War and the distrust between the US and the Soviet Union. When the wall was taken down in 1989, it seemed that the Cold War was finally at an end as well.
WORDS & EXPRESSIONS
Cooperation (n): sự hợp tác
Democracy (n): nền dân chủ
1. The world partnership in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. cooperation
B. peace
C. democracy
D. responsibility
2. The author uses the word significant to indicate that the impact on the lives of the people was
A. terrible
B. sad
C. important
D. immediate
3. The phrase these papers in the passage refers to
A. papers separating the families
B. permits allowing people to cross the wall
C. orders instructing the soldiers to guard the wall
D. the design plans of the wall
1. The word partnership in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. cooperation
B. peace
C. democracy
D. responsibility
To deal with this question, you are required to base your analysis on the context where the word partnership is used in the reading passage. The transition expression at first signals a change or contrasting idea in the end, so you can understand that they agreed to run the city in partnership but in the end the agreement quickly broke down: The Soviet Union took control of the eastern side of the city and the US, France, and Britain took control of the western side. This fact tells you that they did not work together after cold war broke out. This change or contrasting idea helps you to understand that at first, they agreed to work together or work in cooperation in running the city.
As for option (B) peace, this can be a trap that invites you to choose, for you may think that it contrasts with the notion or idea “Cold War started to unfold”. However, even in peace time, it does not mean the Soviet Union and the powerful Western countries necessarily worked together in running the city of Berlin. It is understood that war and peace are just necessary conditions but not sufficient conditions for them to cooperate in running the city. The same thing can be said to options © and (D) which suggest that even they worked in democracy and with responsibility at the beginning; it does not mean they did not work with these virtues in the end as the transition phrase at first suggests.
2. The author uses the word significant to indicate that the impact on the lives of the people was
A. terrible
B. sad
C. important
D. immediate
To deal with this question, you are required to base your analysis on the context where the word significant is used in the reading passage. First this word is used in the collocation/combination with the word impact (influence). Second, what is mentioned in the following sentences shows that Berlin Wall had a big/important influence on the lives of Berlin people, as in trading and traveling for both sides of the wall. There is nothing in this context to suggest that this influence is terrible, i.e. harmful or damaging or sad or quick to the lives of people from both sides of Berlin.
3. The phrase these papers in the passage refers to
A. papers separating the families
B. permits allowing people to cross the wall
C. orders instructing the soldiers to guard the wall
D. the design plans of the wall
To deal with this question, you are required to base your analysis on the context where the words these papers is used in the reading passage. First the deictic or reference words these signals that it refers back to the noun referent in the previous part of the same sentence or the previous sentence. The conjunction unless signals that having a permit is a compulsory condition for those who wanted to cross/go through the wall. What is mentioned in the following sentence shows what would happen to anyone who did not have this condition (the word without signals the absence of this condition). Therefore, the phrase these papers refers back to the permit as a condition to cross the wall. As for option (A) we learn that the wall itself separated many families, not the permit or paper. As for option ©, what is mentioned in this option contradicts with what is presented in the context: the soldiers were on duty or guarding the wall and they did not need any order to do so. Finally, information in option (D) is not mentioned in the text. Any substitution of option (A), or © or (D) will cause a contradiction with what is mentioned before and after the sentence “Anyone crossing without "these papers" was likely to be shot by the soldiers who guarded the wall at all times”.
One tip to make sure that your choice if correct or not is to insert the words/phrases of your choice in the place of the phrase in question (these papers):
No one was allowed through the wall unless they had a permit from the governments of both sides of the wall. Anyone crossing without "these permits" was likely to be shot by the soldiers who guarded the wall at all times.
Another tip to make sure that there is a logical connection or cohesion between the word permit and the phrase these papers is to draw a line to link these two expressions:
No one was allowed through the wall unless they had a permit from the governments of both sides of the wall. Anyone crossing without "these papers" was likely to be shot by the soldiers who guarded the wall at all times.
READING PRACTICE 2 (Vocabulary and Reference)
Africa is home to some of the poorest nations in the world. Ironically, many of the poorest nations in Africa hold some of the world's greatest natural resources. Sierra Leone, Liberia, Angola, and Congo are all rich in diamonds, but most of the citizens in these nations live lives of poverty and fear. This is true because in each case, the nation's wealth of natural resources has helped to fuel conflicts which are both brutal and bloody. Both rebel groups and the governments in these nations use the profits from diamond sales to buy weapons and supply their armies, and the conflicts are now essentially fought over the control of the diamond trade. In such a situation, the citizens of these nations are the victims. Not only are many innocent people killed in the fighting, the conflict also prevents the country from developing. Schools are destroyed and not rebuilt, and clean water and electricity are often lacking. Without such basic services, disease and hunger spread throughout the country.
While the governments and the rebels who actually do the fighting hold much of the responsibility for the suffering of their citizens, developed countries are also to blame. The diamonds from these countries, often called conflict diamonds, are sold in jewelry shops across Europe and the United States. The money from these diamond sales simply ensure that the wars will continue. In an effort to stop this, the United Nations has passed agreements under which advanced nations agree not to buy diamonds from conflict areas. This way, these terrible wars will perhaps come to an end.
WORDS & EXPRESSIONS
argument (n): sự tranh cãi
suffering (n): tổn thất, sự gánh chịu
guarantees (n): đảm bảo
Conflict ≈ fighting/war/armies
Supply ≈ support
natural resources ≈ profits from diamond sales
Fuel conflicts ≈ supply armies ≈ support wars
• Note that ≈ means synonymous to or related to:
1. In stating that natural resources fuel conflicts, the author means that natural resources:
A. start arguments
B. support wars
C. add to suffering
D. help governments
To deal with this question, you are required to base your analysis on the context where the words fuel conflicts are used in the reading passage. You may ask this question to yourself “What is the role/use of natural resources in fuelling conflicts?” First of all, you need to understand the word conflict which will facilitate your interpretation of the word fuel. So, which word can be synonymous to the word conflict? The following sentences explain how natural resources are used to fuel conflict. With this explanation, you learn that conflicts are fought over the control of the diamond trade in which the citizens of these nations are the victims who were killed in the fighting. So conflict can be understood as fighting (in a narrow sense) and war (in a wider sense). Next, you also learn that the rebel groups and the governments use the profits from diamond sales to buy weapons and supply their armies. There is a close relation between profits from diamond sales and natural resources. The use of the profits or natural sources is to supply their armies, which also means to support wars. To sum up, the association of the words and their meaning can be represented as follows:
As for option (A) argument is something far from fighting/war/armies where many people were killed. In option ©, suffering is by no means the aim or use of natural resources. In option (D), governments are not the only one party that makes use of the natural resources; rebel groups also use the profits to supply armies.
Now you are required to practice the skill of recognizing the referent of the phrase such basic service in the question below.
2. The phrase such basic services in the passage refers to services like:
A. public education
B. energy and public health
C. the operation of diamond mines
D. supplying the army
To deal with this question, you are required to base your analysis on the context where the words such basic services is used in the reading passage. First the deictic or reference words such signals that it refers back to the noun referent in the previous part of the same sentence or the previous sentence. With the context of these sentences you can learn that school, clean water and electricity are examples of basic services. Therefore the phrase such basic services refers back to energy (electricity) and public health (clean water). The process of reference can be represented by a line that links the referents with the reference word/phrase as follows.
Schools are destroyed and not rebuilt, and clean water and electricity are often lacking. Without such basic services, disease and hunger spread throughout the country.
As for option (A) public education can be an example of basic services but it has nothing to do or related to the bad consequences such as disease and hunger throughout the country. With option © the lack of the operation of mines is not basic services and does not lead or cause disease and hunger. Likewise, without supplying the army is not basic service and by no means the cause of disease and hunger.
Now practice the skill of understanding the meaning of the word in the context of the reading passage below.
3. The word ensure in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. guarantees
B. requests
C. provides
D. continues
To deal with this question, you are required to base your analysis on the context where the words ensure is used in the reading passage. In the previous context, you learn that the rebel groups and the governments used money/profits from diamond sales to supply armies and thus to fuel to fuel the conflicts. Here in this context, we also learn that money from diamond sales is the condition to make it certain that the wars will continue. Therefore, option (A) is the correct choice because guarantee means to make it certain that something will happen. As for option (B), the verb request means to ask for something politely and requires a subject that is human, not thing like money. With option © the verb provide requires an object that is a noun, not a clause “wars will continue”. As for option (D), the verb continue cannot have an object as a clause either.
Answer Key:
READING
1.
1. A 2. C 3. B
2.
1. B 2. B 3. A
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