2018-09-05 TOEFL: word roots, reading vocab

Greg Malivuk
[email protected]
http://www.pastebin.com/u/gmalivuk - notes from all classes
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Word roots (list 6) - With your partner, try to think of one or two words to explain the meanings of each root on the list.
re (recycle, rebound, reuse, recline) = again/back
reg (regulation, regent, regime) = rule
retro (retrograde, retroactive, retrospect) = backward
rupt (disrupt, rupture) = burst/break
scend (ascend, descend, crescendo) = climb
scope/skep/spec (microscope, spectacle, speculate) = watch/look/see
scrib/script (transcript, scripture, inscribe) = write (or draw)
sect/seg (section, bisect, sector, segment) = cut/divide (but not physically separated)
semi (semicircle, semiannual) = half (This is the Latin root. The Greek root is “hemi”.)
sol (solitude, desolate) = alone
sol (solar, solarium) = Sun
soph (philosophy, sophisticated) = wise/wisdom
struct (construct, structure) = build
sub (subterranean, submerge, substandard) = under
super (superstructure, supersonic) = over
tele (telephone, telescope, telepathy) = far
term (determine, terminate) = end/limit
terra/terri (territory, terrain) = land/Earth
therm (thermometer, thermal) = heat
trans (transport, transaction, transverse) = cross
ultra (ultraviolet, ultrasound) = over
uni (universe, unique, unilateral) = one
vac (vacuum, vacate, evacuate) = empty
veri (verify, veracity) = true
viv/vit (vital, vivacious) = life
vol (benevolent, volunteer, volition) = will (the noun)
xeno (xenophobia, xenophile) = foreign/strange
zo (zoology, zooplankton, paleozoic) = animal
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We often have words formed from synonymous roots with different origins.
Sometimes they are synonyms: “retrospect” and “hindsight” are basically the same
Sometimes they have different connotations: predict (Latin), foretell (Germanic), and prophesy (Greek) usually have pretty different feelings but all of them mean telling about something before it happens
Other times they’re used in totally different ways:
- supersonic = faster than sound
- ultrasonic = higher (frequency) than (audible) sound
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TOEFL Test: four sections, four hours, $200, 120 points total (30 per section)
1 reading: 60-80 minutes, 3 or 4 passages, about 14 questions per passage
2 listening: 60-90 minutes, 2 or 3 sets, each set has 3 listenings and about 17 questions
	(10-minute break)
3 speaking: 20 minutes, 6 tasks, 5.5 minutes of speaking time
4 writing: about 1 hour, 2 tasks, 20+30 minutes of writing time
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Reading Question Types:
- fact
- negative fact
- vocabulary
- paraphrase
- purpose
- inference
- reference
- sentence insertion
- summarize
- organize/categorize
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DELTA p. 49-52 describes different clues to figure out vocabulary from context
1-6 - These are useful context clues, but you won’t see vocabulary questions on the TOEFL about words that are directly explained like this.
7 List or Series
“Because of their similar teeth, [1] and [2] are believed to have evolved from the same ancestral groups as the [3], [4], and other [5].” (Maybe you don’t know what any of these words are.)
- The unfamiliar words are kinds of animals (because they have teeth).
- They’re all currently living animals that evolved from the same ancestors.
- [1] and [2] are probably similar to each other.
- [3] and [4] are similar to each other, and are members of group [5].
	(“The other [5]s” means we’ve already mentioned some [5]s, which must be [3] and [4].)
= “mustelids” are a group of animals that includes weasels and badgers, which is related to (shares an ancestor with) seals and walruses
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BREAK
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These context clues can help you eliminate wrong answers, but in the end you may need to guess if you don’t know the word already.
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p. 56-57 - Use context clues to choose the best synonym of each of these words (1-4). Are there specific context clues that help you make that decision?
1 D
2 A
3 B
4 A - To understand the contrast clue here, it’s important to know that in this sentence, “common origin” means they had the same origin, not that it was a usual or popular origin.
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p. 58-59 - Take 5 minutes to answer questions 5-10 in 1.3.A
5 A
6 B
7 A
8 D (You’re looking for negative aspects. “benefits” are positive and “stages” and “causes” are neutral)
9 C
10 D
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p. 59-61 - Take 8 minutes to complete exercise 1.3.B. Then compare your answers with your partner and try to convince your partner of your answers if you disagree.
1 D (“by reporting, in a very simple way”)
2 B (When the crescent grows, the amount of light grows.)
3 A (“Withstand” means “stand agains”. This sentence tells us that “cool” is unlike most slang. The next sentence tells us it’s been around for a long time.)
4 C (It doesn’t have the same meaning, because “its meaning continues to evolve”.)
5 D (The glaciers scoured the surface, which removed most of the soil and hollowed out lakes.)
6 C
7 C
8 A
9 B
10 A
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Handout (Cengage) p. 54 - In your own words, explain the meaning of the highligted vocabulary in passage 6
slice = cut
ultimate = final
infinitesimal = tiny
grasp = understand
blow up = expand
fuzzy = vague, unclear, blurry
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Homework: complete exercise 2.2 on the handout