Vermeer’s paintings were ------- by certain patrons during the artist’s lifetime, but it was not until the nineteenth century, some three hundred years later, that he was universally -------.
(A) collected . . praised
(B) influenced . . rewarded
(C) scorned . . promoted
(D) relished . . dismissed
(E) overseen . . guarded
0 voters
Though the mayor claimed that he acted out of ------- when he ordered several new homeless shelters to be built, his critics maintained a more ------- view, insisting that the plans were actually to benefit a local contractor.
(A) curiosity . . inaccurate
(B) respect . . egalitarian
(C) charity . . skeptical
(D) frustration . . productive
(E) determination . . complicated
0 voters
C/IC
Researchers uncovered the fossilised eyes in a 515
million-year-old rock layers in kangaroo island, South Australia
Words of the day 8th August
1. diatribe : bitter attack in words
2. Protracted : prolonged
3. extentuate : reduce the strength of
4. imperturbable : calm
5. spurious : false
6. palliate : lessen the severity of
7. pellucid : transparent
Confusing words
1. catholic means unversal vs Catholic is church
2. cavil is to raise irritation or trivial objections vs carp is to find fault
3. chafe : irritate or annoyed vs chaff is to tease
4. curb : restraint vs kerb : edge of pavement
5. complacent: feeling of self satisfaction vs complaisant: wilingness to comply vs compliant means actualy complying whether willingness or not
What is the exact difference in meaning/usage of uninterested and disinterested ?
Dante's Divine Comedy, written in three parts, is a ------- work that many people, daunted by the task of reading it in its entirety, often read it in its ------- form.
(A) subtle . . universal
(B) voluminous . . abridged
(C) barbaric . . censored
(D) morose . . unedited
(E) tedious . . original
0 voters
The dance program at the festival was -------, incorporating pieces from many different cultures and eras.
(A) sporadic
(B) impeccable
(C) perilous
(D) eclectic
(E) lyrical
0 voters
Candidates for public office often ------- popular views expressly to ------- public approval, even though the candidates do not necessarily hold those views personally.
(A) deter . . aggravate
(B) denounce . . replace
(C) sanctify . . arouse
(D) neglect . . impeach
(E) espouse . . garner
0 voters
Humans have a tendency to assign personality traits to whole species of animals, saying, for example, that cats are ------- because they like to explore and that dogs are ------- because they enjoy the company of people.
(A) inspiring . . reverential
(B) inquisitive . . gregarious
(C) uninhibited . . dour
(D) jovial . . despotic
(E) reticent . . nurturing
0 voters
Despite her general -------, Gretchen could often be ------- with people when she felt stressed.
(A) affability . . brusque
(B) reliability . . imprecise
(C) contentment . . relentless
(D) tenderness . . erratic
(E) animosity . . obtuse
0 voters
C/IC I didn't see kumar this week
We are so much more capable than we ever give ourselves credit for.
Is this usage correct ?
@scrabbler Pls help
Words of the day: 9th August : Idioms
1. A Bird In The Hand Is Worth Two In The Bush:
Having something that is certain is much better than taking a risk for more, because chances are you might lose everything.
2. A Chip On Your Shoulder:
Being upset for something that happened in the past.
3. A Leopard Can't Change His Spots:
You cannot change who you are.
4. A Slap on the Wrist: A very mild punishment.
5. An Arm And A Leg: Very expensive. A large amount of money.
6. An Axe To Grind: To have a dispute with someone.
7. Back Seat Driver:
People who criticize from the sidelines, much like someone giving unwanted advice from the back seat of a vehicle to the driver.
8. Barking Up The Wrong Tree:
A mistake made in something you are trying to achieve.
9. Beat A Dead Horse:
To force an issue that has already ended.
10. Bend Over Backwards:
Do whatever it takes to help. Willing to do anything.
11. Between A Rock And A Hard Place:
Stuck between two very bad options.
12. Can't Cut The Mustard :
Someone who isn't adequate enough to compete or participate.
13. Cast Iron Stomach:
Someone who has no problems, complications or ill effects with eating anything or drinking anything.
14. Charley Horse:
Stiffness in the leg / A leg cramp.
15. Chew someone out:
Verbally scold someone.
16. Close but no Cigar:
To be very near and almost accomplish a goal, but fall short.
17. Cock and Bull Story:
An unbelievable tale.
18. Come Hell Or High Water:
Any difficult situation or obstacle.
19. Cut to the Chase:
Leave out all the unnecessary details and just get to the point.
plz suggest some gud sites or books to practise verbal?
RC:
What's new in Deathly Hallows, however, is that this is the first time it's all-out war - and while the rousing arc about a small group of rebels fighting to bring down an unstoppably evil regime isn't exactly new to pop-culture storytelling (think Star Wars or Terminator 2), Rowling hints at real-world underpinnings. It's impossible not to think of Anne Frank when Harry and his friends are holed up in a desolate house to escape the stalking Death Eaters, just as Voldemort's pure-blood obsession harks back to Hitler - and these parallels bring about some inevitable dissonances in a book written with children in mind. When Hermione runs over her checklist before launching into a particularly dangerous offensive, we note, with some alarm, that her ammunition consists of the Invisibility Cloak, Polyjuice Potion, Decoy Detonators, Puking Pastilles, Nosebleed Nougats and Extendable Ears ,although, later, Rowling does acknowledge these preparations as "laughably childish". Another factor that eats considerably into the element of danger is that practically every move of Voldemort's is sensed comfortably ahead-of-time by Harry, thanks to his psychically-connected scar. That's not to say Deathly Hallows is anything less than a nail-biting read. A rescue operation inside the Ministry of Magic is thrillingly written, and the climactic battle is a real rouser, what with the magical creatures of the world uniting against a common enemy the way they did in another fictional universe, many decades ago, when another fantasist wrote about a quest to destroy a near-indestructible magical object. (Harry's mission to eliminate the Horcruxes parallels Frodo's journey in other respects too, particularly in the revelation that a Horcrux has the power to cloud the possessor's mind.) Along the way, there are nods to the Arthurian legends (a sword is retrieved from a lake), Gothic romances like Jane Eyre (an embarrassment to the family is locked up inside her own home), and perhaps even our own Ramayana (a magical deer that may be trap for three people living in a forest, go figure!) - but then, Rowling has always been an equal-opportunity appropriator. And these appropriations, in Deathly Hallows, come together as well as you could wish for. Rowling may leave you dissatisfied with the surprisingly slapdash way her villain goes about his nefarious business, and she may leave you quibbling over her seemingly inexhaustible stock of narrative coincidences, but you brush aside these concerns because you care about the characters. You care for Harry when he gets hold of a letter written by his mother, and you care that she made her g's the same way he does. ("He searched through the letter for every one of them, and each felt like a friendly little wave glimpsed from behind a veil.") These relationships - between friends (Harry and Ron and Hermione), between whether-or-not boyfriends and girlfriends (Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione), between parent and child (Lily and Harry, Molly Weasley and her brood, Narcissa Malfoy and Draco, Xenophilius Lovegood and Luna, the Grangers and Hermione) - are the reason we buy, yet again, one last time, into Rowling's writing. Spells, enchantments, jinxes and curses all have their place, but as the wise Dumbledore once put it, the greatest and most powerful magic is love.
Q1.Which of the following statements best represents the author's feelings about 'Deathly Hallows' ?
a. Deathly Hallows is different in the sense that it has real world underpinnings woven into a story where a group of rebels are at war against an evil regime; a story which is a nail biting read with appropriations from other works that go into the intricacies of human relationships.
b. Deathly Hallows is a story where a group of rebels are at war against an evil regime; a story with real world underpinnings which is a nail biting read and succeeds in arousing emotions of love and care through its portrayal of relationships in spite of its excessive narratives."
c. Deathly Hallows is a story where a group of rebels are at war against an evil regime with real world underpinnings ; a nail biting read which succeeds in arousing emotions of love and care through its portrayal of relationships in spite of there being appropriations from other works."
d. Deathly Hallows is different from pop-culture storytelling in the sense that it has a story where a group of rebels are at war against an evil regime; a story which is a nail biting read with appropriations from other works."
Q2.The author would agree with which of the following ?
a. Rowling freely lifts concepts and examples from other works and hence is guilty of plagiarism.
b. The fact that Harry can sense the movements of his nemesis by means of the scar reduces to some extent the sense of danger created by the book.
c. In the book, Rowling could have avoided creating circumstances or instances which have close similarity with real world terror as these circumstances or instances are laughably childish.
d. Rowling's seemingly inexhaustible stock of narratives make it difficult to appreciate the element of love in the relationships demonstrated in the book.
Q3.The tone of the author in the passage is
a. Mesmerizing
b. Appreciating
c. Analytical
d. Critical
Word list : 10th August : Idioms list Part : 2
1. Dead Ringer:
100% identical. A duplicate.
2. Devil's Advocate:
Someone who takes a position for the sake of argument without believing in that particular side of the arguement. It can also mean one who presents a counter argument for a position they do believe in, to another debater.
3. Dog Days of Summer:
The hottest days of the summer season.
4. Don't Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth:
When someone gives you a gift, don't be ungrateful.
5. Eighty Six:
A certain item is no longer available. Or this idiom can also mean, to throw away.
6. Elvis has left the building:
The show has come to an end. It's all over.
7. Cock and Bull Story:An unbelievable tale.
8.
Fixed In Your Ways:
Not willing or wanting to change from your normal way of doing something.
9.
Flash In The Pan:
Something that shows potential or looks promising in the beginning but fails to deliver anything in the end.
10.
Flip The Bird:
To raise your middle finger at someone.
11.
Foam at the Mouth:
To be enraged and show it.
12.
Fools' Gold:
Iron pyrites, a worthless rock that resembles real gold.
13.
Fuddy-duddy:
An old-fashioned and foolish type of person.
14.
Full Monty:
This idiom can mean either, "the whole thing" or "completely nude". (P.K. !! :D)
15. Funny Farm:
A mental institutional facility.
So I have a question and I feel that the answer as provided is not correct.
Here is the RC:
Direction: Consider each of the choices and select all that apply.
Probably Austen's most widely read novel, Pride and Prejudice, which has been continuously in print since its publication in 1813, has been the subject of volumes of diverse critical reactions. Evaluations of this work have included condemnatory dismissals such as that of Mark Twain, measured praises of Austen's sophistication and wit, and plaudits for the novel as the author's masterpiece. Many early critics focused on the social realism of the novel, commenting on the depth, or lack of depth, of Austen's characters. Criticism of the novel from the nineteenth century through the early twentieth century also tended to regard Austen as a moralist, discussing the value system that Pride and Prejudice establishes. Critics from the 1920s through the 1950s focused on Austen's characteristic themes and stylistic devices, as well as discussing her choice of subject matter and the moral and ideological journey that Elizabeth undertakes throughout the course of the novel. During the 1960s and 1970s, commentators offered contextual criticism that evaluated Pride and Prejudice within the literary and social world in which Austen wrote. It was also during this period that new directions in criticism of the novel began to be explored. Since the late 1960s, for example, critics have approached Austen's novel from a variety of linguistic standpoints, such as Mikhail Bakhtin's theory of dialogism, as well as analyzing the work in terms of postmodern theory and applying new developments in psychology to the text. There has also been increased attention given to the political subtext of the novel, suggesting new ways of interpreting its relationship to the historical context of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In the later decades of the twentieth century and into the early years of the twenty-first century, the most prominent trends in criticism of Pride and Prejudice have derived from the perspectives of literary feminism, including analysis of the novel's view of female oppression, its portrayal of the patriarchal society of the time, and its treatment of the possibility, fantasy, and reality of female power. Feminist critics such as Judith Lowder Newton have envisioned the novel as a triumphant fantasy of female autonomy, while Jean Ferguson Carr warns that Austen's exclusion of Mrs. Bennet from the social world reveals a persistent subjugation of women throughout the novel. In addition to strictly feminist readings of Pride and Prejudice, many essays not associated with this school of social and literary thought either incorporate or challenge various feminist claims in relation to Austen's work.
The passage suggests that Pride and Prejudice
1. was condemned by some feminist critics for its persistent portrayal of subjugation of women throughout the novel.
2. was analysed even by some non-feminist critics for its portrayal of women.
3. was considered by some feminist critics to be situated in a fantasy world that had nothing to do with the real condition of women in the milieu of the novel.
The answer given says its both 1 and 2 but I don't understand why 2 is right.
Please Help!
can anyone provide me link for CAT RCs?
RC
Icicles - two metres long and, at their tips, as bright and sharp as needles - hang from the caves: wild ice stalactites, dragon's teeth. I peer through them to see the world transformed to abstract. Little snow tornadoes twirl across the blank. The car is out there somewhere, represented by a subtle bump in the snow-field The old geep truck, a larger beast, is up to its door handles, like a sinking remnant: dinosaur yielding to ice age. The town's behemoth snow-plow passes on the road, dome light twirling, and casts aside a frozen doe that now lies, neck broken, upon the roadside snow-bank, soon to vanish under the snowfall still to come. There is double-jointed consciousness at work in the dramatics of big weather. Down in the snowstorm, we are as mortal as the deer. I sink to my waist in a drift; I panic, my arms claw for an instant, like a drowning swimmer's, in the powder. Men up and down the storm collapse with coronaries, snow shovels in their hands, cheeks turned into a deathly colour, like frost-bitten plums. Yet when we go upstairs to consult the Weather Channel, we settle down, as cosy gods do, to hover high above the earth and watch the play with a divine perspective. Moist air labelled L for low rides up the continent from the Gulf of Mexico and collides with the high that has slid down from the North Pole. And thus is whipped up the egg-white fluff on the studio map that, down in the frozen, messy world, buries mortals. An odd new metaphysics of weather: It is not that weather has necessarily grown more apocalyptic The famous 'Winter of the Blue Snow' of 1886-87 turned rivers of the American West into glaciers that when they thawed, carried along inundation of dead cattle. President Theodore Roosevelt was virtually ruined as a rancher by the weather that destroyed 65 per cent of his herd In 1811 Mississippi river flowed briefly because of the New Madrid earthquake. What's new in America is the theatre of it. Television does not create weather; any more than it creates contemporary politics. However, the ritual ceremonies of televised weather have endowed a subject often previously banal with an amazing life as mass entertainment, nationwide interactive preoccupation and a kind of immense performance art. What we have is weather as electronic American Shintoism, a casual but almost mystic daily religion, wherein nature is not inert but restless, stirring alive with kinetic fronts and meanings and turbulent expectations (forecasts, variables, prophecies). We have installed an elaborate priesthood and technology of interpretation: acolytes and satellites preside over snow and circuses. At least major snowstorms have about them an innocence and moral neutrality that is more refreshing than the last national television spectacle, the O. J. Simpson trial. One attraction is the fact that these large gestures of nature are political. The weather in the mirabilis mode can, of course, be dragged onto the opened page to start a macro-argument about global warning or a microspat over a mayor's fecklessness in deploying snowplows. Otherwise, traumas of weather do not admit of political interpretation. The snow Shinto reintroduces an element of what is almost charmingly uncontrollable in life. And, as shown last week, surprising, even as the priests predict it. This is welcome - a kind of ideological relief- in a rather stupidly politicised society living under the delusion that everything in life (and death) is arguable, political and therefore manipulable - from diet to DNa None of the old earthbound Marxist Who- Whom here in meteorology, but rather sky gods that bang around at higher altitudes and leave the earth in its misery, to submit to the sloppy collateral damage. The moral difference of weather, even when destructive, is somehow stimulating. Why? The sheer levelling force is pleasing. It overrides routine and organises people into a shared moment that will become a punctuating memory in their lives ('Lord, remember the blizzard in 1996?'). Or perhaps one's reaction is no more complicated than a child's delight in dramatic disruption. Anyone loves to stand on the beach with a hurricane coming - a darkly lashing Byronism in surf and wind gets the blood up. The God's, or child's, part of the mind welcomes big weather - floods and blizzards. The coping, grown-up human part curses it, and sinks. The paradox of big weather, it makes people feel important even while it, dramatises their insignificance. In some ways, extreme weather is a brief moral equivalent of war - as stimulating as war can sometimes be, through without most of the carnage. The sun rises upon diamond-scattered snow-fields and glistens upon the lucent dragon's teeth. In the distance, three deer, roused from their shelter under pines, venture forth. They struggle and plunge undulously through the opulent white. Upstairs, I switch on the Shinto Weather Channel and the priests at the map show me the next wave - white swirls and eddies over Indiana, heading ominously east.
1. How many vehicles does the author mention in the passage? (A) One (B) Two (C)Three (D) Four (E) -----
2. The author compares the weather bulletin channel reportage to (A) a war (B) the O. J. Simpson trial (C)a ritual ceremony (D) a theatre (E)
----- 3. Which of the following was not the result of the 'Winter of Blue Snow'? (A) It almost ruined Theodore Roosevelt (B) It made the Mississippi flow northward (C)It turned rivers into glaciers (D) It killed a lot of cattle (E) -----
4. The moral indifference of the weather is stimulating in spite of being destructive because (A) it shows no mercy. (B) it organises people into a shared moment. (C)Both (a) and (b) (D) Neither (a) nor (b) (E) ----
- 5. The author's reaction to the snowstorm may be said to be (A) fascinated (B) scared (C)cynical (D) deadpan (E) -----
6. According to the author, one of the greatest attractions of the weather is that (A) it is politicized (B) it is apolitical (C)it is reckless (D) it is beautiful (E) -----
7. What is most probably the physical position of the author of the passage? (A) In his house (B) In a snowstorm (C)In his office (D) In a bunk (E) -----
8. Which of the following is not true of the weather? (A) It is a moral equivalent of war (B) It is pleasantly manipulable (C)It is a levelling force (D) It dramatises man's insignificance9.The word 'undulously' in the context of the passage means (A) unduly (B) indomitably (C)powerful (D) curved (E) -----
everyone, do checkout memrise.com
It uses a spaced repetition algorithm and mnemonics to help you learn faster and better.
Been using it for vocab.
And I must say I have found it to be quite effective