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     Volume 4 Issue 35 | February 25, 2005 |


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Education

Are you fond of soul searching magazine quizzes? Try this one to find out what kind of student you are. The scores/results are at the bottom of the page.

Answer the questions to find out what option best describes you. Choose a, b or c.
Most of the questions contain phrasal verbs. Use your dictionary to check on any that you don't know.

1. You have difficulty learning new vocabulary. Do you…
a. give up and decide to make do with what you know already?
b. put together your own vocabulary book in which you can jot down meanings, example sentences and other useful information?
c. regularly draw up lists of new words with a translation in Bangla?

2. If you come across a new word in a text you are reading. Do you…
a. try to work outthe meaning from its context?
b. look it upstraight away?
c. keep on reading, and try to take in the general meaning?

3. Your teacher has recommended that you use a good monolingual dictionary. Do you…
a. think about it but never actually get round to buying one?
b. go for it, buy the first one you see, presumably they're all the same?
c. put it to your studious friend and see what he recommends?

4. You'd like to go on an intensive English course. How do you set about finding something suitable? Do you…
1. plump for the one that your friend did?
2. call up the British Council office and pore over the options?
3. sort out exactly what you can afford before you ask for any advice?

5. You teacher has given you a long homework assignment to be handed in next week. Do you…
a. get down to it straight away?
b. put it off for a couple of days to give yourself time to think it over?
c. check up in your diary. How can you fit it in to your hectic social life?

6. You have been ill and have missed a number of English classes. Do you…
a. ask a classmate or your teacher to go through the important things you have missed out on with you?
b. worry about it, feel ill again and take some more time off?
c. just carry on, you're sure to pick up what you've missed as you go along?

7. Your friend has offered to put you up in her apartment in Bangkok for a week. It's a great opportunity but you will have to miss some English classes. Do you…
a. turn down the invitation? You don't want to get behind
b. jump at the chance, you can catch up the work later?
c. go over the pros and cons before making a decision?

8. You think that one of your classmates is cheating in an exam. Do you…
a. tell on him or her? It's just not fair, you've worked hard!
b. get on with your own exam, you need to concentrate?
c. get back to doodling on your exam paper, who cares?

Increase your word power
If, like a good student, you've used a good monolingual dictionary to look up all the phrasal verbs that were new to you, you will have found examples of their meanings, and example sentences in which they are used.
You will probably also find that some phrasal verbs have more than one meaning, including some that you didn't know before.
Here are two ideas of how to record them:

1. Using the preposition

2. Using the verb, to record example sentences or meanings

You may not find it easy to use your new vocabulary yet, but don't worry. The first stage is to recognise these new words and expressions when you come across them, when you are reading and listening to English. In this way, you will become more familiar with the new words and more aware of when and how to use them. Then you'll be ready to try them out for yourself.

Answers/scores:
1. a 1 b 3 c 2
2. a 3 b 1 c 2
3. a 1 b 2 c 3
4. a 1 b 3 c 2
5. a 3 b 2 c 1
6. a 3 b 1 c 2
7. a 3 b 2 c 1
8. a 2 b 3 c1

20 - 24
Be warned all work and no play is not good for you! Don't forget to take time to relax, have an evening off. Studying when you are tired and stressed can be unproductive in the long run.
14 - 20
You seem to have a well-balanced approach to studying. You work hard but don't let your studies rule your life. Keep up the good work!
Under 14
Studying seems to be rather low down on your list of priorities! You should try to set aside some regular hours for work, you might even enjoy it!

 

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