The written word questions

Target Words

1. advent

2. ambiguous

3. connotation

4. decipher

5. denote

6. illiterate

7. ingenious

8. inscription

9. phonetic

10. symbolic

Definitions and Samples

1. advent n. Coming; arrival

The advent of the automobile greatly increased the demand for petroleum.

Usage tips Advent is usually followed by an of phrase.

2. ambiguous adj. Having more than one possible meaning

The sentence «It’s hard to say» is ambiguous, with different meanings in different contexts. Parts of speech ambiguity n, ambiguously adv

3. connotation n. A meaning implied, not stated directly

When my boss says, “Thank you,” the connotation is that she’s done talking and I should leave.

Parts of speech connote v

4. decipher v. To figure out the meaning, even though it is written in a code or an unknown
language

The Rosetta Stone helped archaeologists decipher ancient Egyptian writing.

Usage tips A cipher is a code or puzzle; decipher means “solve a puzzle written in code.”

5. denote v. To mean something clearly and directly

An “X” next to a name on this list denotes a person who has been chosen for the soccer team.

Parts of speech denotation n

6. illiterate adj. Unable to read

In many villages nearly everyone was illiterate and unschooled, and the few who could read held great power.

Parts of speech illiterate n, illiteracy n

7. ingenious adj. Very clever and imaginative

Ann thought up an ingenious way to keep other people from accidentally taking her pens. Parts of speech ingenuity n, ingeniously adv

8. inscription n. Something written into a piece of rock or metal

The inscription on my ring says “August 1,” because that was the day of our wedding.

Parts of speech inscribe v

9. phonetic adj. Related to the sounds in a language

Children learning to write often make up phonetic spellings, based on the way a word sounds.

Parts of speech phonetics n, phonetically adv

10. symbolic adj. Acting as a sign for some other thing or idea

Since the 1970s, yellow ribbons have been symbolic of hope that someone will return from a dangerous situation.

Usage tips Symbolic is often followed by an of phrase indicating the meaning of a symbol. Parts of speech symbolize v, symbol n, symbolically adv

TOEFL Prep I

Find the word or phrase that is closest in meaning to each word in the left-hand column.

1. advent (a) approach or arrival

2. decipher (b) newly invented in a clever way

3. ingenious (c) to figure out the meaning

4. inscription (d) related to spoken sounds

5. phonetic (e) something written into a hard surface

TOEFL Prep II

Complete each sentence by filling in the blank with the best word from the list. Change the form of the word if necessary. Use each word only once.

ambiguous connotation denote illiterate symbolic

1. If my father told me to be quiet, the __________ was “I have a headache.”

2. The president’s response, “Wait and see,” was __________, meaning that perhaps he
would take action, perhaps not.

3. In English writing, a mark called an apostrophe usually __________ a missing letter, as in
isn’t for is not.

4. A circle with a plus attached (U) is __________ of “woman” and of the planet Venus.

5. Farley was a poor, __________ boy from a remote area who later taught himself to read
and write. 188 Culture

TOEFL Success

Read the passage to review the vocabulary you have learned.

Answer the questions that follow.

Johannes Gutenberg’s ingenious use of movable type in his printing press had a wide range of effects on European societies. Most obviously, readers no longer had to decipher odd handwriting, with ambiguous lettering, in order to read a written work. Gutenberg gave each letter standard forms, a move that had connotations far beyond the printing business. The inscriptions on tombstones and roadside mileposts, for example, could now be standardized. The cost of books decreased. Even illiterate people benefited indirectly from the advent of this invention, as the general level of information in society increased. However, Gutenberg’s press was of limited use for languages that used picture-like symbols for writing instead of a phonetic system. Systems of symbolic pictographs, each of which denotes a word, require many thousands of characters to be cast into lead type by the printer. Phonetic systems, like the Latin alphabet, use the same few characters, recombined in thousands of ways to make different words.

Bonus Structure— Most obviously introduces an easy-to-see effect and implies that less clear effects will come later.

1. According to this reading, how did the invention of the printing press benefit illiterate people?

a. It helped them learn to read.

b. It raised the level of information in a society.

c. It lowered the cost of books.

d. It saved them from having to read ambiguous handwriting.

2. Why was Gutenberg’s press not very practical for languages that use picture-like symbols?

a. because character-based languages are made of pictographs

b. because phonetic alphabets are clearer

c. because there are too many characters to make movable type for each one

d. because Gutenberg was European, so he didn’t know any character based languages The Written Word 189

TOEFL Success Read the passage to review the vocabulary you have learned. Answer the questions that follow.

Johannes Gutenberg’s ingenious use of movable type in his printing press had a wide range of effects on European societies. Most obviously, readers no longer had to decipher odd handwriting, with ambiguous lettering, in order to read a written work. Gutenberg gave each letter standard forms, a move that had connotations far beyond the printing business. The inscriptions on tombstones and roadside mileposts, for example, could now be standardized. The cost of books decreased. Even illiterate people benefited indirectly from the advent of this invention, as the general level of information in society increased. However, Gutenberg’s press was of limited use for languages that used picture-like symbols for writing instead of a phonetic system. Systems of symbolic pictographs, each of which denotes a word, require many thousands of characters to be cast into lead type by the printer. Phonetic systems, like the Latin alphabet, use the same few characters, recombined in thousands of ways to make different words.

Bonus Structure — Most obviously introduces an easyto-see effect and implies that lessclear effects will come later.

решите пожалуйста.
Write questions from these word + was/were. put the words in the right order,
1. difficult / your exam? — no, it was easy
2. last week / where / Sue and Chris? — they were on holiday
3. your new camera / how much? — a hundred pounds
4. angry / you / yesterday / why? -because you were late
5. nice / the weather / last week? — yes, it was beautiful

Your exam was difficult?

Where was last week Sue and Chris?

How much your new camera

Why you was angry yesterday?

The weather was nice last week?

Write questions with these word combinations.
Example:

modern or not modern

Is your town modern or not?
1) friendly or not friendly;
2) clever or not clever;
3) healthy or not healthy;
4) useful or not useful;
5) pleasant or not pleasant.

Questions
Exercises

1. Write questions
and answers for the following statements, as in the example:

1) Paul was tired
when he got home.    Was Paul tired when he got home?

2) They live in
London.    ………………………………

3) She can’t play
the piano.   ……………………………………

4) The film starts
at nine o’clock.     ……………………………………………

5) You had an
English lesson last night.    …………………………………………………

6) She has got
blue eyes.      ……………………………………………….

7) We didn’t want
to go to the beach     
…………………………………………………

He should
follow the doctor’s advice.    
………………………………………………………

2. Write the short
form of the following negative questions:

1) Can they not
decide where to go on holiday? Can’t they decide where to go on holiday?

2) Do you not enjoy
watching horror films?   
…………………………………………………………..

3) Have you not
finished your homework yet?  
……………………………………………………………..

4) Can she not go
to town on her own?   ……………………………………………….

5) Does he not
know where we live?  
………………………………………………….

6) Did he not give
you any detailes?    …………………………………………………

3. Fill in the
gaps with the correct question word(s).

A: Now for the
general knowledge part of the quiz. 1) …What… is the capital
of Egypt?

B: Cairo.

A: That’s correct.
2) ……. can you see the Mona Lisa?

B: In the Louvre,
in Paris.

A: Well done,
that’s right. 3) …….. wrote ‘Romeo and Juliet’?

B: Charles
Dickens.

A: No, that’s
incorrect. It was Shakespeare. 4). …… are the Olympic Games held?

B: Every four
years.

A: Correct. 5) …….
did the Second World War begin?

B: I think it was
in 1939.

A: Yes, you’re
right. And the final question in this round is: 6)……. players are there in a
hockey team?

B: Eleven.

A: Correct. Well,
at the end of that round, Contestant 2 has the most points, so he goes through
to the final round to play for our star prize.

4. Fill in who,
whose, what, which, where, when, how long, how often, what time, why, how much
or how many.

1. ‘…Which… is
your jacket?’ ‘It’s the red one.’

2. ‘…… is your
birthday?’ ‘It’s next week.’

3. ‘…… is Mary?’
‘She’s in her bedroom.’

4. ‘…… have you
been waiting?’ ‘Only five minutes.’

5. ‘…… party are
you going to tonight?’ ‘Alison’s.’

6. ‘…… do you go
shopping?’ ‘Once a week.’

7. ‘…… are you
doing at the moment?’ ‘I’m watching TV.1’

8. ‘…… are you
writing to?’ ‘Uncle Tom.’

9. ‘…… do you
start work?’ ‘At nine o’clock in the morning.’

10. ‘…… pieces of
toast do you want?’ ‘Two, please.’

11. ‘…… isn’t she
at work today?’ ‘Because she’s ill.’

12. ‘…… did you
spend last month?’ ‘About $500’.

4. Fill in the
gaps with what, which or how.

1. A: …What…
do you want to do when you leave school?

B: I’m not really
sure. I’d like to be a vet.

2. A: ……. bag do
you prefer — the black one or the brown one?

В: I like the
black one best,

3. A: ………… old are
you?

B: It was my
birthday last week. Now I’m fifteen.

4. A: …………. did
you get my telephone number?

В: I looked in the
staff address book.

5. A: ………… shall
we do on Saturday?

B: Let’s just stay
at home and watch a video.

6. A: …………. house
did you prefer — the one we saw first or second?

В: I didn’t like
either. We’ll have to keep looking.

7. A: ……….. many
pairs of shoes did you buy last year?

B: Only two. One
in the summer and one in the winter.

8. A: ………….. is
your favourite food?

B: Roast chicken.

5. Write questions
to which the words in bold are the answers.

1. The tiger
is the largest member of the cat family. Which is the largest
member of the cat family?

2. A mature male
tiger weighs between 160 and 230 kg.

3. Tigers are
usually orange with black stripes.

4. Tigers live in
Russia, China, India and South-East Asia.

5. The Javan
tiger, the Bali tiger and the Caspian tiger are extinct.

6. Tigers eat a
variety of smaller animals, including deer.

7. Tigers can
produce young at any time of year.

8. Tigers usually
have two or three cubs at a time.

9. Tigers live for
an average of eleven years.

10. Tigers are
hunted for sport or for their fur.

6. Write
questions to which the words in bold are the answers.

Claudette is 32
years old. She lives in Paris, France. She has lived there since
she was 5 years old. Claudette works as a lawyer for a successful
law firm, and travels to work by car every day. Claudette is married.
Her husband’s name is Jean. They have two dogs. She loves to
take the dogs for long walks every evening after work. Claudette has
several hobbies, such as reading and playing the piano, but her favourite
hobby is cooking. Jean thinks this is good, too, because he gets to eat
the wonderful meals she makes.

1.How old is she?

7. Write questions
to which the words in bold are the answers.

1. The
Petersons have bought a dog. …. Who has bought a dog?…

2. The Petersons
have bought a dog. …What have the Petersons bought?…

3. Rachel
is writing a letter.