vocabulary

[jiang]

Dear teachers,

Could you please tell me whether my explanations to the following choices are correct or not?

1. He believed that the greatest of his_____ was that he'd never had a college education.
a. misfortune b. sorrow
The correct answer is 'a'. The reason that 'b' is incorrect is because it stresses grief. Am I right?
2. The traffic police were searching for evidence to prove the accused man's______,but in vain.
a. fault b. guilt
The correct answer is 'a' . 'b' is incorrect. Is it because whether a person is guilty or not should be decided by court instead of by traffic police?
3. The fact that they reacted so differently was a reflection of their different_____.
a. personalities b. qualities
The correct answer is 'a'. What I am thinking is that 'personality' refers to characteristic of a person, such as being timid, shy, rude etc. 'Quality ' refers to a person's feature, such as being honest, hard working, kind etc. If a person's reaction to something was to speak straight instead of hiding something that's personality. If a person reacted to something bad by ignoring it that's qulity. Am I right?

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance.

Jiang

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jiang

Dear teachers,

Could you please tell me whether my explanations to the following choices are correct or not?

1. He believed that the greatest of his_____ was that he'd never had a college education.
a. misfortune b. sorrow

The correct answer is 'a'. The reason that 'b' is incorrect is because it stresses grief. Am I right?

First, neither are correct, IMO, because the correct answer should be in the plural. If he had only one sorrow or misfortune, the beginning should read "His greatest misfortune/sorrow...."

The answers are pretty close, but stressing his grief or sadness sounds appropriate to me. I would choose "sorrows" on the grounds that not going to college is a matter of choice or life circumstance, not a matter of luck.

2. The traffic police were searching for evidence to prove the accused man's______,but in vain.
a. fault b. guilt
The correct answer is 'a' . 'b' is incorrect. Is it because whether a person is guilty or not should be decided by court instead of by traffic police?

The determination of both "fault" and "guilt" are matters reserved for a judge or jury, so that cannot differentiate the selections. Searching for evidence to prove "fault" or "guilt" is the purview of the police and the prosecution.

I would choose "guilt" here, just because of the construction. We often use the phrase "prove someone's guilt". "Prove someone's fault" is just not idiomatic English. We can prove that "it was someone's fault" or that "someone was at fault".

3. The fact that they reacted so differently was a reflection of their different_____.
a. personalities b. qualities
The correct answer is 'a'. What I am thinking is that 'personality' refers to characteristic of a person, such as being timid, shy, rude etc. 'Quality ' refers to a person's feature, such as being honest, hard working, kind etc. If a person's reaction to something was to speak straight instead of hiding something that's personality. If a person reacted to something bad by ignoring it that's qulity. Am I right?

I agree with your answer and reasoning here. The last sentence gets a "that depends" from me. People ignore wrongdoing for all kinds of reasons.

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by jiang

3. The fact that they reacted so differently was a reflection of their different_____.
a. personalities b. qualities
The correct answer is 'a'. What I am thinking is that 'personality' refers to characteristic of a person, such as being timid, shy, rude etc. 'Quality ' refers to a person's feature, such as being honest, hard working, kind etc. If a person's reaction to something was to speak straight instead of hiding something that's personality. If a person reacted to something bad by ignoring it that's qulity. Am I right?

I can't improve upon Mike's answers, but I would like to add something. :)

Personality is a combination of characteristics. Those include shyness, rudeness, honesty, industriousness, and kindness (among other things). If somebody reacts to something bad by ignoring it that could be an indication of guilt, but I would have to have more information before I could decide that.

• Guilty
  http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=580

:)

[jiang]

Thanks a lot. Multiple choices is our headache.

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

First, neither are correct, IMO, because the correct answer should be in the plural. If he had only one sorrow or misfortune, the beginning should read "His greatest misfortune/sorrow...."

The answers are pretty close, but stressing his grief or sadness sounds appropriate to me. I would choose "sorrows" on the grounds that not going to college is a matter of choice or life circumstance, not a matter of luck.

The determination of both "fault" and "guilt" are matters reserved for a judge or jury, so that cannot differentiate the selections. Searching for evidence to prove "fault" or "guilt" is the purview of the police and the prosecution.

I would choose "guilt" here, just because of the construction. We often use the phrase "prove someone's guilt". "Prove someone's fault" is just not idiomatic English. We can prove that "it was someone's fault" or that "someone was at fault".

I agree with your answer and reasoning here. The last sentence gets a "that depends" from me. People ignore wrongdoing for all kinds of reasons.

[jiang]

Thanks a lot. Multiple choices is our headache.

Originally Posted by RonBee

I can't improve upon Mike's answers, but I would like to add something. :)

Personality is a combination of characteristics. Those include shyness, rudeness, honesty, industriousness, and kindness (among other things). If somebody reacts to something bad by ignoring it that could be an indication of guilt, but I would have to have more information before I could decide that.

• Guilty
  http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=580

:)

[MikeNewYork]

Originally Posted by jiang

Thanks a lot. Multiple choices is our headache.

You're welcome. <Multiple choice questions/tests/exams/examinations are a/out headache.>

I have seen many questions posted from practice books that are clearly wrong. One has to be careful in choosing study aids. :mad:

[shane]

Originally Posted by MikeNewYork

I have seen many questions posted from practice books that are clearly wrong. One has to be careful in choosing study aids. :mad:

The problem is Mike, most middle/senior schools in China test the students using these kinds of questions daily. And many of them are wrong (none of the four choices are suitable answers). For the students, they have no choice. They must choose one, or they'll fail the test. It's not a question of skill; it's just a question of choosing the answer that matches the questions setter's (wrong) answer!

[RonBee]

Originally Posted by shane

The problem is Mike, most middle/senior schools in China test the students using these kinds of questions daily. And many of them are wrong (none of the four choices are suitable answers). For the students, they have no choice. They must choose one, or they'll fail the test. It's not a question of skill; it's just a question of choosing the answer that matches the questions setter's (wrong) answer!

So it is sometimes more important to be a good guesser than a good student?

:)

[Casiopea]

I for one do not see a problem with the test. Sorry.

a. misfortune b. sorrow
1. He believed that the greatest of his misfortune was that he'd never had a college education.
Sorrows are feelings quantified as being deep, not great.

a. fault b. guilt
2. The traffic police were searching for evidence to prove the accused man's fault, but in vain.
You can prove someone is at fault or show proof that someone is guilty, but you cannot prove someone's guilt--an internal feeling.

a. personalities b. qualities
3. The fact that they reacted so differently was a reflection of their different personalities.
Reactions relate to behavior; qualities relate to attributes.

All the best,

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by shane

The problem is Mike, most middle/senior schools in China test the students using these kinds of questions daily. And many of them are wrong (none of the four choices are suitable answers). For the students, they have no choice. They must choose one, or they'll fail the test. It's not a question of skill; it's just a question of choosing the answer that matches the questions setter's (wrong) answer!

In this case, however, 'these kinds of questions' are grammatical, albeit a level above the middle/senior school students' understanding. The real problem here is that students are not at the level required to know how to answer the questions. :)