Tham khảo tài liệu 'finding main idea 1', ngoại ngữ, anh ngữ phổ thông phục vụ nhu cầu học tập, nghiên cứu và làm việc hiệu quả | DEFINING VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT The correct answer of course is c increase spread at a rapid rate. It can t be a or d because these are things associated with reduction not growth. And everyone knows that weeds in an untended garden will grow fast and aggressively. And b is not an appropriate answer because if you replace proliferate with underestimate or play down it doesn t really make sense. In addition you can tell that c is the right answer because the rest of the passage provides other clues. It tells you that reality TV shows are replacing other network programs it tells you that they are popular and it tells you that they are earning millions of dollars in advertising revenue. All these clues would indicate that reality TV shows are spreading and growing in number not shrinking or declining. Hence the meaning of proliferate must be c increase spread at a rapid rate. How Much Context Do You Need In the previous example you would still be able to understand the main message of the passage even if you didn t know or couldn t figure out the meaning of obscure and proliferate. In some cases however your understanding of a passage depends on your understanding of a particular word or phrase. Can you understand the following sentence for example without knowing what adversely means Reality TV shows will adversely affect traditional dramas and comedies. What does adversely mean in this sentence Is it something good or bad As good a detective as you may be there simply aren t enough clues in this sentence to tell you what this word means. But a passage with more information will give you what you need to determine meaning from context. Reality TV shows will adversely affect traditional dramas and comedies. As reality TV increases in popularity network executives will begin canceling more traditional dramas and comedies and replacing them with the latest in reality TV. 5. In the passage adversely most nearly means a. mildly slightly. b. kindly gently. c. negatively .
