GED Language Arts (RLA) : Word Usage

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GED Language Arts (RLA)

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store

Example Questions

1 2 3 5 Next →

Example Question #1 : Other Word Usage

Following the fall of the Soviet Union, the European education system underwent an overhaul which was, in part, solidified with the creation of the Bologna Process, an agreement among European countries to improve consistency and quality in higher education across the continent. The creation of the Bologna Process has not only improved the standard of education in EU nations, but set a very high bar for nations hoping to join the EU to hurdle. Belarus has already applied and been rejected due to concerns about its academic commitment. So we can see that quality education in Europe is not simply a lucky coincidence, or the natural result of a long history of scholars, but an intentional reform initiative upon which major political decisions, such as the inclusion of countries into the European Union, are made. Eastern European countries also had an especially difficult time transitioning to the new standards required of Bologna Process signatories since they were coming from the Soviet tradition of severely underfunded public schools and widespread bribery as a main criterion for university admission. The Soviet influence on the current state of tertiary education can clearly be seen by comparing eastern and western Germany. Before the implementation of the Bologna Process and formation of the European Higher Education Area, many European countries modeled their higher education system on Germany's, which separated students into academic or vocational training schools from the beginning of high school. This model fit with the Communist rationale of all jobs being of equal value, and the obligation of adolescents to train for the job for which they were best suited in society rather than allowing them to choose a major at the university level.

 Select the answer choice that, when used to replace rationale, produces a completed sentence that retains the meaning of the passage.

 

Possible Answers:

belief

superstition

system

rational

rations

Correct answer:

belief

Explanation:

A "rationale" is a reason for a given principle or belief. While "ration" and "rational" look similar, their definitions do not make sense in this context. Finally, "superstition" and "system" carry connotations that would change the meaning of the sentence more than "belief."

Example Question #41 : Word Usage

The youth kept from intercourse with his companions as much as circumstances would allow him. In the evening he wandered a few paces into the gloom. From this little distance the many fires, with the black forms of men passing to and fro before the crimson rays, made weird and satanic effects.

He lay down in the grass. The blades pressed tenderly against his cheek. The moon had been lighted and was hung in a treetop. The liquid stillness of the night enveloping him made him feel vast pity for himself. There was a caress in the soft winds; and the whole mood of the darkness, he thought, was one of sympathy for himself in his distress.

He wished, without reserve, that he was at home again making the endless rounds from the house to the barn, from the barn to the fields, from the fields to the barn, from the barn to the house. He remembered he had often cursed the brindle cow and her mates, and had sometimes flung milking stools. But, from his present point of view, there was a halo of happiness about each of their heads, and he would have sacrificed all the brass buttons on the continent to have been enabled to return to them. He told himself that he was not formed for a soldier. And he mused seriously upon the radical differences between himself and those men who were dodging implike around the fires.

(1895)

How would the tone of the sentence. "From this little distance the many fires, with the black forms of men passing to and fro before the crimson rays, made weird and satanic effects" differ if the word "satanic" were to be replaced with the word "evil"?

Possible Answers:

By replacing "satanic" with the weaker word "evil," the tone would lose its specific connection to earlier phrases such as "black forms of men" and "crimson rays," both of which allude to hell

There would be no change in tone

By replacing "satanic" with the stronger word "evil" the tone focuses more attention on the youth's companions

By replacing "satanic" with the stronger word "evil," the tone would be softened to demonstrate that the youth's situation is not as bad as he fears

Correct answer:

By replacing "satanic" with the weaker word "evil," the tone would lose its specific connection to earlier phrases such as "black forms of men" and "crimson rays," both of which allude to hell

Explanation:

Crane begins an extended metaphor that compares the setting of the passage with hell. He describes "black forms of men" (note that this is not a racial reference, but rather a reference shadows and silhouettes) and "crimson rays" in order to convey the youth's sense of extreme distress. Thus, it is both logical and appropriate for Crane to finish his metaphor with the word "satanic."

Passage adapted from The Red Badge of Courage by Steven Crane (1895)

Example Question #9 : Other Word Usage

In this popular car ad a pony stands against a rural prairie backdrop. He is flashing a set of gold teeth. Dark, clouds overhead indicate the arrival of a rainstorm. In the top right hand corner of the ad, the tagline reads: “Now in the Prairies. The urban-inspired, 2009 Forota Hattrick.” Created for the Canadian Prairie Forota Dealers organization by an advertising firm; this ad is one in a series of three, each of which feature farm animals sporting so-called “urban-inspired” accessories: a pony with a grill, a sheep with an afro pick, and a cow with a Band-Aid under his left eye (reminiscent of the one once regularly worn by rapper Nelly).

The urban pony ad has a dark color scheme that is more muted then saturated. The dark background emphasizes the sparkle bouncing off the pony’s grill. There’s also a strong contrast between the images’ foreground and background. While the environment is hazy and its details soft, the pony is seen up close, a bright light source illuminating texture in the individual strands of its hair and the indentations in its gold teeth. Overall, the image of the pony is highly stylized—particularly in contrast—with its visually subdued surroundings. The pony’s aestheticized or artificial qualities being at odds with its rural environment.

On the other hand, there are also visual cues indicating affinity between the animal and its surroundings. For example, the shape of its teeth are echoed in a faint yellow rectangular shape floating in the sky. The pattern of shadow and light mottling the pony’s cheek bones also mimics the pattern of dark and light in the gathering storm clouds. This might suggest that the animal is being allies with its natural, prairie setting. The storm, however, contains its own ambiguity: though it is a part of nature, it can also be read as foreboding symbol signally the arrival of the urban-inspired car. These visual details serve to simultaneously place the pony within and alienate it from its surroundings. 

Select the answer that best corrects the underlined sentence. 

Possible Answers:

The urban pony ad has a dark color scheme that is more muted than saturated.

The urban pony ad has a dark color scheem that is more muted then satchurated.

There is no error in the sentence. 

The urban pony ad has a dark color skeme that is more muted then saturated.

The urban pony ad has a dark color scheem that is more muted then saturated.

Correct answer:

The urban pony ad has a dark color scheme that is more muted than saturated.

Explanation:

"Then" refers to time, "than" is comparative. This is a simple word usage error; the difference between the usage and spelling of these two words must simply be learned.

1 2 3 5 Next →
Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors