Guiding students to use proper skills to solve multiple-Choice exercises relating to closest and opposite meanings

THANH HOA EDUCATION AND TRAINING DEPARTMENT
TRIEU SON 1 UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOL
EXPERIENCE INITIATIVE
GUIDING STUDENTS TO USE PROPER SKILLS TO SOLVE MULTIPLE-CHOICE EXERCISES RELATING TO CLOSEST AND OPPOSITE MEANINGS
Writer: Nguyễn Thị Cương
Position: Teacher
Subject: English
THANH HOA, YEAR 2019
CATEGORY
1. Introduction
1.1. Reasons for choosing the topic 
1.2. Purposes of research
1.3. Objects of research
1.4. Methods of research
2. Content
2.1. Theoretical basis
2.2. Factual basis
2.3. Solutions.
2.3.1. Skills of doing exercises about symnonyms and antonyms
a. Guessing/ infering the meaning
b. Ruling out
2.3.2. Types of exercises
2.3.3. Principles of teaching exercises related to symnonyms and antonyms
2.3.4. Some selected exercises
2.4. Experimental results
3. Conclusion and proposal
3.1. Conclusion
3.2. Proposal
1. Introduction
1.1. Reasons for choosing the topic 
 In recent years, English has become a compulsory subject in secondary education programme and it is one of three main subjects in GCSE examinations. Multiple –choice exercises are common ones that are used in many sorts of tests and examinations, especially in GCSE examinations and examinations for gifted students. In a GCSE test, symnonymous and antonymous exercises account for about 15% to 20% the total questions including 4 questions in vocabulary part and from two to five ones scatering in reading comprehension part, and three questions in writing part . 
However, the knowledge used in this kind of exercises is broad so it is not easy for students to do them perfectly. In addition, “disturbed option” is a noticeable factor that teachers have to guide them how to guess the meaning or rule out the wrong options.Therefore, teachers need to carefully design or select questions suitable to them. Morever, tutors should guide learners to acquire some skills to guess the meanings of the words/ phrases or idioms based on the context in case they meet completely new words so that they can choose the right answers.When they can acquire necessary skills to do this kind of exercises , it will help them get ready for the examination. It means that doing well this kind of practice will help students get certain scores, which contribute to their total mark. Besides, this kind of vocabulary is very useful in doing other parts in the test. Morever,knowing more vocabulary with different meaning assists people to use English more correctly. However important it is, this area of knowlegde has not received much attention.
 	Therefore; I choose the topic " Guiding students to use proper skills to solve multiple-choice exercises relating to closest and opposite meanings" in my experience initiative to help them reinforce and practise vocabulary effectively and achieve good results in the exams. 
1.2. Purposes of research.
	In the framework of this topic, I do not hope to solve all the exercises of symnonyms and antonyms. I focus only on guiding and solving a number of exercises such as matching, odd-one out, multiple questions.. using some skills to solve these exercises to help students get ready for GCSE examination.
1.3. Objects of research.
	As what has been refered above, symnonyms and antonyms account for about 15% of the whole questions in an English tests, especially in the gifted student examination and GCSE examination. These questions are usualy at high level and students have difficulties in doing them. 
	From my experiences in teaching and guiding process in which I help my students to prepare for the gifted student examination and GCSE examination, I am pleased to introduce some ways of teaching students to solve exercises about symnonyms and antonyms.
I applied this experience initiative for teaching students at Trieu Son 1 upper school. They are students of classes 10A8,11C8 and 12B8.
1.4. Methods of research
Complete the system of theoretical basis, basic knowledge, guide the approach to problems, analysis, evaluation and conclusions related to these exercises.
Applying this experience to students through semester tests, mock tests for GCSE, and surveys of the quality of the school's gifted students. Report the topic to the professional team to get suggestions and comments. I myself have consulted some opinions of colleagues who have much experience in teaching, and specially interest in vocabulary.
2. Content
2.1. Theoretical basis.
 	Vocabulary is very important in a language and so is it in English.English has a variety of synonyms and antonyms and they are widely used, especially in the English test of GCSE examination, they accounts for 15% of the total score. However, they seem to be difficult . When learning it, students find it very hard to remember a lot of words and they tend to ignore vocabulary exercises. In examinations, when scoring their papers, we realize that, many students choose incorrect answers for these questions. In my topic, I only focus on some theoretical problems, some basic exercises and some simple ways to teach antonymous and symnonymous words so that the students can do the exercises related in English. 
2.2. Factual basis.
 I researched this topic based on the following aspects: 
      - Based on factual teaching. 
      - Based on some references about vocabulary. 
      - Based on the opinions of the colleagues.
 Before making the topic, I had a test to examine the quality of the students of the classes 10A8,11C8 and 12B8 at Trieu Son I high school. I obtained the following results:
Class
Number of students
Excellent
Good
Average
Weak
Number of students
%
Number of students
%
Number of students
%
Number of students
%
10A8
50
5
10
16
32
15
30
14
2
11C8
42
3
7
13
31
14
33.4
12
28.6
12B8
41
4
10
12
29.2
11
26.8
14
34
2.3. Solutions.
2.3.1. Skills of doing exercises about symnonyms and antonyms.
To do these exercises correctly, students need to acquire some necessary skills. If the exercises are simple enough, which means the words given are understandable and the context is not difficult, students can do them smoothly. However, if the given words/ phrases/ sentences are at higher levels, they need to apply the following ways.
a. Guessing/ infering the meaning.
 	This is an important skill when doing a test. Most of the English tests include a great amount of vocabulary, so there may appear difficult and unfamiliar words. In this situation, students have to guess or infer their meanings basing on the context.
Examples:
Choose the best word/phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in the following question. [5]
Because Jack defaulted on his loan, the bank took him to court.
A.  failed to pay         	 B.  paid in full          
C.  had  a bad personality    	   D. was paid much money
In this example, “ defaulted” is a difficult word and not many students know what it means. However, the phrases: “his loan” and “the bank took him to the court” can enable students to infer its meaning and choose its symnonym which is option A.
His greatest period of productivity occurred between 1876 and 1890 , during which time he enjoyed the patronage of Madame Von Meck , a woman he never met , who gave him a living stipend of about 1,000 a year.[4]
The phrase “ enjoyed the patronage of ” probably mean _____ .
A. was mentally attached to	B. liked the company of
C. was financially dependent on	D. received advice from
In this example, “ enjoyed the patronage of ” is an unfamiliar phrase and it is not easy to guess the meaning if standing alone. With the following clause “who gave him a living stipend of about 1,000 a year”, people can infer its meaning and choose C as the correct answer.
b. Ruling out.
With questions followed by disturbed options, “ruling out” is a necessary skill. From the meaning of the words and context, grammatical structures or signs, students must carefully read and analyse each option to make the correct choice.
Examples:
Choose the best word/phrase that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined part of the following question. [5]
As an educationalist, he was held in very high esteem.
A. attended	B. much admired	C. much respected	D. scorned
In this example, the idiom “held in very high esteem” can be understood basing on the context. Therefore, students can rule out two options B,C that relating to its meaning at first. Then, option A can not be the correct answer because its meaning does not belong to two terms: symnonym or antonyms. As a result, D will be the right choice.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to the underlined part of the following question. [6] 
 As soon as he approached the house, the policeman stopped him.
 A. No sooner had he approached the house than the policeman stopped him.
 B. Hardly had he approached the house than the policeman stopped him.
 C. No sooner had he approached the house when the policeman stopped him.
 D. Hardly he had approached the house when the policeman stopped him.
This example consists of some disturbed options, so students need to be carefully.
The four options start with “ Hardly” or” No sooner” which are two forms of inversion. Basing on their structures, “ Hardly had +S +p.p +when+ S + Ved” and “ No sooner had +S +p.p +than+ S + Ved” students can rule out options B,C and D. 
2.3.2. Types of exercises.
	There also have some parts of knowledge that can be used in this multi-choice question form. They can belong to the following: 
- Vocabulary part
- Vocabulary in reading part
- Sentence transformation/writing
	Teachers need to devide students into two groups: weak or average students and good or excellent students before designing exercises. 
For weak or average students, teachers need to design exercises with simple and popular words/ sentences for them to do. 
Examples: 
Vocabulary: These words or phrases are ones that they have learnt in textbook. There may be some easy phrasal verbs or idioms. Designers have to make sure that the given words/ phrases must be used in understandable sentences then students can choose or guess the answers basing on the context.
Exercise 1: Choose the best word/phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions. 
 1. Women whose husbands do not contribute to the domestic chores are more vulnerable to illness. [2]
A. able to be well protected	B. able to be easily hurt
C. able to be well known	D. able to be equally treated
2. In many cultures, the mother is usually the homemaker while the father is the breadwinner. [3]
A. the family member who is willing to share the domestic chores
B. the family member who likes bread
C. the family member who is responsible for childcare
D. the family member who earns money to support the family
3. The stone stelea were engraved with the names of the top students in royal examinations. [1]
A. printed	B. carved	C. washed	D. written
4.We enjoy spending time together in the evening when the family members get together in the living room after a day of working hard. [3]
A. gather	B. watch TV	C. chat	D. tell jokes
Keys: 1. B	2. D	3.B	4.A
Exercise 2: Choose the best word/phrase that is OPPOSTE in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions. 
1. She got up late and rushed to the bus stop. [3]
A. came into 	B. went leisurely 	C. went quickly 	D. dropped by
2. Our well-trained staff are always courteous to customers. [2]
A. polite	B. friendly	C. helpful	D. rude
3. Everything went smoothly at first. [2]
A. fluently	B.seriously	C. easily 	D. uneasily
Keys: 1. B	2.D	3.D
Reading.
Exercise : Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions [4]
In the United States, people greet each other with a handshake in a formal introduction. The handshake must be firm. If the handshake is weak, it is a sign of weakness or unfriendliness. Friends may place a hand on the other's arm or shoulder. Some people, usually women, greet a friend with a hug. Americans shake their index finger at children when they scold them and pat them on the head when they admire them. Learning a culture's body language is sometimes confusing. If you don't know what to do, the safest thing to do is to smile. 
1. In the paragraph, the word firm in the first paragraph refers to ________
A. tight	B. small C. light	 D. fast
2.Which of the following is OPPOSITE in meaning with admire in the paragraph ?
A. like	B. look up to	C. memorialize	 D. look down on
3.Which of the following is OPPOSITE in meaning with confusing in the paragraph ?
A. easy to understand B. difficult to understand
C. convenient to understand D. comfortable to understand
4. In the paragraph, the word scold in the first paragraph refers to ________
A. reproach	B. blame	C. compliment	 D. accuse
Keys: 1. C	2.D	3. A
Writing: Teachers should design or select exercises with some basic structures such as: because and because of, although and in spite of/ despite, in order to/ so as to, so that/ such that, conditional sentences type 1,2,3, tenses
Exercise : Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions. [5]
1. She was so busy that she couldn’t answer the phone.
A. She was very busy that she couldn’t answer the phone.
B. She was too busy to answer the phone.
C. She was too busy not to answer the phone.
D. She was very busy so that she couldn’t answer the phone
2. I have never talked to the headmaster before .
A. It’s the first time I ever talked to the headmaster 
B. It’s the first time I had ever talked to the headmaster.
C. It’s the first time I have ever talked to the headmaster.
D. It’s the first time I will ever have talked to the headmaster. 
Keys: 	1. B	2.C
For good and excellent students, teachers need to design exercises with more difficult words/ phrases/ structures. 
Vocabulary: Pay much attention to academic words,phrasal verbs and idioms. These words or phrases are special ones that they have to guess or infer the meanings basing on the context.
Exercise 1: Choose the best word/phrase that is CLOSEST in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions. [5] 
1. She’s been down in the mouththe whole morning.
A. hungry	B. sad	C. talkative	D. ill at ease
2. I couldn't believe it was true, but there it was, in black and white. 
A. in print	B. written down	C. with evidence	D. under proof
3. Because Jack defaulted on his loan, the bank took him to court.
A.  failed to pay         	 B.  paid in full          
C.  had  a bad personality    	   	 D. was paid much money
Keys: 1. B	2.B	3. A
Exercise 2: Choose the best word/phrase that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the underlined part in each of the following questions. [6] 
1. His career in the illicit drug trade ended with the police raid this morning .
A.   elicited     	B.   irregular    	C.   secret        	D. legal
2. As an educationalist, he was held in very high esteem.
A. attended	B. much admired	C. much respected	D. scorned
3. The first boy gave a quick-witted reply.
A. nonsensical	B. silly	C. tepid	D. intelligent
Keys: 1. D	2.D	3.B
Reading.
Exercise : Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the questions [5]
Gradually people learned they could start a fire without traveling far to find flames. They rubbed two pieces of wood together. This method was used for thousands of years. When people became used to making fires with which to cook food and stay warm at night, they found that certain resins or gums from trees burnt longer and brighter. They melted resins and dipped branches in the liquid to make torches that lit their homes at night. Ironstands in which torches used to be fixed can still be seen in old buildings of Europe. There was no lighting in city streets until gas lamps, and then electric lamps were installed. Boys ran about London at night carrying torches of burning material. They were called torch boys, or link boys, and earned a living by guiding visitors to friends’ houses at night.
For centuries homes were lit by candles until oil was found. Even then, oil lamps were no more effective than a cluster of candles. We read about the splendors and marvels of ancient palaces and castles, but we forget that they must have been gloomy and murky places at night.
1. The word “splendors” in the passage could be best replaced by which of the
following?
A. expensive objects 	B. places of scenic beauty
C. achievements	D. the beautiful and impressive features
2. The word “gloomy” in the passage is closest in meaning to
A. nearly dark 	B. badly decorated
C. containing a lot of white 	D. mysterious
Keys: 	1. D	2.A	
Writing: Teacher must pay much attention to difficult and unpopular structures such as: inversion, subjunctive mood, advanced types of conditional sentences, clauses
Exercise : Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of the following questions.
1. I did not come to your party due to the rain.
A. If it did not rained, I would come to your party.
B. It was the rain that prevented me from coming to your party.
C. Even though it rained, I came to your party.
D. Suppose it did not rain, I would come to your party.
2. As soon as he approached the house, the policeman stopped him.
A. No sooner had he approached the house than the policeman stopped him.
B. Hardly had he approached the house than the policeman stopped him.
C. No sooner had he approached the house when the policeman stopped him.
D. Hardly he had approached the house when the policeman stopped him.
Keys: 1. B	2.D	
2.3.3. Principles of teaching exercises related to symnonyms and antonyms.
When teaching symnonyms and antonyms, teachers must adhere to five following principles. 
- All teachers' instructions must be detailed, clear and specific. If the instructions are not specific and generic, students will not know how to perform their tasks and the task is easy to fail. The most important part of this section is to guide students to find resources to look up synonyms and antonyms and quick and effective ways to look up. The main source is English-English dictionaries and dictionaries specializing in synonyms and antonyms. Students can look up dictionaries with printouts or dictionaries on the Internet. The quick way to look up for compound words not included in the dictionaries is to look up from the root, then determine the definition of the same word prefix, its suffix.
- Stick to principle “Student-centered”, boldly assigns students groups to learn about synonyms and antonyms in specific lessons. This principle helps students take the initiative, actively participate in the lesson and help develop their teamwork skills and presentation skills. Assigning the study of synonyms and antonyms in a certain lesson to students causes students to brainstorm, actively embark on a task and thereby actively memorize vocabulary. 
- Focus on monitoring the progress of the groups, comparing and evaluating the results. Monitoring the progress of each group will help teachers evaluate and comment more accurately on the results of each group. In addition, teachers can promptly provide appropriate help for disadvantaged groups.
- Teachers play a major role in synthesizing, modifying and supplementing the results of groups. This is the period when teachers play a key role to ensure that they provide adequate and accurate knowledge to their students.
- Teachers should regularly test, comment and evaluate the ability of students in applying the knowledge of synonyms to speak and write English. This is the principle of "learning with practice",which encourages students to use