Interactive Vocabulary - Amy E. Olsen 2017

Chapter 2. Resources
Part I. Education

Using a College Wisely

Dear New Student,

Welcome to Mountain College! Transitioning to college whether from high school, the work world, or raising children can intimidate some people. Everything from finding parking to choosing classes can seem overwhelming, but the experience doesn't need to be faced alone. An important factor in a college education is getting help when you need it. This letter introduces you to a few of the resources our college offers.

The Counseling Center is likely to be the first place you will visit The Counseling Center provides an orientation for new students that covers required courses, majors available, and assessment tests you will need. Assessment tests are usually required for math and English courses. Their purpose is to put students in the right class. You don't want to be in a class that is too easy for you, nor do you want to be stuck in a class that is too difficult for your current skills. Counselors also give aptitude tests that can show you where your talents lie and help you decide on a major. The Counseling Center will be the place to return to when you are ready to declare your major. The counselors will make sure you are taking the right courses and put you on track to graduate in a time frame appropriate for you.

Other resources the college offers include a Learning Lab, health clinic, and day-care center. The Learning Lab provides resources that can empower students to succeed in college, including tutors, computer software, and workshops such as the highly popular one on test-taking strategies. Besides being a place to turn to when you need an aspirin, the health clinic can help you cope with stressors often associated with college. For instance, the clinic offers workshops on relaxation techniques and advice for dealing with loneliness. The day-care center provides students with young children a safe place for their kids to play and learn while Mom and Dad are in class. Please stop by each facility to check on their hours and other services they provide.

Another major resource is the faculty. Your professors are here to help. Take advantage of their office hours. Your professors will be pleased when you take the time to further discuss information presented in class or ask them to clarify an assignment. When you are confused about anything in a class, it is important to check with the instructor to make sure you are headed in the right direction. Making a bne-on-one connection with an instructor can lead to your being more involved in the class and its subject matter.

Many people are here to help you with your education, but you need to take the first step in making these contacts. College is about new experiences; while you are here, you have the chance to stretch your mind, explore innovative topics, and meet interesting people—take full advantage of this opportunity. We look forward to meeting you at the fall orientation on Saturday, August 15, at 10 a.m. in the cafeteria.

Sincerely,

The Counseling Department

Predicting

For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, return to the reading on page 16, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predictions, check your answers against the Word List on page 21. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you'll want to study closely.

Set One

evaluation

talent

to frighten

a part

a program to help people adapt to a new environment

□ 1. intimidate (line 4) ...

□ 2. factor (line 6) ...

□ 3. orientation (line 10) ...

□ 4. assessment (line 11) ...

□ 5. aptitude (line 14) ...

Set Two

original

to announce formally 

teachers

to make clear

to enable

□ 6. declare (line 16) ...

□ 7. empower (line 19) ...

□ 8. faculty (line 25) ...

□ 9. clarify (line 27) ...

□ 10. innovative (line 31) ...

Self-Tests

1 In each group, circle the word that does not have a connection to the other three words.

EXAMPLE: ability

faculty

power

When you have the faculty to do something, you have the ability or power. Helplessness is not related to the other words.

1. instructors faculty   teachers  students

2. new  inventive  ordinary  innovative

3. scare  frighten   intimidate  befriend

4. talent  intelligence  inability   aptitude

5. permit  refuse   enable   empower

6. factor  component  whole   part

7. announce declare   assert   suppress

8. explain  clarify   confuse  simplify

9. conclusion introduction  program  orientation

10. testing  plunge   assessment evaluation

2 Juanita is participating in Mountain College's study abroad program in France for a year. Fill in the blanks of her e-mail with the appropriate vocabulary words. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

innovative assessment factor   faculty  intimidated

orientation declare  empowered aptitude  clarify

Hi Mom and Dad,

The semester is going well. At first I was (1)... by my new surroundings. It was hard to deal with the differences in cultures, but I am adapting. We had an excellent (2)...

to the program during the first week. Advisors told us about our classes and took us on a tour of Paris. The (3)... here are great. They are friendly and helpfol with the course work. The (4)... test I took put me in the right level of French. I undersind most of what the pro­fessors say. I only have to ask them to (5)... an assignment every once in a while. The professors are using some (6)... teaching methods, which make the courses fun and original. I am taking a cooking class and have found I have quite the (7)... for making

crepes. I can't wait to cook for you when I get home. Thank you for your support! Your help was a major (8)... in making this trip possible. This experience has (9)... me to go on to graduate school. I want to get a Master's in Business Administration. You might think that is a lot to (10)... after two weeks in France, but I know I can do it. I will write again soon.

Identify the two vocabulary words represented in the drawings.

3 Put a T for true or F for false next to each statement.

1. Learning to read will not empower a person to do better in school.

2. Society has benefited from several innovative ideas in the last thirty years.

3. A candidate needs to declare that he or she is running for office.

4. Humans have the faculty to run over sixty miles an hour.

5. A company might hold an orientation for new employees.

6. If you are sure what time the meeting is, you would want to call and clarify the time.

7. If Alicia has an aptitude for singing, she is likely to be a good singer.

8. Spending a day at home relaxing on the back porch would intimidate most people.

9. Knowing how many people are going on the field trip is a factor in deciding how many cars will be needed.

10. After a hurricane, various agencies will make an assessment of the damages.

4 The following are comments heard around a college campus. Finish each sentence using the vocabulary words below. Use each word once.

Set One

Vocabulary list

declare

faculty

innovative

orientation

aptitude

1. "The culinary students are cooking up ... dishes with ingredients I have never heard of."

2. "I have decided to ... my major as art. I am going to file the paperwork today."

3. "I just discovered that I have a(n) ... for tap dancing!"

4. "I appreciate the ... on this campus; two of my favorite professors are Remsburg and Ramsey."

5. "I learned about tutoring services at the ... meeting I came to the week before classes began."

Set Two

Vocabulary list

clarify               

empower               

factor               

assessment               

intimidate

6. "I will not let algebra ... me; I know that there are tutors available if I need help.'

7. "I have to go to the ... office to sign up for a writing test. I want to be placed in the right level of English next semester."

8. "I went to the counseling department to ... what courses I need to take next semester so I can graduate on time."

9. "I did not ... in the time needed to type my paper, so I had to turn it in three days late."

10. "Next week I become editor of the college newspaper, which will ... me to make the changes the paper needs."

Interactive Exercise

Finish the sentence starters. The first five contain one of the vocabulary words in the starter. Complete these sentences so that the use of the vocabulary word makes sense. For the second five use each of the fol­lowing vocabulary words once in your completed sentences: declare, faculty, innovative, intimidate, orientation.

1. Assessment tests at my college are given ...

2. A factor that led me to go to college was ...

3. I have an aptitude for ...

4. Going to college will empower me to ...

5. When I need to clarify a point, I ...

6. At my college there exists ...

7. I was shocked when ...

8. When I decided to attend college, ...

9. One of my favorite ...

10. A college resource that I ...

HINT

Multiple Meanings

Several words have more than one meaning. Ear some words, one meaning is used more often than the others, but, for other words, two or three of their meanings are equally well used. For example, a branch is "a secondary stem or limb growing from the trunk or main stem of a tree or bush" or "a limited part of a larger or more complex organization, such as a branch of a library" Both meanings for branch are frequently used. However, among the meanings for father as a noun, most people would know "a male parent" and probably "a man who creates or founds something," but the meaning of "a member of the senate in ancient Rome" is not seen very often. This book usually gives alternate meanings as long as they are fairly common. One meaning will be used in the reading for the chapter, but the Self-Tests that follow the reading may use the additional meanings, so carefully look over the Word List before you start the Self-Tests. If you ever see a word used in a way you are not familiar with, check a dictionary to see if it has another meaning you do not know. You may be surprised at how many meanings even a short and seemingly simple word may have. Merriam-Webster's Dictionary lists seventeen meanings for the word to. Be prepared for the fun and challenges that multiple meanings provide.

Words to Watch

Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. Write the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice could be the final touch to learning a word.