Daily English
Mastery Worksheet

"The professor's lecture was so abstruse that even graduate students struggled to follow."

→ Clue: "even graduate students struggled" tells you abstruse = extremely difficult to understand
→ Root: Latin abstrusus (hidden away)
→ Trap: Don't confuse with "obtuse" (blunt, not sharp/not intelligent)

Both sentences describe a person who talks too much — but notice the difference:

(A) "She was loquacious, always ready with an anecdote or observation." → neutral/positive
(B) "She was garrulous, rambling on about trivial matters." → negative/annoying

→ IB/SAT Trap: Always check surrounding tone before selecting a vocabulary word.

AFFECT (v.) = to influence → "The cold affected her performance."
EFFECT (n.) = result → "The effect of the cold was clear."
EFFECT (v., rare) = to bring about → "She effected a dramatic change."

→ Memory Key: Affect = Action (verb) · Effect = End result (noun)

"While proponents of standardized testing argue that it provides an objective measure of academic achievement, critics contend that such assessments systematically disadvantage students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, rendering the notion of a 'level playing field' largely illusory."

Q: The author's use of "largely illusory" suggests the author:
→ (A) supports standardized testing ✗
→ (B) questions its fairness ✓ — "illusory" = not real, and the qualifier "largely" shows the author is measured, not extreme

Key: Look for qualifiers (largely, often, rarely) — SAT/IB answers avoid absolutes.

Passage: "Researchers found that students who read for pleasure performed significantly better on comprehension tasks. However, the study did not control for prior academic achievement."

Q: Which weakens the researchers' conclusion most?
→ The key phrase is "did not control for" → prior high achievers may both read more AND score better (confounding variable)
→ IB Paper 1 & SAT tip: "Correlation ≠ Causation" is the #1 logic trap in evidence questions.

Passage A (optimistic): "Technology has democratized education, granting access to knowledge previously reserved for the elite."
Passage B (cautionary): "The digital divide ensures that technological advances primarily benefit those already privileged."

How do the authors differ? → Both acknowledge technology's impact, but differ on who benefits.
Strategy: In dual passages, find AGREE point first, then find the KEY DISAGREEMENT.

Trap sentence: "The committee, along with several advisors, are reviewing the proposal."

→ Correct: "is" — Prepositional phrases like "along with" DO NOT change the subject. Subject = "committee" (singular).

Other traps:
• "Either...or" / "Neither...nor" → verb agrees with the closer subject
• "Each", "Every", "Anyone" → always singular

Wrong: "Running through the rain, the umbrella was forgotten."
→ The umbrella was running? ✗ (dangling modifier)

Correct: "Running through the rain, she forgot her umbrella."

Rule: The subject that follows a comma after an introductory phrase MUST be the one performing that action.
Test: Ask → WHO/WHAT is doing the action in the modifier?

"The children's laughter echoed through the hollow, empty house."

Q: Identify and explain one stylistic technique.
→ Juxtaposition/Irony: The joyful "laughter" is placed against the "hollow, empty house," creating a sense of absence or loss.
→ Redundancy as effect: "hollow" and "empty" are near-synonyms → emphasizes desolation

IB Formula: Technique + Quotation + Effect on reader

Sentence A: "The new drug showed promising results in trials."
Sentence B: "It was never approved for public use."

Best transition word: Nevertheless / However / Yet (contrast)

Transition categories to memorize:
• Contrast: however, nevertheless, yet, conversely
• Cause: therefore, consequently, thus, as a result
• Addition: furthermore, moreover, in addition
• Example: for instance, specifically, namely