NBT Reading Comprehension 3 Flashcards

A passage describes a policy as "well-intentioned but poorly executed." What does this suggest about the policy?

Answer: It had good goals but failed in implementation

"Well-intentioned" means the goals were good; "poorly executed" means the implementation was flawed. Together they suggest the policy failed not in its aims but in how it was carried out.

A writer describes economic hardship with the phrase: "families counting every rand." What language technique is being used?

Answer: Concrete imagery / idiom

"Counting every rand" is a concrete, idiomatic expression that vividly illustrates financial difficulty. It uses specific detail (rand = South African currency) to make the abstract concept of poverty tangible.

An author writes: "One cannot overstate the importance of early childhood education." What is the author doing?

Answer: Emphasising the extreme importance of early childhood education

"Cannot overstate" means there is no exaggeration too great — it is a rhetorical emphasis affirming that the importance is very high. This is a common academic intensifier.

A passage compares two economic models using the phrase "on the one hand...on the other hand." What is the purpose of this structure?

Answer: To present a balanced comparison of two positions

"On the one hand...on the other hand" is a discourse structure used to present two contrasting perspectives fairly — a classic technique for balanced academic comparison.

A student reads: "The correlation coefficient was r = 0.92." What does this value most likely indicate?

Answer: A strong positive relationship

A correlation coefficient close to +1 indicates a strong positive relationship. r = 0.92 is very close to 1, showing a strong positive correlation between the two variables.

The phrase "in lieu of" in an academic text most closely means:

Answer: Instead of

"In lieu of" is a formal phrase meaning "instead of" or "in place of." It is commonly used in academic and professional writing.