6
votes
This is an English question in a Korean SAT mock test. Anyone can help?
I agree that the paragraph is poorly constructed, but the answer ought to be 3. The reason for this, the sentence beginning "However" makes no sense in relation to the sentence before it if they are ...
- 2,971
4
votes
Accepted
sudo up to root -- I'm not sure if I understand the phrasing correctly
sudo:
is a program for Unix-like computer operating systems that allows users to run programs with the security privileges of another user, by default the superuser. (Wikipedia)
The root account ...
- 7,841
4
votes
Translating old charm to modern language
It's certainly not Old English; from the date it's Early Modern English (Old English is almost incomprehensible to a native speaker of modern English).
What you're having trouble with is a rambling ...
- 21.9k
3
votes
What do you understand from this? Is this person a football player?
Is this person a football player?
Yes.
"I have always wanted to be a footballer."
Not useful information yet. Just information about a dream. A dream to be a footballer, i.e. somebody who plays ...
- 3,909
3
votes
What do you understand from this? Is this person a football player?
From this fragment I can understand, that the person in question is indeed a football player. That person has always dreamt about being a footballer (say, in their childhood), and now he (I presume it'...
- 39
3
votes
This is from a high school English test in South Korea
It seems to start out as resentful, as the author seems to be upset that his father did not spend a lot of "quality time" with him as a child. But the close of the paragraph seems more at nostalgic, ...
- 2,790
2
votes
What is the meaning of "These aren't things"?
What he's saying is that "would of, should of, and could of" are not actually what people should be saying. They are deviations from "would have, should have, and could have", respectively. However, ...
- 1,253
2
votes
How to interpret the two lines in the poem?
A tropical beach is virtually deserted at night and when it's raining. Thus the poet can compare a beach scene with no people about and where there is a light rain with grey clouds moving across the ...
- 28.2k
2
votes
Does adding on to a statement mean you agree with it?
There's an implication of agreement but person B has not directly agreed. Now if person A were a lawyer, person B would be saying that person A is not to be trusted. My view is that this is a way of ...
- 19
2
votes
Accepted
Function of a line in this Reading Comprehension
Option (E)—
explain why the Spanish use of sugar in chocolate was not a sign of a need to transform chocolate
—is actually a rather poor explanation of why the author brings up native ...
- 169k
2
votes
Why do so many people insist on using incomprehensible, obscure, ambiguous acronyms all the time?
Why did you write "ambiguous" instead of "with several possible meanings and no way to know which one is meant"? You didn't write it in order to feel smart or because you wanted to waste my time, did ...
- 3,143
2
votes
meaning of "riding out on sorties in quest of adventure"
This is not trivial prose to decipher.
sortie = a short, quick attack by a military force, such as a small group of soldiers or an aircraft, made against an enemy position
"A series of sorties ...
- 29k
1
vote
Complex Phrase on Alan Watts Recording
It sounds similar to St. Anselm's way of referring to God. In his work The Proslogian, he considers the implications of thinking of God as "That than which nothing greater can be conceived". ...
- 11
1
vote
Strict separation of choice and structure
In the US, there was recently a recall referendum for Democratic Governor Newsom. The referendum had a certain structure, which was basically:
Recall Newsom, Yes or No?
If Yes, who from the following ...
- 16.3k
1
vote
Meaning of 'That seems to be it' in context
Since Amy has already said, in effect, No, the phrase “That seems to be it” is an interview ender, and means that all the questions have been asked.
Given that this is ambiguous, that choice is likely,...
- 16.3k
1
vote
Meaning of 'That seems to be it' in context
In this case, I would consider "That seems to be it" as an affirmation of the fact that psychodrama is not an extramural course. If you consider "That seems to be it" to be ...
1
vote
Accepted
How to understand this passage “People are discovering new but often old identities …”
I think he meant "new to the person adopting the identity". 'New' is often used this way, for instance someone may say "I just got a new car" when they mean that they have changed ...
- 17.2k
1
vote
A hard to understand paragraph
Here's a critique rather than a solution
There are too many (potential) clauses in the sentence. Target each sentence to make one point, and one point only.
The "rethinking on our part" is ...
- 11
1
vote
"He was a considerable cut above the leagers" meaning
It is an idiomatic expression:
be a cut above
better than other people or things
All of his books are good, but this one is a cut above (the rest).
She's a cut above the other competitors and ...
- 68.1k
1
vote
This is an English question in a Korean SAT mock test. Anyone can help?
The flow of the writing the author intends is as follows. My own paraphrasing to the original passage is provided for each original sentence following the arrow sign (-->) beside it and I also put my ...
- 39
1
vote
Accepted
The first light picture ever taken!
The two nouns 'light' and 'picture' stand in the same relationship as
oil painting
dry-point engraving
pencil sketch
The first noun describes the method of making the picture.
In this case light ...
- 8,378
1
vote
What is the conclusion of the passage
Clearly refers to "Woman Hollering Creek", that is the collection of short stories by Sandra Cisneros.
The reason for it is where it appears in the text. It comes after the statement that her works ...
- 754
1
vote
Understanding "material circumstances" of "personal data" in context
In a legal sense something is material when it's relevant and important. Circumstances are all the facts connected with some matter. Circumstances include even minor details, subordinate and accessory ...
- 422
1
vote
"like it like you" vs "like it, like you"
I find the first one a bit odd, but yes, it has a different meaning.
The first one is a comparison: she doesn't like it in the way, or to the degree, that you do. It is not even saying that she ...
- 77.8k
1
vote
Accepted
Is the sentence below grammatically correct? Is it comprehensible?
Is it grammatically correct?
Yes, however, the comma after "SMEs" indicates the last two thirds of the sentence are an "aside".
Is it comprehensible?
Yes, but I'd shorten it to:
Gray had already ...
- 136
1
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What is the meaning of "These aren't things"?
No, it's not an idiom. What he's saying is basically this: these aren't things that you can really say. We could even paraphrase his sentence like this: this is not something you/people really say. ...
- 5,845
1
vote
What does the phrase 'cross-cutting initiatives' mean?
Cross-Cutting in medicine, recently, is aiming to apply basic science as is. Looking for understanding the treatment benefits while some theoretical or empirical experiences were driven from basic ...
- 11
1
vote
The child, I am sure, was part of the appeal...What does it mean? difficult to understand :(
The passage doesn’t explain whether the child was the Dad’s or not, but that is possibly implied, though it’s ambiguous. I wonder if he had previously helped out with the birth eg. As an army medic.
...
- 322
1
vote
Accepted
What is the meaning of "that" as an Internet slang?
"That!" is an affirmation by the person saying it approving of what another speaker has just said.
Here are some similar ways of saying the same thing with perhaps different flavors from different ...
- 5,774
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