Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions on it.
No one can deny the fact that anyone who wants to be successful in learning the English language needs a good English dictionary. Such a dictionary should be a source of information about the language — information that is not generally available in grammar books It should not only contain a list words and their meanings, but also a lot of information that can help a leaner to speak and write good English.
In order to use a word correctly, the reader needs to know how to link it with other words in a sentence. He should also know the structures that often precede or follow it, and whether it is formal or informal. This will help him to choose what word is appropriate for a particular context. The dictionary is therefore, an invaluable aid to reading as well as writing skills.
If the meaning of a particular word in a passage impedes the overall comprehension of the main ideas presented in it, then a dictionary should be used. Most teachers must have observed a widespread tendency among their students to attack a new passage by reading it word by word, stopping to reach for a dictionary whenever they come across a word they do not know. This is a wrong approach; the dictionary should be used only as a last resort. The main objective of reading a passage is not to define specific words but to understand the ideas and concepts of the passage. the frequent use of a dictionary tends to focus the reader’s attention on words when he should be concentrating on understanding the main ideas of the passage. Efficient reading implies obtaining the greatest amount of information from the passage in the shortest time possible. The frequent use of a dictionary takes too much time — time that can better be employed in getting an overall understanding of the passage.
Instead of turning to the last resort, the reader should continue reading. Very often, the meaning of an unfamiliar ford can be guessed from the context in which it is used. The passage may give a definition, cite examples or describe )e circumstances surrounding the use of such a word well enough for him to know what it means. After reading the ‘hole passage, the reader may realize that he has understood the important ideas presented without knowing the leaning of every word. If, after reading the entire passage, the reader is still unable to guess the meaning of a word from the context, then he should study the structure of the word The word may be a compound word which, when broken into its component parts, can be easily understood.
If after exhausting these approaches. the reader still does not understand the meaning of a word, and if this word is vital to the comprehension of the whole passage, then and only then, should he refer to a dictionary,
(a) In one sentence state the purpose of a good dictionary
(b) In two sentences, one for each, state the two disadvantages of constantly referring to a dictionary when reading a passage.
(c) In three sentences, one for each, summarize the three steps that a reader should take before referring to a dictionary.
Explanation
(a) A good dictionary gives information about the language.
(b) It distracts the reader's attention from following the main ideas of the passage.
(ii) t wastes time or slows down the reading speed.
(c) He should guess the meaning of the unfamiliar word.
(ii) Ho should read the whole passage.
(iii)He should study the structure of the word.