Dear Reader,
One of the easiest ways to learn new words is through association. Instead of trying to learn by remembering the equivalent of a word in your mother tongue or its usage in English, you can learn by thinking of words in groups. These groupings can be grammatical: all action verbs or nouns related to knowledge (ending with -logy), for instance; or logical: as found in our VocabApp.
Today, all our links and questions are about pictures and photographs, which can be helpful in recollecting a bunch of words. Here are some of those words, see how many you can guess correctly.
Question 1
For a ______ like myself, there was no wrong age to take up photography: I just had to get a smartphone!
A] tyro
B] sage
C] transgressor
Question 2
The light cast by the setting sun is the most _____________ and hence, it is known as the Golden Hour in Hollywood.
A] voluble
B] voluminous
C] luminous
Question 3
Whenever I look at these pictures of people from my past, I am filled with _________.
A] nostalgia
B] animosity
C] catharsis
Question 4
4] The only surviving picture of my great-grandmother is a small painted __________.
A] frieze
B] vignette
C] coda
Question 5
Editors often __________ black-and-white photos with colour images to choose the best ones.
A] riddle
B] amalgamate
C] juxtapose
Tell us your guesses in the comments section and look for the answers in our next edition!
Here are some articles you might interesting:
Recycling Could Help You Make Millions
Answers for last week’s questions:
1] “We found the glass splashed on little pieces of bone that were by the hearth, so we know that the molten glass had landed in this village while people were living there,” said coauthor Allen West, a member of the Comet Research Group, a nonprofit organization aimed at studying this particular cosmic impact and its consequences.
2] B] No magnetic marks, characteristic of lightning strikes, were found.
3] A] Climatic changes
4] B] exceptional D] atypical
5] A] imitate D] prevalent
President Donald Trump, on Monday, June 22, issued an executive order temporarily suspending stamping for new H-1B and few other work visas till December 31, 2020.
While the news may come as a setback for IT professionals aspiring to go to the US this year, students completing graduation in the USA, need not panic.
Who will be affected by this executive order?
IT companies
This move will affect the IT companies in India that work for US clients and send their employees on H1B visas or L Visas to work at client sites. The suspension will prohibit the entry of IT professionals in the USA on work-related projects till December 2020. The freeze will apply to the following visas:
- H1-B Visas: Used by Tech workers
- H4 Visa: Dependents of H1B visa holders
- L visas – Transfer within the same company
- J Visa – Exchange Visitor (J) non-immigrant visa
- H2-B – Visas for low-skill jobs
H1B aspirants of 2020-21 fiscal
The H1B lottery process for 2020-21 fiscal has completed. The sponsoring companies of those picked in the lottery had hoped to complete the application process by June end and have the employees onboard this year itself. However, with the new ban, the employees will not be able to join this October and will have to wait till December.
No effect on F1 visa and OPT
Students pursuing their education in the US are on an F1 student visa. You can still find an internship or co-op on CPT while studying. Also, on completion of your graduation, you can start working in the US on OPT. Students who are already on OPT and whose H1B visas have been picked in the lottery, will not be affected by the order. However, it is highly recommended that they do not travel outside the US under these circumstances.
Better chance for employment to students with strong academics and US degrees
Following this order, Trump has also directed his administration to reform the H-1B visa system and move in the direction of merit-based immigration. Additionally, the lottery system which picks up applications randomly will now be replaced by a merit-based system that will prioritize the highest salaries to “get the best and the brightest”.
Therefore, students who have demonstrated excellent academics and have advanced degrees in the US universities will increase their chances of securing a high paying job and benefit them greatly.
As convenient as they might seem, online classes do demand extra efforts when it comes to concentrating. It is quite easy to focus during classroom lectures as there is two-way communication and the right kind of environment with no reasons to get distracted. However, in online classes, it is a task to focus and soak everything in as it is comfortable and there is no fear of being noticed or called out by the teacher! This lack of concentration might leave you with no substantial learning at the end of the day.
To enable you to stay focused during your online lectures, and make the most out of them, here is our quick video blog of 6 easy hacks to get you back in the learning game!
Dear Reader,
As promised, from this week onwards, we will present some old and some new articles along with questions on Reading Comprehension, Sentence Equivalence, and Text Completion from the Verbal Reasoning section.
Tell us your guesses in the comments section and look for the answers in our next edition!
Dinosaurs weren’t the only ones!
Question 1
Select a sentence in the article that provides evidence that the comet struck while the village was under human habitation.
Question 2
Why did the scientists rule out earthly causes such as volcanic activity or thunderstorms for the fires? Select all that apply.
A] They found evidence that natural sources of fire can also reach such high temperatures.
B] No magnetic marks, characteristic of lightning strikes, were found.
C] Molten metal was not found at the site.
Question 3
None of the following were reasons for the Abu Hureyra culture becoming agrarian EXCEPT
A] Climatic changes
B] Technological modifications
C] Survival of a few people
D] Animal husbandry
E] Ground-breaking invention of systematic agriculture
Question 1
The presence of halos as identifying appurtenances of holy figures in early Netherlandish paintings is as ________ an occurrence as it is commonplace in Italian paintings of the same period.
Select the two answer choices that, when used to complete the sentence, fit the meaning of the sentence as a whole, and produce completed sentences that are alike in meaning.
A] trite
B] exceptional
C] recognizable
D] atypical
E] perceptible
F] sacral
The representation of mortals as saints, reflecting a desire to (i) ________ the lives of the saints and to follow their sacrifices and devotion to Christ, becomes increasingly (ii) _______ in the early sixteenth century. The practice reflects an extension of the beliefs of and widespread adherence to the Modern Devotion, a popular reform movement begun by Geert Grote in the late fourteenth century and initially practiced by the Brothers of the Common Life.
Question 2
For each blank select one entry from the corresponding column of choices. Fill all blanks in the way that best completes the text.
| Blank (i) | Blank (ii) |
| A] imitate | D] prevalent |
| B] animate | E] predictable |
| C] stipple | F] pretentious |
We know how this lockdown has affected your future plans, delayed your dream of flying to the US to start your master’s, and has left you wondering what to do! Well, our suggestion: Do not let the pandemic dampen your spirits. While at home, seize the opportunity, enhance your skillset and start building a strong career profile. Value-addition is the need of the hour and with ample hours at your disposal, you better spend them productively.
Here are four great ways to build a solid profile and skyrocket your career:
- Add to your certifications: There is nothing more comfortable than sitting on the couch, snacking and taking an online lesson without the hassle of travelling, or sitting in a class of 100 people! Lookup for online courses, certifications, short term diplomas and get started. There are various websites that offer tons of free courses that are certified and recognized by recruiters.
- Internship/Job: If you aren’t already working and you have made up your mind to defer your MS admission to spring 2021 or fall 2021, you have enough time to take a high leap and start working. Look actively for a job that matches your skillset or you can also try something that is not directly in the spectrum of your profile but you are enthusiastic about. Not only will this help you utilize your time prudently, but will also make you independent.
- Freelancing: If you do not want to go for a full-time job because you are still dicey about your deferral decision, take up freelance projects. It is flexible, keeps you occupied, gives you hands-on experience, and pays you well! It is a win-win situation.
- Learn something new: Co-curricular activities and unique skills are always appreciated by US universities and recruiters. Challenge yourself and pick up a new skill. If not great at it, you will have learnt something 20 other students of your batch or 50 other candidates for the position you apply for, do not know!
So gear up and get going!