Word Learning Experiment

This test is conducted for an experimental study on word learning. The findings of the experiment will contribute for a term paper on Bayesian Cognition at Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

Instructions

1. The words to be learned are classified on the basis of their difficulty level. There are 5 classes : very easy, basic, average, advance and very tough.

2. First, you will be presented with 5 words from each class with their meaning. You should try to remember the words with their meaning.

3. Next, a quick survey will follow asking to rate the difficulty of few of the sampled learned words. You are encouraged to classify the words in the classes - very easy, basic, average, advance and very tough, based on your learning experience. The response time is limited to 10 second per question.

4. Kindly use the entire scale of classes while submitting responses to spread even judgement.

Thank You

Instructions

1. The words to be learned are classified on the basis of their difficulty level. There are 5 classes : very easy, basic, average, advance and very tough.

2. First, you will be presented with 5 words from each class with their meaning. You should try to remember the words with their meaning.

4. Kindly use the entire scale of classes while submitting responses to spread even judgement.

Thank You

Word Class : Very Easy

1. lofty - great and worthy of praise

Usage : The football players have set a lofty goal in their bid to win all their home games this year.

2. intimate - very private

Usage : My husband and I requested a secluded room in the restaurant so we could have an intimate dinner.

3. decree - an official order issued by a legal authority

Usage : The queen issued a decree which stopped people from visiting the royal gardens during the holidays.

4. liturgical - relating to formal public worship

Usage : There is nothing in the standards of the Presbyterian Church against liturgical worship.

5. imbue - to inspire with feelings or opinions

Usage : The new political leader was imbued with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

Word Class : Very Easy

1. lofty - great and worthy of praise

Usage : The football players have set a lofty goal in their bid to win all their home games this year.

2. intimate - very private

Usage : My husband and I requested a secluded room in the restaurant so we could have an intimate dinner.

3. decree - an official order issued by a legal authority

Usage : The queen issued a decree which stopped people from visiting the royal gardens during the holidays.

4. liturgical - relating to formal public worship

Usage : There is nothing in the standards of the Presbyterian Church against liturgical worship.

5. imbue - to inspire with feelings or opinions

Usage : The new political leader was imbued with the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi.

Word Class : Very Tough

1. paregmenon - the close spacing of words that have a common derivation, as in “sense and sensibility”

Usage : The author habitually places paregmenon in his text to spike the interest of his readers.

2. xenophilia - an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs

Usage : This revived a sense of xenophilia among the Chinese population that originated in the colonial days.

3. blandishment - flattery intended to persuade

Usage : At first he used his arts of blandishment and honeyed words in order to lure Savonarola to Rome.

4. circumlocution - a roundabout or indirect way of speaking

Usage : His admission came after years of circumlocution.

5. pulchritude - physical beauty

Usage : Although she is not a woman of great pulchritude, she has achieved a status of stardom.

Word Class : Very Tough

1. paregmenon - the close spacing of words that have a common derivation, as in “sense and sensibility”

Usage : The author habitually places paregmenon in his text to spike the interest of his readers.

2. xenophilia - an attraction to foreign peoples, cultures, or customs

Usage : This revived a sense of xenophilia among the Chinese population that originated in the colonial days.

3. blandishment - flattery intended to persuade

Usage : At first he used his arts of blandishment and honeyed words in order to lure Savonarola to Rome.

4. circumlocution - a roundabout or indirect way of speaking

Usage : His admission came after years of circumlocution.

5. pulchritude - physical beauty

Usage : Although she is not a woman of great pulchritude, she has achieved a status of stardom.

Word Class : Basic

1. bier - platform for carrying a coffin or body
Usage : So they laid her on a bier, and all seven of them sat down beside it and wept for three whole days.

2. assert - to express an opinion or fact in a confident manner
Usage : The lawyer will assert his client’s innocence despite the overwhelming evidence against him.

3. competent - having adequate ability or skill in a certain area
Usage : Hugh is a competent goalie who rarely allows the opposing team to score.

4. discreet - not attracting attention
Usage : Hoping to avoid detection, the murderer tried to be discreet while walking through the store.

5. fawn - a light brown colour
Usage : The interior of his house was of soft shades of pale green and fawn.

Word Class : Advance

1. clobber - treat or deal with harshly

Usage : The recession clobbered other parts of the business.

2. mercurial - subject to sudden changes of mood

Usage : While my uncle is as predictable as the sunrise, my aunt is very mercurial.

3. veracious - speaking or representing the truth

Usage : We elect our leaders in the hope that every world they speak will be veracious.

4. prevaricate - to speak falsely or misleadingly

Usage : In order to get his bill passed, the politician prevaricated about the release of the environmental study.

5. gumption - resourcefulness and determination

Usage : The president would hire almost any young man who had the gumption to ask for a job.

Word Class : Advance

1. clobber - treat or deal with harshly

Usage : The recession clobbered other parts of the business.

2. mercurial - subject to sudden changes of mood

Usage : While my uncle is as predictable as the sunrise, my aunt is very mercurial.

3. veracious - speaking or representing the truth

Usage : We elect our leaders in the hope that every world they speak will be veracious.

4. prevaricate - to speak falsely or misleadingly

Usage : In order to get his bill passed, the politician prevaricated about the release of the environmental study.

5. gumption - resourcefulness and determination

Usage : The president would hire almost any young man who had the gumption to ask for a job.

Word Class : Average

1. belie - to give a false representation to

Usage : The smile on her face belies the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.

2. venerate - regard with great respect

Usage : The town plans to venerate the former president by naming a street after him.

3. commensurate - in proportion

Usage : You will get a salary increase commensurate with your additional responsibilities and work.

4. concourse - a crowd or assembly of people

Usage : A mound of earth was raised where the victim was slaughtered in presence of the concourse of spectators.

5. laconic - using very few words

Usage : His laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic.

Word Class : Average

1. belie - to give a false representation to

Usage : The smile on her face belies the pain she must feel after the death of her husband.

2. venerate - regard with great respect

Usage : The town plans to venerate the former president by naming a street after him.

3. commensurate - in proportion

Usage : You will get a salary increase commensurate with your additional responsibilities and work.

4. concourse - a crowd or assembly of people

Usage : A mound of earth was raised where the victim was slaughtered in presence of the concourse of spectators.

5. laconic - using very few words

Usage : His laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic.

Each following question contains one of the learned words. Rate the words based on your learning experience.

Kindly ensure to use the 1–5 scale judiciously to spread your judgments out evenly across the scale.

Each question must be answered in 10 seconds.

1 - Very Easy

2 - Basic

3 - Average

4 - Advance

5 - Very Tough