Vocabulary Cloze

In this article, we will try to build our vocabulary around the following topics:

• Current affairs
• Conflict
• Crime

Vocabulary Words We Use Everyday

• Temple - building devoted to the worship of God or Gods
• Altar - a small place where you pray or burn incense sticks, usually found in a temple.
• Mosque - a place of worship for Muslims
• Synagogue - a place of worship for Jews
• Church - a place of worship for Christians
• Pulpit - a raised platform in a church from which the preacher delivers a sermon
• Driveway - a short road leading from a public road to a house or other building
• Atrium - a large open central area in a public or commercial building, often with a glass roof
• Foyer - an entrance hall or other open area in a building used by the public, especially a hotel or theater. The public waits in the foyer of the theater before going inside the hall.
• Delicatessen - a shop selling cooked meats, cheeses, and unusual or foreign prepared foods
• Sauna - a small room used as hot air or steam bath for cleaning and refreshing the body
• Spa - a commercial establishment offering health and beauty treatment through such means as steam baths, exercise equipment, and massages

Current Affairs

What are current affairs? What does it refer to? Let us break down the words to get their definition.

Current: Now

Affairs: Happenings/things happening

Thus, Current Affairs refers to things happening now. We can understand that current affairs are a series of events of political or social interest and importance happening in the world at the present time.
 

Question 1:

What is the closest opposite to current affairs?

1. Human geography
2. Social media
3. History
4. Politics

Solution:

(3) History
 

Media

One of the important factors to keep in mind while talking about current affairs is the media. What does media refer to? Media refers to the avenues or channels of mass communication that help disseminate information to the masses.

Different Types Of Media: 

• Print - Examples of print media are newspapers, books, magazines, leaflets, tabloids
• Broadcast - These include TV, radio, and movies.
• New media - This includes anything that makes use of the internet to spread information.
  • Social media - Examples of social media are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, etc.
  • Podcasts - These days, we also have independently run radio programs called podcasts. 
  • YouTube - It has audio as well as video content and has become a very popular source of information these days.
  • Google - It is a search engine that searches various websites for the information requested. It does not store the information but only acts as a facilitator to help you find the correct website which does. We use different browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc. to help us search for information.

Some New Vocabulary Items Related To Media

• Sensational Journalism - In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. It is a style of reporting that emphasizes eye-catching headlines and content with little regard for the truth. In sensational journalism, events and topics in news stories are selected and worded so as to evoke maximum emotional response and to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. Such stories stretch the truth, are biased, and focus on unimportant details just to create drama.

• Tabloid - It is a newspaper with pages half the size of those of the average broadsheet, typically popular in style and dominated by sensational stories. It has many more pictures and less content.

• Propaganda - It is the dissemination of information, especially of a biased or misleading nature. It is used to promote a political cause or point of view mainly to influence public opinion. It consists of biased facts, half-truths, rumors, or lies.

• Fake News - It is false or misleading information presented as news. It is made to be seen as legitimate but is actually not.

• Objectivity - This refers to a degree of not being influenced by the feelings or opinions of others, and being unbiased in stating the facts.

• Partial / Impartial - Partial means favoring one side in a dispute over the other. Impartial is being unbiased and fair in your views.

• Bias - It is the inclination or prejudice for or against one person, especially in a way considered to be unfair.
   

Question 2:

How would you describe the following news article excerpt?

Man Nearly Killed By Human Waste - We Are In Danger

It was a scorching hot day. Poor Mr. Rajesh was on his way home from a backbreaking day at work when he had a most unfortunate experience.

1. Objective
2. Sensationalist
3. New Media
4. Broadcast

Solution: 

(2) Sensationalist

Conflict

Conflict means to have a clash or a serious disagreement of ideas, especially in a prolonged manner. A conflict is not a good thing. It can lead to physical manifestations in the form of fights, battles, or struggles.

Some of the other words which are used in this context are:

• Dispute - It is a disagreement or an argument. It is not violent and generally verbal. The two parties agree to disagree and are open to resolving it amicably.

• Squabble - It is a noisy quarrel about something trivial.

• Feud - It is a prolonged hostility between two parties, which are often families or groups.

Question 3:

There was a __________ over which country the island belonged to. Thankfully, both parties remained civil throughout.

1. Squabble
2. Conflict
3. Dispute
4. Feud

Solution: 

(3) Dispute
 

Question 4:

I came home to find my siblings engaged in a __________ over who got to use the PlayStation first.

1. Squabble
2. Conflict
3. Dispute
4. Feud

Solution:

(1) Squabble

Question 5:

The increasing __________ between the rival gangs in that area is getting serious. People are advised to stay away.

1. Squabble
2. Conflict
3. Dispute
4. Feud

Solution:

(2) Conflict

Crime

Crime is an action or omission which constitutes an offense and is punishable by law. There are certain words related to crime and its resolution in the court of law. Let us have a look at some of the commonly used words in that context.

• Judge - A judge is a public officer who is appointed to decide cases in a law court.

• Jury - It is a body of people (usually common citizens) sworn to give a verdict in a legal case on the basis of evidence submitted to them in court. It is not applicable in Singapore. It is prevalent in the United States of America, where a group of citizens is selected for the jury. When the case is being discussed in the court by the lawyers, they have to be present to listen to the facts. The jury decides later whether the person is guilty or not.

• Plaintiff - A plaintiff is a person or a company that makes a legal complaint about someone else in a court of law.

• Defendant - A defendant is a person who has been accused of breaking the law and is being tried in court.

• Arson - It is the criminal act of deliberately setting fire to a building or other property.

• Burglary - It is the act of breaking and entering a dwelling with the intention of stealing, hurting someone, or causing damage.

• Robbery - It is the action of taking property unlawfully from a person or place by force or threat of force. It generally happens in public places.

• Fraud - It is an act of tricking someone to gain a dishonest advantage.

Some Comparisons of Crime-Related Words

• Breaking and entering - It is to forcefully enter a place with no intention of stealing or causing harm. It can be creepy for a stalker to break into our home, but he cannot be charged with burglary as he did not have an intention to steal or cause harm. 
• Trespassing - It is an act of entering someone’s land or property without permission. It can be accidental or intentional.

Question 6:

Brave passers-by stepped in to stop the attempted __________ outside the burger joint.

1. Trespassing
2. Fraud
3. Robbery
4. Burglary

Solution: 

(3) Robbery

Question 7:

Test your memory.

The person who goes to the court and says, “I want to sue him for XYZ.” is called the __________.

1. Plaintiff
2. Defendant
3. Judge
4. Jury

Solution: 

(1) Plaintiff

Question 8:

Test your memory.

The person who says, “Oh no, I am getting sued!” is called the __________.

1. Plaintiff
2. Defendant
3. Judge
4. Jury

Solution:

(2) Defendant

Conclusion

In this article, we familiarised ourselves with vocabulary relating to current affairs, conflict and crime as they appear under the Primary 6 English level. 

• Current Affairs

We learnt about different types of media, new media, tabloids, sensationalism, propaganda, fake news, bias, partiality / impartiality, and objectivity.

• Conflict

Under conflict, we learnt to distinguish between a dispute, squabble, feud, clash, and disagreement. 

• Crime

We learnt words relating to crime and the court like plaintiff, defendant, jury, arson, fraud, burglary, robbery, trespassing, and breaking and entering.

Reading is one of the best ways to develop your vocabulary. Make it a habit to read for some time every day, and soon you’ll have developed a rich vocabulary.