Some of these GRE analogies are so fucking stupid.

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rapa-nui
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Post by rapa-nui »

Standardized tests have some interesting quirks.

For example, knowing Spanish allows me to rapidly understand the Latin roots of a lot of strange words, which has given me a huge advantage in these sorts of exams: I don't need to know the strict meaning of malediction, I can intuit it has something to do with evil because it contains the root mal. I was in the 95th percentile in the GRE verbal section, which is highly unusual for biology applicants. (My math was nowhere as good, which is just as odd.)
Last edited by rapa-nui on Thu Oct 30, 2008 1:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Koumei
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Post by Koumei »

Judging__Eagle wrote:Only two words to respond to that sort of thing:

rofl
That's not two words, it's four (rolling on floor laughing), five (seeing as it's derived from the old rotfl - rolling on the floor laughing - and it really needs "the" in there to be correct) or one (if you want to call "rofl" it's own word).

It's possible you managed to pick the only number that isn't correct.

Just saying.
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Post by Bigode »

"Rolling on floor laughing" can be technically correct, depending on use.
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Judging__Eagle
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Post by Judging__Eagle »

I said it for the lulz. : )

I wanted to see if the response was "uh, that's one word" or "that's an acronym."
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erik
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Post by erik »

Heh, I'm considering playing a Warforged in Living Forgotten Realms who speaks in text-message speak, pronouncing all those acronyms as words whenever possible. I think that may get me killed though. Not my character. Me.
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Post by Surgo »

I -hope- malediction or other words I see a lot in fantasy books/gaming show up on the test.

Taking it Saturday.
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Post by Judging__Eagle »

clikml wrote:Heh, I'm considering playing a Warforged in Living Forgotten Realms who speaks in text-message speak, pronouncing all those acronyms as words whenever possible. I think that may get me killed though. Not my character. Me.
That might not be too bad.

My archivist character in an Eberron game was named Rolf Choptier.

Just close enough to be a real name, and just close enough to be an meme.

Fortunately, he never turned into an hero.

Mostly because I dumpster dived for spells, giving him the option to do something at almost any time.
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Prak
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Post by Prak »

Surgo wrote:I -hope- malediction or other words I see a lot in fantasy books/gaming show up on the test.

Taking it Saturday.
Actually, I've heard that us rpg-nerds have an easier time on these tests (generally, and comparitively) because the games we play use weird words. I bet you you'll come across one of the following: Cleave, Rend, Coup De Grace... I'm sure there are other words I could mention, I just can't think of any "weird words from D&D" because they're not weird words to me, they were all in my vocabulary prior to me playing D&D.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
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Post by erik »

Heh, if you just use the D&D version of 'cleave' you'd be missing out on that it is also usable as the opposite of D&D 'cleave.'
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Post by Prak »

clikml wrote:Heh, if you just use the D&D version of 'cleave' you'd be missing out on that it is also usable as the opposite of D&D 'cleave.'
true, but I'd wager the average person doesn't know the meaning of Cleave without "age" following it, whether to rend asunder, or put back together.

now there's an analogy that would suck:

Cleave:Rend
a) Split:Tear
b) Join:Split
c) Part:Bifurcate
d) Adhere:separate[/b]
Last edited by Prak on Fri Oct 31, 2008 9:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cuz apparently I gotta break this down for you dense motherfuckers- I'm trans feminine nonbinary. My pronouns are they/them.
Winnah wrote:No, No. 'Prak' is actually a Thri Kreen impersonating a human and roleplaying himself as a D&D character. All hail our hidden insect overlords.
FrankTrollman wrote:In Soviet Russia, cosmic horror is the default state.

You should gain sanity for finding out that the problems of a region are because there are fucking monsters there.
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Post by Koumei »

Those of us who play Dark Heresy would know of the other meaning of Cleave, due to it often mentioning things like "You cleave only unto the Emperor".
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Post by Surgo »

Well, that fucking sucked.

It's a good thing that MIT's computer science department is progressive enough to not require scores, because I sure as hell didn't send them any.
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Post by SunTzuWarmaster »

Actually, there are a surprising amount of D&D words that end up on that test. Let me see if I can remember some:

Compendium
Entropic
Ethereal
Atone
Augury
Baleful
Clairvoyance
Contagion (bonus points! was actually on MY test)
Desiccate
Slumber
Dispel (bonus points! was actually on MY test)
Hallucinatory (bonus points! was actually on MY test)
Mnemonic
Pyrotechnic (bonus points! was actually on MY test)
Enfeebled
Reincarnate
Sanctuary
Banshee (bonus points! was actually on MY test)
Seared
Shillelagh (stupid word was on my test, but in an essay, so it doesn't really count)
Evocation (was in an analogy, and used the conjuration meaning, practice test)
Temporal

I'm sure I'd find more that were studied if I went through the Spell Compendium.
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Post by Surgo »

I'd have loved it if any of those were on my test. They weren't.

The verbal section is such complete bullshit. All it tests you on is how many obscure English words you happen to know.
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