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View Poll Results: What was your score range? (you can post the exact number below) | |||
36,000+ | 4 | 11.43% | |
30,000-35,000 (general range, so my score goes here) | 7 | 20.00% | |
25,000-30,000 (general range) | 13 | 37.14% | |
Less than 25,000 | 11 | 31.43% | |
Voters: 35. You may not vote on this poll |
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08-16-2012, 01:49 AM | #1 |
Problematic Fave
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: VA
Posts: 3,199
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Your Vocabulary
How good is it?
The topic came up when I used the word "obstreperous" in conversation today, and I was curious if anyone had some basis for comparison and I'm a genius/live around idiots. Now, this test is not for the faint of heart. If you happen to suffer from acute hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, I would suggest you avoid the test. As soon as you see the word "oneiromancy", you know they aren't playing around. My score: I apparently know 29,300 words. I'm going to take their word for it. Just for neatness' sake, I have this poll here to know UPN's score range.
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08-16-2012, 03:04 AM | #3 |
Savior of Pokemon-kind
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Michigan
Posts: 1,080
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29,800
Not bad for a Bio major with a narrow range of focus, I suppose? I do read quite a bit, though I don't generally inject many obscure or specialized words into conversation, unless it's a discussion about a passage involving them or a topic that necessitates it (for example, attempting to give a lecture on the sexual dimorphism and social behavior of Anolis lizards requires at least a basic understanding of biological terms, and a final presentation on research results generally requires that, a basic understanding of statistical terminology, and an understanding of the scientific method, simply because it would be nigh impossible to adequately discuss them without the use of such things). This sort of thing is better with context though. (I know education systems differ in other countries, so fair warning, all of my examples are US based.) If you have a degree in English, then chances are you know a wider range of words than someone in High School. Level of education is an important factor. So with that in mind: I'm going into my final year of college with a major in Biology and a minor in Sociology. Take that and my number of words as you wish. |
08-16-2012, 03:24 AM | #4 |
This
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Searching for ABL~
Posts: 1,399
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I actually knew more of those words than I thought I did \o/
Very interesting either way, thanks for sharing this Shuckle~ |
08-16-2012, 03:48 AM | #5 |
Gee, Brain...
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27,200
Some of those words towards the end were definitely made up. Tatterdemalion, I mean, honestly. Chrome's even underlined it in red... |
08-16-2012, 03:49 AM | #6 |
heiir of liife
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That's alright 'geet. Look on the bright side, we're in the higher ranks for people who don't have English as their native language... ESPECIALLY at our age.
@Shuckle, thanks for sharing this~
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08-16-2012, 05:23 AM | #7 | |
Archbishop of Banterbury
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30,300 apparently. I suspect less, but my English teacher at GCSE had a habit of drilling weird words into us which helped in the latter sections. Read quite a lot as well.
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08-16-2012, 05:40 AM | #8 |
Gee, Brain...
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I suspect anyone with a specialist degree like yours Dave would actually be a bit higher as you probably know an awful lot of very specific technical terms that aren't really covered by a test like this.
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08-16-2012, 06:28 AM | #9 |
heiir of liife
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08-16-2012, 08:34 AM | #11 |
Primordial Fishbeast
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26,900.
I agree with Elsie. Some of those were totally made up. |
08-16-2012, 08:59 AM | #12 |
Charismagnetism
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08-16-2012, 09:57 AM | #13 |
Volcano Badge
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 3,143
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25,200
I swear "Imbroglio" is a spell you learn at Hogwarts.
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08-16-2012, 10:12 AM | #14 |
Not sure if gone...
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Or just lurking.
Posts: 2,709
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I got 31,300. I few of the words I recognized but couldn't recall the definitions to, and some of them they definitely made up.
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08-16-2012, 10:19 AM | #15 |
Problematic Fave
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: VA
Posts: 3,199
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Okay, so back up here a bit.
The people who made the quiz are trying to find how many words you know without making you list them all. So if you have 20 categories, you need a common, uncommon, rare, and obscure word for each category for a total of 80 words to test you on. The test clearly has more categories and I'm not inclined to think of them now, or maybe they just have more levels of difficulty for words, or something. (2 for rare, 1 for obscure, 1 for general, etc.) So it's just a guess. It is possible to know all the words for "stubborn" except for intractable, obstinate, and belligerent, and by some fluke the test happens to have those three words as your category for describing a specific kind of person; but you know what obstreperous (unruly, difficult to control, often noisy or loud) means. So don't take it too seriously. The test is pretty accurate in that it chooses words that, should you have an insane vocabulary, you would know, but doesn't make the middling ones too hard and wreck the bell curve. In addition, if you never read (whether by choice or because of some condition like dyslexia), you'll obviously know far fewer words than a Harvard-graduate bookworm. It's all a matter of experience. And honestly, if you can make out a general meaning from context, you can carry on a smooth conversation even if you have no idea what the fuck "terpsichorean" (of or relating to dancing; see Terpsichore the Muse of Dancing) means. You can nod politely and understand that Charleston was an important terpsichorean innovation. If you're dissatisfied with how low your score is, read literature or talk to someone smart.
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08-16-2012, 10:33 AM | #17 |
Cascade Badge
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28,100.
I feel disappointed about this. |
08-16-2012, 10:37 AM | #18 |
Beloved Mascot
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21,700
I don't many words either. ;~; |
08-16-2012, 10:40 AM | #20 |
時の彼方へ
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
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The test is poorly designed insofar as it actually tests the following:
Do you think you know what this word means?Rather than testing what the researchers would really need to test if we're to assess a good vocabulary which is: Do you actually know what this word means?In fact, you might even say that the test doesn't test whether people think they know the meaning of the word: because as you're flying through this list, it's far too tempting to tick off words you've heard many times but couldn't actually define. A better way to have designed this test would have been to take a page out of the GRE's book and to have done the following:
Anyway, 30,900. Not too bad but I certainly think it'd have been higher had they tested for more scientific and medical terms. (I did appreciate seeing bruit show up. )
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Last edited by Talon87; 08-16-2012 at 10:42 AM. |
08-16-2012, 10:47 AM | #22 | |
時の彼方へ
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
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I just noticed something with the categories:
Quote:
Or best of all: accept that this test is fundamentally flawed and don't sweat that it underscored you.
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08-16-2012, 10:47 AM | #23 |
Mrow?
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Camping the White Market
Posts: 6,934
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41,900...
This test blows. Just because I know quite a number of those words offhand (I blame reading a library worth of books) does not mean I know that many words. At all. |
08-16-2012, 10:47 AM | #24 |
時の彼方へ
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Lafayette, Indiana
Posts: 20,578
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You are supposed to leave the words you don't know unchecked. (No? That's what I did. I only checked words I felt I could define. I did not check off words I recognize from reading but could not tell a child what they meant.)
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08-16-2012, 10:51 AM | #25 | |
beebooboobopbooboobop
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Quote:
Today is clearly not the best day for me to take a test.
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