“I went to recce that place, it was very suitable for holding the field camp.” In Singapore, we use the slang “recce” during NS to refer to the act of visually observing a location before the actual operation. Do you know the full word is “reconnaissance”? For example: We did a reconnaissance of the enemy’s[…]
What are keys called in Chinese? a) 钥匙 b) 锁匙 c) Both a) and b) are acceptable. The correct answer is 钥匙. In Singapore, we often say 锁匙; this is a translation from the Cantonese’s term for keys. During exams, it’s best to stick with 钥匙 because examiners may consider 锁匙 as a 病句。
We had mentioned in previous posts about avoiding “word echos” when writing your compositions, i.e. try to refrain from using the same terms in a paragraph. For example: That group of old boys from XXX school look really old. Better: That group of old boys from XXX school have really aged. While you are trying[…]
When do you use the word “like”? 1) The obvious mistake Youngsters these days enjoy using “like” as a filler to replace “uh”, “erm”. Examples: I was, like, so angry. My boyfriend is ,like, the best ever. This is a simple correction. Just remove the word “like”. Correct: I was so angry. My boyfriend is[…]
This is another trick question. The family tree below shows the children and grandchildren of a female carrier of colour-blindness and a male who is not colour-blind. The question is: How many of the daughters or granddaughters are NOT colour-blind? ==================== The answer is 5 (not 7). Beware, do not count daughters-in-law and other members[…]
This is a difference / ratio question. In a packet of mixed nuts, 40% are cashew nuts while the rest are peanuts.After 12 cashew nuts are removed from the packet and 24 peanuts are added, the cashew nuts make up 33 1/3% of the nuts in the packet. How many cashew nuts are there in[…]
Insects There are two groups of insects. In the first group, including insects such as cockroaches, grasshoppers, dragonflies and bugs, the wings develop gradually on the outside of the body and get larger at each moult until they are fully formed. The young stages of these insects are called nymphs and they usually resemble the[…]
Four adventurers (Alex, Brook, Chris and Dusty) need to cross a river in a small canoe. The canoe can only carry 100kg. Alex weighs 90kg, Brook weighs 80kg, Chris weighs 60kg and Dusty weighs 40 kg, and they have 20kg of supplies. How do they get across? ===================== Chris and Dusty row across, Dusty returns.[…]