Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help please?

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kittykat92
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Jul 28, 2012 11:34 am

Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help please?

Post by kittykat92 »

Hi we dont have answer sheet for this question.

Empty is to (full, solid, bare)
as partial is to (incomplete, independent, unusual)

my DD put bare and incomplete. Just need clarification that this is right please!
Tagore
Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:28 am

Re: Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help pleas

Post by Tagore »

Hi KK92,
Just showed it to my dc - came up with the same answer. Must be correct because partial can only go with incomplete and that establishes the relationship.
Tagore
justkeepswimming
Posts: 29
Joined: Thu May 31, 2012 2:10 pm

Re: Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help pleas

Post by justkeepswimming »

Unless partial is being used in the sense of biased here - in which case it may be the opposite of independent and the answers could be full and independent? Clear as mud....
yoyo123
Posts: 8099
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2007 3:32 pm
Location: East Kent

Re: Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help pleas

Post by yoyo123 »

what were the instructions, did it ask for same or different?
Len Scap
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:41 am

Re: Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help pleas

Post by Len Scap »

kittykat92 wrote:Hi we dont have answer sheet for this question.

Empty is to (full, solid, bare)
as partial is to (incomplete, independent, unusual)

my DD put bare and incomplete. Just need clarification that this is right please!
Empty and solid have only a very tangential connection, so I think we can discount that as an answer.

Empty and bare can have similar meanings, but are not always the same thing. In fact I'd say that only in reference to an empty cupboard would someone know immediately what you meant if you said it was 'bare', it's Old Mother Hubbrd's doing. 'Bare' normally refers to a lack of covering - bare walls, bare floor, bare behind - rather than empty.

Empty and full are clear opposites

Partial (a part) and incomplete are synonyms

Partial (biased) and independent are opposites

Partial and unusual have not much of a link at all.

Therefore, although you could make a case for bare/incomplete being the answer, it doesn't work quite as well as full/independent, which are both clear opposites of the seed words.
Tagore
Posts: 121
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 10:28 am

Re: Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help pleas

Post by Tagore »

Interesting thread. Where did you get this question from?

My own answer woud not be different from my dc's. Reasoned as follows:-

Partial - Biased - means swaying towards as a result of personal choice or slant - Antonym - impartial
Independent - to act without being swayed by an external force.

I am not teacher or an expert, just a parent.
T
Len Scap
Posts: 7
Joined: Sat Sep 08, 2012 11:41 am

Re: Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help pleas

Post by Len Scap »

'Bare' and 'Empty' aren't exact synonyms, though.

'The floor is his new room was bare' does not mean the same (to most people) as 'The floor of his new room was empty' You can't swap the words:

'Is there room on the train for me?'
'Yes, there is an empty carraige further along' / 'Yes, there is a bare carriage further along'

They can be synonyms, but they aren't always, and it isn't very clear. There are few instances I can think of where I'd use them interchangeably.

I think too you have to decide on the meaning of the first word. 'Empty' only has one meaning, really. Of the suggestions you have one that is sort of a synonym, one that has no relation, and one that is it's opposite.

Given that in the other set you can choose a definition of 'Partial' (biased or prejudiced in favor of a person, group, side, etc., over another,) that also gives you a clear opposite ('independent': not influenced by the thought or action of others) then that has to be the answer.

The bare/empty link just isn't strong enough IMHO to be anything other than a red-herring to catch out students who aren't aware of other meanings of partial.
Y
Posts: 463
Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:49 pm

Re: Empty is to ....... as partial is to......??? Help pleas

Post by Y »

This is from Q41 from Practice/Familiarisation Test 1 as issued to Bucks schools as practice for the 11+. It's always struck me as a poor question. The official answer is bare, incomplete.
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