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Strong exports _________ in driving first-quarter growth, rising 35 percent from a year earlier. |
- played a big role |
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100% |
[ 22 ] |
- played a hand |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
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Total Votes : 22 |
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shetan

Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: In front of my PC.
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:19 pm Post subject: Toeic Test Question: I dont know! |
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This question was in a practice Toeic test. To me they both seem grammatically correct.
However option (a) seems more fitting due to the fact 35% is a big percentage increase.
My question is... do Toeic test usually have 2 or more grammatically correct options? And do you agree with my answer (a) being the correct one? Why or why not??
Strong exports _________ in driving first-quarter growth, rising 35 percent from a year earlier.
a) played a big role
b) played a hand |
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Ut videam

Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Location: Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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The phrasal verb "to play a hand" refers to cards. The analogous expression to "play a role in" that employs "hand" is "to have a hand in," not "to play a hand." |
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shetan

Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: In front of my PC.
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:54 pm Post subject: |
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thanks for that....
however you could have at least voted on my poll... it took me ages to set that up!!  |
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Ut videam

Joined: 07 Dec 2007 Location: Pocheon-si, Gyeonggi-do
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 8:57 pm Post subject: |
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I did vote! But I also gave you the reason for my answer.  |
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shetan

Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: In front of my PC.
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Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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ㅋㅋ
right you did... thanks... i feel like my efforts were not in vain after all  |
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sunhelen
Joined: 18 Sep 2007
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:07 am Post subject: |
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I think both are OK. In my experience, TOEIC practice tests are full of mistakes. |
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I-am-me

Joined: 21 Feb 2006 Location: Hermit Kingdom
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:35 am Post subject: |
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It does sound like its saying the same thing to us english speakers. But that is because we know what "playing a hand" also means. Playing a hand does refer to cards. Sometimes those test questions just dont make sense for a new learner. |
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PRagic

Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:04 pm Post subject: |
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If you don't know the answer, it becomes their homework! |
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spliff

Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 5:18 pm Post subject: |
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Simple, it's a "big role" because to the large percentage increase. |
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shetan

Joined: 24 Apr 2006 Location: In front of my PC.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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spliff wrote: |
Simple, it's a "big role" because to the large percentage increase. |
so if the percentage increase was same or less.... then played a hand would be correct? |
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Hanson

Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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spliff wrote: |
Simple, it's a "big role" because to the large percentage increase. |
I don't think so. There's no quantitative/qualitative causality between 'strong exports' and '35%'. The reader is unsure, in the context of this question, how much of a hand strong exports had. |
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spliff

Joined: 19 Jan 2004 Location: Khon Kaen, Thailand
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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The exports were "strong" there is no correct answer just which is the better of the two and my choice is correct. Check the answer. |
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Hanson

Joined: 20 Oct 2004
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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spliff wrote: |
The exports were "strong" there is no correct answer just which is the better of the two and my choice is correct. Check the answer. |
Your choice may be correct, but not for the reason you mention. One could plausably hypothesize that other, more important factors had more effect on the 35% increase that merely 'strong exports'. Perhaps strong exports only had a small hand in it. The sentence does not make clear how important strong exports were. |
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T-dot

Joined: 16 May 2004 Location: bundang
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:53 pm Post subject: |
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Both answers are correct, but "played a hand" is more correct.
Exports played a part in the growth is given, but "big" role is a matter of interpretation that we are not privy to and is extreme.
There could have been something else that was a bigger factor, but we dont know that. |
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faster

Joined: 03 Sep 2006
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 10:45 pm Post subject: |
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T-dot wrote: |
Both answers are correct, but "played a hand" is more correct.
Exports played a part in the growth is given, but "big" role is a matter of interpretation that we are not privy to and is extreme.
There could have been something else that was a bigger factor, but we dont know that. |
You are wrong, as one of the first posters explained very clearly. |
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