Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day, 3rd Edition

5. In the passage, adversely most nearly means
a. mildly, slightly.
b. kindly, gently.
c. negatively, unfavorably.
d. immediately, swiftly.
The correct answer is c, “negatively, unfavorably.”
The passage provides clues that allow you to deter-
mine the meaning of adversely. It tells you that as real-
ity TV becomes more popular, network executives will
cancel more traditional dramas and comedies and
replace them with reality TV programming. So the
meaning of adversely is neither a, “mild or slight,” nor
b, “kindly or gently.” And based on the passage, you
can’t really tell if these changes will be immediate or
swift (d) because the sentence doesn’t say anything
about the exact time frame in which these changes
will occur. Remember, good detectives don’t make
assumptions they can’t support with facts; and there are
no facts in this sentence to support the assumption
that changes will occur immediately. Thus, c is the best
answer.
You may also have noticed that adversely is very
similar to adversary. And if you know that an adversary
is a hostile opponent or enemy, then you know that
adversely cannot be something positive. Or, if you know
the word adversity—hardship or misfortune—then
you know that adversely must mean something nega-
tive or difficult. All these words share the same root—
advers. Only the endings change.
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D E F I N I N G V O C A B U L A R Y I N C O N T E X T
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3 6

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Practice
Read the following passages and determine the mean-
ing of the words from their context. The answers appear
immediately after the questions.
Although social work is not a particularly lucrative
career, I wouldn’t do anything else. Knowing I’m
helping others is far more important to me than
money.