Selecting and Developing

Objective: Understand elicit and choose it accurately in context.

elicit (verb): To draw out a response, information, or feeling from someone. Context sentences 1. The interviewer used open-ended questions to elicit detailed memories from the retired dancer. 2. The surprising final scene can elicit laughter even from a serious audience. 3. To elicit honest feedback, the principal let students submit comments anonymously.

Objective: Understand engender and choose it accurately in context.

engender (verb): To cause a feeling, condition, or situation to arise. Context sentences 1. Unequal access to the laboratory could engender resentment among research teams. 2. A transparent selection process can engender confidence in the committee's decisions. 3. The novel shows how prolonged isolation may engender suspicion of strangers.

Objective: Understand cultivate and choose it accurately in context.

cultivate (verb): To deliberately develop a skill, quality, or relationship through sustained effort. Context sentences 1. Reading arguments from several perspectives can help students cultivate intellectual flexibility. 2. The new director worked to cultivate relationships with neighborhood organizations. 3. A musician must cultivate the patience to practice difficult passages slowly.

Objective: Understand foster and choose it accurately in context.

foster (verb): To encourage the growth or development of something by providing supportive conditions. Context sentences 1. Shared workspaces can foster collaboration between departments. 2. The teacher used respectful disagreement to foster a more thoughtful classroom culture. 3. Small grants may foster experimentation by allowing artists to try unfamiliar methods.

Objective: Understand nurture and choose it accurately in context.

nurture (verb): To help someone or something develop through continuing care and attention. Context sentences 1. The mentor met with the young composer weekly to nurture her emerging talent. 2. An editor can nurture a promising manuscript through patient, detailed feedback. 3. The community center aims to nurture children's confidence through supportive performances.

Objective: Understand harness and choose it accurately in context.

harness (verb): To bring a source of energy, power, or ability under control and put it to useful work. Context sentences 1. The mill uses a waterwheel to harness the force of the stream. 2. A skilled moderator can harness a group's enthusiasm to produce a workable plan. 3. The software helps laboratories harness unused computing capacity overnight.

Objective: Understand leverage and choose it accurately in context.

leverage (verb): To use an existing resource or advantage to achieve a further goal. Context sentences 1. The charity plans to leverage its local reputation to attract national sponsors. 2. Students can leverage experience from part-time jobs when applying for leadership roles. 3. The museum hopes to leverage its popular exhibit to increase membership.

Objective: Understand extract and choose it accurately in context.

extract (verb): To remove or obtain something from a larger source, often through a deliberate process. Context sentences 1. The analyst wrote a script to extract dates from thousands of records. 2. Technicians use a specialized process to extract oil from the seeds. 3. The researcher had to extract relevant passages from several lengthy interviews.

Objective: Understand derive and choose it accurately in context.

derive (verb): To obtain a result, idea, or benefit from a particular source or basis. Context sentences 1. We can derive a general rule from the patterns in these examples. 2. Many volunteers derive satisfaction from helping younger students succeed. 3. The designer chose to derive the building's color palette from the surrounding landscape.

Objective: Understand cull and choose it accurately in context.

cull (verb): To select particular items from a larger collection after examining it. Context sentences 1. The editor will cull a dozen strong essays from the hundreds submitted. 2. Researchers must cull relevant examples from the archive before drafting their analysis. 3. The curator plans to cull representative photographs from several private collections.