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 
advers
ely
is very
similar to 
advers
ary
. 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 
advers
ity
—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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