In the PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination) Chinese Language Exam, word meaning differentiation is a key component of the “Language Application” section. It tests students’ understanding and application of synonyms, near-synonyms, and commonly confused words. Below are the exam focus areas, common question types, and preparation strategies:
- Exam Focus Areas & Common Question Types
Synonym Differentiation
High-frequency comparisons: Examples: 「顽强 (tenacious) vs 顽固 (stubborn)」「委屈 (wronged) vs 委曲 (compromise)」「消失 (disappear) vs 消逝 (fade away)」「准确 (accurate) vs 正确 (correct)」.
Differentiation criteria:
Degree of meaning (e.g., 「希望 (hope) < 期望 (expectation) < 渴望 (longing)」)
Collocations (e.g., 「整顿纪律 (enforce discipline)」vs「整饬秩序 (restore order)」)
Connotation (e.g., 「顽强 (positive)」vs「顽固 (negative)」).
Example question: “他（ ）地完成了任务。” A. 顽强 (tenacious) B. 顽固 (stubborn)
Polysemy & Contextual Usage
The same word may have different meanings in different contexts. Example: 「想象 (imagine, verb)」vs「相象 (similar, adjective)」.
Example question: “这两幅画的风格（ ）。” A. 想象 (imagine) B. 相象 (similar)
Word Collocations & Grammatical Function
Distinguish between nouns, verbs, or adjectives based on collocations. Example: 「效率 (efficiency, noun)」vs「效力 (effectiveness, verb)」.
Example question: “这个政策（ ）显著。” A. 效率 (efficiency) B. 效力 (effectiveness)
II. Preparation Strategies & Techniques
Five Key Methods for Word Differentiation
- Radical Analysis: Use radicals to infer meanings, e.g., 「财 (贝-radical, related to money)」vs「材 (木-radical, related to material)」.
- Context Substitution: Plug options into the sentence to check logic, e.g., 「约束 (constrain + 规则)」vs「规范 (standardize + 标准)」.
- Collocation Patterns: Note fixed pairings, e.g., 「严格 (strict + 纪律)」vs「严厉 (harsh + 态度)」.
- Part-of-Speech Differentiation: E.g., 「勇气 (courage, noun)」vs「勇敢 (brave, adjective)」.
- Emotional Connotation: Judge positive/negative tones, e.g., 「义气 (loyalty, positive)」vs「意气 (emotion, neutral/negative)」.
Answering Techniques
- Elimination Method: Rule out obviously incorrect options first.
- Language Intuition: Read the sentence aloud and choose the most natural-sounding word.