Extra Words You Learned in This Lesson _______________________________________
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acrophobia agoraphobia amnesia arachnophobia claustrophobia hypochondria insomnia
kleptomania megalomania paranoia phobia pyromania rare vertigo
P R AC T I C E 1 : M ATC H I N G T H E P R O B L E M W I T H I T S N A M E
Draw lines to match the name of each problem with the area of its concern.
Name of Problem Area of Concern
1.paranoia a. fire
2.insomnia b.small enclosed spaces
3.vertigo c. illness
4.pyromania d.sleep
5.claustrophobia e. motives of others
6.hypochondria f. dizziness
7.kleptomania g.loss of memory
8.amnesia h.high places
9.arachnophobia i. stealing
10.acrophobia j. spiders
11.agoraphobia k.extravagant things
12.megalomania l. open spaces
P R AC T I C E 2 : S T R A N G E E M OT I O N S C R O S S WO R D P U Z Z L E
Across Down
2total loss of memory 1extreme distrust of the motives of others 3fear of small places 5fear of heights
4inability to sleep
6excessive health concerns Word Bank
1 2
3
4
6 5
acrophobia amnesia claustrophobia
hypochondria insomnia paranoia
A N S W E R S
P ra c t i c e 1 : M a t c h i n g t h e P ro b l e m w i t h I t s N a m e 1. e
2. d 3. f 4. a 5. b 6. c 7. i 8. g 9. j 10. h
P ra c t i c e 2 : S t ra n g e E m o t i o n s C ro s s wo rd P u z z l e
Across Down
2amnesia 1paranoia
3claustrophobia 5acrophobia
4insomnia 6hypochondria
DO YOU LIKE taking things apart and putting them back together?
Do you like solving puzzles and other problems?
Do you like organizing things and putting them into categories?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may well be headed for a career in science. But which branch of science? There are literally dozens, if not hundreds. Indeed, our twenty-first century can be called a scientific cen- tury, one in which the contributions of scientific findings will change, and hopefully improve, our lives forever.
The different areas of scientific study are called disciplines, or fields of knowledge. Each addresses a specific area of knowledge. Once you begin to study one discipline, you’ll find you can go deeper, and narrow your studies to an even smaller area of that science. For example, some entomologists—
who study insects—specialize, spending their whole careers studying just caterpillars, or butterflies, or ants.
L E S S O N 18
learn words for the sciences
We live in a time when the words “impossible” and “unsolvable”
are no longer part of the scientific community’s vocabulary.
CHRISTOPHERREEVE(1952–2004) AMERICAN ACTOR AND MEDICAL RESEARCH ACTIVIST
This lesson presents words from various fields of scientific study, and in so doing, reminds you of the value of identifying root words.
As you learn the words for the various areas of science, note that almost all of them share the suffix -ology. It comes from the Greek logos, which means the study of. Whenever you see a word ending in -ology, you’ll know that the word describes a particular area of scientific study.
TIP:Note that professionals in each of these fields share the suffix -ist, added to a variation of the scientific-study word. Thus, a person working in the field of anthropology is called an anthropologist. You, as a person studying words, might be called an amateur philologist!
WO R D S T H AT D E S C R I B E A R E A S O F S C I E N T I F I C S T U DY
The words in this list by no means include all of the sciences. As you read the list, think of other areas of study that might interest you or that sound famil- iar. Jot them down, and then look up the definitions in your dictionary or use a search engine on the Internet.
1. anthropology (from the Greek anthros, meaning humanity). The study of the origins, customs, beliefs, and social relationships of groups of human beings. The anthropologists studied the arrival thousands of years ago of early Native Americans to the North Amer- ican continent.
2. astronomy (from the Greek astron, meaning star plus the Greek nomos, meaning arranging). The study of outer space, especially the examination of all material objects and phenomena outside the earth’s atmosphere. The American commitment to exploration of outer space is an extension of the science of astronomy.
3. biology(from the Greek bios, meaning life). The study of all liv- ing organisms; it includes the subdivisions botany(the study of plants) and zoology (the study of animals). Every student in America studies biology, but too few choose to make biology their life’s work.
4. cardiology(from the Greek kardía, meaning heart). The branch of medicine that addresses the diagnosis and treatment of disor- ders of the heart. Lowering the incidence of heart attacks among Americans is one of the primary goals of all cardiologists.
5. entomology(from the Greek entomon, meaning insect). The study of insects. Too many students fail to consider entomology as a possi- ble career choice, in spite of its many important contributions to med- ical science.
6. etymology(from the Greek etumon, meaning true sense of a word).
The study of the origins and historical development of words, including the changes that occur in words as they move from one language to another. Scholars all over the world study the etymology of their own language in order to better understand their cultures.
7. geology (from the Greek geo, meaning earth). The science that studies the physical history of Earth and its rocks, as well as the geology of other planets. Examining the geology of Mars is a fasci- nating new area of work for many young geologists.
8. neurology(from the Greek neuro, meaning nerves). The study of the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the nerves and of the nervous system. Patients who suffer serious spinal cord injuries depend on neurologists to help them regain mobility.
9. ornithology (from the Greek ornith, meaning birds). The branch of zoology that studies birds. Birdwatching, a popular hobby all over the world, is really an amateur branch of ornithology.
10. paleontology (from the Greek palaios, meaning old or ancient).
The study of the life forms of prehistoric times, especially the fossils of plants, animals, and other organisms. Many students fall in love with science when they first study the paleontology of dinosaurs.
11. philology(from the Greek philología, meaning love of learning and literature). The scientific study of languages, including their his- torical development and the relationships between various lan- guages. Philologists help us understand how and why Shakespeare’s English in the 1600s sounded somewhat different from our English, and how our definitions of words sometimes differ from his as well.
12. psychology(from the Greek psykhe, meaning spirit or soul). The scientific study of human and animal behavior. Psychologists seek to understand the hows and whys of our behavior in order to help us feel and work better.
P R AC T I C E 1 : M ATC H I N G T H E F I E L D O F S C I E N C E W I T H I T S S U B J E C T M AT T E R
Draw lines to match each field of science with the subject matter it studies.
Field of Science Subject Matter
1.cardiology a. the human nervous system
2.entomology b.human and animal behavior
3.astronomy c. origin of words
4.paleontology d.insects
5.neurology e. history of languages
6.geology f. the human heart
7.ornithology g.all living organisms 8.psychology h.prehistoric life forms 9.anthropology i. history of human beings
10.biology j. physical history of Earth
11.etymology k.birds
12.philology l. outer space
P R AC T I C E 2 : R E T E S T I N G YO U R VO C A B U L A R Y K N OW L E D G E
Are the following sentences using words correctly? Write T if they make an accurate statement and F if they use the boldfaced word incorrectly. Read carefully; there may be tricks in the statements.
1. Dr. Robert Jarvik, an American cardiologist, is best known for his contri- butions to the development of an artificial human heart.
2. Oceanography, the study of birds, has replaced ornithologyas the proper name for this scientific field.
3. Sigmund Freud is famous as one of the world’s most important psychol- ogistsfor his theories about the workings of the human mind.
4. Dinosaurs are among the principal subjects of study for specialists in paleontology.
5. Studying words and their histories is the work of scientists in the field of neurology.
6. The study of astronomyhas been an inspiration to scientists, as well as science fiction writers and moviemakers.
7. Studying rocks, volcanoes, and mountaintops is not the work of geologists.
8. Philology, a very specialized field of language studies, seeks to trace the development of languages.
9. The study of biologyis the first requirement essential to the medical profession.
10. If you like bugs and you aren’t afraid to touch them, and you like the idea of traveling to faraway jungles, you should consider becoming a professional etymologist.
11. Becoming an entomologistprobably won’t make you rich, but you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your study of insects is a serious contribution to the world’s scientific knowledge.
12. Margaret Mead, one of the most important anthropologistsof the twenti- eth century, studied the cultural influences on adolescence in different cultures, and became famous as an advocate of women’s rights.