True or False? Answers and notes

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1. He tried to find different things to do every evening.

TRUE "Rudolf Steiner was a true adventurer. There were few evenings when he did not go out seeking something different. He was always interested in what might be waiting around the next corner."

Note the use of "few evenings" with a negative "There were few evenings when he did not go out". This is a common feature of descriptive language and is often usedto describe a person's character, as the use of the negative adds emphasis to the characteristics being described.

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2. He liked staying at home.

FALSE "Rudolf Steiner was a true adventurer. There were few evenings when he did not go out seeking something different. He was always interested in what might be waiting around the next corner."

Note the use of "few evenings" with a negative "There were few evenings when he did not go out". This is a common feature of descriptive language and is often usedto describe a person's character, as the use of the negative adds emphasis to the characteristics being described.

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3. He never got into trouble with the police.

FALSE "Sometimes adventure led him into strange places. Two times the cops arrested him."

It is equally possible to say "twice" instead of "two times". In this case, attention is drawn to the occasions and events, rather than the quantity, by the use of "two times". In less formal conversation, we would probably say "The cops arrested him twice".

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4. He lost his money many times.

TRUE "Again and again he discovered that he had lost all his money."

"Again and again" a common way of emphasizing a person's habits.

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5. His watch was stolen one time.

TRUE "One night his watch was taken from him. But he continued happily to accept every offer of adventure."

"...his watch was taken from him" is another way to say his watch was stolen without him noticing. It suggests that no violence or aggression was involved and also that Rudolf was very relaxed and casual and talked to people very easily, even if sometimes they were thieves.

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