Extract:
Select the meaning of the underlined word in the following sentence.
Calcium pills may be used to supplement your diet.
-
A
Replace
-
B
Add to
-
C
Reflect
-
D
Parallel
To supplement is to add to something making it more enhanced.
To supplement a diet means to add nutrients or substances that enhance or complete nutritional intake without replacing existing components, making add to the operationally precise definition.
A) Replace
Replacement implies substitution, removing original elements to insert alternatives. Supplementation, conversely, preserves baseline intake while augmenting it. Calcium supplements complement dietary calcium; they don't displace food sources. The prefix "sup-" (under/beside) signals additive rather than substitutive action.
B) Add to
Addition captures supplementation's core mechanism: introducing complementary elements to existing systems without displacement. Supplements "fill gaps" in nutritional profiles, they don't reconstruct diets wholesale. Etymologically, supplere ("to fill up") implies completion through augmentation, not replacement, precisely matching "add to" as definitional equivalent.
C) Reflect
Reflection involves mirroring or representing existing qualities rather than introducing new elements. Supplements actively contribute novel nutrients; they don't passively mirror dietary content. This option confuses representation with contribution, fundamentally mischaracterizing supplementation's active role.
D) Parallel
Parallelism denotes equivalent but separate trajectories without interaction. Supplements integrate with existing dietary components to create unified nutritional profiles, they don't run alongside diets independently. True parallel systems remain non-interacting; supplementation requires metabolic integration.
Conclusion
Supplementation functions through additive augmentation, introducing complementary elements to enhance existing systems without displacement. Unlike replacement (substitution), reflection (mirroring), or parallelism (separation), addition captures supplementation's essential mechanism: strategic enhancement that completes rather than reconstructs baseline nutritional architecture.
Topic Flashcards
Click to FlipIn the sentence "The judge demanded tangible evidence, not just speculation," what does tangible mean?
Real, concrete, and perceptible by touch. (Opposite of abstract).
What does concur mean in this context? "I concur with your assessment; we must act immediately."
To agree or share the same opinion.
"Her remarks were candid, revealing her true feelings without pretense." What is the meaning of candid?
Frank, honest, and straightforward.
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Secret, hidden, or not openly acknowledged.
"He tried to mitigate the damage by apologizing publicly." What does mitigate mean?
To make less severe, serious, or painful; to alleviate.
If a plan is described as feasible, does that mean it is impractical or impossible?
No.