Institutions and Social Patterns

Objective: Understand precedent and choose it accurately in context.

precedent (noun): An earlier decision or action used as a guide for handling a similar situation later. Context sentences 1. The university's decision to refund tuition after the flood established a precedent for future campus closures. 2. Before ruling on the dispute, the judge examined a precedent involving a similar contract. 3. The council feared that granting one business an exemption would create a precedent other businesses could invoke.

Objective: Understand convention and choose it accurately in context.

convention (noun): A customary way of behaving or doing something that a group generally accepts. Context sentences 1. By convention, speakers at the assembly address their remarks to the chair. 2. The architect challenged the convention that every classroom must face a single teaching wall. 3. Although no rule required formal clothing, convention kept most guests in dark suits.

Objective: Understand orthodoxy and choose it accurately in context.

orthodoxy (noun): The set of beliefs or practices accepted as correct by an established group or institution. Context sentences 1. The young economist questioned the department's orthodoxy about how markets respond to shortages. 2. Religious orthodoxy shaped which interpretations the school permitted teachers to discuss. 3. Within the design firm, an orthodoxy favoring plain surfaces made decorative proposals difficult to advance.

Objective: Understand ideology and choose it accurately in context.

ideology (noun): A connected set of beliefs about how society should be organized and governed. Context sentences 1. The party's ideology linked public ownership with a broader vision of economic equality. 2. Her analysis examined how political ideology influenced decisions about housing and education. 3. Although the candidates favored the same bridge project, their ideology differed on the proper role of government.

Objective: Understand autonomy and choose it accurately in context.

autonomy (noun): The freedom or authority to make decisions and govern one's own affairs. Context sentences 1. The regional government sought greater autonomy over transportation and housing policy. 2. Teachers valued the autonomy to choose texts suited to their students. 3. The agreement preserved the island's autonomy while placing foreign affairs under national control.

Objective: Understand hierarchy and choose it accurately in context.

hierarchy (noun): A system that arranges people, positions, or groups in levels of rank or authority. Context sentences 1. The hospital's hierarchy determined which officials could approve major expenditures. 2. New recruits learned where their positions fit within the military hierarchy. 3. The cooperative replaced its rigid hierarchy with teams whose members shared decision-making power.

Objective: Understand hegemony and choose it accurately in context.

hegemony (noun): The dominant influence or leadership of one group or state over others. Context sentences 1. The empire maintained regional hegemony by setting trade conditions that neighboring states had little power to resist. 2. The essay examined the cultural hegemony of the capital, whose tastes shaped theater across the country. 3. Smaller parties formed an alliance to challenge the ruling party's hegemony.

Objective: Understand disparity and choose it accurately in context.

disparity (noun): A substantial difference or inequality between people, groups, or conditions. Context sentences 1. The report highlighted a disparity in library access between the two districts. 2. A large disparity separated the salaries of senior executives and entry-level workers. 3. The committee proposed transportation grants to reduce the disparity in students' access to internships.

Objective: Understand reciprocity and choose it accurately in context.

reciprocity (noun): The practice of responding to another's actions or benefits with corresponding actions or benefits. Context sentences 1. The neighboring farms practiced reciprocity by lending each other equipment during harvest. 2. The treaty relied on reciprocity, with each country granting the other's ships equal access to its ports. 3. Their friendship developed through reciprocity as each offered help when the other needed it.

Objective: Understand legitimacy and choose it accurately in context.

legitimacy (noun): The quality of being accepted as rightful, valid, or properly authorized. Context sentences 1. The disputed election weakened public confidence in the government's legitimacy. 2. The board established the legitimacy of its decision by showing that it had followed the organization's charter. 3. Residents questioned the committee's legitimacy because no one had authorized it to represent the neighborhood.