An ex-colleague sent me a URL for a nifty words-related site called Free Rice.

quote:

For each word you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger.

It's fun and addictive to test your vocabulary. The words get harder and easier depending on you vocabulary score (up to 50).

Cool, z. Our licensure exam uses the computer adapted concept, where the question that comes next depends on how you did on the previous one. I wonder if this is the case here, or if the words just get harder, even when you miss them. Many words came up for me that we've discussed here, which was great. I agree that it's addictive.

Cool! I donated 1250 grains of rice but got bored after about five minutes. I never quite reached level 50; usually the level hovered between 47 and 49.

I might take issue with some of the one-word answers that I felt weren't close enough to the real definition. Good overall, though.

I like it!

I decided to play up to 500 grains and see where I ended. Ended at 47, but I must admit that a handful of my answers were informed guesses.

arnie, I'd bet that "50" is merely a target-number, which can't in fact be reached. (Sort of "a man's reach should exceed his grasp" or maybe "to dream the impossible dream".) Wouldn't it be interesting to try to reach it with a dictionary in hand?

P.S. Check this part of the site to see how very new it is, and how explosively it's grown. A real testament to how fast news can spread on the net.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: shufitz,

I think it would be a fun way to study for the SATs.

You've got to get three in a row right to advance to the next level. One wrong, though and you're dropped a level.

Well, I got to 49 on several occasions but not to 50. Some of the words I felt were unfair (slang or jargon) but on the whole it's a good game. I managed to get up to around 1,400 grains.

I don't know if this is a difference between women or men or not, but I didn't even notice that there was a score. I just glibly went about my business of clicking the definitions. Now, though, I'll be all stressed, worrying that my score isn't up to snuff.

Nor did I Kalleh until someone mentioned it.

Without cheating I've only made it up to 47 but I have a low boredom threshold and haven't played for an extended period.

Great point about working well as an SAT review. I'm going to post the site for my 12th Grade English classes. Thanks for pointing this one out!

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
I
Now, though, I'll be all stressed, worrying that my score isn't up to snuff.

Good game, I enjoyed it, and learned one or two words from my mistakes. Like Richard, I reached 49, but never made the 50.
Might try again.

I can verify that 50 is quite attainable, with a little fivebearance.

(hello Victor Borge!)

But tsuwn, if you're playing in Borgese, don't you have to get up to 51?

< running-five-cover icon >

it was already up from all those 49s, you ignorant doofus.

<cross-threading>

For those who are unaware, I know tsuwm well enough to understand that his comment is curmudgeonly mock-anger, not serious anger.

But just in case I'm mistaken, tsuwm, you have my apologies. And as a placatory gift, I chose something special, knowing what you'd enjoy. See here and note the root.

what, you think folks missed the "ignorant doofus" crossthread??

doesn't everyone read all the posts?
(actually, I don't)

p.s. - thanx for the pyg word.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tsuwm,

quote:

An ex-colleague sent me a URL for a nifty words-related site called Free Rice. [quote:] "For each word you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice through the United Nations to help end world hunger."

It's now up to 20 grains instead of 10.

An interesting pattern seems to be emerging in the "totals" page of freerice, where totals for the current month are shown on a per-day basis. The site gets much heavier use on weekdays than on weekends.

How interesting! I wonder if that pattern will continue in the next few weeks, when the kids are out of school but the office-workers are in the office.

Wow, look at it now.

The site now has multiple quiz subjects. You can test yourself in famous art, in several foreign languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish) or the periodic table.

I thought I'd do well in world geography.

I was grievously disappointed.

Speaking of geography, shu, I'm not sure if this has been posted on Wordcraft before - I did a quick search and couldn't see it.

Lilly - the World Map Master

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r43yCiKlbCo

50 is in fact attainable, but the top appears to be 60. I don't know what it was a year ago.

Strangely, I can manage to maintain 50 now, though a year ago when we started this thread I kept quiet because I was so outranked by the 47's, 48's, & 49's....

Must be all this time with you Wordcrafters!

The problem is that you only need get one answer wrong to drop down a point. Then you've got to answer a number (5?) right at that level to go back up again. I'd regularly go up to 49, then come across a word I didn't know, drop down, come back up to 49 again, drop down again ... I did manage to hit 50 a few times, though.

Now I see that the levels have changed to 60, so I suppose I'll have to work even harder now. <sigh>

Oh my. I am so bad with geography that they gave me the United States once!

I'd better review.