‘Enak ya anaknya sudah besar. Tidak repot lagi. Jadi banyak waktu luang untuk diri sendiri.’ Benarkah semakin besar anak, semakin mandiri ia? Pernahkah mendengar anak yang sudah dewasa tetapi tidak mandiri? Semakin besar, semakin banyak menyusahkan orangtua. Semakin besar, semakin merongrong orangtua.
Ibarat membesarkan anak macan. Orangtua dijadikan seperti pembantu dan ATM. Kalau tidak dituruti, orangtuanya disakiti tidak hanya secara verbal tetapi juga secara fisik. Artinya apa? Menjadikan anak mandiri itu tidak mudah. Banyak hal yang harus dilakukan orangtua agar anak tumbuh semakin besar menjadi kian dewasa dan semakin bisa diandalkan.
Sebelum Berada Dalam Kandungan
Mempunyai anak sholeh dan sholehah adalah suatu perjuangan yang diawali dengan meminta perlindungan Allah Ta’ala. Sebelum orangtua bercampur, mereka berdoa. Doa ini terdapat dalam hadist yang diriwayatkan oleh Bukhari no. 6388 dan Muslim no. 1434. Doa yang bermakna agar Allah Ta’ala melindungi anak yang mungkin dihasilkan dari hubungan suami istri tersebut.
Selengkapnya doa ini dibaca sebelum berhubungan suami istri. ‘Bismillah Allahumma jannibnaasy syaithoona wa jannibisy syaithoona maa rozaqtanaa’ (Dengan nama Allah jauhkan kami dari gangguan setan dan jauhkan setan dari rezeki yang Engkau anugerahkan kepada kami).
Didik dengan Ilmu
Selama dalam kandungan, didik anak dengan ilmu karena ilmu adalah penerang kehidupan. Ajak anak mengaji dan mengkaji Al Qur’an, hadist, dan ilmu dunia dan akhirat lainnya. Jaga lingkungan tetap kondusif agar janin hanya mendengar perkataan yang baik dan hanya merasakan tingkah laku yang sesuai dengan kaidah.
Jauhkan dari melakukan perbuatan yang sia-sia dan melalaikan. Jangan dibawa ke pasar termasuk mal terlalu sering jika tidak ada keperluan. Pasar itu adalah tempat setan. Terlalu banyak hal yang tidak menunjang ibadah kalau berada di pasar atau mal dan supermarket. Siang dan malam pun terkadang tidak terasa karena larut dalam buaian proses melihat, menjual, dan membeli. Belum lagi hiburan yang melenakan lainnya yang banyak terdapat di mal.
Setelah lahir, biasakan anak bersandar pada Allah Ta’ala, ajak anak terus terbiasa dengan hapalan Al Qur’an. Ajarkan anak kemandirian sedini mungkin. Ajak anak melihat orangtuanya sholat malam dan sholat berjamaah. Bila perlu gendong ketika mengerjakan sholat jika anak rewel. Tidak membatalkan sholat melakukan gerakan diluar sholat berulang kali jika memang ada alasan syar’i. Rasulullah pun pernah menggendong cucunya ketika sedang sholat. Hadist yang mengatakan tidak boleh melakukan gerakan diluar gerakan sholat lebih dari tiga kali adalah hadist lemah.
Benarkah anak semakin besar, semakin mandiri? Tidak selamanya demikian bila tidak dipersiapkan dengan baik.
EXERCISE 25.1
Focus: Identifying correct and incorrect preposition choice
Directions: Underline the prepositions that correctly complete the following sentences.
1. Wage rates depend (in/on) part (from/on) the general prosperity (of/for) the economy.
2. (For/To) an injection to be effective (on/against) tetanus, it must be administered (by/within) 72 hours (of/for) the injury.
3. The invention (of/for) the hand-cranked freezer opened the door (for/to) commercial ice-cream production, and (for/since) then, the ice-cream industry has grown (in/into) a 4-billion-dollar-a-year industry.
4. (At/On) the time (of/in) the Revolutionary War, the North American colonies were merely a long string (with/of) settlements (along/among) the Atlantic Coast (between/from) Maine and Georgia.
5. The probability (of/for) two people (in/on) a group (of/for) ten people having birthdays (in/on) the same day is about one (in/of) twenty.
6. Showboats were floating theaters that tied up (at/to) towns (in/on) the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to bring entertainment and culture (to/at) the people (on/in) the frontier.
7. Scrimshaw, the practice (of/for) carving ornate designs (in/on) ivory, was first practiced (by/of) sailors working (by/with) sail needles while (in/on) long sea voyages.
8. Assateague Island, (off/of) the coast (off/of) Virginia, is famous (for/to) its herds (of/with) wild ponies.
9. (In/On) order (for/to) an object to be visible, light must travel (from/for) that object (at/to) a person’s eyes.
10. (In/On) the 1930s and 1940s, when train travel was (on/at) its peak, passengers could look forward (for/to) wonderful meals (on/at) trains.
11. (In/Since) the 1960s, op art, which was based (in/on) scientific theories (of/for) optics, employed patterns (of/in) lines and colors that seemed to change shape as the viewer looked (on/at) them.
12. The first national convention devoted (for/to) the issue (of/with) women’s rights, organized partly (of/by) Elizabeth Cady Stanton, was held (in/on) her hometown (in/of) Seneca Falls, New York, (in/on) 1848.
EXERCISE 28
Focus: Identifying errors involving conjunctions
Directions: For Sentence Completion items, mark the answer choice that correctly completes the sentence. For Error Identification items, circle the underlined portion of the sentence that would not be considered correct.
1. Model airplanes can be guided both by control wires or by radio transmitters.
2. Specialty stores, unlike department stores,
handle only one line of merchandise
__________ a limited number of closely
related lines.
(A) either
(B) but
(C) instead
(D) or
3. ThomasEakins studied not only painting
__________ anatomy when he was training
to become an artist.
(A) moreover
(B) but also
(C) as well
(D) and
4. Information in a computer can be lost because it is not longer stored or because it is stored but cannot be retrieved.
5. A mosaic is a picture done from small bits of either colored glass or tile.
6. Although topology is the youngest branch
of geometry, __________ is considered the
most sophisticated.
(A) but it
(B) soit
(C) it
(D) however it
7. John Lancaster Spaulding was not only a religious leader and also a social reformer.
8. In 1923, Jean Toomer wrote a book titled
Cane that combined fiction __________
poetry to describe the experience of being
black in the United States.
(A) and
(B) to
(C) also
(D) or
9. Although fish can hear, they have neither
external ears or eardrums.
10. In all animals, whether simple and complex, enzymes aid in the digestion of food.
11. Endive can be used __________ as a salad
green or as a cooking vegetable.
(A) such
(B) both
(C) either
(D) neither
12. The two most common methods florists are used to tint flowers are the spray method and the absorption method.
13. Beekeepers can sell both the honey and the beeswax that their bees produces.
14. Glucose does not have to be digested,
__________ it can be put directly into the
bloodstream.
(A) so
(B) while
(C) and since
(D) such
15. The human brain is often compared to a
computer, and such an analogy can be misleading.
16. Not only rust corrodes the surface of metal, but it also
weakens its internal structure.
17. Natural fiber comes from either animal
__________ plant sources.
(A) or
(B) otherwise
(C) and
(D) nor
18. A work of science fiction generally uses scientific discoveries and advanced technology, either real or imaginary, as part of their plot.
19. Community theater not only provides entertainment for local audiences as well as furnishes a creative outlet for amateurs
interested in drama.
20. Paint is ____________________________
used to protect wood.
(A) not only the substance
(B) the substance which is not only
(C) not only a substance which is
(D) not the only substance
EXERCISE 29
Focus: Identifying and correcting errors and correct forms of comparatives and superlatives.
Directions: Choose the option—(A), (B), (C), or (D)—that correctly completes the sentence. For
Error Identification items, circle the underlined portion of the sentence that would not be considered
correct.
1. The American and Canadian political systems are like in that both are dominated by two major parties.
2. Wild strawberries are _______________
cultivated strawberries.
(A) not sweeter
(B) not as sweet as
(C) less sweeter than
(D) not sweet as
3. The period is probably the most easiest punctuation mark to use.
4. When metal replaced wood in the construction of ships’ hulls,
more strong ships could be built.
5. Sea bass ____________ freshwater bass.
(A) are larger than
(B) the larger the
(C) are as large
(D) than are larger
6. Charcoal is the more commonly used cooking fuel in the world.
7. Automobiles, airplanes, and buses use more
energy per passenger ____________.
(A) as do trains
(B) than trains do
(C) trains do
(D) like trains
8. Few American politicians have spoken more eloquently as William Jennings Bryan.
9. The larger a drop of water, _____________
freezing temperature.
(A) the higher its
(B) its higher
(C) higher than its
(D) the highest
10. __________ San Diego and San Francisco,
Los Angeles has no natural harbor.
(A) Dissimilar
(B) Unlike
(C) Dislike
(D) Different
11. During a depression, economic conditions are far worst than they are during a recession.
12. The spinal column is alike the brain in that its main functions can be classified as either sensory or motor functions.
13. The water of the Great Salt Lake is
________________ seawater.
(A) saltier than that of
(B) as salty as that of
(C) saltier than
(D) so salty as
14. Fungi are the most important decomposers of forest soil, just like bacteria are the most important decomposers of grassland soil.
15. A psychosis is a severe mental disorder,
________________ a neurosis.
(A) the most serious
(B) as serious
(C) more serious than
(D) as though serious
16. The surfboards used thirty-five years ago were more heavy than the ones used by surfers today.
17. The horse chestnut has a stronger, bitter taste than other chestnuts.
18. The social system of bumblebees is not as
complex __________________.
(A) than honeybees
(B) as honeybees
(C) that honeybees are
(D) as that of honeybees
19. Chicago’s Field Museum is one of the largest and better known natural history museums in the United States.
20. The administration of private colleges is
nearly __________ that of public colleges.
(A) same
(B) just as
(C) the same as
(D) similar
EXERCISE 31
Focus: Completing structure problems involving misplaced modifiers (Note: ALL the items in this exercise
focus on misplaced modifiers.)
Directions: Mark the answer choice that correctly completes the sentence.
1. Fearing economic hardship, _____________
_____________________________________
__________.
(A) many New Englanders emigrated to
the Midwest in the 1820s
(B) emigration from New England to the
Midwest took place in the 1820s
(C) it was in the 1820s that many New
Englanders emigrated to the Midwest
(D) an emigration took place in the 1820s
from New England to the Midwest
2. Rich and distinctive in flavor, ____________
______________________________________
_______.
(A) there is in the United States a very
important nut crop, the pecan
(B) the most important nut crop in the
United States, the pecan
(C) farmers in the United States raise
pecans, a very important nut crop
(D) pecans are the most important nut
crop in the United States
3. Orbiting from 2.7 to 3.6 billion miles from
the sun, ______________________________
________________________________.
(A) the astronomer Clyde Tombaugh
discovered Pluto in 1930
(B) Pluto was discovered by the astronomer
Clyde Tombaugh in 1930
(C) it was in 1930 that the astronomer
Clyde Tombaugh discovered Pluto
(D) the discovery of Pluto was made by
Clyde Tombaugh in 1930
4. A popular instrument, __________________
_____________________________________
________.
(A) only a limited role has been available
to the accordion in classical music
(B) there is only a limited role for the
accordion in popular music
(C) classical music provides only a limited
role for the accordion
(D) the accordion has played only a
limited role in classical music
5. Unlike most birds, _____________________
____________________________________.
(A) the heads and necks of vultures lack
feathers
(B) feathers are not found on the heads
and necks of vultures
(C) vultures do not have feathers on their
heads and necks
(D) there are no feathers on vultures’
heads and necks
6. Widely reproduced in magazines and books,
______________________________________
______________________________.
(A) Ansel Adams depicted the Western
wilderness in his photographs
(B) the Western wilderness was depicted
in the photographs of Ansel Adams
(C) Ansel Adams’ photographs depicted the
Western wilderness
(D) it was through his photographs that
Ansel Adams depicted the Western wilderness
7. Smaller and flatter than an orange, ________
______________________________________
____________________.
(A) a tangerine is easy to peel and its
sections separate readily
(B) the peel of a tangerine is easily
removed and its sections are readily
separated
(C) it’s easy to peel a tangerine and to
separate its sections
(D) to peel a tangerine is easy, and its
sections can be readily separated
8. Like the federal government, ____________
_____________________________________
___________________.
(A) taxation provides most of the funds for
state and local governments as well
(B) state and local governments obtain
most of their funds through taxation
(C) through taxation is how state and local
governments obtain most of their
funds
(D) funds are provided from taxation for
state and local governments
9. Originally settled by Polynesians around
700 C.E., ______________________________
______________________________________.
(A) Hawaii received its first European
visitor in 1778, when Captain James
Cook landed there
(B) Hawaii’s first European visitor, Captain
James Cook, landed there in 1778
(C) in 1778 the first European, Captain
James Cook, visited Hawaii
(D) the first European to visit Hawaii was
Captain James Cook, landing there in 1778
EXERCISE 32
Focus: Completing structure problems involving negative words (Note: ALL the items in this exercise focus
on negative words.)
Directions: For Sentence Completion items, mark the answer choice—(A), (B), (C), or (D)—which
correctly completes the sentence. For Error Identification items, circle the underlined portion of the
sentence that would not be considered correct.
1. Early carpenters, having __________ nails,
had to use wooden pegs to secure their
constructions.
(A) no
(B) not
(C) without
(D) neither
2. Old Faithful is the most famous but
___________ the most powerful geyser in
Yellowstone National Park.
(A) none of
(B) no
(C) nothing
(D) not
3. Joseph Priestly, the discoverer of oxygen, had little or not
interest in science until he met Benjamin Franklin in Paris.
4. Mobile homes were __________ counted as
permanent houses until the 1960 census.
(A) not
(B) nor
(C) no
(D) none
5. Most solo musicians play __________ sheet
music in front of them.
(A) without
(B) not having
(C) lacking
(D) and no
6. Desertification is the creation of deserts
where __________ had existed before.
(A) never
(B) no one
(C) none
(D) not one
7. A peanut is not actually a nut but a legume alike peas and
beans.
8. Glass snakes are actually legless lizards,
__________ snakes.
(A) no
(B) not
(C) nor
(D) none
9. Twenty-four carat gold is no 100 percent gold because pure gold is too soft to be used in jewelry.
10. There is __________ truth to the old
expression “Lightning never strikes the
same place twice.”
(A) without
(B) none
(C) no
(D) not
11. ______________ single person can be said
to have invented the automobile.
(A) There was not a
(B) Nor a
(C) Not one of
(D) No
12. A serious study of physics is impossible
________ some knowledge of mathematics.
(A) not with
(B) no
(C) not having
(D) without
REVIEW TEST G: STRUCTURE
Directions: For Sentence Completion items, select the answer choice—(A), (B), (C), or (D)—that
correctly completes the sentence. For Error Identification items, select the answer choice—(A), (B),
(C), or (D)—that corresponds to the underlined portion of the sentence that would not be considered
correct.
1. ______________________________ one of
Canada’s greatest engineering projects, is a
twenty-seven mile long waterway between
Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
(A) Because the Welland Ship Canal is
(B) The Welland Ship Canal is
(C) That the Welland Ship Canal is
(D) The Welland Ship Canal,
2. Pikes Peak, named for explorer Zebulon
Pike, is Colorado’s most famous but not its
most highest mountain.
3. Oceanography is not a single science and rather a group of disciplines with a common focus.
4. The art of landscape architecture is
________________ that of architecture
itself.
(A) almost as old as
(B) as almost old
(C) almost as old than
(D) old as almost
5. The term forgetting refers to the loss, whether temporary and long-term, of material that has previously been learned.
6. Early astronomers believed that the fainter a
star, _____________________.
(A) it was farther away
(B) the farther away was it
(C) that it was farther away
(D) the farther away it was
7. Released in 1915, ______________________
_____________________________________
______.
(A) D. W. Griffith made an epic film about
the Civil War, Birth of a Nation
(B) the Civil War was the subject of D. W.
Griffith’s epic film, Birth of a Nation
(C) D. W. Griffith’s epic film Birth of a
Nation was about the Civil War
(D) the subject of D. W. Griffith’s epic film
Birth of a Nation was the Civil War
8. One way pumpkins and watermelons are like is that both grow on vines trailing along the surface of the ground.
9. __________ the reptiles alive today is
capable of flight.
(A) No
(B) None of
(C) Not one
(D) Not
10. When the female oriole is absent from the
nest, the male oriole serves like a sentinel.
11. Elfego Baca, ____________ legendary
Mexican-American folk hero, was a lawman
in New Mexico in the late 1880s.
(A) a
(B) who, as a
(C) was a
(D) and he was a
12. Until the 1940s, a historian’s own era was
no regarded as a proper field of study.
13. An operetta has some of the same musical elements as an opera and is much lighter in both subject and style.
14. Properly administered, __________________
______________________________________.
(A) the symptoms of many mental illnesses
can be treated with drugs
(B) drugs can be used to treat the symptoms
of many mental illnesses
(C) doctors can use drugs to treat symptoms
of many mental illnesses
(D) many of the symptoms of mental illness can be treated with drugs
15. Early explorers in Utah named the cliffs
they encountered “reefs” because they thought these cliffs looked alike coral formations.
16. Neither humans or dogs can hear as well as cats.
17. _______________ popular child’s toy since
1905, the teddy bear was named after
President Theodore Roosevelt.
(A) It has been a
(B) A
(C) Once a
(D) First it became a
18. Just like microscopes have provided access to the world of small objects, high-speed cameras have provided access to the world of short-duration events.
19. __________ plant has a nervous system, and
most respond very slowly to stimuli in their
environments.
(A) Not a
(B) Never a
(C) No
(D) None
20. Gold topaz is much rare than either white
or blue topaz.
21. Vermont is the only state in New England
_______________ an Atlantic coastline.
(A) without
(B) not with
(C) which not having
(D) doesn’t have
22. The Colorado beetle is a beautiful insect,
__________ it causes a great deal of damage
to food crops.
(A) but
(B) what
(C) or
(D) which
23. Jupiter’s moons can be easily seen through
__________ binoculars or a small telescope.
(A) either
(B) if
(C) whether
(D) or
24. The Kennedy-Nixon race of 1960 was the most closest U.S. presidential election of the twentieth century.
25. __________ a river on land, an ocean
current does not flow in a straight line.
(A) Alike
(B) Likewise
(C) Like
(D) Likely