Vocabulary Review: English Quality Survey Exam 2025 - 2026

Flashcards covering key vocabulary, technical terms, and concepts found in the exam passages including AI, sociology, and environmental gardening.

AI winters

Periods during the 20th century when AI progress stalled and funding dried up due to hardware and memory limits.

Compute

The processing power or hardware resources required for AI calculations, which was once a major bottleneck but can now be purchased.

GPUs

Graphics processing units; hardware originally designed for gaming that is now mass-produced by companies like Nvidia to power AI calculations.

Bottleneck

A specific stage in a process that causes delay or limits overall progress, such as power supply now being the limit for AI.

Firm capacity

The availability of reliable, stable power at the correct time and location to meet energy demands.

IEA

The International Energy Agency, which projects that data centers will consume more than twice their current electricity by the end of the decade.

Reasoning AI systems

Newer AI models that deliberate longer to respond to users, pushing energy demands into everyday operations.

Generation gap

A misalignment of values, priorities, and lived experiences between different age groups, often framed as a consequence of technology.

Estrangement

The feeling of being alienated or disconnected from another group, such as the misunderstanding between older and younger generations.

Intractable

Something that is very difficult to manage, control, or solve, such as the cultural spectacle created by the generation gap on social media.

Reverse-mentoring

Programs where younger employees mentor senior staff, often used to signal modernity within an HR department.

Performance review culture

A professional assessment system that frequently encodes the preferences of whoever holds the senior position.

Urban gardening

The practice of growing food in small city spaces like rooftops, balconies, or community plots to connect with nature.

Sustain

To maintain or keep something thriving over the long term, such as a garden or a business initiative.

Daunting

Seeming difficult to deal with or intimidating, often used to describe the initial obstacles of a new project.

Indigenous artisans

Traditional craftspeople who represent and preserve centuries-old cultural heritages.

Digital divide

The growing gap between those who have digital skills and technological access and those who do not.

Two-factor authentication

A security feature that requires two forms of identification to access an account, providing higher protection for transactions.

Resilience

The ability to remain calm and adapt to successfully complete a task despite facing unexpected technical difficulties.

Ecological restoration

The process of repairing damaged ecosystems, such as introducing green corridors and recreational facilities to a waterfront.