Basic Details
Word: Simulation
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: A copy or model of a real situation, often made on a computer, used to train people or to study what might happen.
Synonyms: imitation, model, reproduction
Antonyms: reality
How to Spell Simulation
Syllables: sim - u - la - tion
Tricky part: After the single m comes a u, not an i or an a: sim-u-la-tion. Students who confuse it with similar write similation.
Watch out for: similation, simmulation, simulasion, simalation
Memory tip: Build it from simulate, sim-u-late: drop the final e and add -ion. If you can spell simulate, simulation follows.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The fire brigade ran a simulation of a factory blaze to train its new recruits.
Example 2: Weather scientists use computer simulations to predict cyclones.
Example 3: In the simulation, the car crashed, but nobody was hurt.
Fun Fact
Airline pilots practise engine failures and storms in flight simulators, full-size copies of a cockpit that tilt and shake, so they can learn without risking a real aircraft.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word simulation as used in the sentence:
Before the real launch, the engineers tested the rocket's flight path in a detailed simulation.
a) celebration
b) accident
c) imitation
d) reality
Show answer
c) imitation. A simulation imitates the real thing; reality is the real thing itself.
Word Cookie
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word:
s_m_lat_on
a) i, u, e
b) e, u, i
c) i, u, i
d) i, a, i
Show answer
c) i, u, i. The word starts with sim, takes a u next, and ends with -tion.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The science museum lets visitors try a space-walk tsimluanio on a giant screen.
a) stimulation
b) sublimation
c) insulation
d) simulation
Show answer
d) simulation. There is no second t, no b and only one n, which points to simulation.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why do learner drivers sometimes use a simulation?
a) to avoid paying for a driving test
b) to learn how to repair an engine
c) to practise safely before using real roads
d) to make their cars go much faster
Show answer
c) to practise safely before using real roads
2. A computer game that copies running a city is a kind of ____.
a) dictionary
b) recipe
c) biography
d) simulation
Show answer
d) simulation
