Answer: France and Germany, Benelux and Italy, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Austria and Spain,
Finland, and Sweden.
Now, take a good look at the example above. You will notice that the set was originally a 15 member set, and we converted it to 9 items. One of the items is a six-member enumeration, and five contained 2-3
members. You will also notice that the information in the enumerations is more detailed than the original set. By simplifying the set, it was possible to add useful information.
You may be a bit confused right now, but once you try it out for yourself, you will see how easy the technique is. Next is an example of using cloze deletions:
Difficult to Learn
Question: What sequence are the letters of the alphabet?
Answer: abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
Cloze Deletions
Question: The alphabet begins with which three letters?
Answer: ABC
Question: Fill in the missing alphabet letters A… … … E
Answer: A B C D
Question: Fill in the absent alphabet letters B… … … F
Answer: C D E
Believe it or not, this method will make you learn much faster because
instead of recalling or reciting the whole sequence, you can focus specifically on a small part of the material. After you have done a repetition, it’s a good idea to recite the whole alphabet. The more you practice, the quicker and more comfortable it will get.
Another excellent example of how to learn enumerations is through learning poetry. You may find it easy to remember a poem if it is one with rhyming anyway, but if you are having difficulty memorizing a verse, break it down using cloze deletion, and this will make the job much more comfortable.
Interference Leads to Confusion
Often when we are learning about similar things, they can quickly get confused. When the knowledge of a particular thing makes it more difficult to remember another, it is called memory interference. This is common when learning and memorizing multiple numbers, such as medical or chemical dosages and compounds.
You may find you can remember something for years, or even decades, then all of a sudden, it’s gone. That is generally because you have learned something similar that creates interference leading to confusion. Unfortunately, it can be nearly impossible to be able to predict when interference will occur when learning. The following are some tips to help prevent interference:
Keep the item unambiguous
Stick to the minimum information principle
If you notice interference, eliminate it immediately
Optimizing the Wording
How things are worded can dramatically affect the way you learn and store the information. The brain will respond to more straightforward and more optimized wording and therefore increase the speed at which you learn and store the data.
Also, by using optimized wording, the sentences are more readable and less tedious, which keeps the reader engaged, and you are more likely to retain the information.
Take a look at the example below:
Wordy Cloze Deletion - Less Optimal
Question: In 1985, Aldus used PageMaker to invent desktop publishing. There was little competition for years, so no improvements were made. Then Denver-based…shot past. PageMaker remains No. 2
and is owned by Adobe.
Answer: Quark.
Here it is with fewer words:
Question: In 1985, Aldus used PageMaker to invent desktop publishing but failed to improve. Then…shot past (PageMaker remains No. 2).
Answer: Quark.
And even fewer words:
Question: Desktop publishing was invented with PageMaker by Aldus, but it didn’t improve. Soon it was outdistanced by …
Answer: Quark.
More words removed:
Question: PageMaker failed to improve and was outdistanced by …
