noun / verb · neutral
challenge
/ˈtʃælɪndʒ/CHAL·lenge
a task or situation that tests someone's abilities; (v) to question or dispute, or to try to take part in something difficult
Examples
“One of the biggest challenges of urban planning is balancing development and sustainability.”
“Students were challenged to design a low-cost water filter.”
“He challenged the data, arguing that the sample was biased.”
Band 8 sentence
“Although funding was scarce, the research team rose to the challenge and produced robust results under tight deadlines.”
Collocations
- face a challenge
- major/significant challenge
- rise to the challenge
Word family
Common mistakes
use 'challenge to' instead of 'challenge (something)' when meaning 'phản biện': 'He challenged to the results.'→He challenged the results.
confuse 'challenge' with 'problem' in positive contexts: 'It was a problem that improved them.'→It was a challenge that improved them.
omit article: 'a big challenges'→big challenges / a big challenge
Say it for a higher band
5problem→6difficulty→7+challenge
Synonyms
difficulty
obstacle
Easily confused
difficulty
“The project faced several difficulties that delayed completion.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 3
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