1. Which is the best way to increase your background knowledge?
Increase your vocabulary by looking up unfamiliar words.
Background knowledge is information that can be provided to help make sense of a new concept. It is accurate and factual, Having more vocabulary about a certain subject will help you understand a specific topic better than if you hadn't learned the vocabulary. The other options would not help increase background knowledge.
2. Which is the best strategy for Lucy to use to find the most common definition of fascism?
Consult the first definition available for the term in a dictionary.
Most, but not all, dictionaries list the most common definition of a word first, so this would be the most effective strategy. Checking out a book about fascism wouldn't help Lucy find the most common definition. An online survey would help her determine which one people use, but wouldn't be the fastest or most effective way. A thesaurus lists similar words, so would also not give the most common definition.
