The flooding of Lake Eyre – exercise B – answers
1 Substantive – they are waiting for substantive rain that will ease the drought.
Substantive means important or meaningful because it is actually real. Eg Unless the workers get a substantive rise in pay they will go on strike – i.e. the offer must be a definite one, not a vague promise to consider their point of view.
2 They have been enthralled by this rare outback event.
Did you spell this with a double ‘l’? To enthral – verb – capture the fascinated attention of. Eg The circus performance was absolutely enthralling.
3 Triggers – the water triggers a dramatic transformation of the arid outback.
4 A tourist hotspot.
5 Fielding
To field can be used 1) in a sporting sense of someone who plays away from the centre of a game and also 2) to mean deal with especially of a difficult question, groups of visitors, telephone calls etc. Eg "If we get any questions about the court case can you field them?"
6 Surreal
7 Blurred
Did you spell both of these with a double ‘r’?
8 That it is some of the most spectacular outback country anybody is likely to see.
9 Far and wide = over a large area.
10 Remote
11 Bank on – they bank on getting a flood once a decade but they often have to wait much longer than that.
12 (It is) to keep the traditions alive that Australia is so proud of.
Notice the position of the preposition!
13 I’ve yet to work that out myself.
14 Wet and luxuriant.
15 Influx – the influx of visitors.
The word influx is a clever choice here, because it has two specific meanings – 1) the arrival or entry of large numbers of people or things 2) an inflow of water into a river, lake or sea
16 "What could be more convenient?"
handy – adj – informal – convenient to use or handle, useful. The extra money I’ve earned this month will come in handy (informal) to pay our electricity bill. = turn out to be useful.