Combing through data

[Wullpe]

Test No. incompl/inter-31 "Life on Mars?", question 2

Scientists have been ......... through data from an orbiting satellite.

(a) combing
(b) scratching
(c) brushing
(d) scaling

Test No. incompl/inter-31 "Life on Mars?", answer 2

Scientists have been combing through data from an orbiting satellite.

Correct answer: (a) combing

Your answer was: incorrect
Scientists have been scratching through data from an orbiting satellite.
_________________________

why combing instead of scratching?.what's the meaning for each one?

[Alan]

Hi Wullpe,

Comb through means examine information in great detail. The police for example receive a lot of information after an incident and they have to look through all the material they have been given in order to find what is important.

Scratch through could be used to describe what a squirrel does when it tries to find food.

Alan
_________________
English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Too Many Words

[Wullpe]

thanks..alan..i've been making tests on this site for 8 months..i don't know why i didn't ask u questions before..but it's ok later than never