determine vs pick up on

determine

verb
  • To resolve (to do something); to establish a fixed intention; to cause (something) to come to a conclusion or decision; to lead. 

  • To fix the form or character of; to shape; to prescribe imperatively; to regulate; to settle. 

  • To fix the course of; to impel and direct; with a remoter object preceded by to. 

  • To bring to a conclusion, as a question or controversy; to settle authoritative or judicial sentence; to decide. 

  • To set the boundaries or limits of. 

  • To define or limit by adding a differentia. 

  • To bring to an end; to finish. 

  • To ascertain definitely; to figure out, find out, or conclude by analyzing, calculating, or investigating. 

pick up on

verb
  • To continue or build upon (for example, a task, analysis, or narrative), beginning from a point at which someone has previously stopped. 

  • To adopt a practice in which others already engage. 

  • To notice, observe, learn, or understand, especially something otherwise overlooked. 

How often have the words determine and pick up on occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )