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Test your basic knowledge |
Complete Advanced Sentences
Start Test
Study First
Subjects
:
english
,
grammar
Instructions:
Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
If you are not ready to take this test, you can
study here
.
Match each statement with the correct term.
Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.
This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. All things change over time; nothing is _____.
verbose
immutable
induce
nurture
2. At evening block inspection - the recruits' bunk room - washroom - and gear come under the inspecting officer's close _____.
hypothetical
scrutiny
oblivion
impair
3. Stories in The New York Times often include _____ allusions to obscure people and events.
esoteric
erudite
elusive
fastidious
4. After medical school - the two doctors took widely _____ paths - one becoming a wealthy plastic surgeon - the other joining the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders.
inane
divergent
nonchalance
induce
5. Since both interpretations seemed possible - the judge could not decide which way to interpret a particularly _____ passage in the law.
soporific
elucidate
ambiguous
frivolous
6. The special prosecutor determined that the attorney general - though inept - had not intentionally set out to _____ the progress of the investigation.
eclectic
induce
impede
coercion
7. Unlike Widow Douglas - who _____ Huck's minor offenses - Miss Watson did nothing but scold.
profane
condone
frivolous
instigate
8. The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Esther's _____ sense.
lethargic
exuberance
aesthetic
detachment
9. A radical committed to social change - Reed had no patience with the conservative views _____ in the America of his day.
prevalent
mitigate
extraneous
affirmation
10. To revise a textbook properly - you must do more than make a few _____ changes to the manuscript.
adversity
notoriety
superficial
aesthetic
11. The reviewers heaped _____ on the novice playwright - ridiculing his pretentious dialogue - flat characters - and simple-minded plot.
homogeneous
volatile
derision
innocuous
12. There's no point to what you're saying. Why are you bothering to make such _____ remarks?
specious
volatile
coercion
inane
13. After a decade of popularity - Hurston's works had fallen into _____; no one bothered to read her novels and short stories any more.
recluse
elucidate
corroborate
oblivion
14. The Beatles expressed themselves through capricious - flip humor and _____ displays of carefree abandon.
venerate
erudite
whimsical
derision
15. The uncrowned queen of the fashion industry - Diana was famous for her _____ taste.
anarchy
prevalent
impeccable
elucidate
16. Compared to Jo - who was perfectly ready to chat with anyone about anything - Beth was _____ about what she considered personal matters.
debunk
endorse
obdurate
reticent
17. Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for city council the mayor would _____.
reprimand
assumption
endorse
extol
18. Dirt poor and out of work - she did not give up but continued to fight against _____.
adversity
incite
surpass
levity
19. With its worn-out dialogue and predictable plot - the sitcom struck me as unbearably _____.
banal
skeptic
profane
surpass
20. The store manager tried to _____ the angry customer by offering to replace the damaged merchandise or return her money.
placate
astute
acclaim
debilitate
21. At commencement - the dean praised Ellen for her _____ behavior as class president.
taciturn
exemplary
exacerbate
opportunist
22. These endorsements written by satisfied customers _____ our claim that Barron's SAT is the best SAT-prep book on the market.
substantiate
aesthetic
innocuous
impede
23. When Elizabeth realized that Darcy considered himself too good to dance with his inferiors - she took great offense at his _____.
haughtiness
colloquial
fervor
usurp
24. The BP oil spill has caused _____ damage to the entire Gulf Coast.
profane
erudite
apathy
profound
25. Looking for any inconsistency in the testimony that might exonerate his client - the defense lawyer pounced on a _____ between the two witnesses' versions of what had occurred.
discrepancy
surreptitious
criterion
inadvertently
26. The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case - sure that she could answer his arguments in her _____.
rebuttal
extraneous
frivolous
acclaim
27. Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied; be _____ about what's bothering you.
adulation
acclaim
explicit
mitigate
28. Because a _____ examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson - we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more thorough investigation of the fire's cause.
exuberance
retract
cursory
corroborate
29. Is an old-fashioned hairstyle an apt _____ for being out of step with the times and in need of change?
notoriety
predilection
metaphor
extol
30. To be low man on the totem pole is to have a decidedly inferior place in the _____.
incite
cryptic
hierarchy
volatile
31. Covering the Olympic Games - the sportscasters _____ every American victory and grumbled about every American defeat.
predilection
acclaim
recount
embellish
32. Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage; be _____.
extricate
benign
succinct
sporadic
33. My editors must assume I'm a _____ writer; they expect me to revise six books this year.
prolific
disseminate
debilitate
corroborate
34. The governor's appointment of his brother-in-law to the State Supreme Court was a _____ violation of the state laws against nepotism.
homogeneous
succinct
flagrant
predilection
35. Despite airing her clothes for several hours - she could not rid them of the _____ odor of mothballs that clung to them.
pervasive
explicit
levity
conciliatory
36. According to Sherlock Homes - the very point that appears to complicate a case - when duly considered and scientifically handled - is the one most likely to _____ it.
elucidate
reprove
detachment
insipid
37. The costume designer _____ the leading lady's ball gown with yards and yards of ribbon and lace.
satirical
scrutiny
embellish
ostentatious
38. Although Eric knew the boss had no sense of humor - he couldn't resist making one _____ remark.
taciturn
undermine
surreptitious
jocular
39. Violently disagreeing with the referees' ruling - Coach Ben became so _____ that they threw him out of the game.
reserve
contentious
ironic
profound
40. You can _____ your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well.
hyperbole
metaphor
enhance
extraneous
41. Because Webster's dictionary had grown so large and unwieldy - the publishers decided to _____ it and bring out a condensed version.
haughtiness
abridge
embellish
mundane
42. The bottle of wine I brought to Sharon's party was certainly _____: how was I to know that Sharon owned a winery?
adulation
prevalent
arbitrary
redundant
43. Nothing could shake his _____ that his children would get the best education that money could buy.
resolution
extol
arbitrary
instigate
44. The inquisitors used both physical and psychological _____ to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God.
terse
satirical
divergent
coercion
45. The architect realized that her design for the new school had to be in _____ with the local building code.
compliance
meticulous
oblivion
ostentatious
46. _____ to his downtrodden existence - the day laborer was too meek to protest his supervisor's bullying.
adversity
resigned
fallacious
explicit
47. In a brief essay - describe a person you admire - someone whose virtues and achievements you would like to _____.
adulation
detachment
preclude
emulate
48. When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura - she was in a _____ as to which school she should attend.
partisan
fervor
quandary
nonchalance
49. Through the comments of the characters in his cartoon strip - Doonesbury - Gary Trudeau ridicules political corruption; his humor is _____ in nature.
digression
satirical
eclectic
rhetorical
50. The young wrestler struggled to defeat his formidable _____.
adversary
jocular
interpid
prevalent