SUBJECTS
|
BROWSE
|
CAREER CENTER
|
POPULAR
|
JOIN
|
LOGIN
Business Skills
|
Soft Skills
|
Basic Literacy
|
Certifications
About
|
Help
|
Privacy
|
Terms
|
Email
Search
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. Michael's severe bout of the flue _____ him so much that for a week he was too tired to go back to work.
debilitate
banal
elucidate
opulence
2. The reviewers heaped _____ on the novice playwright - ridiculing his pretentious dialogue - flat characters - and simple-minded plot.
debunk
nurture
extricate
derision
3. When Amanda said to the ticket scalper - 'One hundred bucks? What do you want - a pound of flesh?' she was making an _____ to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.
criterion
cryptic
adversary
allusion
4. Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage; be _____.
succinct
altruistic
specious
satirical
5. Icebreakers were needed to _____ the trapped whales from the icy floes that closed them in.
extricate
adulation
lethargic
astute
6. Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class - she was terrified that she would receive a harsh _____ from Miss Minchin.
prudent
mitigate
inadvertently
reprimand
7. Judy's great fear was that she might _____ omit a question on the exam and mismark her entire answer sheet.
innocuous
insipid
inadvertently
anarchy
8. There's no point to what you're saying. Why are you bothering to make such _____ remarks?
colloquial
elucidate
inane
preclude
9. Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew; such _____ is improper in church.
levity
ephemeral
strident
allusion
10. Tourists are urged not to _____ the sanctity of holy places by wearing immodest garb.
rectify
superfluous
enhance
profane
11. After medical school - the two doctors took widely _____ paths - one becoming a wealthy plastic surgeon - the other joining the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders.
criterion
divergent
compliance
scrupulous
12. At evening block inspection - the recruits' bunk room - washroom - and gear come under the inspecting officer's close _____.
divergent
disseminate
juxtaposition
scrutiny
13. Rejecting the candidate's _____ comments on tax reform - the reporter pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue.
insipid
anecdote
opportunist
equivocal
14. The store manager tried to _____ the angry customer by offering to replace the damaged merchandise or return her money.
innocuous
oblivion
derision
placate
15. Thoroughly baffled by Holmes's _____ remarks - Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.
contentious
enhance
cryptic
derision
16. Con artists take advantage of the _____ of inexperienced Internet users to gain access to their credit card information.
credulity
opportunist
adulation
refute
17. Typically - partygoers are _____; hermits are not.
mundane
predilection
gregarious
scrutiny
18. We made an _____ choice to eat at the first restaurant we saw.
incongruous
usurp
zealot
arbitrary
19. When Johnny came down with a bad case of poison oak - the doctor recommended calamine lotion to _____ the itching.
immutable
superficial
incongruous
alleviate
20. Even though she knew she would be burned at the stake as a witch - Joan of Arc refused to _____ her belief that her voices came from God.
esoteric
impede
renounce
reprove
21. Please try not to include so many _____ details in your report; the bare facts are all I need.
lethargic
superfluous
abstract
superficial
22. Their _____ in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.
conciliatory
disparity
turbulent
flagrant
23. When Elizabeth realized that Darcy considered himself too good to dance with his inferiors - she took great offense at his _____.
haughtiness
extricate
conciliatory
insipid
24. You can _____ your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well.
enhance
predilection
eulogy
equivocal
25. Thirty years after the war - she could not let go of the past but was still consumed with _____ against the foe.
succinct
rebuttal
rancor
cursory
26. With its worn-out dialogue and predictable plot - the sitcom struck me as unbearably _____.
fervor
banal
recount
contentious
27. 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.
taciturn
endorse
elucidate
sporadic
28. The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case - sure that she could answer his arguments in her _____.
zealot
rebuttal
redundant
lavish
29. My Uncle Henry can out-talk any three people I know. he is the most _____ man in Cayuga County.
incongruous
emulate
garrulous
buttress
30. Seeking the end of slavery - the abolitionists _____ freedom for the slaves.
rancor
cursory
vacillate
advocate
31. After Ralph dropped his second try of drinks that week - the manager swiftly _____ him to a minor post behind the bar.
relegate
inane
astute
skeptic
32. Because Sal once had fallen asleep while reading War and Peace - he thought that all Russian novels were _____.
verbose
reprimand
soporific
predilection
33. The bottle of wine I brought to Sharon's party was certainly _____: how was I to know that Sharon owned a winery?
subside
metaphor
redundant
elucidate
34. When you place a phone call from an airplane - _____ is essential; you are charged for every minute.
decorum
zealot
brevity
mitigate
35. After separating from Tony - Tina announced that she would _____ all debts incurred by her soon-to-be-ex-husband.
inane
repudiate
rebuttal
fastidious
36. The winter storm was ______; it changed course constantly.
capricious
innocuous
fastidious
strident
37. When you send a message on Twitter - be _____; a tweet cannot be more than 140 characters long.
affirmation
concise
abridge
delineate
38. Because Ann felt no desire to marry - she was _____ to Carl's constant proposals.
exemplary
disdain
indifferent
aesthetic
39. The boss prefaced his speech by telling a pointless _____ about an encounter he'd had with former President Bush.
advocate
inherent
anecdote
resolution
40. Drinking alcohol can _____ your ability to drive safely; if you're going to drink - don't drive.
impair
jocular
mollify
preclude
41. Towering over the nearby houses - the MacMansion looked wholly _____ in the historic neighborhood of small Craftsman bungalows.
digression
elucidate
incongruous
coercion
42. Though Widow Douglas had hopes of reforming Huck - Miss Watson considered him _____ and swore he would come to no good end.
criterion
levity
incorrigible
adversity
43. Although some girls were attracted by Mark's air of _____ - Judy was put off by it - for she felt his aloofness indicated a lack of openness.
decorum
impede
whimsical
reserve
44. We could tell we were in serious trouble from the _____ of the principal's expression.
document
ironic
equivocal
gravity
45. As far as I'm concerned - Apple's claims about its new computer are pure _____; no machine is that good!
superfluous
assumption
repudiate
hyperbole
46. 'Judicial activism' is the alleged tendency of some judges to _____ the power of elected legislatures by making the law rather than merely interpreting it.
usurp
hyperbole
resigned
specious
47. On certain issues of principle - the senator refused to take a _____ stand - but let her conscience be her guide.
esoteric
partisan
skeptic
undermine
48. The special prosecutor determined that the attorney general - though inept - had not intentionally set out to _____ the progress of the investigation.
relegate
impede
criterion
recluse
49. Through the comments of the characters in his cartoon strip - Doonesbury - Gary Trudeau ridicules political corruption; his humor is _____ in nature.
arbitrary
subside
discrepancy
satirical
50. The senator was _____ for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress.
reserve
undermine
censure
proximity