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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. The reviewers heaped _____ on the novice playwright - ridiculing his pretentious dialogue - flat characters - and simple-minded plot.
gravity
taciturn
derision
coercion
2. After separating from Tony - Tina announced that she would _____ all debts incurred by her soon-to-be-ex-husband.
terse
exacerbate
repudiate
belie
3. 'Judicial activism' is the alleged tendency of some judges to _____ the power of elected legislatures by making the law rather than merely interpreting it.
superfluous
fallacious
transient
usurp
4. The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case - sure that she could answer his arguments in her _____.
nonchalance
rebuttal
transient
equivocal
5. My Uncle Henry can out-talk any three people I know. he is the most _____ man in Cayuga County.
abridge
banal
hypothetical
garrulous
6. Acetone is an extremely _____ liquid: it vaporizes instantly.
specious
resigned
volatile
alleviate
7. Because solar energy has the power to reduce greenhouse gases and increase energy efficiency - conversion to the use of solar energy may help _____ the threat of global warming.
mitigate
proliferation
expedient
resolution
8. When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura - she was in a _____ as to which school she should attend.
levity
verbose
quandary
whimsical
9. Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next - she was confused by the _____ of her feelings.
ambivalence
prudent
satirical
reprove
10. We made an _____ choice to eat at the first restaurant we saw.
presumptuous
arbitrary
concise
whimsical
11. 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.
cursory
disparage
condone
exuberance
12. Through the comments of the characters in his cartoon strip - Doonesbury - Gary Trudeau ridicules political corruption; his humor is _____ in nature.
disparage
retract
satirical
innocuous
13. Although the University of California at Berkeley is just one part of the state university system - in many ways - Cal Berkeley is _____ - for it runs several programs that are not subject to state control.
presumptuous
autonomous
whimsical
condone
14. A radical committed to social change - Reed had no patience with the conservative views _____ in the America of his day.
prevalent
substantiate
frivolous
arbitrary
15. Thirty years after the war - she could not let go of the past but was still consumed with _____ against the foe.
rancor
juxtaposition
banal
impede
16. Paradoxically - _____ reasoning does not always produce incorrect results; even though your logic may be flawed - the conclusion you reach may still be correct.
fallacious
brevity
predilection
superfluous
17. After Ralph dropped his second try of drinks that week - the manager swiftly _____ him to a minor post behind the bar.
expedient
usurp
opportunist
relegate
18. Towering over the nearby houses - the MacMansion looked wholly _____ in the historic neighborhood of small Craftsman bungalows.
hierarchy
lethargic
incongruous
inherent
19. The headmaster's _____ demeanor tended to care off the more timid students - who never visited his study willingly.
placate
peripheral
usurp
austere
20. Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied; be _____ about what's bothering you.
banal
explicit
inane
criterion
21. There is a fine line between speech that is _____ and to the point and speech so abrupt that it verges on rudeness.
partisan
detachment
incite
terse
22. She kept all the receipts form her business trip in order to _____ her expenses for the Internal Revenue Service.
elucidate
ambivalence
document
satirical
23. Is an old-fashioned hairstyle an apt _____ for being out of step with the times and in need of change?
metaphor
endorse
impede
disdain
24. Shrewdly purchasing valuable plots of land for small sums - John Jacob Astor gained a reputation as an _____ investor.
zealot
elusive
eclectic
astute
25. An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively _____ and should have no ill effect on you.
peripheral
innocuous
innate
compliance
26. Although her _____ smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem to be a sweet little old lady - in reality she was a tough-minded - shrewd observer of human nature.
benign
impede
superficial
recluse
27. At evening block inspection - the recruits' bunk room - washroom - and gear come under the inspecting officer's close _____.
delineate
pragmatic
scrutiny
arbitrary
28. Because Webster's dictionary had grown so large and unwieldy - the publishers decided to _____ it and bring out a condensed version.
haughtiness
satirical
abridge
succinct
29. Although defeat appeared inevitable - the general was _____ in his refusal to surrender.
innocuous
usurp
quandary
obdurate
30. We could tell we were in serious trouble from the _____ of the principal's expression.
esoteric
gravity
levity
mundane
31. The infant Mozart's parents quickly realized that their son had an _____ gift for music.
esoteric
innate
succinct
colloquial
32. Disappointed in love - Miss Emily became a _____; she shut herself away in her empty mansion and refused to see another living soul.
hypothetical
acclaim
apathy
recluse
33. The reviewers praised the new restaurant's _____ selection of dishes - which ranged from Asian stir fries to French ragouts and stews.
retract
specious
eclectic
immutable
34. The airline customer service agent tried to _____ the angry passenger by offering her a seat in first class.
levity
assumption
mollify
disdain
35. After medical school - the two doctors took widely _____ paths - one becoming a wealthy plastic surgeon - the other joining the nonprofit Doctors Without Borders.
apathy
divergent
ambivalence
concise
36. Pointing out that the candidate consistently had voted against strengthening antipollution legislation - the reporter _____ her claim that she was a fervent environmentalist.
profane
reticent
debunk
discerning
37. Katya's _____ love of justice moved her to champion the cause of anyone she considered unfairly treated by society.
heresy
alleviate
inherent
meticulous
38. Typically - partygoers are _____; hermits are not.
elusive
debilitate
gregarious
decorum
39. The senator was _____ for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress.
colloquial
prevalent
censure
aesthetic
40. To win his audience - the speaker used every _____ trick in the book.
rhetorical
impede
reticent
brevity
41. Rather than live in the crowded city center - we chose to buy a house in one of the _____ suburbs ringing the metropolis.
ambiguous
peripheral
mollify
discrepancy
42. The museum curator placed the Eskimo-carved wooden totem pole in _____ with two contemporary stone masks from Africa - creating a stunning effect.
constraint
debunk
guile
juxtaposition
43. Nothing could shake his _____ that his children would get the best education that money could buy.
disdain
profound
relegate
resolution
44. Though Glenn was devout - he was no _____; he never tried to force his beliefs on friends.
detachment
fastidious
zealot
adversary
45. What _____ did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner?
criterion
homogeneous
sporadic
ambivalence
46. I was bowled over by the _____ of Amy's welcome. What an enthusiastic greeting!
pragmatic
arbitrary
abridge
exuberance
47. Jealous of Cinderella's beauty - her _____ stepsisters expressed their spite by forcing her to do menial tasks.
turbulent
interpid
metaphor
malicious
48. You can _____ your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well.
enhance
proximity
gravity
derision
49. Unlike Widow Douglas - who _____ Huck's minor offenses - Miss Watson did nothing but scold.
equivocal
nonchalance
condone
benign
50. The young princess made the foolish _____ that the regent would not object to her taking the reins of power.
assumption
strident
usurp
garrulous