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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 attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to _____ his weak case.
buttress
nonchalance
frivolous
refute
2. Because Carmen believed in Juan's fidelity - she _____ the notion that he might be having an affair.
pervasive
dismiss
volatile
superfluous
3. The recent corruption scandals have _____ many people's faith in the city government.
laconic
undermine
predilection
furtive
4. When acacias are in bloom - the increase of pollen in the air _____ Richard's hay fever.
elusive
exacerbate
inadvertently
corroborate
5. Con artists take advantage of the _____ of inexperienced Internet users to gain access to their credit card information.
credulity
undermine
austere
decorum
6. The inquisitors used both physical and psychological _____ to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God.
coercion
assumption
ambivalence
malicious
7. Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the _____ of objects around them.
elusive
proximity
alleviate
brevity
8. Stories in The New York Times often include _____ allusions to obscure people and events.
reprove
aesthetic
esoteric
quandary
9. An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively _____ and should have no ill effect on you.
lethargic
innocuous
esoteric
gregarious
10. The stereotypical cowboy is a _____ soul - answering lengthy questions with a simple 'yep' or 'nope.'
impair
taciturn
inane
reserve
11. Although Alfred _____ in fulfilling his duties at work - he is less conscientious about meeting his obligations at home.
endorse
esoteric
erudite
scrupulous
12. The glitter and _____ of the ballroom took Cinderella's breath away.
indifferent
rhetorical
opulence
elusive
13. Tina was still angry despite Tony's soft and _____ words.
conciliatory
enhance
explicit
induce
14. To be low man on the totem pole is to have a decidedly inferior place in the _____.
eulogy
hierarchy
ironic
prevalent
15. In class - she tried to stay alert and listen to the professor - but the stuffy room made her _____; she felt as if she were about to nod off.
equivocal
terse
coercion
lethargic
16. The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case - sure that she could answer his arguments in her _____.
rebuttal
recluse
colloquial
impede
17. Though Aunt Bea at times had to _____ Opie for inattention in church - she believed he was at heart a God-fearing lad.
relegate
superfluous
compliance
reprove
18. Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage; be _____.
belie
incongruous
succinct
lavish
19. The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Esther's _____ sense.
instigate
profound
allusion
aesthetic
20. 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.
reserve
cryptic
rebuttal
decorum
21. The store manager tried to _____ the angry customer by offering to replace the damaged merchandise or return her money.
implement
placate
discrepancy
reprove
22. A radical committed to social change - Reed had no patience with the conservative views _____ in the America of his day.
elusive
inadvertently
prevalent
adversary
23. 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.
allusion
superfluous
dogmatic
adulation
24. Using only a few descriptive phrases - Austen manages to _____ the character of Mr. Collins so deftly that we can predict his every move.
impeccable
colloquial
incorrigible
delineate
25. The legendary athlete Jim Thorpe - who _____ all his competitors at the 1912 Olympic Games - made a name for himself in baseball - football - and track.
peripheral
surpass
repudiate
scrupulous
26. Though Huck was quite willing to _____ Tom's story - Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.
ascetic
relegate
predilection
corroborate
27. When Johnny came down with a bad case of poison oak - the doctor recommended calamine lotion to _____ the itching.
alleviate
exacerbate
malicious
renounce
28. 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
cryptic
decorum
reprove
29. Disappointed in love - Miss Emily became a _____; she shut herself away in her empty mansion and refused to see another living soul.
cursory
recluse
compliance
mundane
30. Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class - she was terrified that she would receive a harsh _____ from Miss Minchin.
prudent
extraneous
impede
reprimand
31. I am a _____ about the proposed new health plan; I want some proof that it will work.
conciliatory
skeptic
concise
surreptitious
32. Because Sal once had fallen asleep while reading War and Peace - he thought that all Russian novels were _____.
interpid
soporific
alleviate
discerning
33. The winter storm was ______; it changed course constantly.
ironic
capricious
colloquial
guile
34. The reviewers praised the new restaurant's _____ selection of dishes - which ranged from Asian stir fries to French ragouts and stews.
eclectic
ephemeral
scrutiny
venerate
35. Although you can still hear _____ outbursts of laughter and signing outside - the Halloween parade has passed; the party is over till next year.
sporadic
juxtaposition
profound
disdain
36. Katya's _____ love of justice moved her to champion the cause of anyone she considered unfairly treated by society.
renounce
inherent
recluse
impair
37. A doting mother - Emma was more likely to praise her son's childish finger paintings than to _____ them.
disparage
relegate
incorrigible
specious
38. When the boys first met their new stepmother - they felt some _____ - but eventually they lost that initial awkwardness and talked with her comfortably.
inherent
acclaim
induce
constraint
39. In Tibet today - the common people still _____ their traditional spiritual leader - the Dalai Lama.
derivative
mundane
venerate
alleviate
40. Acetone is an extremely _____ liquid: it vaporizes instantly.
volatile
prevalent
expedient
innocuous
41. Dirt poor and out of work - she did not give up but continued to fight against _____.
endorse
adversity
exuberance
eulogy
42. The architect realized that her design for the new school had to be in _____ with the local building code.
compliance
anecdote
lavish
impede
43. To John - who had never missed a meal - hunger was an _____ concept - one he understood only in theory.
insipid
rancor
satirical
abstract
44. After a decade of popularity - Hurston's works had fallen into _____; no one bothered to read her novels and short stories any more.
oblivion
reprove
autonomous
innate
45. After separating from Tony - Tina announced that she would _____ all debts incurred by her soon-to-be-ex-husband.
placate
reserve
repudiate
scrutiny
46. Towering over the nearby houses - the MacMansion looked wholly _____ in the historic neighborhood of small Craftsman bungalows.
whimsical
transient
contentious
incongruous
47. Michael's severe bout of the flue _____ him so much that for a week he was too tired to go back to work.
austere
impeccable
impede
debilitate
48. Although Eric knew the boss had no sense of humor - he couldn't resist making one _____ remark.
derivative
concise
jocular
banal
49. A pragmatic politician - he was guided more by what was _____ than by what was right.
recount
proximity
expedient
resigned
50. Youth's beauty is _____; it quickly fades with age.
ambiguous
extol
transient
surreptitious