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. Stories in The New York Times often include _____ allusions to obscure people and events.
eclectic
predilection
ephemeral
esoteric
2. It is _____ that his success came when he least wanted it.
ironic
soporific
relegate
profound
3. The uncrowned queen of the fashion industry - Diana was famous for her _____ taste.
disparity
impeccable
extricate
rhetorical
4. Because Sal once had fallen asleep while reading War and Peace - he thought that all Russian novels were _____.
incorrigible
soporific
garrulous
allusion
5. An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively _____ and should have no ill effect on you.
terse
adversity
debilitate
innocuous
6. Is an old-fashioned hairstyle an apt _____ for being out of step with the times and in need of change?
credulity
alleviate
metaphor
brevity
7. A doting mother - Emma was more likely to praise her son's childish finger paintings than to _____ them.
digression
prolific
hypothetical
disparage
8. The stereotypical cowboy is a _____ soul - answering lengthy questions with a simple 'yep' or 'nope.'
arbitrary
debunk
prevalent
taciturn
9. Their _____ in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.
disparity
elucidate
ambiguous
pragmatic
10. Although Georgia O'Keeffe painted subjects over the years - she had a definite _____ for painting flowers.
conciliatory
incite
predilection
scrupulous
11. To revise a textbook properly - you must do more than make a few _____ changes to the manuscript.
jocular
indifferent
superficial
disparity
12. In a fiery speech - Mario _____ his fellow students to go out on strike to protest the university's anti-affirmative action stand.
cursory
incite
transient
satirical
13. Since both interpretations seemed possible - the judge could not decide which way to interpret a particularly _____ passage in the law.
document
lavish
ambiguous
predilection
14. As far as I'm concerned - Apple's claims about its new computer are pure _____; no machine is that good!
pervasive
hyperbole
abstract
lethargic
15. Drinking alcohol can _____ your ability to drive safely; if you're going to drink - don't drive.
sporadic
apathy
impair
heresy
16. 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.
indifferent
benign
relegate
affirmation
17. Although Georgia O'Keeffe painted many subjects over the years - she had a definite _____ for painting flowers.
usurp
disparage
predilection
aesthetic
18. Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class - she was terrified that she would receive a harsh _____ from Miss Minchin.
proximity
erudite
reprimand
levity
19. The infant Mozart's parents quickly realized that their son had an _____ gift for music.
recount
esoteric
innate
juxtaposition
20. The young wrestler struggled to defeat his formidable _____.
fallacious
surreptitious
aesthetic
adversary
21. We could tell we were in serious trouble from the _____ of the principal's expression.
reprimand
disseminate
gravity
exemplary
22. _____ to his downtrodden existence - the day laborer was too meek to protest his supervisor's bullying.
banal
lavish
rancor
resigned
23. Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage; be _____.
succinct
disseminate
volatile
elucidate
24. When I saw how Fred and his fraternity brothers had trashed the frat house - I decided to _____ my offer to let them use our summer cottage over spring break.
feasible
adversary
whimsical
retract
25. The mayfly is an _____ creature; its adult life lasts little more than a day.
ephemeral
skeptic
oblivion
opulence
26. Matilda thought it was somewhat _____ of the young man to have addressed her without first having been introduced. Perhaps manners were freer here in the New World.
presumptuous
nonchalance
insipid
buttress
27. Because she was a firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy - Miss Post _____ the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.
guile
deprecate
erudite
terse
28. Acetone is an extremely _____ liquid: it vaporizes instantly.
volatile
opulence
equivocal
innocuous
29. Because Ann felt no desire to marry - she was _____ to Carl's constant proposals.
nurture
indifferent
ostentatious
anecdote
30. The special prosecutor determined that the attorney general - though inept - had not intentionally set out to _____ the progress of the investigation.
mollify
esoteric
impede
disparage
31. The classic cowboy hero is a _____ figure - someone generally described as the strong - silent type.
strident
relegate
inane
laconic
32. When Johnny came down with a bad case of poison oak - the doctor recommended calamine lotion to _____ the itching.
preclude
alleviate
flagrant
redundant
33. 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.
autonomous
elusive
mundane
inane
34. Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their official them; his _____ were always more fascinating than the topic of the day.
heresy
conciliatory
digression
disparage
35. The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to _____ the lying testimony of the prosecution's sole witness.
sporadic
ambivalence
refute
innate
36. Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the _____ of countless get-rich-quick schemes.
surpass
heresy
proliferation
vacillate
37. The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood on New year's Eve _____ their accepting the gig in London.
buttress
fallacious
preclude
insipid
38. When acacias are in bloom - the increase of pollen in the air _____ Richard's hay fever.
explicit
acclaim
exacerbate
prevalent
39. Because Webster's dictionary had grown so large and unwieldy - the publishers decided to _____ it and bring out a condensed version.
cursory
dismiss
abridge
metaphor
40. Despite Tom's _____ of innocence - Aunt Polly suspected he had eaten the pie.
mitigate
affirmation
credulity
lethargic
41. The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Esther's _____ sense.
apathy
debunk
aesthetic
jocular
42. Government agents have been known to use wiretapping and other _____ methods to spy on suspected terrorists.
condone
surreptitious
constraint
subside
43. 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.
superfluous
anecdote
allusion
succinct
44. Warned of _____ weather conditions ahead - the pilot told the passengers to fasten their seat belts.
partisan
colloquial
superficial
turbulent
45. Icebreakers were needed to _____ the trapped whales from the icy floes that closed them in.
adversary
zealot
extricate
compliance
46. The BP oil spill has caused _____ damage to the entire Gulf Coast.
verbose
cryptic
profound
impeccable
47. Cool - calm - and collected - James Bond shows remarkable _____ in the face of danger.
incorrigible
feasible
nonchalance
mundane
48. In Tibet today - the common people still _____ their traditional spiritual leader - the Dalai Lama.
venerate
hyperbole
adversity
dogmatic
49. Paradoxically - _____ reasoning does not always produce incorrect results; even though your logic may be flawed - the conclusion you reach may still be correct.
substantiate
fallacious
presumptuous
aesthetic
50. Tourists are urged not to _____ the sanctity of holy places by wearing immodest garb.
renounce
equivocal
ascetic
profane