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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 inquisitors used both physical and psychological _____ to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God.
relegate
ambiguous
fastidious
coercion
2. The airline customer service agent tried to _____ the angry passenger by offering her a seat in first class.
ironic
pervasive
incorrigible
mollify
3. Although you can still hear _____ outbursts of laughter and signing outside - the Halloween parade has passed; the party is over till next year.
corroborate
sporadic
scrutiny
soporific
4. A pragmatic politician - he was guided more by what was _____ than by what was right.
incongruous
expedient
pervasive
condone
5. Government agents have been known to use wiretapping and other _____ methods to spy on suspected terrorists.
detachment
surreptitious
garrulous
recount
6. The store manager tried to _____ the angry customer by offering to replace the damaged merchandise or return her money.
repudiate
resigned
placate
undermine
7. 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.
reprove
skeptic
renounce
divergent
8. Disappointed in love - Miss Emily became a _____; she shut herself away in her empty mansion and refused to see another living soul.
abridge
extraneous
recluse
pragmatic
9. Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class - she was terrified that she would receive a harsh _____ from Miss Minchin.
reprove
ironic
dogmatic
reprimand
10. Pointing out that the candidate consistently had voted against strengthening antipollution legislation - the reporter _____ her claim that she was a fervent environmentalist.
ostentatious
implement
debunk
altruistic
11. Instead of delivering a spoken _____ at Genny's memorial service - Jeff sang a song he had written in her honor.
eulogy
dogmatic
volatile
reprove
12. Con artists take advantage of the _____ of inexperienced Internet users to gain access to their credit card information.
credulity
quandary
impede
opulence
13. At the protest rally - the students cheered the strikers and booed the dean with equal _____.
fervor
insipid
resolution
inadvertently
14. Though his fellow students considered him a gifted scholar - Paul knew he would have to spend many years in serious study before he could consider himself truly _____.
exacerbate
partisan
erudite
delineate
15. Although her early poetry was clearly _____ in nature - the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.
derivative
peripheral
relegate
enhance
16. Although Eric knew the boss had no sense of humor - he couldn't resist making one _____ remark.
jocular
allusion
aesthetic
frivolous
17. Michael's severe bout of the flue _____ him so much that for a week he was too tired to go back to work.
debilitate
incite
recluse
specious
18. 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
acclaim
nurture
gravity
19. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to _____ his weak case.
buttress
nurture
endorse
rectify
20. Someone mute cannot talk; someone _____ can hardly stop talking.
abstract
placate
verbose
endorse
21. The young wrestler struggled to defeat his formidable _____.
advocate
rancor
affirmation
adversary
22. It is _____ that his success came when he least wanted it.
ironic
renounce
exacerbate
innate
23. Because the student body at their daughter's prep school was so _____ - they decided to send her to a school that offered greater cultural diversity.
advocate
specious
reserve
homogeneous
24. The mayor was unwilling to _____ the plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing.
implement
esoteric
scrupulous
specious
25. His coarse - hard-bitten exterior _____ his inner sensitivity.
ironic
reticent
redundant
belie
26. 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.
adversity
disdain
innate
cursory
27. The reviewers praised the new restaurant's _____ selection of dishes - which ranged from Asian stir fries to French ragouts and stews.
reserve
levity
verbose
eclectic
28. All things change over time; nothing is _____.
prevalent
rhetorical
compliance
immutable
29. The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case - sure that she could answer his arguments in her _____.
juxtaposition
rebuttal
erudite
impair
30. The president _____ the astronauts - whom he called 'the pioneers of the Space Age.'
extol
relegate
gregarious
fallacious
31. In providing college scholarships for economically disadvantaged youths - Eugene Lang performed a truly _____ deed.
advocate
rectify
altruistic
refute
32. When acacias are in bloom - the increase of pollen in the air _____ Richard's hay fever.
exacerbate
resolution
surreptitious
disparage
33. Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the _____ of countless get-rich-quick schemes.
criterion
opulence
laconic
proliferation
34. Seeking the end of slavery - the abolitionists _____ freedom for the slaves.
hypothetical
furtive
constraint
advocate
35. Rejecting the candidate's _____ comments on tax reform - the reporter pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue.
equivocal
placate
ephemeral
scrutiny
36. Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their official them; his _____ were always more fascinating than the topic of the day.
elusive
contentious
digression
conciliatory
37. The bottle of wine I brought to Sharon's party was certainly _____: how was I to know that Sharon owned a winery?
sporadic
reserve
rectify
redundant
38. Othello's false friend lago uses considerable _____ to trick Othello into believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him
anecdote
guile
notoriety
digression
39. At evening block inspection - the recruits' bunk room - washroom - and gear come under the inspecting officer's close _____.
taciturn
pervasive
scrutiny
transient
40. Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew; such _____ is improper in church.
levity
proliferation
zealot
inadvertently
41. Using only a few descriptive phrases - Austen manages to _____ the character of Mr. Collins so deftly that we can predict his every move.
dogmatic
delineate
reserve
benign
42. To be low man on the totem pole is to have a decidedly inferior place in the _____.
surreptitious
hierarchy
insipid
recount
43. The mayfly is an _____ creature; its adult life lasts little more than a day.
nurture
resolution
refute
ephemeral
44. Stories in The New York Times often include _____ allusions to obscure people and events.
pervasive
interpid
undermine
esoteric
45. 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.
pragmatic
mitigate
malicious
levity
46. Though Aunt Bea at times had to _____ Opie for inattention in church - she believed he was at heart a God-fearing lad.
reprove
astute
coercion
elusive
47. The legendary athlete Jim Thorpe - who _____ all his competitors at the 1912 Olympic Games - made a name for himself in baseball - football - and track.
surpass
elusive
debilitate
abridge
48. The young princess made the foolish _____ that the regent would not object to her taking the reins of power.
abstract
lethargic
impeccable
assumption
49. Although defeat appeared inevitable - the general was _____ in his refusal to surrender.
incongruous
criterion
obdurate
elucidate
50. Shrewdly purchasing valuable plots of land for small sums - John Jacob Astor gained a reputation as an _____ investor.
gravity
meticulous
astute
vacillate