Word Knowledge · Practice test 6

Correct answer: examine

To scrutinize a document is to go over it in close detail, so examine is the match. Criticize is the trap, since scrutiny may end in approval.

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Correct answer: doubtful

A dubious claim is one whose truth is in question, so doubtful is the closest match. Certain is the opposite quality.

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Correct answer: waver

To hesitate is to pause from uncertainty before acting, so waver is the closest match. Rush is nearly the opposite behavior.

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Correct answer: imitate

To mimic someone is to copy their manner closely, so imitate is the closest match.

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Correct answer: powerful

The advice to use it sparingly points to strength of effect, so powerful is the match. Unstable would describe a different hazard the sentence does not mention.

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Correct answer: shorten

To curtail an operation is to cut it back before it runs its full course, so shorten is the closest match. Postpone would mean moving it later without shortening it.

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Correct answer: danger

A hazard is a source of danger or risk, so danger is the closest match.

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Correct answer: an adjective meaning dangerous

The suffix -ous turns a noun into an adjective meaning full of that quality, so peril becomes perilous, meaning full of danger. The same pattern gives poison and poisonous, or courage and courageous.

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Correct answer: life

The Greek root bio means life, so biology is the study of life and a biography is the written account of a person's life.

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Correct answer: dull

A blunt blade has no sharp edge, so dull is the match. The word carries a second sense, speaking plainly and without softening, which shares the idea of no fine edge.

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Correct answer: provisional

Tentative describes something not yet settled, which fits an agreement that still needed final approval rather than one already fixed.

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Correct answer: snug

A cozy room feels warm and comfortable, so snug is the closest match. Drafty describes an uncomfortably cold, breezy space instead.

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Correct answer: terse

A succinct report says what is needed and stops, so terse is the closest match. Thorough is the trap: a succinct account can still be complete, but the word describes brevity, not coverage.

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Correct answer: decrease

To diminish is to make or become smaller in size, importance, or intensity, so decrease is the closest match.

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Correct answer: push

To nudge is to give a small, gentle push, often with an elbow, so push is the closest match.

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Correct answer: around

Circum- means around, so a circumference measures the distance around a circle and to circumvent an obstacle is to go around it.

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Correct answer: curtly rude

Brusque specifically describes a manner that is abrupt to the point of rudeness, which explains why the team felt dismissed rather than simply informed.

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Correct answer: sufficient

Ample time means more than enough time, so sufficient fits. Scarce means the opposite, not enough.

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Correct answer: roam

To wander is to move around with no set destination, so roam is the closest match. March implies a fixed, orderly course, the opposite idea.

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Correct answer: strengthen

To bolster a garrison is to add strength to it, so strengthen fits the arriving recruits.

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Correct answer: recover

To recuperate is to recover health and strength after illness or injury, so recover fits the sentence.

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Correct answer: compose

To constitute a whole is to be one of the parts that make it up, so compose is the closest match.

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Correct answer: simple

A plain design has no added decoration, so simple is the closest match. Fancy is the opposite quality.

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Correct answer: refrain

To abstain is to hold back from acting, so refrain is the match. Object is the trap: abstaining is declining to take a side at all, not voting against.

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Correct answer: infer

To deduce a conclusion is to reason it out from known facts, so infer is the closest match. Guess wildly implies no reasoning at all.

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Correct answer: seize

To grasp is to take firm hold of something, so seize fits. Release states the opposite action.

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Correct answer: untouched

Pristine means unspoiled, as if nothing had touched it, which is why the hikers were surprised the stretch had not been worn down like the rest.

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Correct answer: basic

The word only signals that his knowledge went no further than the first stages, so basic is the closest match.

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Correct answer: send

A depot dispatching parts is sending them out, so send is the match. The noun form carries a second sense, speed, as in handling a task with dispatch.

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Correct answer: under or below

Sub- places something beneath: to submerge is to put under water, and a subordinate ranks below someone else. The same prefix gives submarine and subway.

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Correct answer: enthusiastic

Someone eager is keen and impatient to begin, so enthusiastic is the closest match. Reluctant states the opposite attitude.

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Correct answer: transparent

Opaque describes a surface light cannot pass through, so transparent, which can be seen through, is the opposite.

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Correct answer: undecided

Someone ambivalent is pulled both ways at once and so cannot settle, which makes undecided the closest match. Ambitious is the trap, since the two words look alike but share no meaning.

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Correct answer: idle

A lazy person avoids work and effort, so idle is the closest match. Diligent describes the opposite habit.

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Correct answer: together with

This prefix joins things: to cooperate is to work together, to connect is to bind together, and to combine is to put together. It appears as co-, con-, com-, or col- depending on the letter that follows.

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