Word Knowledge · Practice test 7

Correct answer: not

The prefix non- simply means not, so nonfiction is writing that is not fiction and nonstop means without stopping.

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Correct answer: sufficient

Adequate means enough for the purpose, no more and no less, so sufficient is the match. Excessive means more than enough.

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Correct answer: separate

To sever is to cut through so that two parts come apart, so separate is the closest match. Fasten describes joining them back together.

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Correct answer: distrustful

To be wary is to watch closely for trouble, so distrustful is the closest of these. Exhausted is the trap because wary looks and sounds like weary, which does mean tired.

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Correct answer: inconsistency

A discrepancy is a difference between figures or accounts that should agree, so inconsistency is the closest match.

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Correct answer: speed up

To expedite a process is to make it happen faster, so speed up is the closest match. Slow down is the opposite effect.

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Correct answer: honest

Candid means frank and truthful, especially about something uncomfortable. It has a second sense, an unposed photograph, but the sentence points clearly to the first.

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Correct answer: hurried

A hasty decision is made too quickly, so hurried is the closest match. Careful describes the opposite habit of mind.

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Correct answer: cure

A remedy corrects a problem, whether an illness or a fault, so cure is the closest match. Symptom names a sign of the problem, not its fix.

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Correct answer: made

Followed by an adjective, render means to cause something to become that way, so made fits. The word has other senses, such as rendering assistance or rendering a drawing, that the sentence rules out.

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Correct answer: hardship

Adversity refers to difficulty or misfortune, so hardship is the closest match. Prosperity is the opposite condition.

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Correct answer: conditional

Something contingent depends on another event occurring first, so conditional is the closest match. Guaranteed is nearly the opposite idea.

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Correct answer: writing or recording

The Greek root graph means writing or recording, so a photograph records light and a biography is a written account of a life.

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Correct answer: permanent

Temporary means lasting only a limited time, so permanent is the opposite. The other three all describe short duration and would be right if the question asked for a synonym.

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Correct answer: an adjective meaning tending to act

The suffix -ive turns a verb into an adjective describing a tendency to do that action, so act becomes active, meaning tending to act or move. The same pattern gives create and creative.

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Correct answer: empty

A hollow log has empty space where solid wood would be, so empty is the closest match. Solid names the opposite condition.

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Correct answer: arrogant

Humble means having a modest view of oneself, so arrogant, meaning excessively proud, is the opposite.

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Correct answer: adjust precisely

To calibrate an instrument is to fine-tune it against a known standard, so adjust precisely is the closest match.

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Correct answer: outdated

Obsolete equipment still works but has been superseded, so outdated fits. Damaged is the trap: an obsolete part may be in perfect condition.

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Correct answer: steadfastly loyal

Staunch describes loyalty that holds firm under pressure, which fits support that continued even after funding was cut.

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Correct answer: position

To deploy forces is to position them ready for action, so position is the closest match. Withdraw is nearly the opposite action.

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Correct answer: tilt

Applied to an aircraft, bank means to tilt to one side during a turn. The financial and riverbank senses of the same word do not fit an aircraft.

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Correct answer: eat away

To corrode is to destroy a material gradually by chemical action, which is what rust does to iron, so eat away is the closest meaning.

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Correct answer: far or distant

The Greek prefix tele- means far or distant, so a telescope views distant objects and a telegraph sends messages over distance.

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Correct answer: beginner

A novice is someone just starting out, so beginner is the direct match. Expert names the far end of the same scale.

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Correct answer: flexible

Rigid means unable to bend, so flexible is the opposite. Note that inflexible is a synonym of rigid despite beginning with a negative prefix, which makes it the sharpest trap here.

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Correct answer: harmonize

To reconcile two accounts is to bring them into agreement with each other, so harmonize is the closest match.

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Correct answer: intense

Describing pain, acute means sharp and severe, so intense is the match. Narrow points at the geometry sense of an acute angle, which does not apply here.

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Correct answer: difficult

The word but signals that something hard was overcome, so arduous means demanding and difficult. Brief points the wrong way, since arduous work usually takes time.

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Correct answer: persistent

A tenacious grip does not let go, and a tenacious person does not give up, so persistent is the closest match.

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Correct answer: hide

To conceal something is to keep it out of sight. Reveal is offered because it means the exact opposite, which is the most common wrong pick.

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Correct answer: resentfully wanting

Envious describes wanting what someone else has, along with resentment about it, which fits reacting to a colleague's promotion.

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Correct answer: give up

To waive a right is to voluntarily give it up, so give up fits the sentence.

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Correct answer: distribute

To allocate resources is to divide them out for particular uses, so distribute is the closest match. Collect describes the opposite movement.

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Correct answer: to say

The root dict means to say, so to predict is to say beforehand, to dictate is to say aloud for someone to record, and a verdict is what the jury says. To rule is the trap, since dictator comes from the same root but the root itself means speaking.

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