Aa

Question 1

abandon

Answer 1

The village had been hastily abandoned.
The car was found abandoned in a nearby town.
The government does not propose to abandon the project altogether.
This principle has now been effectively abandoned.
Traditional policies were simply abandoned.
The plans for reform were quietly abandoned.
He abandoned the army for politics.
She abandoned teaching career in favor of sport.

Question 2

abashed

Answer 2

He glanced at Juliet accusingly and she looked suitably abashed.

Question 3

abbreviation

Answer 3

The abbreviation PC stands for ‘personal computer’.
A/C is the standard abbreviation for ‘account’.
Ad lib is an abbreviation of the Latin phrase ‘ad libitum’.

Question 4

abhorrent

Answer 4

I find the idea totally abhorrent.

Such a savage punishment is abhorrent to a civilized society.

Question 5

ability

Answer 5

Discovering the natural abilities of each child.
Both players demonstrated theri ability to hit the ball hard.
I seem to have lost my ability to attract clients.
Fox’s abilities were soon recognized.
We will keep you informed to the best of our ability.
The school does nothing for children of high ability.
It is much more difficult to teach a mixed-ability class.
There was a high level of ability among the school leavers.
I taught a wide range of abilities

Question 6

ablaze

Answer 6

Truck after truck was set ablaze as the fire spread.

By the time firefighters were called the house was well ablaze.

Question 7

able

Answer 7

He is well able to take care of himself.
Once you’ve had some sleep you’ll feel better able to cope.
I was just able to make out a dark figure in the distance.
She seems very able.

Question 8

abode

Answer 8

Welcome to my humble abode.
I had been invited to take up my abode at Government House.
An 18-year-old man of no fixed abode appeared at Teesside magistrates court yesterday.

Question 9

abolish

Answer 9

Some MPs want to abolish the tax altogether.

Foreign exchange controls were largely aboloshed.

Question 10

abortion

Answer 10

When she got pregnant at 16 she decided to have an abortion.
Some nurses wanted the right to refuse to perfomr abortions.
the country’s strict abortion laws
He carried out an abortion on a fifteen-year-old girl.
Women’s groups are calling for free contraception and abortion on demand.

Question 11

abscess

Answer 11

I developed an abscess on my neck.

Once an abscess has burst, it should be bathed with antiseptic liquid.

Question 12

absence

Answer 12

You will not be paid for the full period of absence.
My father did all the cooking in my mother’s absence.
When it came to clearing up afterwards, Anne was conspicuous by her absence.
He asked for leave of absence from the army.
a conspicuous absence of evidence
In the absence of stone, most houses in the are are built of wood.

Question 13

absent

Answer 13

Local people were conspicuously absent from the meeting.
He played with an abandon that was strangely absent from his performance last week.
He was absent from work for two weeks.

Question 14

absorb

Answer 14

Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream.
These committees were gradually absorbed into the local government machine.
The information is presented so that it can be readily absorbed.
His work absorbed him completely.

Question 15

absorbed

Answer 15

A jigsaw can keep me absorbed for hours.

He was totally absorbed in his book.

Question 16

abstract

Answer 16

purely abstract drawing

Question 17

absurd

Answer 17

She found the whole concept faintly absurd.

His sense of the absurd kept him from becoming too solemn.

Question 18

abundance

Answer 18

We were amazed by the sheer abundance of food.
The country has an abundance of natural resources.
Exotic plants grew there in great abundance.

Question 19

abuse

Answer 19

The legal system is open to abuse.
victims of child abuse
allegations of human rights abuses
six cases of suspected child abuse
She was subjected to regular sexual abuse.
The child had taken a lot of emotional abuse.
He was subjected to a torrent of abuse.
They had to endure continual racial abuse.
Abuse and scorn were heaped on the proposals.
The team who lost became a target of abuse for angry fans.
Calling someone stupid is definitely a term of abuse.

Question 20

abuse

Answer 20

All the children had been physically and emotionally abused.

Question 21

abusive

Answer 21

He became openly abusive.

Question 22

academic

Answer 22

The distinction being made is purely academic.

Question 23

academy

Answer 23

He later studied at the Royal Academy.

Question 24

accelerate

Answer 24

The runners accelerated smoothly round the bend.
The car purred into life and accelerated away.
The Aids epidemic is accelerating dramatically.

Question 25

acceleration

Answer 25

There has been a rapid acceleration in the growth of industry.
This model has the best acceleration of any available sports car.

Question 26

accelerator

Answer 26

She put her foot on the accelerator and we sped through the traffic lights.

Question 27

accent

Answer 27

She had a pronounced Scottish accent.
Her French was excellent, without a trace of an accent.
She put on a posh accent when she answered the phone.
He lost his northern accent after moving south.
She spoke in a broad Midlands accent.

Question 28

accept

Answer 28

She graciously accepted my apology.
I am unfortunately unable to accept your kind invitation.
I accepted the gift from my sister.
Some people readily accept that they may have to pay for medical treatment.
The university cannot accept responsibility for items lost or stolen on its premises.
It is generally accepted that people are motivated by success.