Practice 1

Question 1

Most children’s books these days have __________ colour illustrations. [=attractive]

(a) hunching
(b) despising
(c) enticing
(d) racking

Answer 1

Most children’s books these days have enticing colour illustrations. [=attractive]

(c) ENTICING

Question 2

My son’s incessant questions are annoying, but I won’t __________ his curiosity. [=constrain / suppress]

(a) brand
(b) stray
(c) redeem
(d) stifle

Answer 2

My son’s incessant questions are annoying but I won’t stifle his curiosity. [=constrain / suppress]

(d) STIFLE

Question 3

Homeownership rates among young Americans continue to __________.
[=drop/ fall/ decrease]

(a) plummet
(b) wince
(c) chuck
(d) rig

Answer 3

Homeownership rates among young Americans continue to plummet.
[=drop/ fall/ decrease]

(a) PLUMMET

Question 4

A meteorological satellite fell out of orbit and __________ to Earth last week. [=fell]

(a) emulated
(b) fended
(c) plummeted
(d) flocked

Answer 4

A meteorological satellite fell out of orbit and plummeted to Earth last week. [=fell]

(c) PLUMMETED

Question 5

Employees like her are an asset to our company, so we try to ________ them. [=keep]

(a) retain
(b) refrain
(c) curtail
(d) hamper

Answer 5

Employees like her are an asset to our company, so we try to retain them. [=keep]

(a) RETAIN

Question 6

He __________ his accident to alcohol-induced performance impairment. [=blamed…on]

(a) strangled
(b) hampered
(c) attributed
(d) eluded

Answer 6

He attributed his accident to alcohol-induced performance impairment.
[=blamed…on]

(c) ATTRIBUTED

Question 7

She never told her children that she had __________ from a boarding school when she was young. [=run away]

(a) engendered
(b) absconded
(c) twitched
(d) sprawled

Answer 7

She never told her children that she had absconded from a boarding school when she was young. [=run away]

(b) ABSCONDED

Question 8

My parents’ warnings didn’t __________ me from marrying the girl of my dreams. (=discourage/ scare/ stop]

(a) dim
(b) flex
(c) smear
(d) deter

Answer 8

My parents’ warnings didn’t deter me from marrying the girl of my dreams. (=discourage/ scare/ stop]

(d) DETER

Question 9

The ________ noises from the kitchen kept the baby awake. [=rattling/banging sounds]

(a) raking
(b) etching
(c) clattering
(d) assassinating

Answer 9

The clattering noises from the kitchen kept the baby awake. [=rattling/
banging sounds]

(c) CLATTERING

Question 10

Imprisonment will be the punishment for those who won’t _________ by the new law. [=obey/ follow ]

(a) fine
(b) abide
(c) ratify
(d) pioneer

Answer 10

Imprisonment will be the punishment for those who won’t abide by the new law. [=obey/ follow ]

(b) ABIDE