Unit 12.2

Question 1

significant

Answer 1

important or noticeable:

There has been a significant increase in the number of women students in recent years.

Question 2

in depth

Answer 2

in a serious and detailed way:

I’d like to look at this question in some depth.

Question 3

closure

Answer 3

the fact of a business, organization, etc. stopping operating:
factory/branch closures
Many elderly people will be affected by the library closures.

Question 4

yield

Answer 4

to supply or produce something positive such as a profit, an amount of food or information:
an attempt to yield increased profits
The investigation yielded some unexpected results.

to bend or break under pressure:
His legs began to yield under the sheer weight of his body.

Question 5

yield to sth

Answer 5

to agree to do something that you do not want to do or should not do:
It’s very easy to yield to temptation and spend too much money.
“We will not yield to pressure,” said the president.

Question 6

throughout

Answer 6

in every part, or during the whole period of time:

People throughout the country are out of work.

Question 7

frost

Answer 7

a weather condition in which the air temperature falls below the freezing point of water, especially outside at night:
There was a frost last night.

Question 8

brink

Answer 8

the point where a new or different situation is about to begin:
Extreme stress had driven him to the brink of a nervous breakdown.
Scientists are on the brink of (= extremely close to) a major new discovery.

Question 9

break in/into

Answer 9

to get into a building or car using force, usually to steal something:
The burglars broke in through the kitchen window.

Question 10

unpleasant

Answer 10

rude and angry:

When we complained, the waiter got very unpleasant with us.

Question 11

lengthy

Answer 11

continuing for a long time:
a lengthy discussion/process
Many airline passengers face lengthy delays because of the strike.

Question 12

as yet

Answer 12

until and including this time:
We haven’t needed extra staff as yet, but we may in the future.
No ambulances had as yet managed to get across the river.

Question 13

restructuring

Answer 13

the act of organizing a company, business, or system in a new way to make it operate more effectively:
The company underwent restructuring and 1,500 workers lost their jobs.
She announced a restructuring of management last week.

Question 14

thorough

Answer 14

detailed and careful:
a thorough revision of the manuscript
They did a thorough search of the area but found nothing.

Question 15

remind

Answer 15

to make someone think of something they have forgotten or might have forgotten:
Could you remind Paul about dinner on Saturday?

Question 16

be duty bound to do sth

Answer 16

to have to do something because it is your duty:

We are duty bound to justify how we spend our funds.

Question 17

duty

Answer 17

something that you have to do because it is part of your job, or something that you feel is the right thing to do:
The duty of the agency is to act in the best interests of the child.
I felt it was my duty to tell them the truth.
You have a duty to yourself to take a break once in a while.

Question 18

irritate

Answer 18

to make someone angry or annoyed:

After a while her behaviour really began to irritate me.

Question 19

precautionary

Answer 19

intended to prevent something unpleasant or dangerous from happening:
The company has withdrawn the drug as a precautionary measure.

Question 20

basis

Answer 20

the most important facts, ideas, etc. from which something is developed:
This document will form the basis for our discussion.

Question 21

the sound of sth

Answer 21

how something seems to be, from what is said or written:
I like the sound of the beef in red wine sauce.
By/From the sound of it I don’t think it was her fault.
I’m going to be talking to over 90 people? I don’t like the sound of that!

Question 22

sound

Answer 22

not broken or damaged; healthy; in good condition:
It’s an old building but it’s still structurally sound.
Considering his age, his body is surprisingly sound.

Question 23

assess

Answer 23

to judge or decide the amount, value, quality, or importance of something:
The insurers will need to assess the flood damage.
They assessed the cost of the flood damage at £2,500.
Exams are not the only means of assessing a student’s ability.

Question 24

approach

Answer 24

to deal with something:

I’m not sure how to approach the problem.

Question 25

growth

Answer 25

an increase in the size or the importance of something:
The government is trying to limit population growth.
The rapid growth of opposition to the plan has surprised the mayor.

Question 26

address

Answer 26

to speak or write to someone:
He addressed a few introductory remarks to the audience.
He likes to be addressed as “Sir” or “Mr Partridge”.

to give attention to or deal with a matter or problem:
The issue of funding has yet to be addressed.

Question 27

unintentionally

Answer 27

in a way that is not intentional:
I was either intentionally or unintentionally excluded from a lot of the decisions that were made.
The newspaper printed information that was unintentionally misleading.

Question 28

adverse

Answer 28

having a negative or harmful effect on something:
The match has been cancelled because of adverse weather conditions.
They received a lot of adverse publicity/criticism about the changes.

Question 29

notion

Answer 29

a belief or idea:
The show’s director rejects the notion that seeing violence on television has a harmful effect on children.
I have only a vague notion of what she does for a living.

Question 30

optimistic

Answer 30

hoping or believing that good things will happen in the future:
She is optimistic about her chances of winning a gold medal.

Question 31

in all likelihood

Answer 31

almost certainly:

In all likelihood everything will go to plan.

Question 32

likelihood

Answer 32

the chance that something will happen:
This latest dispute greatly increases the likelihood of a strike.
There is every likelihood that more jobs will be lost later this year.

Question 33

leading

Answer 33

very important or most important:
a leading expert on the country’s ecology
the world’s leading manufacturer of audio equipment

Question 34

uncertainty

Answer 34

a situation in which something is not known, or something that is not known or certain:
Nothing is ever decided, and all the uncertainty is very bad for staff morale.
Life is full of uncertainties.

Question 35

claim

Answer 35

to say that something is true or is a fact, although you cannot prove it and other people might not believe it:
The company claims (that) it is not responsible for the pollution in the river.
He claims to have met the president, but I don’t believe him.
All parties have claimed success in yesterday’s elections.