VOC U7 Definitions - DEF - EN

Question 1

a careful examination of a situation or activity to see what the risks may be and what you can do to prevent them

Answer 1

risk analysis n. [C] (plural analyses) (The factory, which treats hazardous waste, had a risk analysis carried out last year in response to public concern.)

Question 2

a collection of shares and other investments owned by a particular person or company

Answer 2

portfolio n. [C] (plural portfolios) (European stocks make up 50% of his investment portfolio.)

Question 3

a person or company that runs a particular business

Answer 3

operator n. [C] (They are the leading tour operator in the UK.)

Question 4

a person or organisation whose job is to buy and sell stocks, shares, bonds, etc. for people

Answer 4

stockbroker n. [C] (The securities can be sold any business day by placing an order with a stockbroker.)

Question 5

a process in which you examine what a person or business needs from a product, activity, etc.

Answer 5

needs analysis n. [C] (The company did a needs analysis to determine what areas employees needed more training in).

Question 6

a risk that cannot be avoided

Answer 6

hazard n. [C] (One of the most widespread natural hazards is flooding.)

Question 7

a X situation is likely to change suddenly and without warning

Answer 7

volatile adj. (Bonds started the year in a highly volatile trading environment.)

Question 8

able to accept the possibility that something bad, unpleasant or dangerous may happen

Answer 8

risk-tolerant adj. (Many financial advisers say that even if you’re risk-tolerant, you shouldn’t put more than 10% of your wealth into a single asset.)

Question 9

an action, especially an official one, that is intended to deal with a particular problem

Answer 9

measure n. [C] (New safety measures were being demanded after last night’s horrific train crash.)

Question 10

an examination of the possible risks involved in doing something, so you can decide whether something is worth doing, and can plan to reduce the risks

Answer 10

risk assessment n. [C,U] (Any organisation employing more than four people must carry out a health and safety risk assessment.)

Question 11

easily upset or worried about the possibility that something bad, unpleasant or dangerous may happen

Answer 11

risk-sensitive adj. (During a recession, many lenders are more risk-sensitive than they are in a good economic climate.)

Question 12

extremely bad

Answer 12

catastrophic adj. (The failure of the talks could have catastrophic consequences.)

Question 13

how likely something is, sometimes calculated in a mathematical way

Answer 13

probability n. [C,U] (plural probabilities) (The probability of the product’s sales increasing in Japan is really very low.)

Question 14

if a problem or difficult situation x, it begins to happen

Answer 14

arise v. [I] (arose, arisen) (More problems like those at the nuclear power plant are certain to arise.)

Question 15

if something is x, you have noticed it and are giving it some attention

Answer 15

on the/someone’s radar (The company has been on the radar of environmental activists for several years.)

Question 16

intended to stop something you do not want to happen, such as illness, from happening;

Answer 16

preventive adj. (There have been many improvements in car safety and other preventive measures.)

Question 17

plans, ideas, etc. that are helpful in a way that prepares you for the future

Answer 17

forward thinking (With a bit of forward thinking, we make sure your budget goes as far as possible.)

Question 18

someone whose job is to examine a business or activity to see what the risks may be and what can be done to prevent them

Answer 18

risk analyst n. [C] (Risk analysts prepared a summary of the possible risks, both financial and physical.)

Question 19

something that may be dangerous or unpleasant, that you do after thinking carefully about what might happen

Answer 19

a calculated risk (Investing is about taking calculated risks.)

Question 20

the amount by which two or more things are different or by which they change

Answer 20

variance n. [C,U] (Variance measures how different a price or number is from the average, and thus helps to determine risk.)

Question 21

the effect or influence that an event, situation, etc. has on someone or something

Answer 21

impact n. [C] (We need to assess the impact on the environment.)

Question 22

the fact or state of being likely to change suddenly and without warning

Answer 22

volatility n. [U] (There has been a lot of volatility in the stock market in the last few weeks.)

Question 23

the practice of deliberately making people worried or nervous, especially in order to get a political or other advantage

Answer 23

scaremongering n. [U] (We hear scaremongering that a minimum wage will destroy jobs.)

Question 24

to become involved or interested in someone or something, and do things because of this

Answer 24

engage with someone/something phr. v. (The students were engaged with the novel and debated the actions of the characters.)

Question 25

to do something that may be dangerous or unpleasant

Answer 25

run a/the risk (The country needs this trade agreement, or it runs the risk of hurting the economy).

Question 26

to exist in a way that may cause a problem, danger, difficulty, etc.

Answer 26

pose v. [T] (Officials claim the chemical poses no real threat.)

Question 27

to find out facts that will prove that something is true

Answer 27

establish v. [T] 5It was quickly established that several members of the crew had been negligent.)

Question 28

to have an angry argument or disagreement and stop being friendly to someone

Answer 28

fall out phr. v. (She fell out with some of her colleagues.)

Question 29

to have something bad happen to you, or to experience something bad

Answer 29

suffer v. [I,T] (Only some of the buildings had suffered damage in the hurricane.)

Question 30

to make a judgement about a situation after thinking carefully about it

Answer 30

assess v. [T] (It is difficult to assess all the complex processes driving climate change.)

Question 31

to recognise or discover something and understand what it is like

Answer 31

identify v. [T] (identified, identifying, identifies) (They identified a number of problem areas.)

Question 32

to reduce something that is difficult, dangerous or unpleasant to the smallest possible amount or degree

Answer 32

minimise (also minimize) v. [T] (Investing in unit trusts minimises the risks if stock markets fall.)

Question 33

to think or know that something is going to happen in the future

Answer 33

foresee v. [T] (Few analysts foresaw that oil prices would rise so steeply.)

Question 34

work or research that involves making new discoveries, using new methods, etc.

Answer 34

groundbreaking adj. (Her groundbreaking legal work changed the way sexual harassment was viewed.)