Vocabulary

Question 1

to do what you have to do or are asked to do

Answer 1

com‧ply / kəmˈplaɪ / verb ( past tense and past participle complied , present participle complying , third person singular complies ) [ intransitive ] formal

→ compliance , compliant

comply with
Failure to comply with the regulations will result in prosecution.
The newspaper was asked by federal agents for assistance and agreed to comply.

Question 2

to make a bad situation worse

Answer 2

ex‧a‧cer‧bate / ɪɡˈzæsəbeɪt $ -sər- / verb [ transitive ]

The recession has exacerbated this problem.
I don’t want to exacerbate the situation.

— exacerbation / ɪɡˌzæsəˈbeɪʃ ə n $ -sər- / noun [ uncountable ]

Question 3

1 impossible to remove or forget SYN permanent

2 ___________ ink/pencil/marker etc
ink etc that makes a permanent mark which cannot be removed

Answer 3

in‧del‧i‧ble / ɪnˈdeləb ə l, ɪnˈdelɪb ə l / adjective

1 Her words left an indelible impression on me for years to come.

2 indelible ink/pencil/marker etc

— indelibly adverb :
a moment indelibly imprinted on my mind

Question 4

1 [ intransitive ] if advantages ______ to you, you get those advantages over a period of time

2 [ I, T ] if money _______s or is ______d, it gradually increases over a period of time

Answer 4

ac‧crue / əˈkruː / verb

1 accrue to
benefits that accrue to students

accrue from
advantages accruing from the introduction of new technology

2 Interest will accrue until payment is made.

— accrual noun [ countable usually singular ]

Question 5

1 a ______ person is strong and healthy

2 a ______ system, organization etc is strong and not likely to have problems

3 a ______ object is strong and not likely to break SYN sturdy

4 showing determination or strong opinions

5 ______ food or FLAVOUR s have a good strong taste

Answer 5

ro‧bust / rəˈbʌst, ˈrəʊbʌst $ rəˈbʌst, ˈroʊ- / adjective

1 a robust man of six feet four

2 a robust system, organization

The formerly robust economy has begun to weaken.

3 a robust object

a robust metal cabinet

4 a typically robust performance by the Prime Minister

5 robust food or FLAVOUR s

a robust cheese
— robustly adverb
— robustness noun [ uncountable ]

Question 6

formal

containing or made from ideas or expressions that have been used many times before and are therefore not very new or interesting

Answer 6

for‧mu‧la‧ic / ˌfɔːmjəˈleɪ-ɪk◂, ˌfɔːmjʊˈleɪ-ɪk◂ $ ˌfɔːr- / adjective formal

Children love jokes and riddles that are heavily formulaic.

Question 7

1 a backward flow of water, caused by an OAR , wave etc

2 the bad situation that remains after something bad has happened

Answer 7

back‧wash / ˈbækwɒʃ $ -wɒːʃ, -wɑːʃ / noun [ uncountable ]

2 the backwash of the company’s failure

Question 8

1 [ transitive usually passive ] to manage the work or money of a company or organization

2 [ intransitive and transitive ] to provide or organize something officially as part of your job

3 [ transitive ] formal to give someone a medicine or medical treatment

Answer 8

ad‧min‧is‧ter / ədˈmɪnəstə, ədˈmɪnɪstə $ -ər / verb

1 The money will be administered by local charities.
Our office administers the affairs of the Society.

2 administer justice/punishment etc

It is not the job of the police to administer justice; that falls to the courts.

administer to
Pillai had responsibility for administering to the needs of half a million people.

administer something to somebody
The test was administered to all 11-year-olds.

administer an oath (= be the official person who listens to it )

3 Painkillers were administered to the boy.
This unit teaches students how to administer first aid .

Question 9

a drawing or description of the main parts of something

Answer 9

sche‧ma / ˈskiːmə / noun ( plural schemas or schemata / -mətə / ) [ countable ] technical
a drawing or description of the main parts of something

Question 10

1 [ usually passive ] if people, ideas, systems etc ___________ or are __________d, they never change or develop, even when there are good reasons why they should change

2 [ intransitive and transitive ] to become or form a FOSSIL by being preserved in rock

Answer 10

fos‧sil‧ize ( also fossilise British English ) / ˈfɒsəlaɪz, ˈfɒsɪlaɪz $ ˈfɑː- / verb

1 Most couples, however fossilized their relationship, have some interests in common.

2 fossilized dinosaur bones

— fossilization / ˌfɒsəlaɪˈzeɪʃ ə n, ˌfɒsɪlaɪˈzeɪʃ ə n $ ˌfɑːsələ- / noun [ uncountable ]

Question 11

1 clearly different or belonging to a different type

2 as ________ from something used to make it clear that you are not referring to a particular kind of thing, but to something else

3 something that is ________ can clearly be seen, heard, smelled etc OPP indistinct

4 [ only before noun ] a ________ possibility, feeling, quality etc definitely exists and cannot be ignored

Answer 11

dis‧tinct W3 AC / dɪˈstɪŋkt / adjective

1 two entirely distinct languages

distinct types/groups/categories etc
There are four distinct types.
distinct from
The learning needs of the two groups are quite distinct from each other.

2 as distinct from something
a movie star, as distinct from an actor

3 The outline of the ship became more distinct.

4 [ only before noun ] a distinct possibility, feeling, quality etc

I got the distinct impression he was trying to make me angry.
There is a distinct possibility that this will eventually be needed.
a distinct lack of enthusiasm

Question 12

1 [ uncountable and countable ] an opinion that you express about someone or something SYN remark

2 [ uncountable ] criticism or discussion of something someone has said or done

3 be a _______ on something to be a sign of the bad quality of something

Answer 12

com‧ment 1 S1 W2 AC / ˈkɒment $ ˈkɑː- / noun

1 comment on/about
his comments about asylum seekers
He was fined for making abusive comments to the referee.

no comment (= used by people in public life when they do not want to answer questions )

2 The speech received much comment in the press.

3 be a comment on something
The number of adults who cannot read is a sad comment on the quality of our schools.

COLLOCATIONS
VERBS

make a comment Everyone was making appreciative comments about the delicious food.

have a comment (= want to make a comment ) Do you have any comments on that, David?

pass (a) comment British English (= give an opinion ) He looked at my photos but he didn’t pass comment.

invite comment(s) (= ask people to give an opinion ) The website invites comments from people who visit it.

welcome comments (= be glad to hear people’s opinions ) We would welcome your comments and suggestions. 
receive comments It is very helpful to receive comments from the public. 

ADJECTIVES
a brief/quick comment I just want to make a very brief comment.

a helpful/constructive comment (= one that helps you make progress ) Pay close attention to your teacher’s constructive comments.

a positive/negative comment There were some very positive comments in the report.

a critical comment The school has received critical comments from inspectors.

(a) fair comment (= a criticism that is reasonable ) I accepted as fair comment 90% of what he said.

a snide comment (= unkind and made in a secret or indirect way ) She made some really snide comments about you when you weren’t here.

a disparaging/derogatory comment (= criticizing someone or something in an unpleasant way ) Never make disparaging comments about a colleague’s work.

a scathing/damning comment (= a very critical one ) There were a lot of scathing comments about the film.

an appreciative comment (= showing that you think something is good or nice ) Appreciative comments may improve your staff’s performance.

a sarcastic comment (= in which you say the opposite of what you mean, as an unkind joke ) I tried to stay calm, despite his sarcastic comments.

a casual comment (= not very serious or important ) I only made a casual comment about finding the work a bit boring.

a passing comment (= a quick comment made without thinking about it very carefully ) She got upset about a passing comment I made about her clothes.

a shrewd comment (= good at judging people or situations ) His newspaper article is always full of shrewd comments.

a wry comment (= saying that something is bad in an amusing way ) ‘Perhaps the food could be improved,’ was the wry comment of one prisoner.

a bitter comment (= an angry one ) Several pensioners passed some bitter comments.
a public comment The jury are forbidden from making public comments.

Question 13

not the last, but immediately before the last SYN last but one → ultimate

Answer 13

pe‧nul‧ti‧mate / peˈnʌltəmət, peˈnʌltɪmət, pə- / adjective [ only before noun ]

the penultimate chapter

REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually say the next to last or, in British English, the last but one rather than use penultimate :
the next to last chapter
the last but one chapter British English

Question 14

to find out what illness someone has, or what the cause of a fault is, after doing tests, examinations etc

Answer 14

di‧ag‧nose / ˈdaɪəɡnəʊz $ -noʊs / verb [ transitive ]

diagnose somebody as (having) something 
Joe struggled in school before he was diagnosed as dyslexic. 
diagnose something as something 
The illness was diagnosed as mumps. 
diagnose somebody with something 
She was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Question 15

a principle or belief, especially one that is part of a larger system of beliefs

Answer 15

ten‧et / ˈtenət, ˈtenɪt / noun [ countable ]

central/basic/fundamental etc tenet
one of the basic tenets of democracy
tenet of
the main tenet of his philosophy

Question 16

1 if there is ___________ among a group of people, a set of ideas etc, all the parts or members of it are connected or related in a reasonable way to form a whole

2 technical a close relationship, based on grammar or meaning, between two parts of a sentence or a larger piece of writing

Answer 16

co‧he‧sion / kəʊˈhiːʒ ə n $ koʊ- / noun [ uncountable ]

1 a sense of community and social cohesion

Question 17

1 COVER
be _____ed with something
to have a particular substance on top

2 LIMIT [ often passive ]
to limit the amount of something, especially money, that can be used, allowed, or spent

3 GOOD/BAD
to say, do, or be something that is better, worse, or more extreme than something that has just happened or been said

4 be ____ed by something
to have something very good or very bad at the end of an event

5 SPORT [ usually passive ] British English
to choose someone for a national sports team

6 to ___ it all (off) British English spoken
used before a statement to say that something is the last in a series of annoying, unpleasant, or funny events

7 snow-____ed, white-___ed etc with snow on top, with white on top etc

8 TOOTH
to cover a tooth with a special hard white substance

Answer 17

cap 2 verb ( past tense and past participle capped , present participle capping ) [ transitive ]

1 be capped with something
a graceful tower capped with a golden dome
magnificent cliffs capped by lovely wild flowers

2 the only county to have its spending capped by the government

3 Well, we went three nights with no sleep at all. I bet you can’t cap that!

4 be capped by something
a fabulous weekend, capped by dinner in the Times Square Hotel

5 He’s been capped three times for England.

6 to cap it all (off) British English spoken
To cap it all, the phones didn’t work, and there was no hot water.

7 snow-capped, white-capped etc
snow-capped mountains

8 He’s had his teeth capped.

Question 18

1 [ intransitive ] to treat a person or group differently from another in an unfair way

2 [ intransitive and transitive ] to recognize a difference between things SYN differentiate

Answer 18

di‧scrim‧i‧nate AC / dɪskrɪməneɪt, dɪskrɪmɪneɪt / verb

1 discriminate against
Under federal law, it is illegal to discriminate against minorities and women.

discriminate on the grounds/basis of something
It was found that the company still discriminated on the basis of race in promotions.

2 discriminate between
Newborn babies can discriminate between a man’s and a woman’s voice.

discriminate something from something
the process of learning to discriminate fact from opinion

Question 19

1 [ only before noun ] very easy to notice SYN noticeable

2 ______ man/woman
a person who is in danger because someone wants to harm them

Answer 19

marked / mɑkt $ mɑrkt / adjective

1 a marked lack of enthusiasm
The patient showed a marked improvement in her condition after changing medication.
Miller’s organized desk stood in marked contrast to the rest of the office.

2 marked man/woman

— markedly / mɑkədli, mɑkɪdli $ mɑr- / adverb :
Johnson and Rivera have markedly different leadership styles.

Question 20

including or influencing every part of something

Answer 20

o‧ver‧arch‧ing / əʊvərɑtʃɪŋ◂ $ oʊvərɑr- / adjective [ only before noun ]

The crisis gave an overarching justification to the government’s policy.

Question 21

1 expressed in a way that is very clear and direct → implicit

2 language or pictures that are ________ describe or show sex or violence very clearly

Answer 21

ex‧pli‧cit AC / ɪksplɪsət, ɪksplɪsɪt / adjective

1 The contrast could not have been made more explicit .
explicit knowledge of grammar
The kidnappers gave us explicit instructions not to involve the police.
Be explicit when you talk about money with your family.

explicit about
He made the rules without being explicit about them.

2 The film contains some very explicit love scenes.
sexually explicit language

— explicitly adverb
— explicitness noun [ uncountable ]

Question 22

unwilling to talk about what you feel or what you know SYN reserved

Answer 22

ret‧i‧cent / retəs ə nt, retɪs ə nt / adjective

reticent about
She’s strangely reticent about her son.

— reticence noun [ uncountable ]

reticent unwilling to talk to other people, especially about a particular subject : She’s always been reticent about her early life.

Question 23

1 to make someone stop doing what they should be doing, or stop talking about what they started talking about, by making them interested in something else

2 American English to delay or stop the progress of something

Answer 23

side‧track / saɪdtræk / verb [ transitive usually passive ]

1 Don’t get sidetracked by the audience’s questions.

2 An effort to improve security was sidetracked by budget problems.

Question 24

without realizing what you are doing SYN accidentally OPP deliberately

Answer 24

in‧ad‧vert‧ent‧ly / ɪnədvɜtəntli $ -ɜr- / adverb

Viruses can be spread inadvertently by email users.
Robinson’s name was inadvertently omitted from the list.

— inadvertent adjective :
inadvertent exposure to chemicals
— inadvertence noun [ uncountable ]

accidentally/by accident in a way that was not planned or intended : He accidentally shot his friend. | Fleming discovered the drug by accident, when he was researching something else. | I met the man purely by accident, and we began a conversation.

inadvertently if you inadvertently do something, you do it without realizing you are doing it, because you are not careful enough : In a panic, I inadvertently pushed the accelerator instead of the brake. | The Finance Minister inadvertently revealed budget secrets to reporters.

Question 25

1 to happen or exist before something or someone, or to come before something else in a series

2 to go somewhere before someone else

Answer 25

pre‧cede AC / prɪsid / verb [ transitive ] formal

1 → preceding :
a type of cloud that precedes rain
Lunch will be preceded by a short speech from the chairman.

2 The guard preceded them down the corridor.

Question 26

1 at sb’s ______________ ( also at the _______________ of somebody ) formal
because of someone’s suggestion, request, or demand

2 the act of starting something

Answer 26

in‧sti‧ga‧tion / ɪnstəɡeɪʃ ə n, ɪnstɪɡeɪʃ ə n / noun [ uncountable ]

1 at sb’s instigation ( also at the instigation of somebody ) formal
an inquiry set up at the instigation of the White House

Question 27

1 __________ to do something
likely to do or say something or to behave in a particular way, especially because of a fault or natural tendency SYN likely

2 legally responsible for the cost of something

3 likely to be affected by a particular kind of problem, illness etc SYN prone

4 law likely to be legally punished or forced to do something by law

Answer 27

li‧a‧ble / laɪəb ə l / adjective [ not before noun ]

1 liable to do something
The car is liable to overheat on long trips.
He was liable to just show up without warning.

2 liable for
people who are liable for income tax at a higher rate

3 liable to
You’re more liable to injury when you don’t get regular exercise.

4 law
liable to/for
Anyone found trespassing is liable to a maximum fine of $100.

Question 28

formal
1 an idea formed by combining several pieces of information or knowledge

2 something that is built or made SYN construction

Answer 28

con‧struct 2 AC / kɒnstrʌkt $ kɑn- / noun [ countable ] formal

Question 29

1 ___ something ↔ __
to fix a piece of equipment somewhere and connect it so that it is ready to be used SYN instal

2 ___ something ↔ __
to spend time or use energy working or practising something

3 ___ __ something written
to interrupt someone in order to say something

4 ___ something ↔ __
to ask for something in an official way

5 ___ your faith/trust/confidence __ somebody/something
to trust someone or something or believe that they can do something

6 ___ __ something
to do something in a particular way, especially a performance in a play, film, race etc

7 ___ __ an appearance
to go to a social event, meeting etc for a short time

8 if a ship ___s __, it enters a port

Answer 29

put in phrasal verb

1 put something ↔ in
We decided to have a new bathroom put in.

2 put something ↔ in
Dorothy had put in a lot of hard work during her six years as chairperson.

3 put in something written
‘How old are you?’ ‘Sixteen.’ ‘I’m sixteen too,’ put in Dixie.

4 put something ↔ in
She put in an insurance claim.
We must put in an order by tonight.

put in for something
I put in for a pay increase.

5 put your faith/trust/confidence in somebody/something
I’m putting my faith in the appeal judges.

6 put in something
He put in a brilliant performance in the British Grand Prix.

7 put in an appearance
There was an hour yet before she needed to put in an appearance at the restaurant.

Question 30

1 to give strength or support to something and to help it succeed

2 technical to put a solid piece of metal under a wall or house in order to make it stronger

Answer 30

un‧der‧pin / ʌndəpɪn $ -ər- / verb ( past tense and past participle underpinned , present participle underpinning ) [ transitive ]

1 the theories that underpin his teaching method
America’s wealth is underpinned by a global system which exploits the world’s poor.

— underpinning noun [ uncountable and countable ]

Question 31

1 careful, thorough, and exact

2 very severe or strict

Answer 31

rig‧or‧ous / rɪɡərəs / adjective

1 a rigorous analysis of defence needs
the rigorous standards required by the college

2 rigorous army training

— rigorously adverb

Question 32

1 money
a) [ transitive ] to put or keep money in a _______

b) [ intransitive always + adverb/preposition ] to keep your money in a particular ____

2 plane [ intransitive ]
if a plane ____s, it slopes to one side when turning

3 pile/rows ( also ____ up ) [ transitive ] British English to arrange something into a pile or into rows

4 cloud/mist ( also ____ up ) [ transitive ]
to form a mass of cloud, mist etc

5 fire  ( also   \_\_\_\_ up )  [ transitive ]   
to cover a fire with wood or coal to keep it going for a long time

____ __ somebody/something phrasal verb
to depend on something happening or someone doing something SYN count on

Answer 32

bank 2 verb

1 a) Did you bank that check?
b) bank with
Who do you bank with?

bank at
I’ve always banked at First Interstate.

2 The plane banked, and circled back toward us.

3 pile/rows ( also bank up ) [ transitive ] British English
Snow was banked up on either side of the road.

4 cloud/mist ( also bank up ) [ transitive ]
Banked clouds promised rain.

5 fire  ( also   bank up )  [ transitive ]  
Josie banked up the fire to last till morning. 

bank on somebody/something phrasal verb

bank on (somebody) doing something 
I was banking on being able to get some coffee on the train.

Question 33

1 write on something [ transitive ]
to write or draw on something, so that someone will notice what you have written

2 damage [ intransitive and transitive ] to make a ____ on something in a way that spoils its appearance or damages it, or to become spoiled in this way

4 show position [ transitive ] to show where something is

5 year/month/week [ transitive ]
if a particular year, month, or week _____s an important event, the event happened on that date during a previous year

6 show a change [ transitive ]
to be a sign of an important change or an important stage in the development of something

7 quality/feature [ transitive usually passive ]
if something is ___ed by a particular quality or feature, it is a typical or important part of that thing SYN characterize

8 student’s work [ transitive ] especially British English to read a piece of written work and put a number or letter on it to show how good it is SYN grade American English

9 sport [ transitive ] especially British English
to stay close to a player of the opposite team during a game SYN guard American English

10 be ____ing time to spend time not doing very much except waiting for something else to happen

11 ____ time
if soldiers ____ time, they move their legs as if they were marching, but remain in the same place

12 (you) ____ my words! spoken
used to tell someone that they should pay attention to what you are saying

13 ____ you British English old-fashioned
used to emphasize something you say SYN mind you

Answer 33

mark 2 S2 W2 verb

1 I’ve marked the pages you need to look at.

mark something with something
When you’re done, put your sheet in the envelope
marked with your name.

mark something on something
Peter marked his name on the first page.

mark something personal/fragile/urgent etc
a document marked ‘confidential’
mark somebody present/absent (= write on an official list that someone is there or not there, especially in school )
Any student who is more than 20 minutes late for class will be marked absent.
All school uniform should be clearly marked with the child’s name.

2 Take off your shoes so you don’t mark the floor.
The disease had marked her face for life.
The table marks easily, so please be careful.

3 celebrations to mark Australia Day
mark something with something
Carter’s 90th birthday will be marked with a large party at the Savoy Hotel.
Mrs Lawson was presented with a gold watch to mark the occasion .

4 A simple wooden cross marked her grave.
He had marked the route on the map in red.
mark something with something
Troop positions were marked with colored pins.
She placed a bookmark between the pages to mark her place .

5 year/month/week [ transitive ]
This week marks the 250th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Priestley.

6 Her latest novel marks a turning point in her development as a writer.
The move seemed to mark a major change in government policy.
These elections mark the end of an era.

7 The villages of East Anglia are marked by beautiful churches with fine towers.

8 I’ve got a pile of exam papers to mark.

10 be marking time
I was just marking time until a better job came up.

11 mark time

12 (you) mark my words! spoken
They’re going to regret firing me, you mark my words!

13 mark you British English old-fashioned
Her uncle’s just given her a car – given, mark you, not lent. → marked

Question 34

to decide how something should be shared among various people

Answer 34

ap‧por‧tion / əpɔʃ ə n $ -ɔr- / verb [ transitive ] formal

It’s not easy to apportion blame (= say who deserves to be blamed ) when a marriage breaks up.

apportion among/between
Court costs were equally apportioned between them.

— apportionment noun [ uncountable and countable ]

Question 35

1 always behaving in the same way or having the same attitudes, standards etc – usually used to show approval OPP in ______________

2 continuing to happen or develop in the same way

3 a ___________ argument or idea does not have any parts that do not match other parts OPP in ___________:

4 be ____________ with something
if a fact, idea etc is ___________ with another one, it seems to match it

Answer 35

con‧sis‧tent S3 W3 AC / kənsɪst ə nt / adjective

1 She’s the team’s most consistent player.

consistent in
We need to be consistent in our approach.

2 a consistent improvement in the country’s economy

3 a consistent argument or idea OPP inconsistent :
The evidence is not consistent.

4 be consistent with something
Her injuries are consistent with having fallen from the building.
The results are consistent with earlier research.

— consistently adverb :
consistently high performance

Question 36

1 [ countable ] a sudden clear understanding of something or part of something, especially a complicated situation or idea

2 [ uncountable ] the ability to understand and realize what people or situations are really like

Answer 36

in‧sight AC / ɪnsaɪt / noun

1 insight into
The article gives us a real insight into the causes of the present economic crisis.
The research provides new insights into the way we process language.

2 a woman of great insight