KEY TO VOCABULARY EXERCISES

A. Choose the correct word to fill in the blanks:

1. There is always the ____________________ that the plane will be early.(OPPORTUNITY /

CHANCE/POSSIBILITY)
2. My grandfather gave me a very useful piece of ____________________ . (ADVISE/ADVICE)
3. The strike will ____________________ all trains in the London area. (EFFECT/AFFECT)
4. The police will ____________________ anyone from leaving the building.(AVOID/PREVENT)
5. Come and is down ____________________ me. (BESIDE/BESIDES)
6. ____________________ managing the shop, he teaches in the evening. (BESIDE/BESIDES)
7. Can you switch to ____________________ 4 for the news? (CHANNEL/CANAL)
8. Our team has a good ____________________ of winning.(OPPORTUNITY / CHANCE/POSSIBILITY)
9. You should travel early to ____________________ traffic jams. (AVOID/PREVENT)
10. I am getting fed up with her ____________________ complaints.(CONTINUAL/CONTINUOUS)
11. It took two policemen to ____________________ the traffic. (DIRECT/CONDUCT)
12. I ____________________ you to put all your money into a savings account. (ADVISE/ADVICE)
13. I didn’t have much ____________________ on my birthday (FUN/FUNNY).
14. Don’t ____________________ my sunglasses if you borrow them. (DAMAGE/HARM)
15. The English ____________________ is beautiful in spring. (NATURE/COUNTRYSIDE)
16. He didn’t mean to ____________________ the girl. (DAMAGE/HARM)
17. You can get a good ____________________ of the sea from the church tower. (VIEW/SCENERY)
18. Her jewels were all imitations; they are quite ____________________ . (PRICELESS/WORTHLESS)
19. You can take a boat trip around the ____________________ of Amsterdam.(CHANNEL/CANAL)
20. Von Karajan will ____________________ the orchestra at the concert. (DIRECT/CONDUCT)
21. Did Alexander Fleming ____________________ penicillin? (INVENT/DISCOVER)
22. The cuts in spending will have a serious ____________________ on the educational system.
(EFFECT/AFFECT)
23. Staying indoors was a ____________________ thing to do in this kind of weather. (SENSIBLE/SENSITIVE)
24. You should always be ____________________ to children. (SYMPATHETIC/KIND)
25. He made ____________________ faces and made the children laugh. FUN/FUNNY).
26. I am very tired; I’ll just go and ____________________ down for a few minutes. (LIE/LAY)
27. She has been in ____________________ plain for over three days.(CONTINUAL/CONTINUOUS)
28. He asked me if I would ____________________ him some money until Monday. .(LEND/BORROW)
29. The ____________________ wants to see you in his office. (PRINCIPLE/PRINCIPAL)
30. We must try to protect ____________________ and the environment(NATURE/COUNTRYSIDE)
31. Goods cannot be exchanged unless a sales ____________________ can be shown. (RECIPE/RECEIPT)
32. I am very ____________________ to her problems. (SYMPATHETIC/KIND)
33. Be very careful with that painting; it’s ____________________ . (PRICELESS/WORTHLESS)
34. The airlines are going to ____________________ their fares again. (RAISE/RISE)
35. Can I ____________________ your car to go to the supermarket.(LEND/BORROW)
36. I gave her an Italian ____________________ book for her birthday. (RECIPE/RECEIPT)
37. My father is going to ____________________ a new carpet in the dining room. (LIE/LAY)
38. Did you ____________________ to switch off the kitchen light? .(REMIND/REMEMBER)
39. When did she ____________________ the new computer terminal? (INVENT/DISCOVER)
40. I adore the beautiful ____________________ in the Lake District. (VIEW/SCENERY)

Answer

1. Possibility 15. Countryside 29. Principal

2. Advice 16. Harm 30. Nature
3. Affect 17. View 31. Receipt
4. Prevent 18. Worthless 32. Sympathetic
5. Beside 19. Canals 33. Priceless
6. Besides 20. Conduct 34. Raise
 7. Channel 21. Discover 35. Borrow
8. Chance 22. Effect 36. Recipe
9. Avoid 23. Sensible 37. Lay
10. Continual 24. Kind 38. Remember
11. Direct 25. Funny 39. Invent
12. Advise 26. Lie 40. Scenery
13. Fun 27. Continuous
14. Damage 28. Lend

B. Which of these words is closest in meaning to the word provided?

1. Remote 6. Pensive 11. Jovial 16. Generic

(a) Automatic (a) Oppressed (a) Incredulous (a) General

(b) Distant (b) Caged (b) Merry (b) Cheap
(c) Savage (c) Thoughtful (c) Revolting (c) Fresh
(d) mean (d) Happy (d) Dizzy (d) Elderly

2. Detest 7. Banish 12. Indifferent 17. Qualm

(a) Argue (a) Exile (a) Neutral (a) Distress

(b) Hate (b) Hate (b) Unkind (b) Impunity
(c) Discover (c) Fade (c) Precious (c) Persevere
(d) Reveal (d) Clean (d) Mean (d) Scruple

3. Gracious 8. Fraud 13. Simulate 18. Wary

(a) Pretty (a) Malcontent (a) Excite (a) Calm

(b) Clever (b) Argument (b) Imitate (b) Curved
(c) Pleasant (c) Imposter (c) Trick (c) Confused
(d) Present (d) Clown (d) Apelike (d) Cautious

4. Predict 9. Saccharine 14. Charisma 19. Distort

(a) Foretell (a) Leave (a) Ghost (a) Wrong

(b) Decide (b) Sweet (b) Force (b) Evil
(c) Prevent (c) Arid (c) Charm (c) Deform
(d) Discover (d) Quit (d) Courage (d) Harm

5. Kin 10. Drag 15. Apportion 20. Sumptuous

(a) Exult (a) Sleepy (a) Divide (a) Delirious

(b) Twist (b) Crush (b) Decide (b) Gorgeous
(c) Friend (c) Proud (c) Cut (c) Perilous
(d) Relative (d) Pull (d) Squabble (d) Luxurious

Answers

1. (b). remote means faraway, or distant

2. (b). to detest means to feel intense or violent dislike, or to hate
3. (c). gracious means to be pleasant or considerate in social interactions
4. (a). to predict means to declare in advance or to foretell
5. (d). kin means people with common ancestors, or relatives
6. (c). pensive means moodily or dreamily thoughtful
 7. (a). to banish means to drive out from home or country, or to exile
8. (c). a fraud is someone who is not what he or she pretends to be, or an imposter
9. (b). saccharine means overly sweet
10. (d). to drag is to pull, or to cause movement in a direction with applied force
11. (b). jovial means good humored or merry
12. (a). to be indifferent is to be marked by impartiality or to be neutral
13. (b). to simulate is to assume the outward appearance of, or to imitate
14. (c). charisma is magnetic charm or appeal
15. (a). to apportion is to divide and share out
16. (a). generic means having the characteristic of a whole group, or general
17. (d). a qualm is a feeling of uneasiness about a moral issue, or a scruple
18. (d). wary means to be attentive especially to danger, or to be cautious
19. (c). to distort means to twist out of a normal state, or to deform
20. (d). sumptuous means excessively costly, rich, or luxurious

C. Which of these words is most nearly the opposite of the word provided?

1. Withdraw 6. Awe 11. Brazen 16. Abate

(a) Reduce (a) Borrow (a) Bashful (a) Free

(b) Need (b) Shallow (b) Boisterous (b) Augment
(c) Advance (c) Low (c) Noisy (c) Provoke
(d) Want (d) Contempt (d) Heated (d) Wane

2. Secret 7. Pit 12. Expect 17. Dearth

(a) Friendly (a) Group (a) Attend (a) Lack

(b) Covert (b) Peak (b) Regret (b) Poverty
(c) Hidden (c) Select (c) Despair (c) Abundance
(d) Overt (d) Marry (d) Loathe (d) Foreign

3. Heartfelt 8. Rotund 13. Malodorous 18. Peaked

(a) Loving (a) Round (a) Acrid (a) Tired

(b) Insincere (b) Unimportant (b) Pungent (b) Arrogant
(c) Unhealthy (c) Thin (c) Fragrant (c) Pointy
(d) Humorous (d) Dull (d) Delicious (d) Ruddy

4. Impartial 9. Talent 14. Expound 19. Abridge

(a) Hostile (a) Ungrateful (a) Besmirch (a) Shorten

(b) Biased (b) Silent (b) Confuse (b) Extend
(c) Dislike (c) Show (c) Confine (c) Stress
(d) Worried (d) Inability (d) Condemn (d) Easy

5. Luminous 10. Common 15. Pique 20. Kindle

(a) Clear (a) Strange (a) Value (a) Smother

(b) Dim (b) Uneasy (b) Gully (b) Detest
(c) Brittle (c) Quick (c) Smooth (c) Enemy
(d) Clever (d) Fast (d) Soothe (d) Discourage

Answers

1. (c). to withdraw means to remove or retreat; to advance is the opposite of retreat

2. (d). secret means hidden or covert; overt means open to view
3. (b). heartfelt means expressing genuine feeling, or sincere, so insincere is its opposite
4. (b). impartial means to be without prejudice or bias, therefore biased is the opposite
5. (b). luminous means radiating or reflecting light, or glowing; dim means dark or dull
6. (d). awe means a sense of deep respect or veneration; contempt means a lack of respect, or disdain
7. (b). a pit is a hole and a peak is the top of a hill or mountain
8. (c). rotund means rounded or plump, therefore thin is the opposite
9. (d). a talent is a special creative or artistic ability, therefore inability is the opposite
10. (a). common means ordinary or familiar; strange means unfamiliar
11. (a). brazen means to be defiant or insolent; bashful means to be shy or timid
12. (c). to expect is to wait for or to look forward to; to despair is to lose all hope
13. (c). malodorous means to have a bad smell; fragrant means smelling sweet or delicate
14. (b). to expound means to explain; to confuse, or confound, is the opposite of expound
15. (d). to pique means to excite or irritate; to soothe means to calm
16. (b). to abate means to reduce in degree or intensity; to augment means to increase
17. (c). dearth means an inadequate supply or lack of something; abundance means an ample quantity, or wealth
18. (d). to be peaked is to appear pale or wan; to be ruddy is to have a healthy, red complexion
19. (b). to abridge means to shorten and to extend means to lengthen
20. (a). to kindle means to start burning or ignite; to smother means to stifle or suppress

D. Put the correct form of the word in brackets into the blank.

1. In the future the public will have a wider __________________ of television programs. (CHOOSE)
2. Looking after the health of 700 children is heavy ______________________ . (RESPONSIBLE)
3. The town spent more money on __________________ and health than ever before (HOUSE)
4. Do you have any particular __________________ where we sit? (PREFER)
5. There’s a __________________ contrast between what he does and what he says. (STRIKE)
6. The party turned out to be a huge ______________________ (DISAPPOINT)
7. He was fined and __________________ for reckless driving (QUALIFY).
8. Is it possible to remove the smell from the books that have been in _______________ for such a long time?
(STORE)
9. Many people are interested in job __________________ more than in earning large amount of money
(SATISFY).
10. I hadn’t made a __________________ , so I just got on the first flight available. (RESERVE)
11. The anti-doping association believes that all sports must be free of drug __________________ (USE).
12. The country is facing a population __________________ . (EXPLODE)
13. It is __________________ to fasten your seat-belts before take-off (ADVISE)
14. She claimed __________________ benefit for over six months. (EMPLOY)
15. Tax __________________ is one of the biggest problems that face the new country. (EVADE)
16. You can basically wear what you want but there is an _____________ law that says you must not wear
jeans. (WRITE)
17. The __________________ course is being paid for by the company. (MANAGE)
18. It’s a __________________ shame that she didn’t have a better chance in life. (CRY)
19. The farm house we stayed in was completely off the __________________ track. (BEAT)
20. The police searched the house _______________________ . (SYSTEM)
21. He is a __________________ -paid senior executive. (HIGH)
22. A full-scale ____________________ of our company is urgently needed (ORGANIZE)
23. Are we going to be saved __________________ by our oil supplies? (ECONOMY)
24. Experts have tried to find a __________________ to the personnel problems. (SOLVE)
25. She’s a specialist in psychology and human __________________ . (BEHAVE)
26. The __________________ of the most important port of the country eliminated all trade. (BLOCK)
27. The __________________ system of some countries used to be based on gold. (MONEY)
28. He recovered from his injuries in the __________________ hospital (NAVY)
29. He has loved her __________________ ever since they first met. (PASSION)
30. The importance of this __________________ has been extremely overrated. (INVENT)
31. He is a convinced __________________ of Chinese communism (FOLLOW)
32. Jane’s party was more of an __________________ test than anything else. (ENDURE)
33. The government has committed itself to developing __________________ sources of energy. (NEW)
34. He took a job as a sales __________________ in a big department store. (ASSIST)
35. The potential benefits of this treatment __________________ the risks. (WEIGH)
36. Make sure the hairdryer is __________________ before you fix the switch. (CONNECT)
37. They say that travel __________________ the mind. (BROAD)
38. Without his teacher’s __________________ he would have given up long ago. (ENCOURAGE)
39. Dickens’s last novel was __________________ The Mystery of Edwin Drood. (TITLE)
40. She has known me for two years now but she still __________________ my name. (PRONOUNCE)

Answer

1. Choice 15. Evasion 29. Passionately

2. Responsibility 16. Unwritten 30. Invention
3. Housing 17. Management 31. Follower
4. Preference 18. Crying 32. Endurance
5. Striking 19. Beaten 33. Renewable
6. Disappointment 20. Systematically 34. Assistant
7. Disqualified 21. Highly 35. Outweigh
8. Storage 22. Reorganization 36. Disconnected
9. Satisfaction 23. Economically 37. Broadens
10. Reservation 24. Solution 38. Encouragement
11. Abuse 25. Behavior 39. Entitled
12. Explosion 26. Blockade 40. Mispronounces
13. Advisable 27. Monetary
14. Unemployment 28. Naval

E. Put the correct form of the word in brackets into the blank:

We earn our _____ (LIVE) in America today in peaceful ______ (COMPETE) with people all across the
Earth. Profound and _____ (POWER) forces are shaking and _____ (MAKE) our world, and the urgent
question of our time is whether we can make change our friend and not our enemy. This new world has already
_____ (RICH) the lives of millions of Americans who are able to _____ (COMPETITION) and win in it. But
when most people are working harder for less, when others cannot work at all, when the cost of health care
devastates families and threatens to _____ (BANK) our enterprises, great and small, when the fear of crime
robs law abiding citizens of their _____ (FREE), and when millions of poor children cannot even imagine the
lives we are calling them to lead, we have not made change our friend.

Answer

Livelihood Competition Powerful Making Enriched Compete Bankrupt Freedom

F. Put the correct form of the word in brackets into the blank:

In the centre of the room, clamped to an upright easel, stood the full-length portrait of a young man of _____
(ORDINARY) personal beauty, and in front of it, some little _____ (DISTANT) away, was sitting the artist
himself, Basil Hall ward, whose sudden _____ (APPEAR) some years ago caused, at the time, such public
_____ (EXCITE), and gave rise to so many strange conjectures. As the painter looked at the _____ (GRACE)
and comely form he had so _____ (SKILL) mirrored in his art, a smile of ______ (PLEASE) passed across
his face, and seemed about to linger there. But he _____ (SUDDEN) started up, and, closing his eyes, placed
his fingers upon the lids, as though he sought to _____ (PRISON) within his brain some curious dream from
which he feared he might _____(WAKE).

Answer

1. Extraordinary 5. Gracious 8. Suddenly

2. Distance 6. Skilfully 9. Imprisoned
3. Disappearance 7. Pleasure 10. Awake
4. Excitement