Vocabulary Tests - Test Thirty Four ( 34 )

Vocabulary Tests 

Test Thirty Four

1- ] Read the sentences or short passages . Write the letter for the best answer to each question on the line provided

The English barons who met at St. Albans outside London in 1213 cared little for the rights of the commoner. They only sought some redress  from the excessive taxation , military service , and other demands King John was making on them .

1 . Which word or words could best replace redress ?

( A )  punishment ( B ) increased interest

( C ) satisfaction for some wrong  ( D ) amusement                  1 . -------------------

The revolutionary notions that all people are equal and that they possess certain inviolable rights beyond the power of ruler or church were born at the meeting .

2 . An inviolable right is one that -------------------

( A ) is rarely exercised  ( B ) cannot be taken away

( C ) is not supported by law  ( D ) is granted by the courts .   2 . --------------------

Perhaps an even more serious provocation was King John’s refusal to consult his barons before altering accepted feudal laws and customs .

3 . Which word or words could best replace provocation  ?

( A ) source of anger  ( B ) religious belief

( C ) idle thought ( D )  military action                                  3 . -------------------

English war losses to France had weakened the king’s position and therefore emboldened  the barons to draft 63 articles guaranteeing them certain rights .

4 . Which word or words could best replace emboldened  ?

( A ) tricked ( B ) forced

( C )  strongly encouraged ( D ) frightened                                4 . ------------------

Once the articles were drafted , the barons accosted the king , demanding that he issue the articles as a royal charter to be distributed throughout the kingdom .

5 . If you accost an individual , you ------------------

( A ) confuse him or her ( B ) punish him or her severely

( C ) entertain him or her ( D ) approach him or her angrily .     5 . ------------------

Under the duress of a faltering war abroad and civil strife at hone , King John had little choice but to acquiesce to the barons’ demands .

6 . Which word or words could best replace duress  ?

( A ) supervision ( B ) threat

( C ) pleasant surroundings ( D ) sense of duty                         6 . --------------------

7 . If you acquiesce  to something , you -----------------.

( A ) ignore it completely ( B ) boast about it

( C ) gaze at it lovingly  ( D ) quietly agree to it .                  7 . ---------------------

To mollify his nobility and keep his throne , King John approved the charter , known as the Magna Carta ,  in June 1215 .

Which word or words could best replace mollify  ?

( A ) soothe or comfort ( B ) make angry

( C ) insult ( D ) confuse or bewilder                                      8 . ----------------------

In his effort to obviate a civil war , King John established democratic principles .

9 . If you obviate  a risk , you -------------------

( A ) increase it ( B ) prevent it

( C ) defeat it ( D ) embrace it                                                 9 . -------------------

Only four original copies of the Magna Carta are extant today , all in England .  

10 . If something is extant --------------- , it is -----------------  

( A ) misplaced  ( B ) illegible

( C ) still in existence  ( D ) worshiped                                 10. -------------------

Answer Key

1 . C 2. B 3 . A 4 . C 5 . D 6 . B 7 . D 8 . A 9. B 10 . C

2- ] Read the sentences or short passages below . Write the letter for the correct definition of the underlined vocabulary word . Write the letter for your choice on the answer line .

1 . Nancy gave several valid reasons about why she should be allowed to attend the concert. However , her parents remained inflexible about their decision , and Nancy couldn’t go .

( A ) silent ( B ) unwilling to change or bend

( C ) cooperative and helpful ( D ) willing to listen to reason          1 . --------------------

2 . The temperature in April in New England often fluctuates . One day , the weather is warm ; the next day the temperature drops below zero . Not even meteorologists seem able to predict what will happen .

( A ) rises and falls with no clear pattern  ( B ) remains the same

( C ) defies established laws  ( D ) imitates previous patterns         2 . -------------------

3 . Felipe wrote a two-page response to the first test question . The first sentence gave all the information necessary to answer the question correctly .The rest of Felipe’s lengthy response was superfluous  .

( A ) necessary but incorrect  ( B ) written out in longhand

( C ) well organized ( D ) more than is required                              3 .--------------------

4 . Between 1860 and  1890 , there was an influx of immigrants into the United States . More than 10 million people from Ireland , England , Germany , and Scandinavia came to America during that time . 

( A ) large-scale arrival or flowing in  ( B ) exclusion or shutting out

( C ) widespread leaving ( D ) illegal prohibition                               4 . --------------------

5 . The map shows where Guggins Stream and Boxmill Stream come together . It is at this confluence  that the town proposes to build a bridge .

( A ) impressive structure  ( B ) historic location

( C ) meeting place  ( D ) rise in the water level                                 5 . ------------------

6 . The girl scowled when the director called her onstage , and she looked anything but sweet . Everyone was shocked when she opened her mouth and a rich , mellifluous voice floated out .

( A ) cackling  ( B ) smooth and sweet

( C ) rough and irritating ( D ) loud                                                    6.------------------- 

7 . As was the custom , each visitor to the castle bowed before the king and knelt on the knee to show respect . The members of the court gasped in horror when the bold young woman refused to bow her head or genuflect .                                                     

( A ) depart on schedule  ( B ) stand straight and tall

( C ) speak insultingly ( D ) touch a knee to the floor                        7.-----------------

8 . When the people in the town discovered that the river had been polluted by the effluent

from Factory pipes , they staged a protest and forced the company to find an environmentally safe way to dispose of its waste .

( A ) manufactured goods  ( B ) blockage

( C ) something that flows out ( D ) excess material                          8 . ----------------

9 . If a light is suddenly flashed in your face , the normal reflex is to blink . Another example of this kind of reaction is the sneeze .

( A ) difficulty  ( B ) automatic response

( C ) voluntary action ( D ) willingness                                                9 . ---------------

10 . Debra speaks English , French , and Italian as if each of those were her first language . I wish I were fluent in more than one language .

( A ) able to speak with ease  ( B ) unable to speak easily

( C )  easily impressed ( D ) talkative                                                   10 . ----------------

Answer Key

 1. B 2. A 3 . D 4 . A 5 . 6 . B 7 . D 8. C 9. B 10. A   

3 - ] Match the definition in Column B with the word in Column A . Write the letter for your choice on the answer line .

   Column A                   Column B

1 . par excellence            a . automatic reaction                                 1 . ------------------

2 . superfluous                b . unnecessary                                            2 . -----------------

3 . inflexible                    c . social skill                                                3 . -----------------

4 . faux pas                     d . being the best of a kind                          4 . -----------------

5 . emulate                      e . minor blunder                                        5 . ----------------

6 . esprit de corps           f . having no previous example                  6 . ----------------

7. unprecedented            g . rigid                                                         7 . ----------------

8 . reflex                           h . common spirit of devotion                     8 . ---------------

9 . savoir-faire                 i . imitate                                                       9 . ---------------

10 . fluctuate                    j . vary irregularly                                      10 . ----------------