Set 1: Nuanced Vocabulary
Look for words that capture the specific tone required by the sentence.
Question 1
Like children who have been treated kindly but never strictly disciplined, the subject showed a hidden sense of inferiority that was strangely paired with a complete lack of _______.
arrogance
diffidence
gall
timidity
aplomb
bravado
Question 2
As a writer focused on human nature, he ranks among those who have most deeply _______ the mysterious workings of our hearts and minds.
ignored
plumbed
obfuscated
fathomed
romanticized
simplified
Question 3
Because of his honest work ethic and dignified prose, the author has earned a truly _______ reputation in his home country.
ephemeral
abiding
precarious
enduring
polarizing
notorious
Set 2: Scientific & Abstract Contexts
Question 4
Because the mechanical tool is defined by six independent quantities, it can generally be _______ by any system of forces that contains the exact same number of adjustable elements.
augmented
supplanted
compromised
superseded
mitigated
fortified
Question 5
The island's red clay soil possesses considerable fertility, yet this agricultural advantage is severely _______ by the sheer number of heavy stones that make using a conventional plow impossible.
impaired
bolstered
vitiated
exalted
ameliorated
magnified
Question 6
Rather than changing overnight after the Norman Conquest, the early English language underwent a slowly progressing process of _______ with the tongue of the new rulers.
division
amalgamation
friction
fusion
obsolescence
stratification
Set 3: Challenge Questions
Question 7
The simple rules we use to separate plants from animals often seem perfectly adequate to the casual observer, but these strict boundaries are quickly _______ when one encounters an odd creature like a sea sponge.
fortified
subverted
elucidated
undermined
vindicated
rigidified
Question 8
When coal is heated in an open fire, it simply burns to ash; however, when heated in a completely _______ container without oxygen, it breaks apart into valuable gases and tar instead.
porous
hermetic
sealed
diaphanous
fragile
capacious
Vocabulary Builder: Words from this Set
Diffidence
Click to Define
Modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence.
Syn: Timidity, Bashfulness
Plumb
Click to Define
To measure the depth of; to explore fully.
Syn: Fathom, Probe
Vitiate
Click to Define
To spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of.
Syn: Corrupt, Degrade
Hermetic
Click to Define
Complete and airtight.
Syn: Sealed, Impervious
Subvert
Click to Define
To undermine the power and authority of.
Syn: Destabilize, Sabotage
Abiding
Click to Define
Lasting a long time; enduring.
Syn: Permanent, Steadfast
