A) able to adapt to many different situations or tasks
B) limited to a single skill or use
C) careless and untidy
D) shy and withdrawn
E) expensive and rare
(Total for Question 1 is 1 mark)
2
Which word is closest in meaning to IMPARTIAL?
A) favouring one side unfairly
B) fair and not favouring one side over another
C) nervous and hesitant
D) talkative and cheerful
E) forgetful and careless
(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)
3
Which word is closest in meaning to DEPENDABLE?
A) unreliable and inconsistent
B) wealthy and generous
C) quiet and withdrawn
D) skilled and talented
E) trustworthy and able to be relied upon
(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)
4
Which word is closest in meaning to TENACIOUS?
A) giving up at the first sign of difficulty
B) forgetful and disorganised
C) careless and hasty
D) persistent and refusing to give up
E) cheerful and light-hearted
(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)
5
Which word is closest in meaning to PERCEPTIVE?
A) quick to notice or understand things that are not obvious
B) talkative and outgoing
C) slow to notice or understand things
D) generous with money
E) punctual and organised
(Total for Question 5 is 1 mark)
6
Which word is closest in meaning to AUSPICIOUS?
A) unlucky and likely to end badly
B) ordinary and unremarkable
C) confusing and unclear
D) expensive and rare
E) favourable and giving a sign of future success
(Total for Question 6 is 1 mark)
7
Which word means the OPPOSITE of ORDERLY?
A) neat and well-arranged
B) quiet and calm
C) friendly and welcoming
D) careful and precise
E) chaotic and disorganised
(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)
8
Which word means the OPPOSITE of PLACID?
A) calm and not easily upset
B) generous and kind
C) polite and formal
D) agitated and easily excited or upset
E) forgetful and absent-minded
(Total for Question 8 is 1 mark)
9
Which word means the OPPOSITE of MUNDANE?
A) extraordinary and remarkable, out of the ordinary
B) boring and ordinary, part of everyday life
C) quiet and reserved
D) careless and hasty
E) wealthy and comfortable
(Total for Question 9 is 1 mark)
10
Which word means the OPPOSITE of IMPULSIVE?
A) acting suddenly without thinking things through
B) loud and boisterous
C) forgetful and absent-minded
D) competitive and determined
E) cautious and deliberate, thinking carefully before acting
(Total for Question 10 is 1 mark)
11
Which word means the OPPOSITE of PRAGMATIC?
A) practical and sensible, dealing with things realistically
B) generous and thoughtful
C) idealistic, guided by principle rather than practical concerns
D) energetic and enthusiastic
E) quiet and modest
(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)
12
Which word means the OPPOSITE of EXEMPLARY?
A) excellent and setting a good example for others
B) unusual and rare
C) brief and to the point
D) disgraceful and setting a poor example
E) shy and quiet
(Total for Question 12 is 1 mark)
13
'Before signing the contract, the lawyer advised Priya to be circumspect and check every clause carefully.' What does 'circumspect' mean here?
A) careful to consider all possible consequences before acting
B) careless and hasty
C) excited and impatient
D) confused and uncertain
E) generous and trusting
(Total for Question 13 is 1 mark)
14
'The hike up Snowdon proved arduous, leaving the whole group exhausted by the summit.' What does 'arduous' mean here?
A) short and effortless
B) extremely difficult and requiring great effort
C) enjoyable and relaxing
D) dangerous and reckless
E) quick and straightforward
(Total for Question 14 is 1 mark)
15
'Wearing a bright orange coat in the grey office, Tomasz felt conspicuous among his colleagues.' What does 'conspicuous' mean here?
A) comfortable and relaxed
B) hidden and unnoticed
C) easily noticed and standing out
D) proud and confident
E) embarrassed and apologetic
(Total for Question 15 is 1 mark)
16
'The new headteacher was affable, greeting every pupil by name in the corridor.' What does 'affable' mean here?
A) strict and demanding
B) friendly and easy to talk to
C) forgetful and disorganised
D) nervous and shy
E) distant and unapproachable
(Total for Question 16 is 1 mark)
17
'Being naturally gregarious, Leila made friends within minutes of arriving at the new school.' What does 'gregarious' mean here?
A) sociable and enjoying the company of others
B) shy and withdrawn
C) rude and unkind
D) forgetful and careless
E) anxious and nervous
(Total for Question 17 is 1 mark)
18
'The pupils held a clandestine meeting behind the sports hall to plan the surprise party.' What does 'clandestine' mean here?
A) loud and public
B) boring and uneventful
C) official and formally arranged
D) brief and rushed
E) secret and kept hidden from others
(Total for Question 18 is 1 mark)
19
'The chess champion's inscrutable expression gave nothing away about which move she planned next.' What does 'inscrutable' mean here?
A) easy to read and understand
B) cheerful and welcoming
C) worried and anxious
D) impossible to interpret, giving nothing away
E) confident and boastful
(Total for Question 19 is 1 mark)
20
Which suffix means 'the state or quality of being something', as in the word 'resistance'?
A) -ance
B) -ful
C) -less
D) -ish
E) -er
(Total for Question 20 is 1 mark)
21
The prefix 'non-' in the word 'nonstop' most nearly means:
A) always
B) not
C) again
D) before
E) too much
(Total for Question 21 is 1 mark)
22
The root 'aqua', found in words such as 'aquarium' and 'aquatic', relates to which idea?
A) fire
B) earth
C) water
D) air
E) light
(Total for Question 22 is 1 mark)
23
The prefix 'hyper-' in the word 'hyperactive' most nearly means:
A) below normal
B) excessive or beyond normal
C) equal to
D) before
E) against
(Total for Question 23 is 1 mark)
24
The root 'vor', found in words such as 'carnivore' and 'herbivore', relates to which idea?
A) to eat
B) to run
C) to hunt
D) to grow
E) to hide
(Total for Question 24 is 1 mark)
25
The root 'duc', found in words such as 'conductor' and 'introduce', relates to which idea?
A) to build
B) to break
C) to lead or bring
D) to measure
E) to write
(Total for Question 25 is 1 mark)
26
DOCTOR is to HOSPITAL as TEACHER is to ___?
A) school
B) lesson
C) pupil
D) homework
E) playground
(Total for Question 26 is 1 mark)
27
RULER is to LENGTH as SCALES is to ___?
A) height
B) time
C) weight
D) temperature
E) volume
(Total for Question 27 is 1 mark)
28
CHEF is to MEAL as TAILOR is to ___?
A) needle
B) garment
C) fabric
D) shop
E) customer
(Total for Question 28 is 1 mark)
29
FAMISHED is to HUNGRY as PARCHED is to ___?
A) cold
B) tired
C) unwell
D) frightened
E) thirsty
(Total for Question 29 is 1 mark)
30
CARTOGRAPHER is to MAP as ORNITHOLOGIST is to ___?
A) insects
B) fossils
C) plants
D) birds
E) rocks
(Total for Question 30 is 1 mark)
31
Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'Recycling helps reduce the amount of ___ sent to landfill each year.'
A) waist
B) wast
C) waste
D) wayste
E) whaste
(Total for Question 31 is 1 mark)
32
Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'After the fence blew down, Freya noticed a large ___ of cows had wandered into the neighbouring field.'
A) heard
B) herd
C) hird
D) herde
E) hurd
(Total for Question 32 is 1 mark)
33
Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'The chef recommended a beginner's ___ before attempting the more advanced recipes.'
A) coarse
B) coars
C) courze
D) course
E) korse
(Total for Question 33 is 1 mark)
34
Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'The fishmonger made a modest ___ selling mackerel at the harbour on Saturday mornings.'
A) prophet
B) proffit
C) profet
D) proffet
E) profit
(Total for Question 34 is 1 mark)
35
In this group of five words, four share a similar meaning and one does not belong. Identify the odd one out: content, satisfied, pleased, gratified, dejected.
A) content
B) dejected
C) satisfied
D) pleased
E) gratified
(Total for Question 35 is 1 mark)
36
In this group of five words, four share a similar meaning and one does not belong. Identify the odd one out: rowdy, unruly, boisterous, disorderly, serene.
A) rowdy
B) unruly
C) serene
D) boisterous
E) disorderly
(Total for Question 36 is 1 mark)
37
In this group of five words, four share a similar meaning and one does not belong. Identify the odd one out: coherent, structured, logical, systematic, rambling.
A) coherent
B) structured
C) logical
D) rambling
E) systematic
(Total for Question 37 is 1 mark)
38
In this group of five words, four share a similar meaning and one does not belong. Identify the odd one out: concise, succinct, pithy, terse, prolix.
A) concise
B) succinct
C) prolix
D) pithy
E) terse
(Total for Question 38 is 1 mark)
Mark scheme · EP.E42 Vocabulary and Word Skills Set 6
Question 1
B1 A) able to adapt to many different situations or tasks - matches the meaning of versatile
Answer: A) able to adapt to many different situations or tasks
Question 2
B1 B) fair and not favouring one side over another - matches the meaning of impartial
Answer: B) fair and not favouring one side over another
Question 3
B1 E) trustworthy and able to be relied upon - matches the meaning of dependable
Answer: E) trustworthy and able to be relied upon
Question 4
B1 D) persistent and refusing to give up - matches the meaning of tenacious
Answer: D) persistent and refusing to give up
Question 5
B1 A) quick to notice or understand things that are not obvious - matches the meaning of perceptive
Answer: A) quick to notice or understand things that are not obvious
Question 6
B1 E) favourable and giving a sign of future success - matches the meaning of auspicious
Answer: E) favourable and giving a sign of future success
Question 7
B1 E) chaotic and disorganised - is the direct opposite of orderly
Answer: E) chaotic and disorganised
Question 8
B1 D) agitated and easily excited or upset - is the direct opposite of placid
Answer: D) agitated and easily excited or upset
Question 9
B1 A) extraordinary and remarkable, out of the ordinary - is the direct opposite of mundane
Answer: A) extraordinary and remarkable, out of the ordinary
Question 10
B1 E) cautious and deliberate, thinking carefully before acting - is the direct opposite of impulsive
Answer: E) cautious and deliberate, thinking carefully before acting
Question 11
B1 C) idealistic, guided by principle rather than practical concerns - is the direct opposite of pragmatic
Answer: C) idealistic, guided by principle rather than practical concerns
Question 12
B1 D) disgraceful and setting a poor example - is the direct opposite of exemplary
Answer: D) disgraceful and setting a poor example
Question 13
B1 A) careful to consider all possible consequences before acting - matches the sense of circumspect in context
Answer: A) careful to consider all possible consequences before acting
Question 14
B1 B) extremely difficult and requiring great effort - matches the sense of arduous in context
Answer: B) extremely difficult and requiring great effort
Question 15
B1 C) easily noticed and standing out - matches the sense of conspicuous in context
Answer: C) easily noticed and standing out
Question 16
B1 B) friendly and easy to talk to - matches the sense of affable in context
Answer: B) friendly and easy to talk to
Question 17
B1 A) sociable and enjoying the company of others - matches the sense of gregarious in context
Answer: A) sociable and enjoying the company of others
Question 18
B1 E) secret and kept hidden from others - matches the sense of clandestine in context
Answer: E) secret and kept hidden from others
Question 19
B1 D) impossible to interpret, giving nothing away - matches the sense of inscrutable in context
Answer: D) impossible to interpret, giving nothing away
Question 20
B1 A) -ance - is the suffix meaning 'the state or quality of being something'
Answer: A) -ance
Question 21
B1 B) not - is the meaning of the prefix 'non-'
Answer: B) not
Question 22
B1 C) water - is the idea the root 'aqua' relates to
Answer: C) water
Question 23
B1 B) excessive or beyond normal - is the meaning of the prefix 'hyper-'
Answer: B) excessive or beyond normal
Question 24
B1 A) to eat - is the idea the root 'vor' relates to
Answer: A) to eat
Question 25
B1 C) to lead or bring - is the idea the root 'duc' relates to
Answer: C) to lead or bring
Question 26
B1 A) school - completes the person-to-workplace relationship shown by doctor and hospital
Answer: A) school
Question 27
B1 C) weight - completes the instrument-to-measurement relationship shown by ruler and length
Answer: C) weight
Question 28
B1 B) garment - completes the creator-to-creation relationship shown by chef and meal
Answer: B) garment
Question 29
B1 E) thirsty - completes the intensity relationship shown by famished and hungry
Answer: E) thirsty
Question 30
B1 D) birds - completes the specialist-to-subject relationship shown by cartographer and map
Answer: D) birds
Question 31
B1 C) waste - is the correct homophone meaning material thrown away
Answer: C) waste
Question 32
B1 B) herd - is the correct homophone meaning a group of animals
Answer: B) herd
Question 33
B1 D) course - is the correct homophone meaning a structured programme of lessons
Answer: D) course
Question 34
B1 E) profit - is the correct homophone meaning money gained from selling goods
Answer: E) profit
Question 35
B1 B) dejected - is the odd one out, meaning sad and downhearted rather than happy
Answer: B) dejected
Question 36
B1 C) serene - is the odd one out, meaning calm and peaceful rather than noisy and uncontrolled
Answer: C) serene
Question 37
B1 D) rambling - is the odd one out, meaning wandering without clear structure rather than clearly organised
Answer: D) rambling
Question 38
B1 C) prolix - is the odd one out, meaning using far more words than necessary rather than expressing things briefly