B) extremely careful and thorough, with a strong sense of what is right
C) quick to make decisions without thinking
D) reluctant to admit mistakes
E) easily persuaded to change an opinion
(Total for Question 2 is 1 mark)
3
Which word is closest in meaning to RESILIENT?
A) quick to give up when things go wrong
B) unable to cope with even minor setbacks
C) able to recover quickly from difficulties and setbacks
D) reluctant to change plans once they are made
E) easily influenced by other people's opinions
(Total for Question 3 is 1 mark)
4
Which word is closest in meaning to HAUGHTY?
A) friendly and eager to help others
B) nervous about speaking to strangers
C) generous with time and money
D) arrogantly proud and looking down on other people
E) forgetful of important appointments
(Total for Question 4 is 1 mark)
5
Which word is closest in meaning to LETHARGIC?
A) full of energy and enthusiasm for every task
B) quick to notice small details
C) sluggish and lacking energy or enthusiasm
D) eager to compete against others
E) careful never to waste money
(Total for Question 5 is 1 mark)
6
Which word is closest in meaning to INGENIOUS?
A) slow to understand new ideas
B) unwilling to try a different approach
C) careless when following instructions
D) easily confused by simple tasks
E) cleverly inventive, showing great originality in solving a problem
(Total for Question 6 is 1 mark)
7
Which word means the OPPOSITE of GENUINE?
A) fake and not what it claims to be
B) real and exactly what it appears to be
C) rare and difficult to find
D) expensive and highly valued
E) old and no longer fashionable
(Total for Question 7 is 1 mark)
8
Which word means the OPPOSITE of AMPLE?
A) more than enough, plentiful
B) neatly arranged and organised
C) barely enough, insufficient in quantity
D) difficult to measure accurately
E) shared equally between everyone
(Total for Question 8 is 1 mark)
9
Which word means the OPPOSITE of VOLUNTARY?
A) done quickly without much thought
B) done by free choice, without being forced
C) kept completely secret from others
D) required by rule or law, with no choice involved
E) postponed until a later date
(Total for Question 9 is 1 mark)
10
Which word means the OPPOSITE of UNANIMOUS?
A) decided without any discussion at all
B) kept private until a later announcement
C) causing sharp disagreement, with no shared view
D) reached only after a long delay
E) agreed on by absolutely everyone involved
(Total for Question 10 is 1 mark)
11
Which word means the OPPOSITE of LUCRATIVE?
A) producing a great deal of profit
B) requiring very little effort
C) widely admired by the public
D) legally required by a contract
E) producing little or no profit
(Total for Question 11 is 1 mark)
12
Which word means the OPPOSITE of PERSISTENT?
A) carefully planned in advance
B) lasting only a very short time before disappearing
C) shared openly with a large group
D) based on careful scientific evidence
E) continuing firmly despite difficulty or opposition
(Total for Question 12 is 1 mark)
13
'Even after two of her teammates dropped out, Simran remained resolute and insisted the fundraising walk would still go ahead.' What does 'resolute' mean here?
A) confused about the original plan
B) willing to give up at the first difficulty
C) firmly determined, not wavering from a decision
D) uncertain about what to do next
E) angry at her teammates for leaving
(Total for Question 13 is 1 mark)
14
'Tobias had such a mercurial temper that his classmates could never predict whether he would laugh at a joke or storm off in annoyance.' What does 'mercurial' mean here?
A) calm and entirely predictable in every situation
B) unpredictable and quick to change mood
C) cheerful and rarely troubled by anything
D) shy and reluctant to show any emotion
E) forgetful of what has just happened
(Total for Question 14 is 1 mark)
15
'Grandad Iwan gave such sagacious advice about saving money that Ngozi followed it for the rest of her life.' What does 'sagacious' mean here?
A) confusing and difficult to follow
B) old-fashioned and no longer useful
C) given reluctantly and without real care
D) wise, showing excellent judgement and understanding
E) repeated so often it became annoying
(Total for Question 15 is 1 mark)
16
'When the firefighters rescued her cat from the tree, Rhiannon was effusive in her thanks, hugging each of them and repeating how grateful she was.' What does 'effusive' mean here?
A) reluctant to show any thanks at all
B) quietly polite without much emotion
C) suspicious of the firefighters' intentions
D) embarrassed and eager to leave quickly
E) expressing gratitude in an unrestrained, gushing way
(Total for Question 16 is 1 mark)
17
'The climbers' rope had frayed so badly that their hold on the cliff face felt tenuous, as if it might give way at any moment.' What does 'tenuous' mean here?
A) completely secure and impossible to break
B) newly replaced and in excellent condition
C) deliberately loosened to allow movement
D) weak and barely able to hold, likely to fail
E) far longer than was actually needed
(Total for Question 17 is 1 mark)
18
'Despite having a whole weekend free, Declan spent it in an indolent haze, barely leaving the sofa except to make more toast.' What does 'indolent' mean here?
A) lazy, avoiding activity and effort
B) busy with a long list of chores
C) anxious about an upcoming exam
D) determined to finish every task early
E) generous with his free time to help others
(Total for Question 18 is 1 mark)
19
'It was entirely fortuitous that Yusra bumped into her old teacher on the very day she needed a reference for her application.' What does 'fortuitous' mean here?
A) carefully arranged in advance
B) happening by lucky chance, at just the right time
C) expected and planned for weeks
D) unfortunate and badly timed
E) forgotten almost immediately
(Total for Question 19 is 1 mark)
20
Which prefix means 'half', as in the word 'semicircle'?
A) semi-
B) tri-
C) uni-
D) multi-
E) mono-
(Total for Question 20 is 1 mark)
21
The suffix '-tude' in the word 'gratitude' means:
A) a person who performs an action
B) full of a particular quality
C) without a particular quality
D) the process of making something
E) the state or quality of being something
(Total for Question 21 is 1 mark)
22
The root 'therm', found in words such as 'thermometer' and 'thermal', relates to which idea?
A) sound
B) heat
C) distance
D) light
E) weight
(Total for Question 22 is 1 mark)
23
The prefix 'peri-' in the word 'perimeter' most nearly means:
A) through
B) before
C) around
D) under
E) against
(Total for Question 23 is 1 mark)
24
The root 'path', found in words such as 'sympathy' and 'empathy', relates to which idea?
A) travel
B) speech
C) light
D) feeling
E) number
(Total for Question 24 is 1 mark)
25
The prefix 'poly-' in the word 'polygon' most nearly means:
A) one
B) many
C) none
D) two
E) half
(Total for Question 25 is 1 mark)
26
MICROSCOPE is to SCIENTIST as CAMERA is to ___?
A) picture
B) lens
C) photographer
D) darkroom
E) film
(Total for Question 26 is 1 mark)
27
MURDER is to CROWS as PRIDE is to ___?
A) wolves
B) sheep
C) fish
D) lions
E) bees
(Total for Question 27 is 1 mark)
28
ARID is to LUSH as BARREN is to ___?
A) rocky
B) fertile
C) dry
D) empty
E) sandy
(Total for Question 28 is 1 mark)
29
STAVE is to MUSIC as CHAPTER is to ___?
A) page
B) library
C) author
D) sentence
E) book
(Total for Question 29 is 1 mark)
30
ELECTRICIAN is to PLIERS as PLUMBER is to ___?
A) spanner
B) van
C) uniform
D) invoice
E) workshop
(Total for Question 30 is 1 mark)
31
Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'As the school's ___, Mrs Adeyemi welcomed every new pupil personally on their first morning.'
A) principle
B) principals
C) principle's
D) principal
E) prinicpal
(Total for Question 31 is 1 mark)
32
Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'Callum picked plump ___ out of the fruit cake before anyone noticed.'
A) currants
B) currancy
C) currents
D) currant's
E) curants
(Total for Question 32 is 1 mark)
33
Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'Passengers were asked to ___ the train quickly once the doors opened, to avoid delaying the departure.'
A) bored
B) boared
C) bourd
D) boarde
E) board
(Total for Question 33 is 1 mark)
34
Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'By the time the whistle blew, the first half had already ___.'
A) past
B) pasted
C) passed
D) pased
E) passd
(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: brave, courageous, valiant, fearless, cowardly.
A) cowardly
B) brave
C) valiant
D) courageous
E) fearless
(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: tidy, neat, spotless, immaculate, messy.
A) tidy
B) neat
C) spotless
D) messy
E) immaculate
(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: exhausted, drained, fatigued, shattered, lively.
A) exhausted
B) drained
C) fatigued
D) shattered
E) lively
(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: humble, modest, unassuming, self-effacing, boastful.
A) humble
B) boastful
C) modest
D) unassuming
E) self-effacing
(Total for Question 38 is 1 mark)
Mark scheme · EP.E74 Vocabulary and Word Skills Set 8
Question 1
B1 A) moving quickly, lightly and with great agility - matches the meaning of nimble
Answer: A) moving quickly, lightly and with great agility
Question 2
B1 B) extremely careful and thorough, with a strong sense of what is right - matches the meaning of scrupulous
Answer: B) extremely careful and thorough, with a strong sense of what is right
Question 3
B1 C) able to recover quickly from difficulties and setbacks - matches the meaning of resilient
Answer: C) able to recover quickly from difficulties and setbacks
Question 4
B1 D) arrogantly proud and looking down on other people - matches the meaning of haughty
Answer: D) arrogantly proud and looking down on other people
Question 5
B1 C) sluggish and lacking energy or enthusiasm - matches the meaning of lethargic
Answer: C) sluggish and lacking energy or enthusiasm
Question 6
B1 E) cleverly inventive, showing great originality in solving a problem - matches the meaning of ingenious
Answer: E) cleverly inventive, showing great originality in solving a problem
Question 7
B1 A) fake and not what it claims to be - is the direct opposite of genuine
Answer: A) fake and not what it claims to be
Question 8
B1 C) barely enough, insufficient in quantity - is the direct opposite of ample
Answer: C) barely enough, insufficient in quantity
Question 9
B1 D) required by rule or law, with no choice involved - is the direct opposite of voluntary
Answer: D) required by rule or law, with no choice involved
Question 10
B1 C) causing sharp disagreement, with no shared view - is the direct opposite of unanimous
Answer: C) causing sharp disagreement, with no shared view
Question 11
B1 E) producing little or no profit - is the direct opposite of lucrative
Answer: E) producing little or no profit
Question 12
B1 B) lasting only a very short time before disappearing - is the direct opposite of persistent
Answer: B) lasting only a very short time before disappearing
Question 13
B1 C) firmly determined, not wavering from a decision - matches the sense of resolute in context
Answer: C) firmly determined, not wavering from a decision
Question 14
B1 B) unpredictable and quick to change mood - matches the sense of mercurial in context
Answer: B) unpredictable and quick to change mood
Question 15
B1 D) wise, showing excellent judgement and understanding - matches the sense of sagacious in context
Answer: D) wise, showing excellent judgement and understanding
Question 16
B1 E) expressing gratitude in an unrestrained, gushing way - matches the sense of effusive in context
Answer: E) expressing gratitude in an unrestrained, gushing way
Question 17
B1 D) weak and barely able to hold, likely to fail - matches the sense of tenuous in context
Answer: D) weak and barely able to hold, likely to fail
Question 18
B1 A) lazy, avoiding activity and effort - matches the sense of indolent in context
Answer: A) lazy, avoiding activity and effort
Question 19
B1 B) happening by lucky chance, at just the right time - matches the sense of fortuitous in context
Answer: B) happening by lucky chance, at just the right time
Question 20
B1 A) semi- - is the prefix meaning 'half'
Answer: A) semi-
Question 21
B1 E) the state or quality of being something - is the meaning of the suffix '-tude'
Answer: E) the state or quality of being something
Question 22
B1 B) heat - is the idea the root 'therm' relates to
Answer: B) heat
Question 23
B1 C) around - is the meaning of the prefix 'peri-'
Answer: C) around
Question 24
B1 D) feeling - is the idea the root 'path' relates to
Answer: D) feeling
Question 25
B1 B) many - is the meaning of the prefix 'poly-'
Answer: B) many
Question 26
B1 C) photographer - completes the user-to-tool relationship shown by microscope and scientist
Answer: C) photographer
Question 27
B1 D) lions - completes the collective-noun relationship shown by murder and crows
Answer: D) lions
Question 28
B1 B) fertile - completes the antonym-pair relationship shown by arid and lush
Answer: B) fertile
Question 29
B1 E) book - completes the structural-section-to-whole-work relationship shown by stave and music
Answer: E) book
Question 30
B1 A) spanner - completes the worker-to-hand-tool relationship shown by electrician and pliers
Answer: A) spanner
Question 31
B1 D) principal - is the correct homophone meaning the head of a school
Answer: D) principal
Question 32
B1 A) currants - is the correct homophone meaning small dried fruit
Answer: A) currants
Question 33
B1 E) board - is the correct homophone meaning to get onto a vehicle
Answer: E) board
Question 34
B1 C) passed - is the correct homophone meaning to have gone by
Answer: C) passed
Question 35
B1 A) cowardly - is the odd one out, meaning lacking courage rather than showing it
Answer: A) cowardly
Question 36
B1 D) messy - is the odd one out, meaning disordered and untidy rather than clean and well-kept
Answer: D) messy
Question 37
B1 E) lively - is the odd one out, meaning full of energy rather than extremely tired
Answer: E) lively
Question 38
B1 B) boastful - is the odd one out, meaning proudly showing off achievements rather than playing them down