Advanced Vocabulary Test 2 – ESL Vocabulary Exercises

Adept means very skilled or good at something, and it is often followed by in or at: adept in oral and written communications. An employer looking for staff would want people who are skilled, so a positive adjective is needed. Maladroit (clumsy) means the opposite, and unyielding, avaricious and vulnerable do not describe communication skills.

To adjourn a meeting means to stop it so that it can continue later. Here and now shows the speaker wants to end the meeting immediately. Not facilitating, which means making a process easier and would not need anyone's agreement.

To admonish someone is to warn or reprimand them firmly for doing something wrong. Severely and for accepting personal gifts show an official criticism. Not abominated, which means hated or loathed; it describes a personal feeling, not a committee's official action.

Adroit means skilful and clever with the hands or mind, which is the same as dexterous: an adroit/dexterous mechanic. Awkward and clumsy are opposites, and adamant means refusing to change one's mind.

Adulation is excessive praise or admiration, so flattery is the closest meaning. Film stars typically crave being admired by the public. Denunciation (public criticism) is roughly the opposite.

Advent means the arrival or beginning of something important, especially a new invention: the advent of the internet. Not prelude, which is something that comes before a more important event, not the arrival of the thing itself.

An affront is an action or remark that insults or offends someone deeply. The clue is the insult and not likely ever to be forgotten or forgiven. Appeasement (making peace by giving in) means the opposite, and feat is an impressive achievement.

Self-aggrandisement means trying to make yourself seem more powerful or important: His speeches were pure self-aggrandisement. Not self-sufficiency, which means not needing help from others.

Aggravate here means to make a bad situation worse. The clue is 'Tis (It is) already bad enough. Appease, tranquilize, palliate and extenuate all suggest calming or lessening something, the opposite idea.

An aggregation is a group of things or people collected together, i.e. a gathering. Security forces disperse (break up) gatherings of people. Not provocation, which is an action meant to cause anger; you cannot disperse a provocation.

To exhort someone is to strongly urge or encourage them to do something, and it is followed by object + to-infinitive: exhort his soldiers to stand fast. Mitigate and palliate mean to make something less severe, and do not take this pattern.

Qualms are feelings of doubt or guilt about whether you are doing the right thing; the fixed phrase is have/feel no qualms about doing something. The boy was not worried about telling on (betraying) his friends.

Impenetrable means impossible to get through or impossible to understand. The clue is We may never know, showing that the depths of the mind cannot be understood. Not obliterated (completely destroyed), which does not fit the idea of mystery.

Agile means able to move or think quickly and easily, so an agile mind is one that is mentally alert and quick. Sluggish, inert and lethargic mean slow or inactive, and inept means lacking skill.

Agitated means very nervous, upset or excited. The clues are beyond control and his friends telling him to pull himself together (calm down). The other options, lulled, placated, soothed and subdued, all describe being calm.

Pernicious means having a harmful effect, especially gradually or in a way that is not easily noticed: the pernicious effects of alcohol. Not alleviating, which means making something less painful, the opposite of what alcohol does to the liver.

The apex is the highest point or peak of something, here the best moment of a brilliant career. Nadir, abyss and ebb all suggest the lowest point, which contradicts brilliant. Nether (lower) is an adjective and cannot follow the … of.

Eclectic means including a wide variety of styles or sources. The second sentence gives the clue: he buys all sorts of music, from classical to hip-hop. Not ubiquitous, which means found everywhere, not varied.

Alacrity means great eagerness and speed in doing something: She accepted the offer with alacrity. It combines zeal (enthusiasm) and swiftness (speed). Lethargy and apathy mean the opposite: lack of energy or interest.

To pillage means to steal things from a place violently, especially during a war. The clue is enemy units attacking villages. Not brandishing, which means waving a weapon threateningly and needs an object like a sword, not a place.

To masquerade as something is to pretend to be something you are not. The programmes are really commercials but appear to be good advice. The preposition as after the gap fits only masquerading.

Trenchant criticism is sharp, forceful and effective. It fits because the criticism drew enthusiastic support. Odious, repugnant and obnoxious all mean very unpleasant, so shareholders would not support such criticism enthusiastically.

Esoteric means understood by only a small number of people with special knowledge. The clue is no one understands what it's all about. Not palpable, which means so obvious it can almost be touched, the opposite idea.

To allay fears or doubts means to make them less strong or to calm them. Allay fears is a common collocation. The clue is reassured them: the authorities calmed the townspeople. Not aggravated, which would mean the fears became worse.

When trouble or a storm is brewing, it is slowly developing and will soon happen. The past perfect continuous had long been brewing shows it grew over time before the final confrontation. Not confounding, which means confusing or surprising someone.

Indigenous to means naturally existing in a place, not brought from somewhere else: plants indigenous to the Aegean. The clue is I've never seen them before. Don't confuse it with ingenuous, which means innocent and trusting.

Pejorative words express disapproval or show that you think something is bad: 'Fat' can be used as a pejorative term. Reporters should avoid insulting language, so it pairs naturally with clichés. The other options do not describe words.

Disparaging means showing that you think someone or something is unimportant or bad: disparaging remarks. Such remarks would cause anger, which the visit has eased. Not discreet, which means careful and tactful, so it would not cause anger.

Allurement is the quality of being attractive or tempting, i.e. attraction. The clue is hard to resist. Don't confuse it with allusion, an indirect reference; aversion (strong dislike) is the opposite.

An allusion is an indirect reference to something, a remark that mentions it without saying it directly: made some rude allusions to his bare feet. Do not confuse allusion with illusion, a false idea or image.