1–20

1. Not once _______ such dedication and hard work from the entire team.
A. I saw B. I have seen C. did I see D. have I seen
2. Not _______ James to our little party would have been impolite.
A. having invited B. to invite C. invited D. to have invited
3. _______ panic; we have everything under control and there's no immediate danger.
A. Nobody B. Don’t anybody C. Does nobody D. Doesn’t anybody
4. People turned out in _________ to watch the parade on Independence Day.
A. volume B. mass C. force D. bulk
5. Not being able to find my phone number is a pretty_________excuse for not contacting me.
A. fragile B. frail C. faint D. feeble
6. We were under no _________ about how difficult it would be to achieve our aims.
A. fantasies B. daydreams C. illusions D. deceptions
7. The pollution problems in the town have been ___________ by mass tourism in the summer months.
A. exacerbated B. developed C. augmented D. contributed
8. I'm in a bit of a _________ as to what to wear to the wedding.
A. loss B. quandary C. problem D. bewilderment
9. The problem _________because neither side was prepared to compromise.
A. amassed B. escalated C. proliferated D. enhanced
10. The Red Cross is ___________ an international aid organization.
A. intriguingly B. intrusively C. intrinsically D. intrepidly
12. Fame made her lead a rather ________ life, in her own private world.
A. faint B. secluded C. distant D. far-away
13. When the cost was ________ the advantages, the scheme looked good.
A. set against B. weighed up C. made up for D. settled up
14. When the company advertised the position, they were ________ with applications.
A. dense B. filled C. inundated D. plentiful
15. She was so ill that it was ________ whether she would live or not.
A. win or lose B. come and go C. touch and go D. on and off
16. To his own great ________, professor Stephen has discovered a new method of diabetes treatment.
A. reputation B. name C. fame D. credit
17. The princess's nanny's autobiography really gives the ________ on life among the royals.
A. know-how B. low-down C. look-out D. show-down
18. She was __________ ignorant of the office affairs, which allowed her to focus entirely on her work without getting involved in
any drama.
A. delightedly B. blissfully C. jubilantly D. ecstatically
19. The scent of her perfume ________ in the room even though the model has left for an hour.
A. diffused B. lingered C. dawdled D. persisted
20. Closer ________ of the documents revealed a number of interesting and important facts.
A. suspicion B. scrutiny C. inception D. peculiarity
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21. Down the narrow alley _______, hoping to escape the police officers.
A. the thief ran B. ran the thief C. did the thief run D. the thief did run
22. “What time shall we meet?” “_______ we meet in the offices downstairs at four o’clock?”
A. Figure B. Assume C. Suppose D. Fancy
23. I was asked if I would sign a permanent contract with the company, _______.
A. and I did B. and I would C. which I did D. that I would
24. Money was short and people survived by _________and saving.
A. scrimping B. scavenging C. scouring D. scrounging
25. Jane was terribly nervous before the interview but she managed to pull herself ________ and act confidently.
A. through B. over C. together D. off
26. This is the _________timetable for the conference. It may change later
A. conditional B. indefinite C. provisional D. indeterminate
27. Just as the project was nearing completion, unforeseen regulatory changes put a _______ in our wheel.
A. nail B. pin C. cog D. spoke
28. I don't _______ myself and if people don't like what I write, well, they can stop reading it.
A. curtail B. constrain C. cripple D. censor
29. The prototype didn't function as expected, so it's back to the _______ for the engineering team.
A. back burner B. drawing board C. factory floor D. cutting room
30. Encouraged by positive feedback, the developers have _______ with the next phase.
A. forged ahead B. surged forward C. raced forth D. soldiered on
31. There was a terrible storm on the night we first stayed at the campsite but we were alright with our tent and were dry as a
________.
A. bone B. cover C. coat D. sheet
32. The _______ and the _______ of it is that they are willing to start the work in January.
A. thick/fast B. hard/fast C. long/short D. short/sweet
33. The engineers have rejected the employers’ proposals to end the strike and the other workers have come out in ________.
A. opposition B. return C. sympathy D. collaboration
34. The tycoon stamped his feet impatiently and inquired in a ________ voice as to when his breakfast would be served
A. querulous B. amorous C. populous D. credulous
35. The government has taken tough measures to ________ corruption in the country.
A. stamp out B. stretch away C. struggle on D. strike up
36. The thoughts and feelings of women will always be an ________ to me, as males cannot fathom the opposite sex well.
A. enmity B. antagonism C. enigma D. ambiguity
37. The president’s policy on abortion is regarded as a(n) _______ test of his views on women’s rights.
A. acidity B. litmus C. alkaline D. ligand
38. I am resentful at the way he plays his favorite song _______.
A. ad nauseam B. ad hominem C. ad valorem D. ad litem
39. His new car has all the _______ , but it doesn’t move through traffic jams any faster.
A. airs and graces B. hooks, lines and sinkers
C. locks, stocks and barrels D. bells and whistles
40. All of this doesn't mean he was _______ mad, and just putting on.
A. barking B. raving C. hopping D. starring
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41. We’ve divided ourselves into three groups and _______ the groups _______ hired a car.
A. every of / has B. each / has C. each of / have D. every/ have
42. Going to football matches, _______ what my cousin likes best.
A. it is B. that is C. is D. which is
43. We suggested going to the cinema but they weren't _______ interested.
A. the least bit B. whatsoever C. any at all D. hardly even
44. I couldn't stop myself from _________ with boredom during the lecture.
A. sighing B. gasping C. panting D. blowing
45. My brother found it impossible to _________ his anger and started shouting.
A. restrict B. inhibit C. reserve D. contain
46. Fitting together the thousands of fragments of the broken vase was a long and ___________ task.
A. minute B. careful C. painstaking D. minuscule
47. You’ll just have to _________ yourself to the fact that you can’t always have what you want.
A. acknowledge B. reconcile (+2) C. concede D. allow
48. The students had no money left and took out a loan to _________ him over until the end of term.
A. last B. tend C. keep D. tide
49. The _______ summer day made it nearly impossible to focus on anything.
A. staggering B. simmering C. sweltering D. suffering
50. The leaked emails served as the _______ proving the company's involvement in the scandal.
A. fig leaf B. clarion call C. trial balloon D. smoking gun
51. He's_________, but he really needs to completely overhaul his monthly expenses to keep from going bankrupt.
A. putting his finger in the dike B. keeping his finger on the pulse
C. playing into their hands D. binding their hand and foot
52. However, the hotel's reputation at this time was staid rather than _______
A. frizzy B. itsy C. bitsy D. ritzy
53. She always has a witty _______ to any question.
A. maunder B. asunder C. rejoinder D. blunder
54. Some critics thought the film _______ the book, and it was not commercially successful.
A. cauterized B. pauperized C. mercerized D. bowdlerized
55. The new Secrecy Act will _______ the media and the opposition.
A. guzzle B. nozzle C. razzle D. muzzle
56. With all the tumult and protest that daily lives were experiencing in the 1960s, the language teaching profession needed some
spice and ________.
A. verve B. briar C. grift D. cozen
57. It would seem logical that if aspirin can help prevent a second heart attack from occurring, it should also be able to _______the
first occurrence.
A. enjoin B. allay C. foment D. alienate
58. Rosa Park was a(n) _______ woman who refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white, which ultimately led to a monumental
movement against racism.
A. calloused B. belligerent C. recalcitrant D. innocent
59. Given the conditions as presented in the Garden of Eden, it is most difficult for us to imagine anything _______could be looming.
A. untoward B. seemly C. halcyon D. conciliatory
60. I might well vouch for the Mayor’s honesty as I have always found him _______ and a protector of the truth.
A. volatile B. plausible C. illusory D. veracious
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61. My first son, _______ James, is very athletic.
A. Ø B. who is C. that is D. being
62. By the end of this course, I _______ English for three years.
A. will have studied B. will be studying C. will have been studying D. have studied
63. We ought to leave now, _______?
A. shall we B. don't we C. shouldn't we D. will we
64. She was _______ upset by the news, her voice trembling and her eyes red.
A. manifestly B. pronouncely C. expressly D. lamently
65. She didn’t show even a _________of emotion when the court found her guilty.
A. gleam B. wink C. flicker D. flash
66. Few people can do creative work unless they are in the right _________ of mind.
A. trend B. frame C. attitude D. tendency
67. It was decided that the cost of the project would be _________ and so it was abandoned.
A. repressive B. prohibitive C. restrictive D. exclusive
68. I didn't really feel like memorizing all these definitions. It was only the risk of getting another bad mark that made me
_________myself.
A. exert B. absorb C. endeavour D. deploy
69. In times of _________, unemployment figures usually rise dramatically.
A austerity B severity C sobriety D. gravity
70. The delight in treasure finding doesn’t always ________acquiring tremendous amounts of valuables.
A. dwell on B. poke around C. lay about D. hinge upon
71. It is _______ difficult to reverse the damage done to the ozone layer.
A. stupendously B. loquaciously C. coaxingly D. fiendishly
72. Poor Mary, all her colleagues teased her; she was the _______ of all their jokes.
A. hubbub B. butt C. bulk D. brunt
73. The city has _______ on the storage building permit, arguing that may not be permissible under updated zoning requirements.
A. derided B. taunted C. faltered D. reneged
74. He asked me to help fix his computer for him, but I’m afraid I only have a ________ acquaintance with how this machine works.
A. passing B. flashing C. fleeting D. flying
75. Kim put my name down for a sponsored parachute jump but I _______ at the last moment.
A. beavered away B. weaseled out
C. chickened out D. clammed up
76. The meditation course has really helped his _______ to abate, making him calmer and more considerate.
A. irascibility B. fanaticism C. fervor D. mendacity
77. As a celebrity he was rather unusual in that he preferred to _______ the limelight in as much as was possible.
A. gorge B. renege C. milk D. shun
78. Our teacher tends to _______ certain subjects which she finds difficult to talk about
A. boil down B. string along C. skate over D. track down
79. I know my brother has fought _______ to be re-elected, so his victory tonight is certainly well earned.
A. doom and gloom B. life and death C. rack and ruin D. tooth and nail
80. The Government is trying to _______ when it says it will spend more on the health service without raising taxes.
A. chew the fat B. wave the flag C. square the circle D. put the lid
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81. She wore a _______ dress that captivated everyone's attention at the gala.
A. stunning long silk evening vintage B. long stunning evening silk vintage
C. stunning long vintage silk evening D. stunning vintage long silk evening
82. _______ just a moment's rest, I might find the strength to continue this challenging journey.
A. Should I grant B. If I had been granted C. Were I to be granted D. Were I
granted
83. _______ the budget allows, we will upgrade all the office equipment to improve productivity.
A. Insofar as B. Notwithstanding that C. In case that D. Inasmuch as
84. Let’s _________ the place, it looks so gloomy and unpleasant.
A. miss B. abandon C. depart D. disappear
85. She used the map to discover where she was in ________ to her surroundings.
A. connection B. affinity C. relation D. reference
86. He let it __________ that the Prime Minister was a close friend of his.
A. announce B. talk C. drop D. infer
87. It was a fantastic film. I enjoyed it _________.
A. endlessly B. unendingly C. without end D. no end
88. When the children _________ their toys, I donated them to charity.
A. outlasted B. outdated C. outgrew D. outwore
89. I was in the ______ of despair before I heard the good news.
A. depths B. profundities C. bottoms D. holes
90. When are we going to get rid of all these empty cartons? They've been _________ up the office for weeks now.
A. buttering B. clutching C. cluttering D. botching
91. The luxurious office accentuated the manager's position _________. It enhanced his power and his sense of his own worth. And it
made other people feel small.
A. on the pecking pole B. in the nibbling line C. at the nipping post D. in the pecking order
92. After the hurricane, all that was left of our house was a pile of _______.
A. rabble B. rubble C. ramble D. rumble
93. He was in the _______ when the murder took place, but he didn’t hear or see anything.
A. proximity B. vicinity C. distance D. vacancy
94. The new law has been seen as an attempt to _______ of small companies by barring them from freely entering the market.
A. crack the whip B. cover the tracks C. clip the wings D. chance the arm
95. New policies have been implemented by the government with a view to _______ the ailing economy after the pandemic.
A. hashing out B. keeling over C. knuckling down D. shoring up
96. Perhaps tomorrow’s event will mark the _______ of my life, I cannot wait any longer!
A. bright buff B. full spark C. high spot D. full bloom
97. Before going back to school, you have to _______ for at least a week after the operation.
A. rejuvenate B. recuperate C. reinstate D. reinvigorate
98. No matter how much you exercise, an unhealthy diet will _______ the effects of training.
A. nullify B. abrogate C. disclaim D. stampede
99. Anyone who lies under oath will be charged with _______ the course of justice.
A. inverting B. converting C. diverting D. perverting
100. Some parents and teachers use a _______ approach to obtain good results from teenagers.
A. carrot and stick B. ride or die C. hale and hearty D. rain or shine