CAE Vocabulary Flashcards

Which word correctly completes the collocation: 'She made a _______ decision to leave her job'?

Answer: snap

'Make a snap decision' is the fixed collocation meaning a decision made quickly without much thought; the other adjectives do not collocate with 'decision' in this way.

What does the CAE-level idiom 'to beat around the bush' mean?

Answer: To avoid getting to the main point

'Beat around the bush' means to talk around a topic without saying what you really mean, avoiding the main issue.

Choose the correct phrasal verb: 'She had to _______ the meeting until next week due to a conflict.'

Answer: put off

'Put off' means to postpone or delay an event; the other phrasal verbs have different meanings (extinguish, accommodate, criticise).

Which word has a similar meaning to 'meticulous' at C1 level?

Answer: Thorough

'Meticulous' means extremely careful and precise; 'thorough' is the closest synonym among the options.

What does the prefix 'mis-' mean in the word 'misinterpret'?

Answer: Incorrectly or wrongly

The prefix 'mis-' means wrongly or incorrectly, so 'misinterpret' means to interpret something incorrectly.

In formal English, which word best replaces 'get' in 'We need to get a decision by Friday'?

Answer: reach

'Reach a decision' is the standard formal collocation; 'get a decision' is informal and would be replaced by 'reach' in academic or professional writing.