Language Proficiency Vocabulary 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which word best describes someone who speaks in a roundabout way, avoiding the main point?
- Verbose
- Circuitous (Correct answer)
- Laconic
- Candid
Correct answer: Circuitous
Circuitous means taking a long, indirect route — in speech, it means avoiding the direct point.
Question 2: The prefix 'mal-' in words like 'malfunction' and 'malevolent' means:
- Good
- Many
- Bad or wrongly (Correct answer)
- Half
Correct answer: Bad or wrongly
The Latin prefix 'mal-' means bad, wrong, or ill, giving negative meaning to the root word.
Question 3: Choose the word that means 'to officially prohibit or ban something':
- Sanction
- Proscribe (Correct answer)
- Condone
- Mandate
Correct answer: Proscribe
Proscribe means to officially forbid or prohibit something, while 'sanction' can mean either approve or penalize.
Question 4: A 'pyrrhic victory' refers to:
- A decisive and overwhelming win
- A victory won at too great a cost (Correct answer)
- A victory achieved through deception
- A narrow win by a small margin
Correct answer: A victory won at too great a cost
A pyrrhic victory is one where the winner suffers such severe losses that the win is essentially meaningless.
Question 5: Which sentence uses the word 'enervate' correctly?
- The coffee enervated her, making her alert.
- The long illness enervated him, leaving him weak. (Correct answer)
- The coach's speech enervated the players before the game.
- The debate enervated her thinking skills.
Correct answer: The long illness enervated him, leaving him weak.
Enervate means to weaken or drain of energy — it is often confused with 'energize,' its opposite.
Question 6: The word 'pellucid' most nearly means:
- Cloudy and obscure
- Brilliantly colored
- Transparently clear (Correct answer)
- Softly glowing
Correct answer: Transparently clear
Pellucid means translucently clear, and by extension, easy to understand.
Question 7: Which pair of words are antonyms?
- Furtive / Stealthy
- Loquacious / Taciturn (Correct answer)
- Obstinate / Stubborn
- Benevolent / Charitable
Correct answer: Loquacious / Taciturn
Loquacious means very talkative, while taciturn means habitually silent — they are opposites.
Language Proficiency Vocabulary 4
Which word best describes someone who speaks in a roundabout way, avoiding the main point?