NBT NBT Academic Literacy: Vocabulary in Context 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: "The professor's lecture was so **abstruse** that even doctoral students struggled to follow the argument." 'Abstruse' in this context means:
- poorly organised
- extremely difficult to understand (Correct answer)
- boringly repetitive
- unnecessarily long
Correct answer: extremely difficult to understand
'Abstruse' means difficult to understand; the context of doctoral students struggling confirms this meaning.
Question 2: "Scientists must remain **impartial**, resisting the temptation to selectively report results that support their hypothesis." The word 'impartial' most nearly means:
- unbiased (Correct answer)
- enthusiastic
- systematic
- critical
Correct answer: unbiased
'Impartial' means not favouring one side over another; unbiased.
Question 3: "The CEO's decision to **divest** unprofitable divisions helped stabilise the company's finances." 'Divest' most closely means:
- invest heavily in
- get rid of (Correct answer)
- reorganise internally
- publicly announce
Correct answer: get rid of
'Divest' means to deprive or rid of; in a business context, it means selling off assets or divisions.
Question 4: "The archaeologist made a **cursory** inspection of the site before the full excavation began." As used here, 'cursory' means:
- conducted underground
- hurried and not thorough (Correct answer)
- extremely detailed
- repeated over time
Correct answer: hurried and not thorough
'Cursory' describes something done rapidly with little attention to detail — a quick preliminary look.
Question 5: "The journalist's **tenacious** pursuit of the story, despite repeated legal threats, earned widespread admiration." 'Tenacious' most nearly means:
- reckless
- persistent (Correct answer)
- secretive
- impartial
Correct answer: persistent
'Tenacious' means not readily giving up; persistent in maintaining a position or pursuing a goal.
Question 6: "Economic inequality tends to **perpetuate** cycles of poverty, making social mobility increasingly difficult." The best replacement for 'perpetuate' is:
- eliminate
- investigate
- prolong (Correct answer)
- obscure
Correct answer: prolong
'Perpetuate' means to make something continue indefinitely; 'prolong' best captures this meaning.
Question 7: "The politician offered a **conciliatory** statement, hoping to ease tensions between the two factions." 'Conciliatory' most closely means:
- intended to achieve agreement (Correct answer)
- designed to provoke debate
- legally binding
- deliberately vague
Correct answer: intended to achieve agreement
'Conciliatory' means intended to reduce hostility and bring about agreement or goodwill.
NBT NBT Academic Literacy: Vocabulary in Context 2
"The professor's lecture was so **abstruse** that even doctoral students struggled to follow the argument." 'Abstruse' in this context means: