NBT NBT Academic Literacy: Vocabulary in Context 4

Question 1

"The minister's speech was filled with **platitudes** — familiar phrases that sounded reassuring but offered no new insight." 'Platitudes' most nearly means:

Accepted Answer

overused meaningless remarks

Answer

'Platitudes' are remarks that have been overused to the point of meaninglessness despite sounding significant.

Question 2

"Scientists hope to **mitigate** the effects of climate change through a combination of renewable energy and carbon capture technology." The best replacement for 'mitigate' is:

Accepted Answer

make less severe

Answer

'Mitigate' means to make less severe, serious, or painful; to lessen the impact.

Question 3

"The film's **ambiguous** ending frustrated some viewers but delighted others who preferred open interpretation." As used here, 'ambiguous' means:

Accepted Answer

unclear or open to more than one meaning

Answer

'Ambiguous' means open to more than one interpretation; the context of 'open interpretation' confirms this.

Question 4

"The researcher was careful to **delineate** the boundaries of her study, explicitly stating what fell outside its scope." 'Delineate' most closely means:

Accepted Answer

clearly describe or define

Answer

'Delineate' means to describe or indicate precisely; to mark out the boundaries of something.

Question 5

"Despite public protests, the board remained **intransigent**, refusing to reconsider the unpopular policy." 'Intransigent' most nearly means:

Accepted Answer

unwilling to compromise

Answer

'Intransigent' means refusing to change one's views or to agree; stubborn and inflexible.

(NBT) National Benchmark Test Practice Test

(NBT) National Benchmark Test Practice Test

NBT NBT Academic Literacy: Vocabulary in Context 4