NBT NBT Academic Literacy: Vocabulary in Context 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: "The new evidence **refuted** the long-held theory that ancient humans first arrived in the Americas via a land bridge." In this context, 'refuted' most nearly means:
- supported
- disproved (Correct answer)
- complicated
- questioned
Correct answer: disproved
'Refuted' means proved to be wrong or false; stronger than merely 'questioned'.
Question 2: "The **hegemony** of English in global business has led to concerns about the loss of linguistic diversity." 'Hegemony' most closely means:
- gradual decline
- dominant influence (Correct answer)
- historical origin
- formal recognition
Correct answer: dominant influence
'Hegemony' refers to the dominance or leadership of one country, group, or language over others.
Question 3: "His **verbose** report could easily have been half the length without losing any of its substance." As used here, 'verbose' means:
- inaccurate
- using more words than necessary (Correct answer)
- technically complex
- poorly structured
Correct answer: using more words than necessary
'Verbose' means using or expressed in more words than are needed.
Question 4: "The organisation works to **empower** marginalised communities by providing access to legal resources and financial literacy training." 'Empower' most nearly means:
- control
- give authority and confidence to (Correct answer)
- study the needs of
- financially support
Correct answer: give authority and confidence to
'Empower' means to give power, confidence, or the means to take action, especially to a disadvantaged group.
Question 5: "The audit revealed a **discrepancy** between the declared income and the actual bank deposits." The best replacement for 'discrepancy' is:
- similarity
- difference (Correct answer)
- pattern
- error
Correct answer: difference
'Discrepancy' refers to a lack of compatibility or similarity between two or more facts.
Question 6: "The government's **tacit** approval of the practice — evidenced by its failure to legislate against it — emboldened the industry." 'Tacit' most nearly means:
- openly declared
- understood without being stated (Correct answer)
- legally codified
- reluctantly given
Correct answer: understood without being stated
'Tacit' means understood or implied without being directly expressed.
Question 7: "The author uses **irony** throughout the text to expose the **disparity** between official rhetoric and lived reality." As used here, 'disparity' means:
- resemblance
- confusion
- a great difference (Correct answer)
- direct conflict
Correct answer: a great difference
'Disparity' means a great difference, especially one regarded as unfair or unjustifiable.
NBT NBT Academic Literacy: Vocabulary in Context 5
"The new evidence **refuted** the long-held theory that ancient humans first arrived in the Americas via a land bridge." In this context, 'refuted' most nearly means: