TEST 8

20. The problem______because neither side was prepared to compromise.

A. amassed B. escalated C. proliferated D. enhanced
21. She relies on her parents for financial support.
A. profusely B. amply C. heavily D. severely
22. Emma found it impossible to…………..her anger and started shouting.
A. restrict B. inhibit C. reserve D. contain
23. A meeting was held so that staff could ___________ their views freely.
A. divulge B. vent C. utter D. air
24. You may yet___________ the day that you crossed me; I will not forget this, and will be
watching you like a hawk.
A. rue B. tender C. lope D. milk
25. His reputation as a ‘green’ politician was ___________by the news that he owns seven
sports cars and a fleet of private jets.
A. savoured B. shunned C. taunted D. undermined
26. We must not___________; after all, the show starts at 2 and it is already getting on for a
quarter past one.
A. pine B. lope C. eschew D. dally
27. Her close personal friends never ___________in their belief in her, whatever was written in
the press.
A. derided B. tantalized C. faltered D. reneged
28. The inebriated driver drove straight into a tree___________, a huge hole in the front of her
car.
A. pining B. gouging C. foraging D. mincing
29. I was at ___________to make it clear that I wasn’t blaming either of them.
A. efforts B. trouble C. pains D. endeavours
30. After years of making unsuccessful films, she is hoping that this one will ___________her
career.
A. revive B. renew C. refresh D. reinstate
31. Not even losing all the time could ___________his enthusiasm for tennis.
A. recede B. dampen C. erode D. belittle
32. She showed little ___________of the problem we were facing.
A. affinity B. appreciation C. regard D. sensitivity
33. This is the ___________timetable for the conference - it may change later.
A. conditional B. indefinite C. provisional D. indeterminate
34. They worked for six ___________hours without a break.
A. constant B. incessant C. solid D. perpetual
35. I wrote to them a fortnight ago but ___________I haven’t had a reply.
A. as yet B. these days C. so long D. just now
36. She didn’t show even a ___________of emotion when the court found her guilty.
A. gleam B. wink C. flicker D. flash
37. He shouted so much during the match that his voice was ___________afterwards.
A. raucous B. grating C. shrill D. hoarse
38. I think it’s______whether he’s as good an actor as someone says he is.
A. debatable B. argumentative C. quarrelsome D. moot
39. We’re not in a ___________ hurry so let’s have another coffee.
A. dashing B. racing C. rushing D. tearing
40. They were ___________from their apartment because they hadn’t paid the rent.
A. evicted B. deposed C. expelled D. discarded
41. A lot of the photos came out___________ because I wasn’t sure how to use the camera
properly.
A. distorted B. blurred C. warped D. smudged
42. It was three days before the storm_______and life began to return to normal.
A. abated B. dwindled C. slackened D. alleviated
43. It’s quite out of ___________for Paul to behave so terribly.
A. temperament B. personality C. nature D. character
44. I took______with him on a number of his comments, which I thought unfair.
A. challenge B. offence C. exception D. issue

TEST 9

Jack has been unable to find a job _______ with his ability as an accountant.

A. commensurate B. suitable C. requisite D. appropriate

2. The new teacher has had her share of difficulties with the _______ young students.
A. literate B. boisterous C. diligent D. obedient
3. His friends and family left him in the ______ when he went bankrupt.

A. church B. lurch C. end D. street

4. Tara was really laying it on ______ about her accident at work.

A. fine B. broad C. thick D. thin

5. Were you on the ______ when you said you had resigned from work?

A. wagon B. level C. flat D. town

6. Manchester had several opportunities to score but _______ their chances.

A. spent B. squandered C. scattered D. abused

7. There was absolute _______ when the spectators invaded the pitch.

A. rioting B. rebellion C. turbulence D. turmoil

8. All workers are required to wear protective gear; those who refuse to toe the ________ will have to
be sacked.

A. line B. lane C. string D. queue

9. Of the ten used cars we’ve seen, ______is worth the asking price.

A. and none of them B. not one of them C. none of which D. which none of
them
10. It’s natural for students to worry about whether they will ________ or not at a new school.

A. measure up B. sprout up C. show up D. stand up

11. Politicians are trying to ______ the tension developing among the city’s residents.

A. tease B. release C. seize D. ease

12. You’re looking at the problem from the wrong ________.

A. angle B. aspect C. corner D. point

13. The documents ________ that Fiona was the rightful owner of the estate.

A. authorized B. notified C. testified D. certified

14. Before his act, the magician had to ________ an assistant in the audience.
 A. use B. conceal C. plant D. locate
15. In order to give up smoking, you need to exercise great _______ .

A. abstinence B. endeavour C. courage D. will-power

16. The architect was ________ by the challenge of the project, despite warnings from his colleagues.

A. unperturbed B. unflawed C. uninterested D. undaunted

17. He has too _______ to go up to a woman at a party and ask her to dance.

A. much arrogance B. many inhibitions C. many vices D. much intelligence

18. Sue avoids carbohydrates because they make her feel ________ after eating.

A. sluggish B. flawless C. deficient D. withered

19. They waited until the storm had _________ before going out.

A. receded B. descended C. sunk D. subsided

20. Closure of schools took place _________ the wide spread of Covid-19 pandemic.

A. in the context of B. with regard to C. with a concern for D. in consideration of

TEST 7
26. Viewers were _______ at the incredible sight of the lunar landscape, unable to take their eyes off the screen
until the very end of the broadcast.

A. switched B. devised C. transfixed D. stifled

27. Having lost her mother at an early age, Mary felt she had become a mere _______, having to do absolutely
everything for her five brothers and sisters.

A. taskmaster B. workmate C. slavedriver D. workhorse

28. Keith’s _______ income looks impressive, but once tax and social security contributions are deducted, it’s not
so much.

A. full B. grand C. net D. gross

29. We have developed rapid order processing to _______ deliveries to customers.

A. expedite B. fasten C. heighten D. quicken

30. The operation was a success, but the patient died of _______.

A. complications B. symptoms C. after-effects D. ramifications

31. Increasing terrorism in the region puts a new _______ on the situation.

A. complexion B. disposition C. outlet D. tantrum

32. If you need help, please don’t hesitate to call me. I can be there _______.

A. in a fix B. in a flash C. in a daze D. in the bag

33. He felt his heart _______ as his bride-to-be began her walk down the aisle.

A. fasten B. quicken C. expedite D. heighten

34. My car broke down and I had to _______ a huge sum of money to have it towed and serviced.
 A. splash out B. fork out C. put aside D. pay off

35. The candidate’s optimism gave _______ to doubt as the result of exit polls became known.

A. place B. lie C. vent D. voice

36. This week’s programme is given _______ a profile of an eminent scientist.

A. credit for B. in to C. over to D. up on

37. Inspector Morts was determined to get to the _______ of the mystery.

A. ground B. end C. bottom D. point

38. Getting away from the stresses of work would do you a _______ of good.

A. sense B. taste C. virtue D. power

39. If you make it to the final, you will be _______ some of the best sprinters in the world.

A. in for B. up to C. up against D. up with

40. He gave speeches all over the world to _______ support for his “Help the Homeless” Campaign.

A. trot out B. turn to C. weigh up D. whip up

TEST 6

26. Mr. Brown has been ________ for gross misconduct.

A. impressed B. impeached C. impounded D. impelled
27. The report was written in technical language, which would have been ________ to most
people.
A. illegible B. irregular C. inarticulate D. incomprehensible

28. The community should take the doctor’s advice into consideration since he’s in ________
earnest about the epidemic.
A. mortally B. fatally C. deadly D. gravely
29. The new company had been________ with one problem after another and looked as if it
were about to go under.
A. glorified B. tainted C. fraught D. bewildered
30. The job wasn’t giving the ________ of the experience he wanted.
A. breadth B. depth C. length D. width
31. He must have been hungry; he ________ that burger in record time and ordered another.
A. whipped up B. tucked in C. chopped up D. bolted down
32. This conservative, evangelical megachurch, just outside San Diego, is a ________ of
activity on a Sunday morning.
A. nest B. home C. seat D. hive
33. Two weeks ________, we will celebrate our coronation.
A. yet B. hence C. hitherto D. albeit
34. Our plans to hold an end-of-year picnic in the woods were ________ by the bad weather.
A. provoked B. thwarted C. emulated D. vented
35. My daughter has a very sunny ________, unlike my son who is often moody and
uncommunicative.
A. behavior B. condition C. disposition D. nurture
36. I’m in a real ________ and I just don’t know what to do.
A. dilemma B. paradox C. query D. hunch
37. The Minister was accused of ________ the truth.
A. distorting B. revising C. reforming D. shifting
38. Lionel Messi was ________ over his team’s victory against Brazil.
A. delighted B. ecstatic C. jubilant D. blissful
39. Something’s ________ up, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to make it this afternoon.
A. shown B. pulled C. cropped D. cut
40. We don’t want him to suspect we’re giving him a surprise party. Make sure you don’t
____________.
A. break the ice B. kick the bucket C. spill the beans D. sweep the board

TEST 5

26. She had warned Michael __________ of death not to spread the software any further, and she felt
sure she could trust him.
A. by virtue B. on pain C. in vino D. at risk
27. The police showed him a photo to try to __________ his memory about what had happened on the
night of the robbery.
A. raise B. jog C. trim D. force
28. We are certainly proud of the monument, but there are times when it proves something of a
_________.
A. silver lining B. red herring C. mixed blessing D. party swishing
29. During the meeting George couldn’t resist __________ with his ‘helpful hints’ about investments.
A. chiming in B. chickening in C. raking in D. packing in
30. Please accept this gift as __________ of our good will.
A. a lump B. a piece C. a bit D. a token
31. It is a __________ situation here. Nobody wants to support you until you’re successful but without
the support, how can you ever be successful?
A. catch 11 B. catch 22 C. catch 33 D. catch 55
32. It is claimed that many reality shows have been recently_________.
A. jumped the shark B. jumped the line C. jumped their throat D. jumped the
rails
33. Tony has always loved olives, but for me it was an _________.
A. acquired taste B. increasing liking C. achieved taste D. improving
liking
34. Keep applying and by the_________ you’ll get a job sooner or later.
 A. law of the jungle B. law of supply C. law of averages D. law of nature
35. Since the spread of Covid-19 disease, their father has been __________ so the whole family is living
on a tight budget.
A. on the level B. on the sly C. on the dole D. on the map
36. In the performance, the dancers wore embroidered caps fridged with cowrie shells which
__________ like bells when they moved.
A. clattered B. clunked C. tittled D. tinkled
37. I had heard he was a __________ but he actually has a good sense of humour.
A. stuffed stiff B. sticked wicket C. number cruncher D. loose canon
38. If there is another acident like that in the building, I am sure that the occupants will __________.
A. clap eyes B. lock horns C. take pains D. play
possums
39. The photocopier has gone __________, it becomes disorganised or goes out of control.
A. bananas B. nuts C. haywire D. postal
40. It didn’t take much to ________ the old animosity lurking beneath the surface of their relationship.
A. resuscitate B. rekindle C. restore D. regain

TEST 10

26. They spent their time fishing or ___________ through the woods.
A. ambling B. striding C. roaming D. treading
27. Products in supermarkets should be laid before customers as _________ as possible.
A. adoringly B. enticingly C. magickingly D. dazzlingly
28. Bill is the most ____ accountant I’ve worked with. You can trust he’ll do everything properly.
A. amiable B. adamant C. obstinate D. scrupulous
29. His ____ behaviour led to his dismissal from a job he had once loved.
A. aberrant B. misspent C. orthodox D. conformist
30. If you don’t stir your coffee after you’ve added sugar, it won’t ____ properly.
A. dissolve B. disengage C. unravel D. disintegrate
31. I can’t follow what the teacher’s saying any more. I’m completely out of my ____.
A. gravity B. breath C. deepness D. depth
32. Tom found it hard to ____ his anger when he realised he’d been tricked.
A. oppress B. oppose C. suppress D. suspend
33. I don’t like the way she ends all her texts with little smiley faces and other ____.
A. clickbaits B. emoticons C. tags D. trends
34. His ____ for maths was unsurpassed. They said he was a genius.
A. backbone B. initiative C. aptitude D. ineptitude
35. I’m not being ____, you know. I got this in the sale – it was half price.
A. penny-pinching B. opulent C. extravagant D. well-to-do
36. I have a full-time job, but I make a little money ____ by baby-sitting.
A. on the lane B. on the side C. at the side D. on the resort
37. A price war looks likely now that a leading supermarket has thrown down the _________ to its
competitors.
A. powder B. skeleton C. porridge D. gauntlet
38. The professor’s ____theory is that singing preceded speech.
A. fancied B. fond C. pet D. preferable
39. Demonstrators nearly __________ with the police during the march.
A. came to blows B. came under fire
C. came into bloom D. came to light
40. Many collectors are willing to pay _______ the odds for early examples of his work.
A. over B. above C. up D. beyond