C2 C2 Vocabulary and Lexical Knowledge 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Choose the word that best completes the collocation: 'The report drew _____ attention to the discrepancies.'
- wide
- broad (Correct answer)
- great
- vast
Correct answer: broad
'Draw broad attention' is the correct collocation; 'broad' collocates with 'attention' in formal contexts.
Question 2: Which word is the correct formal equivalent of 'use up'?
- deplete (Correct answer)
- exhaust
- consume
- expend
Correct answer: deplete
'Deplete' precisely means to reduce or use up a resource, making it the most formal and precise equivalent.
Question 3: Choose the correct word to complete: 'The scientist made a _____ discovery that overturned decades of accepted theory.'
- ground-breaking (Correct answer)
- far-reaching
- sweeping
- landmark
Correct answer: ground-breaking
'Ground-breaking' specifically collocates with 'discovery' to mean something revolutionary and unprecedented.
Question 4: Which word has a connotation of gradual, undesirable change?
- reform
- transformation
- erosion (Correct answer)
- evolution
Correct answer: erosion
'Erosion' implies a slow, negative wearing away, often used metaphorically for rights, values, or standards.
Question 5: Which pair of words are FALSE friends (similar in form but different in meaning)?
- sensible / sensitive
- historical / historic
- economic / economical
- All of the above (Correct answer)
Correct answer: All of the above
All three pairs are classic false friends at C2 level: sensible (reasonable) vs. sensitive (easily affected), historical (relating to history) vs. historic (significant), economic (relating to economics) vs. economical (thrifty).
Question 6: Choose the word that means 'to make something less severe or intense':
- exacerbate
- alleviate
- mitigate
- Both B and C (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Both B and C
Both 'alleviate' and 'mitigate' mean to lessen or reduce something negative, making both B and C correct.
C2 C2 Vocabulary and Lexical Knowledge 1
Choose the word that best completes the collocation: 'The report drew _____ attention to the discrepancies.'