NBT Academic Literacy: Vocabulary in Context Flashcards

"The article **juxtaposes** the opulence of the city's financial district with the poverty of its informal settlements." 'Juxtaposes' most closely means:

Answer: places side by side to reveal contrast

'Juxtapose' means to place two things close together to highlight their contrasting qualities.

"The scientist was cautious about making **categorical** claims before all the data had been analysed." 'Categorical' in this context means:

Answer: unqualified and absolute

'Categorical' means absolute, without exception; a categorical claim admits no qualifications.

"The legislation was designed to **safeguard** the rights of whistleblowers from corporate retaliation." The best replacement for 'safeguard' is:

Answer: protect

'Safeguard' means to protect from harm or damage; in legal contexts it means to defend rights.

"The **paradox** of modern communication is that despite unprecedented connectivity, many people report feeling profoundly isolated." As used here, 'paradox' means:

Answer: a seemingly contradictory situation that is nonetheless true

'Paradox' refers to a situation that appears self-contradictory but may nonetheless be true.

"The documentary sought to **demystify** the process of genome sequencing, explaining each step in accessible language." 'Demystify' most nearly means:

Answer: make clearer and easier to understand

'Demystify' means to make something less mysterious or difficult to understand; to clarify.

"The newspaper retracted the story after it emerged that the source had **fabricated** key details." As used here, 'fabricated' most nearly means:

Answer: invented or falsified

'Fabricated' means invented false information; made up details that were not true.

"The **ubiquitous** presence of smartphones has fundamentally altered how young people consume information." 'Ubiquitous' most nearly means:

Answer: present everywhere

'Ubiquitous' means present, appearing, or found everywhere at the same time.