Quiz created: 110917

Vocabulary Quiz 18

Instructions: Answer the multiple choice questions, guessing if necessary; then click on the "Process Questions" button at the end of the quiz to see your score in the adjacent message box. The program will not reveal which questions you got wrong, only how many points you have. Go back and change your answers until you get them all right. (The message box will rejoice at that point and the page will change color to show it is tickled pink.)

Points to note: (1) Questions with only one possible answer are one point each. (2) Questions with one or more possible answers (represented by check boxes) give a point for each correct answer, but also subtract a point for each wrong answer! (3) The program will not attempt to score your efforts at all if you have not tried at least half of the questions. (4) This quiz is for your own use only. No record of your progress is kept or reported to anyone.

1. “As expected, inflation has risen —it is expected to peak at 22% early next year— but a new monthly dole has softened the blow for many people. Other extravagant promises … are derided by economists but lapped up by the CREDULOUS. (The Economist 110820, p. 45) A “credulous” person
is faithful to a political party 
hangs on the words of a public speaker 
believes claims without evidence 
is enthusiastic 
is desperate for good news 
No Answer
2. “In such an environment it is not surprising that existential ANGST in various forms, religious and secular, is now perceptible across Iranian society. Somewhere, between praying for the Mahdi and driving off a cliff, lies the great mass of today’s Iranians.” (The Economist 110820, p. 45) “Angst” refers to
a feeling of dread or anxiety 
grouchiness 
high expectations of leaders 
low expectations of leaders 
exuberance 
weariness 
No Answer
3. “… where electronic gizmos are concerned, product OBSOLESCENCE is becoming a demand-side phenomenon. Consider that the most ubiquitous gadget, the mobile phone.” (Sept 2011 The Atlantic p. 38) Something which is “obsolescent” is
becoming outdated 
long out of date 
brand new 
heavily advertised, especially to teenagers 
uncool 
small 
widely used 
No Answer
4. “… where electronic gizmos are concerned, product obsolescence is becoming a demand-side phenomenon. Consider that the most UBIQUITOUS gadget, the mobile phone.” (Sept 2011 The Atlantic p. 38) Something which is “ubiquitous”
is essential 
is very modern 
requires batteries 
continually undergoes modification 
works differently for different users 
everywhere 
No Answer
5. “So when Brumfiel’s battalion arrived, it stepped into a FRAUGHT situation and a mission that quickly changed.” (Sept 2011, AP) A “fraught situation” is one that is
charged with danger or emotion 
one where the problem is already solved 
transformed 
unchanging or habitual 
comical 
frightening 
No Answer
6. “An exception may be the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, founded in September 1961. Operating with unashamed nerdishness in a prosperous part of Paris, it is a WONK’S delight, churning out fact-studded reports on government performance in everything from macroeconomics to education policy.” (The Economist 110917, p. 62) A “wonk” is a person who
lives well at public expense 
travels the world in high style 
studies a subject obsessively 
loves numbers 
spins information for politicians to use in misleading public statements 
No Answer
7. “The mortgage lawsuits [against the Bank of America] come from three sources…, … [T]he largest chunk of claims by far, about $60 billion, came along with what may ultimately prove to be the single worst acquisition since Paris grabbed HELEN, the 2008 purchase of Countrywide [a mortgage lending firm].” (The Economist 110917, pp. 78f) “Helen” here refers to
a bank nationalized by the French government in 1929, contributing to the Great Depression 
a tract of land, now in Belgium, formerly part of France 
a Greek princess abducted by a Trojan prince, setting off the famous Trojan War 
a Greco-Roman goddess who was said to have opened a casket releasing all of the world’s ills 
the name of a novel over the rights to which a very expensive legal battle was waged in the 1960s 
No Answer
8. “The fact that banks could turn government bonds from across the euro zone into cash … encouraged governments to borrow, and banks to rely on short-term funding to an extent now proving PARLOUS. The central bankers cheered this process on.” (The Economist 110917, p. 75) Something which is “parlous” is
foolish 
dangerous 
accidentally beneficial 
an object of discussion 
far-sighted 
No Answer
9. “As the American presidential election approaches, expect to hear plenty of talk in the months ahead about ‘energy independence’. … The merits and terrors of nuclear power will be discussed. ANTHROPOGENIC climate change, or Republican denials of it, already has been. Energy is a critical issue in today’s political debate, as is only appropriate.” (The Economist 110917, p. 89) Something is “anthropogenic” if it is
destructive to humans 
caused by humans 
conducive to biological effects 
extensive 
expensive 
beneficial to large corporations 
No Answer

      Points out of 9:

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This consummately cool, pedagogically compelling, self-correcting,
multiple-choice quiz was produced automatically from
a simple text file of questions using D.K. Jordan's
dubiously original, but publicly accessible
Think Again Quiz Maker
of April 25, 2010.