Quiz created: 2020-01-09

Vocabulary Quiz 83

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. “Taken together, it amounted to the most strenuous challenge so far to a relative political newcomer who has captivated many voters with his soaring rhetoric and intellectual MIEN.” (191220, SDUT, p. A-4) A person’s “mien” is his or her
appearance or bearing 
conversation 
IQ level 
ability to remain on-topic 
choice of words 
level of politeness 
No Answer
2. “Around 7.4 million acres of land has burnt nationwide [in Australia] during a TORRID past few months, with six people killed and more than 80 homes destroyed.” (191220, SDUT, p. A-4) Something “torrid” is
politically fragile 
broadly challenging 
extremely hot 
difficult 
expensive 
smoky 
No Answer
3. “But he expressed concerns that a recession could hit in 2021, particularly if Trump is re-elected and OPTS to double-down on his trade war.” (191231, SDUT, p. C2) A person is said to “opt” when
dithering indecisively over a choice among alternatives 
required to act with insufficient information 
acting impulsively, usually with unfortunate results 
making a selection among alternatives 
having a preference blocked by unanticipated circumstances 
No Answer
4. “A confidential trove of government documents obtained by The Washington Post reveals that senior U.S. officials failed to tell the truth about the war in Afghanistan throughout the 18-year campaign, making ROSY pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding evidence the war had become unwinnable.” (191210, SDUT, p. A1) A “rosy” pronouncement is
official 
off-the-record 
unrealistically optimistic 
occasional 
vague 
deliberately misleading 
No Answer
5. “There was even a Christmas service [at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris] amid the carnage of World War I, Chauvet noted, because the canons were there and the CANONS had to celebrate somewhere.” (191221, AP via SDUT, p. A-9) A “canon” is not the same thing as a “cannon” or a “canyon.” In the present sentence, the word “canon” refers to
a kind of large gun 
a shallow trench, dug for use in warfare 
an official text, especially of a sacred or revered work of literature 
a kind of church officer 
a natural cleft in the earth 
No Answer
6. “This kind of self-censorship arises because of a person’s fear of being an object of criticism, ridicule, OBLOQUY, or punishment for the views that he or she holds.” (2019, Academic Questions, vol. 32, p. 522) “Obloquy” refers to
ostracism 
being the victim of curses, magic spells, or the evil eye 
seizure of assets 
disbarment from a profession 
ill-repute due to calumny or vilification 
No Answer
7. “Unfortunately, this amicus brief proves that not only is the threat to those rights very real, but it is at a critical TIPPING POINT where the minority is ready to strip our freedom away against the majority’s wishes.” (2020-01-03, SDUT, p. A-5) A “tipping point” is
the point in a public presentation when the seeming direction of an argument is startlingly and convincingly reversed 
the critical moment when a small influence produces a large, irreversible change 
any position in which a standing object suddenly falls 
the “price” at which even an honest person will accept a bribe. 
No Answer
8. “Unfortunately, this AMICUS BRIEF proves that not only is the threat to those rights very real, but it is at a critical tipping point where the minority is ready to strip our freedom away against the majority’s wishes.” (2020-01-03, SDUT, p. A-5) an “amicus brief” is
a style of men’s underwear, intended to be especially comfortable 
advice received by a court about a case from a person or entity not directly party to it 
a preliminary opinion floated by a judge before making an final ruling 
concise instructions from a judge to a jury, especially if suspected of being biased in favor of one of the parties to a court case 
the concise summary of a legal case presented to all parties before a trial begins 
No Answer
9. “Former Florence Tounty [South Carolina] Sheriff Kenney Boone pleaded guilty Wednesday to EMBEZZLEMENT and misconduct in office, according to the state attorney general’s office.” (2020-01-09, SDUT, p. A-7)
“Embezzlement” refers to 
making personal use of someone else’s money in one’s trust 
bribing public officials 
sexual assault 
concealing assets to avoid taxes or hide theft 
knowingly concealing the guilt of a person who has broken the law 
No Answer

      Points out of 9:


Awesomeness
Score
Awesomeness Score: The following awesomeness score is a measure of how much guessing you did to get all items right. It is 100 if you got all questions right when you clicked the process button for the first time. It gets proportionately lower if it took more clicks, until it hits 0 if your clicks exceeded the number of questions.



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This consummately cool, pedagogically compelling, self-correcting,
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