English Grammar - Word Choice

After an exhausting all-nighter to finish Professor Clark’s research paper, we found his dull lecture the next morning __________.

• uplifting

• excruciating

• inspiring

After Betsy’s last purchase of a lemon—and the dealership’s unwillingness to repair problems that she thought the warranty covered—Betsy __________ the contract for her new car before she signed it.

• scrutinized

• skimmed

• glanced at

Walter winced as he tasted the sauce, shook his head, and sighed. His __________ for Loretta’s cooking was obvious.

• horror

• excitement

• disdain

The students wished Professor Davis gave __________ directions for essays. Instead, the assignment sheets are pages long and chocked full of requirements.

• complicated

• wide

• succinct

Sara was filled with __________, for she had emailed Professor Carson to explain that she was too ill to attend class but then ran into him at the Student Center, a tennis racquet in her hand.

• trepidation

• mirth

• brevity

Simon had to __________ his cell phone after it rang for the third time in class.

• relinquish

• amputate

• postpone

Roger’s car holds four people comfortably, but he stuffed nine classmates into the little vehicle. Larissa had difficulty __________ herself from the backseat when they arrived at her house.

• modifying

• hovering

• extricating

Winston read his essay with a ruler, scrutinizing each line for errors. When he finished, he read it again just as carefully. We found his behavior __________, but teachers loved his control of grammar.

• punitive

• redundant

• lackadaisical

Larry dyed his hair blue and green and painted his face and torso in the same school colours. In addition, he wore flippers on his feet and hands. When his girlfriend Maria saw his gameday preparations, she gasped and declared them __________.

• subdued

• ostentatious

• pedestrian

We followed the guide down the stairs to the floor below the lobby. Then we toured the __________ storerooms where the museum kept priceless treasures not on display.

• subterranean

• lofty

• incapacitated