Foundation questions
Start here. The context clue is close to the blank and points one way.
6 questions, with answers shown. To be quizzed instead — start a session.
foundation · science
The second team repeated the experiment in order to ____ the original result before publication.
- corroborateanswer
- contest
- circumvent
- extrapolate
Why it fits: Repeating an experiment before publishing is done to confirm the finding with independent evidence.
Why each wrong option is tempting
- contest — "Contest" means to dispute. Nothing suggests the second team set out to disagree.
- circumvent — "Circumvent" means to get around something, which does not apply to a result.
- extrapolate — "Extrapolate" means to extend a finding beyond the observed range — that is a different activity from confirming it.
foundation · science
Her field notes were ____: every specimen was logged with its location, the weather, and the hour it was found.
- meticulousanswer
- perfunctory
- anecdotal
- ambivalent
Why it fits: The colon introduces evidence of extreme care and completeness, which is what "meticulous" names.
Why each wrong option is tempting
- perfunctory — "Perfunctory" means done with minimum effort — the opposite of the detail listed.
- anecdotal — "Anecdotal" means based on informal stories rather than systematic record, which contradicts the careful logging.
- ambivalent — "Ambivalent" describes mixed feelings, not a quality of notes.
foundation · science
Neither explanation has been confirmed, but both remain ____ given what is currently known.
- plausibleanswer
- verified
- untenable
- redundant
Why it fits: Unconfirmed but still worth entertaining is exactly the space "plausible" occupies.
Why each wrong option is tempting
- verified — "Verified" means confirmed, which the first clause explicitly denies.
- untenable — "Untenable" means impossible to defend — but the sentence says both survive.
- redundant — "Redundant" means unnecessarily repetitive, which does not follow from being unconfirmed.
foundation · science
Once the predator was removed, the smaller fish began to ____, doubling in number each season.
- proliferateanswer
- diminish
- stagnate
- migrate
Why it fits: Doubling each season is rapid increase in number, which is what proliferate means.
Why each wrong option is tempting
- diminish — "Diminish" means to decrease, contradicting the doubling.
- stagnate — "Stagnate" means to stop changing, which the numbers clearly do not.
- migrate — "Migrate" means to move location, and the sentence describes quantity, not movement.
foundation · science
The material is now so ____ that it turns up in soil samples from the deep ocean to the high Arctic.
- ubiquitousanswer
- volatile
- inert
- scarce
Why it fits: Appearing everywhere from the deep ocean to the Arctic is the definition of being present everywhere.
Why each wrong option is tempting
- volatile — "Volatile" means unstable or evaporating easily, which is about behaviour, not distribution.
- inert — "Inert" means chemically unreactive — again a property, not a matter of where it is found.
- scarce — "Scarce" means rare, contradicting the range described.
foundation · science
Given the rate of erosion, the collapse of the arch was ____; the only question was when.
- inevitableanswer
- improbable
- reversible
- imperceptible
Why it fits: "The only question was when" means the event itself is certain, only its timing is open.
Why each wrong option is tempting
- improbable — "Improbable" means unlikely, contradicting the certainty.
- reversible — "Reversible" means able to be undone, which the sentence does not address.
- imperceptible — "Imperceptible" means too small to notice, but a collapse is the opposite.
Other sets
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