Stretch questions

Harder items where the wrong answers are near-synonyms with the wrong connotation.

3 questions, with answers shown. To be quizzed instead — start a session.

• stretch · science

  Researchers were careful not to ____ the decline to a single cause, since three pressures acted at once.

  • attributeanswer
  • ascribe wholly
  • quantify
  • anticipate

  Why it fits: To attribute is to assign a cause, and the sentence warns against assigning the decline to one cause when three were acting.

  Why each wrong option is tempting

  • ascribe wholly — "Ascribe wholly" is close in meaning but reads awkwardly here; the standard verb for assigning a cause is "attribute", and the sentence already supplies "to a single cause".
  • quantify — "Quantify" means to measure, which is not what the caution is about.
  • anticipate — "Anticipate" means to expect in advance, and the decline has already happened.

• stretch · literature

  Ordinarily talkative, he became ____ whenever the subject of the trial came up.

  • reticentanswer
  • voluble
  • irate
  • jovial

  Why it fits: "Ordinarily talkative" sets up a contrast, so the word must mean unwilling to speak.

  Why each wrong option is tempting

  • voluble — "Voluble" means talkative — the same as his ordinary state, so there would be no contrast.
  • irate — "Irate" means angry, which is a plausible reaction but not what the contrast with talkativeness demands.
  • jovial — "Jovial" means cheerful, which does not contrast with being talkative at all.

• stretch · social-science

  The new protocol does not guarantee agreement; it merely ____ the conversation between the two parties.

  • facilitatesanswer
  • mandates
  • obviates
  • adjudicates

  Why it fits: "Does not guarantee ... merely" indicates the protocol makes the conversation easier without forcing an outcome.

  Why each wrong option is tempting

  • mandates — "Mandates" means requires, which is stronger than the sentence allows.
  • obviates — "Obviates" means makes unnecessary, but the conversation still happens.
  • adjudicates — "Adjudicates" means judges and decides, which contradicts not guaranteeing agreement.

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