Word Formation Exercises PDFSet 6: Advanced Word Formation: C1 Word Building & Academic Derivation
20 questions·18 min·Answers included·Explanations included
Preview: Questions
Fill in the blank with the correct option.
1.Her ___ handling of the negotiations provoked outrage among the delegates and led to the collapse of the peace talks.
a) diplomatb) diplomaticc) undiplomaticd) diplomatically
2.The scientist was able to ___ the results of the original experiment, thereby strengthening the theory's credibility.
a) substantiateb) substantialc) substanced) substantially
3.The two expert reports presented ___ conclusions, forcing the committee to commission an entirely new investigation.
a) reconciledb) irreconcilablec) reconcilingd) reconciliation
4.The poor ___ of the satellite television signal was caused by atmospheric interference during the storm.
a) receptiveb) receptionistc) receiptd) reception
5.The research paper was rejected due to the ___ of its methodology, which failed to account for several key variables.
a) inadequateb) inadequatelyc) inadequacyd) inadequateness
... and 15 more questions in the PDF
Preview: Answers
1.undiplomatic
2.substantiate
3.irreconcilable
4.reception
5.inadequacy
... and 15 more answers in the PDF
Preview: Explanations
1."undiplomatic"(c)
'Undiplomatic' is the correct adjective to modify the noun 'handling.' The context ('provoked outrage' and 'collapse') clearly requires a negative meaning — diplomatic handling would not provoke outrage, ruling out 'diplomatic.' 'Diplomat' is a noun and 'diplomatically' is an adverb — neither can modify a noun in this position. This word involves a three-step derivation: diplomat → diplomatic → undiplomatic.
2."substantiate"(a)
After 'to,' a verb is required. 'Substantiate' means to provide evidence to support a claim. 'Substantial' (adjective), 'substance' (noun), and 'substantially' (adverb) cannot follow 'to' in this grammatical structure. This is a formal Latinate verb commonly used in academic and legal writing.
3."irreconcilable"(b)
'Irreconcilable' means 'impossible to reconcile' and is the correct adjective to describe conclusions so contradictory that a new investigation was needed. 'Reconciled' means already resolved — the opposite of what happened. 'Reconciling' means bringing things into agreement, which also contradicts the context. 'Reconciliation' is a noun and cannot directly modify 'conclusions.' Note the prefix ir- (used before words starting with 'r').
4."reception"(d)
'Reception' is the correct noun meaning the quality of receiving a broadcast signal. Note the consonant shift from 'receive' to 'reception' (v → pt). 'Receptive' means willing to consider new ideas (adjective). 'Receptionist' means a person who greets visitors. 'Receipt' means a written acknowledgment of payment — a completely different meaning despite sharing the same root.
5."inadequacy"(c)
After 'the' and before 'of,' a noun is required. 'Inadequacy' is the standard established noun form meaning the quality of being inadequate. While 'inadequateness' theoretically exists as a word, it is non-standard and virtually never used in academic writing — 'inadequacy' is the accepted form. 'Inadequate' is an adjective and 'inadequately' is an adverb.
... and 15 more explanations in the PDF
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