Free vocabulary practice
Near synonyms and word distinctions
Compare close meanings and easily confused words. Notice what each choice commits you to.
Related words can point toward the same subject while making different claims about it. Something may be believable without being likely, or shorter without sounding warmer.
This set combines near synonyms with other easily confused words. Choose the option that best conveys the meaning specified in the question. Where meanings overlap, the explanation describes a useful emphasis rather than a universal rule. All examples are original.
Question 1 of 8
Meaning and nuanceRead all 8 questions and explanations
1. Which word calls the explanation believable without saying it is likely to be the right one?
A loose cable would explain the fault. We have not yet compared that explanation with several other reasonable possibilities.
Choices: plausible · probable
Best fit: plausible
Plausible emphasizes that an explanation is reasonable enough to consider. Probable more directly makes a claim about likelihood. The context gives a possible explanation but withholds that stronger judgment. These words overlap in use; the distinction here is the claim the writer wants to make, not a numerical probability scale.
2. Which word foregrounds doubt about the evidence, without implying a general distrust of people's motives?
Maya is willing to change her mind if the results hold up. For now, she wants independent evidence before accepting the claim.
Choices: cynical · skeptical
Best fit: skeptical
Skeptical best captures Maya's questioning stance toward the claim. Cynical often adds a distrust of sincerity or motives that this description does not establish. A skeptical person can also be cynical, but asking for stronger evidence alone does not tell us that they are.
3. Which word most directly praises the removal of unnecessary detail, without suggesting an abrupt manner?
The editor wants a shorter explanation that preserves the essential information and still welcomes the reader's questions.
Choices: concise · terse
Best fit: concise
Concise is the clearer praise for economical expression here. Terse also describes brevity, but can suggest a pointed or abrupt reply. It does not invariably mean rude. Both may describe short writing; concise keeps the focus on removing excess rather than on the speaker's manner.
4. Which word labels the conclusion as provisional, rather than describing someone's reluctance to act?
The researcher is confident about reporting what she found, but the small amount of evidence means her conclusion may need revision.
Choices: hesitant · tentative
Best fit: tentative
Tentative describes a conclusion that is not yet settled. Hesitant more directly describes uncertainty or reluctance in proceeding. The researcher can speak confidently while making a tentative claim: confidence in presenting it and the claim's evidential strength are different matters.
5. Which word describes the pass when it is required but does not guarantee entry?
You need a valid pass to enter this event, and you must also have your name on the guest list. A pass alone will not get you in.
Choices: sufficient · necessary
Best fit: necessary
The pass is necessary: it is a requirement. It is not sufficient on its own, because the guest-list condition must also be met. Sufficient would mean enough for the stated purpose. A condition can sometimes be both necessary and sufficient, but that is not the arrangement described here.
6. Which verb accurately describes reducing harm while some harm remains?
A revised schedule cut the delays substantially. Some passengers still arrived late, so the change did not remove the problem altogether.
Choices: mitigate · eliminate
Best fit: mitigate
Mitigate fits a reduction in the severity or impact of the delays. Eliminate would say that the problem was removed. The distinction matters when reporting what a change accomplished: substantial improvement is not the same claim as complete removal.
7. Which word describes a person who accepts claims too readily?
Eli forwards every rumor as fact, even when it has no source. The criticism concerns his readiness to believe, rather than how believable other people find him.
Choices: credible · credulous
Best fit: credulous
Credulous describes a tendency to believe too readily. Credible describes someone or something that merits belief. These are related-looking words, not interchangeable synonyms: one concerns the person's believing, the other their believability.
8. Which word describes an instruction stated directly in the message?
The email says, 'Send the signed form by Friday at noon.' The deadline is written out; the recipient does not have to infer it.
Choices: explicit · implicit
Best fit: explicit
Explicit fits an instruction directly expressed. Implicit would make it something understood without being stated in that way. An explicit deadline can still leave other details unanswered; explicit does not mean that a message resolves every possible question.