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Unit 02
Vocabulary & Phrasal Verb Questions
questions 1–6 · tactics & key words
What These Questions Test
Each question is a single sentence with one blank. The five options are usually the same part of speech — five verbs, five adjectives, five adverbs or five phrasal verbs — so grammar alone rarely gives the answer. You must understand the meaning of the sentence and know which words naturally go together.
Tactics
- Read the whole sentence first and find the clue: a contrast word (although, but), a cause (because, due to) or a positive/negative tone.
- Predict the meaning of the missing word in Turkish before you look at the options.
- Check the word after the blank. Prepositions and collocations eliminate many options: attribute … to, prone to, consist of.
- For adverbs, check what the adverb describes and whether it agrees with the rest of the sentence (e.g. hardly is negative).
- Learn words in families: sustain – sustainable – sustainability. One family can help you in several sections.
Frequent Verbs
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| alleviate | to make pain or a problem less severe | The new medicine alleviates pain quickly. |
| hinder | to make progress or development difficult | Bad weather hindered the rescue work. |
| enhance | to improve the quality or value of something | Good lighting enhances the room. |
| reveal | to make something known or visible | The study revealed surprising results. |
| undergo | to experience a process, change or treatment | The city underwent major changes. |
| attribute (to) | to say that something is caused by something | He attributes his success to hard work. |
| deteriorate | to become worse | Her health deteriorated quickly. |
| emerge | to appear or become known | New problems emerged during the project. |
| sustain | to keep something going over time | It is hard to sustain economic growth. |
| acquire | to get or gain knowledge, skills or property | Children acquire language naturally. |
| assess | to judge the quality, amount or value of something | Teachers assess students' progress. |
| comprise | to consist of; to form | The course comprises ten units. |
Frequent Adjectives
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| abundant | existing in large quantities | Fish were once abundant in this lake. |
| vulnerable (to) | easily harmed or attacked | Older people are more vulnerable to heat. |
| inevitable | certain to happen; impossible to avoid | Some changes are inevitable. |
| feasible | possible and practical to do | The plan is not financially feasible. |
| substantial | large in size, amount or importance | There was a substantial increase in sales. |
| reluctant (to) | not willing to do something | He was reluctant to leave. |
| prone (to) | likely to suffer from something | This area is prone to floods. |
| detrimental (to) | causing harm or damage | Stress is detrimental to health. |
| scarce | not enough; difficult to find | Water is scarce in the desert. |
| versatile | able to be used in many different ways | Wood is a very versatile material. |
Frequent Adverbs
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| considerably | by a large amount | Prices have risen considerably. |
| merely | only; nothing more than | It was merely a suggestion. |
| hardly | almost not | I could hardly hear him. |
| predominantly | mostly; mainly | The town is predominantly agricultural. |
| presumably | probably; as you would expect | Presumably, the meeting will be cancelled. |
| simultaneously | at the same time | The two events happened simultaneously. |
| roughly | approximately | The trip takes roughly two hours. |
| notably | especially; in particular | Several countries, notably Japan, were affected. |
Phrasal Verb Questions
One or two of the first six questions usually test phrasal verbs. The most frequent ones in YDS are academic: bring about, carry out, account for, rule out, give rise to, figure out, put off, set up. See the Academic Phrasal Verbs (YDS) unit in the Phrasal Verbs section for a full list.