In each of the following questions, out of the given alternatives,choose the one which best expresses the meaning of the given word.
Taciturnity
Answer: D
It is reserve.
Taciturnity is the habit of saying little, and reserve is the same restraint in manner. Dumbness means being unable to speak, which is a different thing - a taciturn person can speak and chooses not to.
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Morose
Answer: B
It is gloomy.
Morose means sullen and low-spirited, which gloomy captures. Annoyed and displeased are reactions to something in particular, while moroseness is a settled temper.
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Voracious
Answer: B
It is greedy.
Voracious means having a huge appetite - for food, or by extension for books or work. Wild and quick describe manner rather than appetite.
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Moving
Answer: C
It is shifting.
Moving in its literal sense is changing position, which is shifting. Taking, toying and turning each describe something else, though moving in another sense means affecting the emotions.
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Correspondence
Answer: D
It is letters.
Correspondence means letters exchanged between people. Documents and contracts are papers of other kinds, and agreements are what a contract records.
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Restraint
Answer: D
It is restriction.
Restraint means holding back or keeping within limits, which restriction says. Hindrance and obstacle describe something that gets in the way rather than a limit deliberately imposed.
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Masterly
Answer: B
It is skilful.
Masterly means done with the skill of a master. Crafty means cunning, which is a different quality altogether - and note that masterful, the similar-looking word, means domineering.
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Shallow
Answer: B
It is superficial.
Shallow means having little depth, whether of water or of thought, and superficial means on the surface only. Artificial and worthless describe other faults.
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Uncouth
Answer: B
It is rough.
Uncouth means lacking manners or polish, and rough carries that sense of the unfinished. Dirty describes physical state, and slovenly carelessness in appearance rather than crudeness of manner.
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Zany
Answer: A
It is clown.
A zany was the servant who mimicked the clown in the commedia dell'arte, from the Italian Zanni, a form of Giovanni. As a noun it means a clown or buffoon; the adjective sense of madcap came later.
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