About This Quiz
We use the English language every day, but how many of us really know how to use it with the flair of a master wordsmith?
It takes a lot of skill to make your words sing, so we've peppered this quiz with some of the toughest AP vocabulary, plus grammar questions that will make you wish that you had paid attention in the tenth grade. If you think you can string a sentence together seamlessly and know the difference between an adverb and a metaphor, try your hand at this nerdy but super fun English Test Prep Quiz!
We've also included some words that have gone out of style, but we totally hope that they will come back into fashion. By the end of this quiz, you will have been able to add a few new amazing words to your vocabulary arsenal. Break them out at your next party. We promise it will be fun, and you'll get to impress everyone with your staggering and sophisticated understanding of the English language.
If you think you remember AP English and that your vocab and grammar are on point, it's time to show us what you've got. Get ready, English nerds; we're going back to school!
Stagnant water has no flow or current and often develops pond-like symptoms like underwater growth and a muddy appearance. It can also refer to the air in a stuffy, confined space.
Going incognito means that you are being totally anonymous. This spy term has gone far out of the James Bond world to mean anonymity or using VPNs online and is largely used in that context.
If you see a vortex of water, it is in your best interest to stay far away from it. Vortexes are tiny whirlpools that can drag you under the water in a lightning-quick blink of an eye.
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Hostile behavior is also referred to as belligerence. If someone is exhibiting belligerence, we refer to them as being belligerent, hostile or otherwise very unpleasant to be around.
If you have ever felt as if you've experienced something before when you know you haven't, you're enjoying a strange sensation called "deja vu." This feeling is common but hard to explain.
"Sarah" needs to be capitalized because it is a proper noun. All names of people or places need to be capitalized regardless of whether they occur at the beginning of the sentence or not.
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We generally use the word "obscure" to refer to something that is not well known, like an obscure band that only you and your friends know about. It can also be used as a synonym for "vague."
It happens all the time to even the most well-intentioned people. Faux pas are little social missteps that we make without thinking and wind up apologizing for in order to be forgiven.
"Tempest" is another word for a strong storm, and if one is coming, you would be wise to shut the windows against it. It can also be used to describe someone with a stormy type of personality.
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"Incensed" is a synonym for "angry". If Aaron is incensed, he is extremely angry and it is best to avoid interacting with him. Like many words for anger, "incensed" references smoke or fire.
Epiphanies are usually what precedes a burst of brilliance; whether it's an idea that will change the world, a realization about one's own life, or a breakthrough to a stubborn problem.
Tectonic activity refers to movement in the Earth's crust. Our continents sit on a series of tectonic plates, and when they shift, we get natural events like tsunamis and earthquakes.
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If you're looking for a quiet place where a softly falling waterfall is the only sound, you're looking for an idyllic paradise. This word is the perfect term for those quiet, restorative places.
When you're trapped in a room with a bunch of sounds that are all clashing together, you are stuck inside of a cacophony of clashing sounds. It's all a little headache-inducing, isn't it?
Apathy is usually a term that is applied to teenagers who show little or no interest in anything, but it can be used to talk about anyone who is acting disinterested in something.
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When someone is talking seemingly to fill the air with mindless chatter, we consider them to be loquacious. It's almost the opposite of stoic and usually associated with frivolity.
If you don't actually have courage, but you really wish that you did (or are trying to play as if you did), you are exhibiting bravado. Bravado is a show of fake courage put on for show.
Lynxes are a breed of large cats that live on almost every northern continent. They are medium-sized predators that are distinguished by their large, very furry ears and thick coats.
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The term "agrarian" has "agriculture" built right into it, so it's easy to remember that it refers to societies that live off the land and utilize farming as a main source of food and income.
There are two important parts of a sentence; the subject and the object. The subject is the hero of the sentence, and the object is at the whim of what the subject is doing at the time.
If you have a high amount of acumen, you are able to make intelligent and informed decisions quickly. People who are shrewd have this quality in bulk and often use it to their advantage.
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If you have a fear of foreigners, you have xenophobia. We call people who exhibit these traits xenophobic, or xenophobes. Xeno is the Greek word for "stranger," and phobia is the Greek word for "fear."
If something doesn't have any matter, we refer to it as vacuous. This term is usually used in the scientific community, but it can also be applied to people who are shallow or vain.
If Alan has a placid demeanor, he is able to stay calm under pressure. People who share this quality tend to do very well and think clearly in situations that are extremely stressful.
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Churlish is a descriptive phrase for someone who has a sour, or a bad disposition. It's not a very popular word in our lexicon, but it did have its heyday a few decades ago and it's time for a comeback!
Puns, or play on words, are humor devices that rely on double entendre or similar sounding words to make jokes. They are a popular comedic device for different types of performers.
Biomes are combinations of flora and fauna. They are used to differentiate between certain areas of our world. For example, there are arctic, tundra and taiga biomes, just to name a few.
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When you have two independent clauses that could technically stand on their own, you need to use a semicolon to separate them. Alternately, you could separate them into two sentences.
Hegemonies are groups that have demonstrable power over other groups. It's usually used in the context of how countries relate to each other. Hegemonic countries are "superpowers."
Sanguine personalities are those who delight in being optimistic and cheerful. These people always see the glass as being half-full and they exude sunshine wherever they tend to go.
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Nihilism is the practice of rejecting institutions and authority and is often associated with the famous philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. It is commonly associated with anarchy, although the two aren't technically the same.
Terms like "self-starter" require a hyphen. In fact, most terms that start with "self" need a hyphen to be grammatically correct. Similarly, "ex" is almost always followed by a hyphen.
We usually think of parabolas as they relate to graphs, but parabolas can be created simply by tossing a ball in the air and watching it come down in a curve. How do you like that math?
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An oligarchy is a political system where the government and laws are controlled by a few powerful people, instead of many people, which is how things are supposed to work in a democracy.