Verbal Ability (Fill in the blank)

Aghast means filled with horror or shock, which perfectly describes someone's reaction to a terrible sight. Ambiguous means unclear, amenable means agreeable, ambivalent means having mixed feelings, and afoot means in progress or happening. Only aghast fits the context of witnessing something terrible.

Ambivalent means having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something. When someone is uncertain about their future career, they experience conflicting emotions - this is precisely what ambivalent describes. Ambiguous means unclear, amenable means agreeable, afoot means happening, and aghast means shocked.

Appreciable means significant enough to be noticed or considered important. When discussing a salary increase, appreciable indicates that the increase will be substantial and meaningful. Anxious means worried, alert means watchful, apprehensive means fearful, and appreciative means grateful. Only appreciable makes sense in the context of a salary increase.

Apprehensive means anxious or fearful that something bad or unpleasant will happen. The phrase 'no reason to be' suggests relief from worry about the future. Anxious and alert are related but less precise in this context, appreciable means noticeable, and appreciative means grateful. Apprehensive best captures the fear about future events.

An alert listener is someone who is attentive, watchful, and quick to notice things. Among the options, 'alert' is the only adjective that describes a state of being attentive and observant, which fits perfectly with the context of noticing an error. 'Anxious' and 'apprehensive' describe fear or worry, 'appreciable' means noticeable or significant, and 'appreciative' means showing gratitude - none of which fit as well as 'alert'.

'Ample evidence' is a common collocation in English that means sufficient, plentiful, or adequate evidence. When you say there is 'ample evidence' to support a view, you're emphasizing that there is more than enough proof. 'Apt' means suitable, 'amiss' means wrong or problematic, 'apparent' means clear or obvious, and 'appalled' means shocked or horrified - none of which fit as naturally as 'ample' in this context.

'Apt to' is a phrase that means 'having a tendency to' or 'likely to'. When you say something is 'apt to leak', you mean it has a tendency or inclination to leak - it's likely to happen. This is similar to saying 'prone to leak'. 'Amiss' means wrong or out of place, 'ample' means plentiful, 'apparent' means obvious, and 'appalled' means shocked - none of which fit this grammatical structure or meaning.

The context describes being upset or horrified at having to miss an important family event (a son's wedding). 'Appalled' means shocked, horrified, or deeply distressed - which perfectly matches the emotional intensity of missing such a significant occasion. 'Apt' means suitable or likely, 'amiss' means wrong, 'ample' means plentiful, and 'apparent' means obvious - none of which capture the strong negative emotion required here.

'Arbitrary' means based on random choice or personal whim, rather than reason or system. When team selection seems 'completely arbitrary', it suggests the choices were made without clear criteria, logic, or fair process - they were random or capricious. 'Amiss' means wrong, 'ample' means plentiful, 'apparent' means obvious, and 'appalled' means horrified - none of which fit the context of unfair or illogical decision-making.

'Apparent' means clearly visible, understandable, or obvious. When something happens for 'no apparent reason', it means there seems to be no clear or obvious explanation for it - the cause is not visible or understandable, even if there might be an underlying cause. 'Apt' means suitable, 'amiss' means wrong, 'ample' means plentiful, and 'appalled' means shocked - none of which fit this particular usage.

The sentence contrasts 'weakness' with 'strong and ..........'. When someone else appears weak, it can make you feel more confident, self-assured, and willing to assert yourself. 'Assertive' means confident, self-assured, and inclined to express oneself boldly - which completes this psychological contrast perfectly. 'Attentive' means observant, 'avid' means enthusiastic, and 'averse' means opposed - none of which create the same contrast with weakness.

In this context, 'anxious' means eager, earnestly desiring, or looking forward to something - not worried or fearful (though it can mean that too). When you say 'I'm very anxious to meet him', you're expressing eagerness and anticipation about the meeting. 'Alert' means attentive, 'apprehensive' means fearful or worried (which doesn't fit the positive anticipation here), 'appreciable' means noticeable (and has a typo), and 'appreciative' means grateful - none of which capture eager anticipation as well.

'Avid' means showing keen interest, enthusiasm, or eagerness. An 'avid collector' is someone who collects with great passion, enthusiasm, and dedication - they're deeply committed to their hobby. 'Assertive' means confident and self-assured, 'attentive' means observant and paying attention, and 'averse' means opposed or disinclined - none of which capture the enthusiasm and dedication implied by 'avid'.

'Amenable' means open to persuasion, responsive to advice, or agreeable. When you say someone is 'amenable to reason', you mean they're willing to listen to logical arguments and can be persuaded through rational discussion - they're reasonable and flexible. 'Ambiguous' means unclear (also misspelled as 'ambigous'), 'ambivalent' means having mixed feelings, 'afoot' means in progress or happening, and 'aghast' means shocked - none of which fit being open to reasoned argument.

'Attentive' means observant, paying close attention, or showing care and consideration. A good hostess being 'attentive to the needs of her guests' means she watches carefully for what they might need and responds thoughtfully - she's considerate and aware. 'Assertive' means confident and bold, 'avid' means enthusiastic, and 'averse' means opposed - none of which capture the quality of caring awareness and consideration that 'attentive' does.

When words are 'deliberately ambiguous', it means the speaker intentionally chose words that are unclear, vague, or open to multiple interpretations - they did this on purpose rather than accidentally. The word is 'ambiguous' (misspelled as 'ambigous' in option A). 'Amenable' means agreeable, 'ambivalent' means having mixed feelings, 'afoot' means in progress, and 'aghast' means shocked - none of which describe unclear or vague language.

The phrase 'come amiss' means to go wrong or be unfortunate/inappropriate. In this context, the speaker is saying that a little luck wouldn't be inappropriate or unwelcome at this critical stage. 'Amiss' is the only word that fits this idiomatic expression correctly.

'Appreciative' means showing gratitude or thankful recognition. The sentence expresses gratitude for someone's generosity, making 'appreciative' the correct choice. 'Anxious' suggests worry, 'apprehensive' means fearful, 'appreciable' means noticeable or significant, and 'alert' means attentive - none fit the context of thanking someone.

'Attached' means emotionally connected or fond of something/someone. The sentence describes feeling emotionally connected to their house, which is why they wouldn't want to move. The other words don't fit: 'astute' means shrewd, 'atrocious' means very bad, 'awkward' means uncomfortable, and 'arguable' means debatable.

'Afoot' means in progress, happening, or being planned. When someone 'senses that something was afoot,' they detect that something is happening or being arranged secretly. The context suggests sensing activity or plans. 'Ambivalent' means having mixed feelings, 'amenable' means agreeable, 'aghast' means shocked, and 'ambiguous' means unclear (also misspelled in the option).

'Awkward' means feeling uncomfortable, embarrassed, or out of place. In this social context, the speaker realized they were intruding on two people who wanted privacy, making them feel out of place and uncomfortable. 'Astute' means clever, 'atrocious' means very bad, 'arguable' means debatable, and 'attached' means emotionally connected - none fit this context.

'Arguable' means open to debate, dispute, or not clearly settled. The sentence suggests that the idea that too much detail might be confusing is debatable or could be argued either way. 'Astute' means clever, 'atrocious' means terrible, 'awkward' means uncomfortable, and 'attached' means connected - none fit this context of presenting a debatable proposition.

'Astute' means shrewd, sharp, or showing keen judgment, especially in business or practical matters. Selling shares at the right time (just then) implies clever decision-making and good timing. 'Atrocious' means very bad, 'awkward' means uncomfortable, 'arguable' means debatable, and 'attached' means connected - none describe a smart business move.

'Averse' means strongly disliking or opposed to something. The phrase 'averse to' is a correct collocation. The speaker is saying they're not opposed to having whisky after dinner. 'Avid' means enthusiastic, 'assertive' means confident, and 'attentive' means paying attention - none fit the negative construction 'not...to' as well as 'averse'.

'Atrocious' means extremely bad, unpleasant, or terrible in quality. When asking 'Isn't the weather atrocious?' the speaker is commenting on very bad weather conditions. 'Astute' means clever, 'awkward' means uncomfortable, 'arguable' means debatable, and 'attached' means connected - 'atrocious' is commonly used to describe terrible weather.