Vocabulary and Synonyms

'Highly infectious' is correct. 'Highly' means very or extremely. When flu is described as 'highly infectious', it means it spreads very easily from person to person. This is standard medical terminology for contagious diseases.

'Honestly!' is correct as an exclamation expressing exasperation or disbelief. Here it's a reaction to someone making an unnecessary fuss, similar to saying 'Honestly!' or 'Really!' when annoyed. The other options don't work as emotional exclamations.

The phrase 'heartily sick of' is a standard English expression meaning thoroughly tired or completely fed up with something. 'Heartily' as an adverb means sincerely, enthusiastically, or completely. The other adverbs (hardly, highly, gradually, honestly) do not fit this idiomatic expression.

'Gradually' is the correct answer as it means 'slowly over time' or 'by degrees', which perfectly describes darkness slowly closing in or approaching. 'Hardly' (barely), 'highly' (very), 'honestly' (truthfully), and 'heartily' (enthusiastically) don't convey this sense of slow, progressive change.

There is no love lost between the two means 'they don't like each other'.

Delicate means needing careful handling or easily damaged. Negotiations often require sensitive, careful treatment, making 'delicate' the perfect fit. 'Dim' means not bright, 'demeaning' means humiliating, 'dire' means terrible, and 'derelict' means abandoned or neglected.

The phrase 'dim and distant' is a common English collocation used to describe memories that are faint (not clear) and from the far past. 'Dim' here means unclear or faint. 'Delicate' means fragile, 'demeaning' means humiliating, 'dire' means terrible, and 'derelict' means abandoned.

Dire means extremely serious, terrible, or disastrous. 'Dire consequences' is a strong collocation warning of serious negative outcomes. 'Dim' means faint, 'delicate' means fragile, 'demeaning' means humiliating, and 'derelict' means neglected.

Demeaning means causing someone to lose dignity or self-respect, often through humiliation. Work that is poorly paid and beneath one's dignity would be described as 'demeaning'. 'Dire' means terrible, 'delicate' means fragile, 'derelict' means abandoned, and 'dim' means faint.

Dizzy means having a spinning sensation or feeling unsteady. When someone says their head is spinning, they feel 'dizzy'. 'Devious' means deceitful, 'dejected' means sad, 'deliberate' means intentional, and 'destined' means meant to happen.

Disgruntled means annoyed, dissatisfied, or resentful, especially about having been treated unfairly. Being proved wrong can cause someone to feel 'disgruntled'. 'Dismal' means gloomy, 'disjointed' means disconnected, 'discreet' means cautious, and 'disconsolate' means very sad.

Disillusioned means disappointed from discovering that something is not as good as one believed. 'Disillusioned with teaching' means she has lost her idealistic belief about teaching. 'Disinclined' means unwilling, 'distinct' means clear, 'direct' means straightforward, and 'distinctive' means characteristic.

Direct means straightforward, frank, or without evasion. A direct person always states their real views clearly. 'Disinclined' means unwilling, 'disillusioned' means disappointed, 'distinct' means clear/different, and 'distinctive' means characteristic.

Disinclined means unwilling or having a lack of enthusiasm for something. The sentence expresses reluctance to believe someone's story, which matches disinclined perfectly. Disillusioned means disappointed after realizing something is not as good as believed, which doesn't fit this context.

Dreadful means very bad, serious, or unpleasant. The sentence describes a mistake, and dreadful is commonly used to emphasize how bad something is. Downtrodden refers to oppressed people, distraught means very upset, and downright means complete/utter - none of which fit grammatically or semantically.