This is the Vocab24 daily quiz of 20 August 2026, the same 26 questions the app served that day, on the day's vocabulary and editorial. One mark for a right answer, minus 0.25 for a wrong one; the explanation opens as soon as you tap.
Out of the given alternatives select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of given word.
BRICOLAGE
Explanation: Bricolage refers to the creation or construction of something from a diverse range of available materials or resources, and assemblage most closely conveys this sense of putting varied elements together. Uniformity, homogeneity and standardization suggest sameness or regularity and therefore contrast with the diverse and composite nature of bricolage.
Out of the given alternatives select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of given word.
GOLDBRICK
Explanation: As a verb, goldbrick means to avoid work or responsibility by pretending to be busy or incapable. Malinger carries the closest meaning because it denotes deliberately avoiding duty, often through pretence. Exert, toil and labour all involve making an effort or working and therefore express the opposite tendency.
Out of the given alternatives select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of given word.
TITIVATE
Explanation: Titivate means to make someone or something more attractive, neat or stylish, so smarten is the best synonym. Deface and mar mean to damage or spoil the appearance of something, while neglect implies failing to give proper attention or care. These alternatives therefore conflict with the improving sense of titivate.
Out of the given alternatives select the alternative which best expresses the meaning of given word.
HULLABALOO
Explanation: Hullabaloo denotes a loud disturbance, uproar or excited commotion, making tumult the closest synonym. Calm, quiet and peace all indicate an absence of disturbance or noise and therefore express ideas opposite to hullabaloo.
Out of the given alternatives select the word opposite in meaning to the given word.
MARMOREAL
Explanation: Marmoreal describes something made of marble or resembling marble in appearance, hardness or coldness. Supple, meaning flexible and yielding, provides the clearest contrast to the hardness implied by marmoreal. Stony, marbled and statuesque are associated with the marble-like quality of the word rather than opposing it.
Out of the given alternatives select the word opposite in meaning to the given word.
OENOLOGY
Explanation: Oenology is the scientific study of wine and wine-making. Temperance is listed in contrast to it because it refers to restraint from alcoholic consumption. Winemaking, wine science and viniculture are closely associated with the study or production of wine and therefore cannot function as antonyms.
Out of the given alternatives select the word opposite in meaning to the given word.
EMBALM
Explanation: Embalm means to preserve a dead body by treating it with chemicals or other substances. Putrefy means to decay or rot and therefore expresses the opposite process. Conserve, preserve and mummify all suggest preventing deterioration and are consequently related to the meaning of embalm rather than opposed to it.
Out of the given alternatives select the word opposite in meaning to the given word.
APOLLONIAN
Explanation: Apollonian describes an approach characterized by rationality, discipline, harmony and restraint. Chaotic directly opposes the ideas of order, harmony and disciplined control contained in the word. Rational, disciplined and restrained are all qualities explicitly associated with an Apollonian outlook.
Out of given alternatives, choose the word which can be substituted for the given words/ sentence.
A person employed to write, type or copy what another person dictates.
Explanation: An amanuensis is specifically a person employed to write, type or copy material dictated by another person. An oenologist is associated with the scientific study of wine, a bricoleur is related to bricolage and a goldbricker is associated with avoiding work. Therefore, only amanuensis precisely satisfies the definition.
Out of given alternatives, choose the word which can be substituted for the given words/ sentence.
The scientific study of wine and wine-making.
Explanation: Oenology is the scientific study of wine and wine-making. Titivation relates to making something attractive or neat, bricolage concerns construction from diverse available materials and Apollonianism is related to the qualities associated with the Apollonian outlook. Hence, oenology is the precise substitution.
Out of given alternatives, choose the word which can be substituted for the given words/ sentence.
A loud disturbance marked by excited noise and commotion.
Explanation: Hullabaloo precisely denotes a loud noise, disturbance or excited commotion. Bricolage concerns construction from diverse materials, oenology concerns wine science and titivation relates to improving appearance. The defining element of loud and excited disturbance makes hullabaloo the only suitable choice.
Out of given alternatives, choose the word which can be substituted for the given words/ sentence.
To make someone or something look more attractive, neat or stylish.
Explanation: Titivate means to improve the appearance of a person or thing by making it more attractive, neat or stylish. Embalm means to preserve a dead body, goldbrick means to avoid work or responsibility and putrefy means to decay. Therefore, titivate alone matches the given definition.
A statement with one blank is given below. Choose the set of words from the given options which can be used to fill the given blank.
Instead of following a uniform design, the artist created a striking ______ from discarded wood, metal and fabric.
Explanation: Bricolage is appropriate because the sentence describes the creation of something from diverse available materials such as wood, metal and fabric. Homogeneity, standardization and regularity emphasize sameness, conformity or consistency and therefore do not fit a context based on combining varied discarded materials.
A statement with one blank is given below. Choose the set of words from the given options which can be used to fill the given blank.
The manager suspected that the employee was trying to ______ by appearing occupied while deliberately avoiding his responsibilities.
Explanation: Goldbrick means to avoid work or responsibilities by pretending to be busy or incapable, which exactly matches the behaviour described. Exert, toil and labour all imply making an effort or actually working and therefore contradict the employee’s deliberate avoidance of responsibility.
A statement with one blank is given below. Choose the set of words from the given options which can be used to fill the given blank.
The abandoned dog appeared ______, with a dirty, shabby coat and an unhealthy appearance.
Explanation: Mangy can describe an animal affected by mange or one that looks dirty, shabby and in poor condition, making it the precise contextual choice. Sleek, well-groomed and healthy all suggest favourable physical condition and therefore contradict the description of the abandoned dog.
Out of given alternatives select the option which best expresses the meaning of given idiom/ phrase.
Spruce up
Explanation: Spruce is given as a synonym of titivate, and in the phrase spruce up it conveys the idea of improving appearance by making something neater or more attractive. The other alternatives correspond respectively to decay, hullabaloo and goldbricking and therefore do not express the intended meaning.
Out of given alternatives select the option which best expresses the meaning of given idiom/ phrase.
Shirk one’s responsibilities
Explanation: Shirk is a synonym of goldbrick, and the phrase means deliberately avoiding duties or responsibilities. Preserving from decay corresponds to embalm, disciplined harmony is associated with Apollonian and constructing from varied materials is associated with bricolage. Thus, only the first alternative captures the phrase accurately.
Out of given alternatives select the option which best expresses the meaning of given idiom/ phrase.
A marmoreal appearance
Explanation: Marmoreal means made of marble or resembling marble in appearance, hardness or coldness, so the phrase describes an appearance resembling marble. A shabby appearance is associated more closely with mangy, while warm and yielding express opposites of marmoreal and loud commotion relates to hullabaloo.
Which of phrases given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold type to make the grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark 'd' as the answer.
The sculptor gave the figure a smooth and marmoreal appearance, which were admired by the visitors.
Explanation: The relative pronoun which refers to the singular noun appearance, so the singular verb was is required. Have been disagrees with the singular antecedent, while were being admire is both incorrect in number and defective in passive construction because admire should appear as admired. Therefore, was admired by the visitors is grammatically correct.
Which of phrases given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold type to make the grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark 'd' as the answer.
The elderly scholar employed an amanuensis for write down his dictated memoirs.
Explanation: The verb employed is correctly followed here by the infinitive construction to write down to express purpose. For wrote down is grammatically impossible because a preposition cannot be followed by that finite past-tense form, while to writing down incorrectly combines the infinitive marker to with a gerund in this construction.
Which of phrases given below each sentence should replace the phrase printed in bold type to make the grammatically correct? If the sentence is correct as it is, mark 'd' as the answer.
There was a great hullabaloo outside the stadium after the final match.
Explanation: The phrase was a great hullabaloo is grammatically correct because hullabaloo is being treated as a singular noun and therefore takes the singular verb was. The alternatives using were create subject-verb disagreement, while have been is also inappropriate with the singular construction used in the sentence.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions. <br><br><br> An elderly scholar decided to organize a small exhibition based on several decades of research and personal recollections. Because age had made prolonged writing difficult, he employed an <strong> amanuensis </strong> to record the memoirs that he dictated each morning. The scholar insisted, however, that the assistant should merely transcribe his thoughts rather than alter their substance. <br><br> The exhibition itself was unusual. Instead of purchasing an entirely new set of decorative objects, the organizers created a <strong> bricolage </strong> from discarded wood, metal, fabric and preserved documents. The apparently miscellaneous materials were arranged with remarkable balance. This reflected the scholar’s strongly <strong> Apollonian </strong> temperament: he valued rationality, discipline, harmony and restraint even when working with diverse materials. <br><br> Before the exhibition opened, the organizers decided to <strong> titivate </strong> the room without destroying its austere character. A few neglected objects were cleaned and the displays were made more orderly. Outside the building, however, matters were less controlled. A minor disagreement among waiting visitors produced such a <strong>hullabaloo</strong> that the scholar briefly considered postponing the opening. He eventually decided otherwise, reasoning that temporary disorder outside did not diminish the intellectual order he had created within.
In the context of the passage, bricolage most nearly means:
Explanation: The passage states that discarded wood, metal, fabric and preserved documents were brought together to create the exhibition arrangement. Assemblage therefore best expresses the contextual meaning of bricolage as a construction formed from diverse available materials. Standardization, homogeneity and regularity emphasize sameness rather than combination of varied components.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions. <br><br><br> An elderly scholar decided to organize a small exhibition based on several decades of research and personal recollections. Because age had made prolonged writing difficult, he employed an <strong> amanuensis </strong> to record the memoirs that he dictated each morning. The scholar insisted, however, that the assistant should merely transcribe his thoughts rather than alter their substance. <br><br> The exhibition itself was unusual. Instead of purchasing an entirely new set of decorative objects, the organizers created a <strong> bricolage </strong> from discarded wood, metal, fabric and preserved documents. The apparently miscellaneous materials were arranged with remarkable balance. This reflected the scholar’s strongly <strong> Apollonian </strong> temperament: he valued rationality, discipline, harmony and restraint even when working with diverse materials. <br><br> Before the exhibition opened, the organizers decided to <strong> titivate </strong> the room without destroying its austere character. A few neglected objects were cleaned and the displays were made more orderly. Outside the building, however, matters were less controlled. A minor disagreement among waiting visitors produced such a <strong>hullabaloo</strong> that the scholar briefly considered postponing the opening. He eventually decided otherwise, reasoning that temporary disorder outside did not diminish the intellectual order he had created within.
What can most reasonably be inferred from the scholar’s Apollonian temperament?
Explanation: The passage explicitly connects the scholar’s Apollonian temperament with rationality, discipline, harmony and restraint and shows these qualities in the balanced arrangement of diverse materials. The other alternatives contradict either his preference for order or his insistence that the amanuensis merely record rather than originate his ideas.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions. <br><br><br> An elderly scholar decided to organize a small exhibition based on several decades of research and personal recollections. Because age had made prolonged writing difficult, he employed an <strong> amanuensis </strong> to record the memoirs that he dictated each morning. The scholar insisted, however, that the assistant should merely transcribe his thoughts rather than alter their substance. <br><br> The exhibition itself was unusual. Instead of purchasing an entirely new set of decorative objects, the organizers created a <strong> bricolage </strong> from discarded wood, metal, fabric and preserved documents. The apparently miscellaneous materials were arranged with remarkable balance. This reflected the scholar’s strongly <strong> Apollonian </strong> temperament: he valued rationality, discipline, harmony and restraint even when working with diverse materials. <br><br> Before the exhibition opened, the organizers decided to <strong> titivate </strong> the room without destroying its austere character. A few neglected objects were cleaned and the displays were made more orderly. Outside the building, however, matters were less controlled. A minor disagreement among waiting visitors produced such a <strong>hullabaloo</strong> that the scholar briefly considered postponing the opening. He eventually decided otherwise, reasoning that temporary disorder outside did not diminish the intellectual order he had created within.
Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?
Explanation: The final part of the passage states that the scholar regarded the disturbance outside as temporary and did not allow it to diminish the intellectual order created within the exhibition. The amanuensis was not allowed to alter the substance of the memoirs, the display used discarded materials and the scholar ultimately chose not to postpone the opening.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions. <br><br><br> An elderly scholar decided to organize a small exhibition based on several decades of research and personal recollections. Because age had made prolonged writing difficult, he employed an <strong> amanuensis </strong> to record the memoirs that he dictated each morning. The scholar insisted, however, that the assistant should merely transcribe his thoughts rather than alter their substance. <br><br> The exhibition itself was unusual. Instead of purchasing an entirely new set of decorative objects, the organizers created a <strong> bricolage </strong> from discarded wood, metal, fabric and preserved documents. The apparently miscellaneous materials were arranged with remarkable balance. This reflected the scholar’s strongly <strong> Apollonian </strong> temperament: he valued rationality, discipline, harmony and restraint even when working with diverse materials. <br><br> Before the exhibition opened, the organizers decided to <strong> titivate </strong> the room without destroying its austere character. A few neglected objects were cleaned and the displays were made more orderly. Outside the building, however, matters were less controlled. A minor disagreement among waiting visitors produced such a <strong>hullabaloo</strong> that the scholar briefly considered postponing the opening. He eventually decided otherwise, reasoning that temporary disorder outside did not diminish the intellectual order he had created within.
Which word is closest in meaning to titivate as used in the passage?
Explanation: In the passage, the organizers titivate the room by cleaning neglected objects and making the displays more orderly, so embellish is the closest synonym because it suggests improving or enhancing appearance. Deface and mar involve damaging appearance, while neglect means failing to care for something and therefore conflicts with the action described.
DIRECTIONS: Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below. Certain words/phrases are printed in bold to help you to locate them while answering some of the questions. <br><br><br> An elderly scholar decided to organize a small exhibition based on several decades of research and personal recollections. Because age had made prolonged writing difficult, he employed an <strong> amanuensis </strong> to record the memoirs that he dictated each morning. The scholar insisted, however, that the assistant should merely transcribe his thoughts rather than alter their substance. <br><br> The exhibition itself was unusual. Instead of purchasing an entirely new set of decorative objects, the organizers created a <strong> bricolage </strong> from discarded wood, metal, fabric and preserved documents. The apparently miscellaneous materials were arranged with remarkable balance. This reflected the scholar’s strongly <strong> Apollonian </strong> temperament: he valued rationality, discipline, harmony and restraint even when working with diverse materials. <br><br> Before the exhibition opened, the organizers decided to <strong> titivate </strong> the room without destroying its austere character. A few neglected objects were cleaned and the displays were made more orderly. Outside the building, however, matters were less controlled. A minor disagreement among waiting visitors produced such a <strong>hullabaloo</strong> that the scholar briefly considered postponing the opening. He eventually decided otherwise, reasoning that temporary disorder outside did not diminish the intellectual order he had created within.
Which of the following is the most appropriate antonym of hullabaloo in the context of the passage?
Explanation: Hullabaloo refers to loud noise, disturbance or excited commotion, so silence provides the clearest opposite. Tumult, uproar and commotion are all closely associated with disturbance and noise and therefore reinforce rather than oppose the meaning of hullabaloo.
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