CAE VOCABULARY TEST 1
Part 1
Obsession (n) — an idea that you can’t stop thinking about. His obsession with women is going to end
badly sooner or later.
Impairment (n) —weakening, loss of ability.
Whip out (phr v) — to produce something quickly, to take something out. He whipped out his phone and
dialled emergency service number.
Rely on (phr v) — to be dependent on something, to trust something.
Thus (adv) — in this manner, therefore.
Snatch (v) — to seize, catch something suddenly. The burglar snatch the handbag out of her hands.
Merely (adv) — nothing more than, only. It was merely a friendly talk, nothing serious.
Steer (v) — to control (e.g. using a steering wheel).
Factual (adj) — relating to or based on facts. Do you have any factual information on this topic?
Confront (v) — to face someone or something, usually to fight, criticise or accuse.
Part 2
Complement (v) — to add to, to make complete. Your shoes really complement your dress.
Overestimate (v) — to estimate or value too highly, to think too much of something or somebody. You
overestimated him — he didn’t even pass the entrance exams.
Hail from (phr v) — to be from somewhere, to originate from. That artist hails from Boston.
Part 3
Conduct (v) — to do, to carry out. The police conducted a search in his apartment.
Resign (v) — to give up, to quit. He resigned from police ten years ago.
Rant and rave (v) — to be in rage, furious. She ranted and raved about the way people mistreat her.
Avoid (v) — to evade, to keep away from. You should avoid starting your sentence with a conjunction.
Perceive (v) — to see as, to recognise or observe.
Part 5
Mock (v) — to ridicule or imitate someone.
Amateur (adj) — not professional. His amateur attempts at photography weren’t very impressive.
Dated (adj) — short for outdated.Unfashionable,obsolete. Cars designed in late nineties look rather
dated now.
Transition (n) — change from one state to another. The country’s transition from socialism to capitalism
went smoother than many had expected.
Ubiquitous (adj) — being everywhere, omnipresent. Now that I have bought this cellphone it seems like
it’s ubiquitous — everyone has one!
Makeover (v) — to renovate, change or rebuild.
Reference (n) — the act of referring to something previous. This movie has many references to the
previous part.
Knick-knacks (n) — ornaments or decorations.
Littered with (phr v) — full of something.After the celebration, the streets were littered with empty cans
and bottles.
Imply (v) — to say indirectly, to suggest. She implied that she rather liked John.
Advent (n) — coming.
Unruly (adj) — disobedient, not behaving properly. Doctor told us to use force against unruly patients.
Entrenched (adj) — established after many years, culturally accepted.
Dissent (n) — disagreement, refusal to conform. Two leading political parties have been in dissent for
several years now.
Foible (n) — minor weakness. Maurice is a great guy but even he has his own foibles.
Quirky (adj) — strange, queer.
Irrevocable (adj) — unable to be changed, unalterable. The damage caused by the flood is irrevocable.
Parable (n) — a short story, esp. those told by J. Christ.
Scatter (v) — to throw in all directions, to spread unevenly. The largest malls are scattered all over town.
Part 6
Diverse (adj) — having variety. The community in Toronto is one of the most diverse in Canada.
Contend with (phr v) — to have a rivalry, to argue. This lecturer really likes to contend with unruly
students during his classes.
Leave in doubt (phr v) — keep someone in uncertainty about something.
Probing (adj) — thorough. The search conducted was very probing and therefore successful.
Justify (v) — to be valid, to have reasons. I can’t justify firing this employee — he has done nothing
wrong!
Sweeping statement (n) — generalised statement.
Overwhelming (adj) — overpowering, extremely strong. The effect of his speech was overwhelming —
the ovation went on for several minutes.
Bewildering (adj) — confusing or puzzling.
Portrayal (adj) — representation. The portrayal of his contribution to our society isn’t accurate.
Vague (adj) — not clear or certain.
Contentious (adj) — subject to doubt or discussion. Their contentious claim shocked everyone.
Delegate (v) — give or transfer your duties to other person.
Get to grips with (phr v) — to deal with, to be done with.
Lay person (n) — person without any specialised knowledge in the subject, non-professional. To a lay
person, this formula doesn’t make any sense.
Part 7
Man (v) — to control (a boat, a vehicle). She manned the ship and set sail to the shore.
Freighter (n) — a big cargo ship.
Dreadful (adj) — horrible, scary, terrifying.
Footnote (n) — a note printed at the bottom of the page, referring to a word with a number like this2.
Battered (adj) — worn out. The car that he was driving was old and battered.
Rusty (adj) — influenced by rust — oxidised metal that becomes red and crumbles.
Reek (v) — to give strong unpleasant smell. The place reeked of spoiled milk.
Estuary (n) — the wide part of a river that nears the sea.
Midst (n) — in the middle of.
Livid (adj) — Angry; pale, without colour.
Lash down (phr v) — to tie or fasten. The cargo had to be lashed down to prevent it from moving around
the ship.
Squarely (adv) — in a direct, straight way.
Lull (v) — soothe someone into sleep.
Weld (v) — unite or bring metal parts together by means of high temperatures.
Hinder (v) — to slow down. Our progress was hindered by poor weather conditions.
Defiance (v) — open and bold resistance to authority. His sudden defiance towards the dean of our
university came as a surprise.
Vulnerability (n) — weakness.
Obscure (adj) — strange, difficult to understand. Dim. We could never understand his obscure
references.
Quixotic (adj) — unrealistically optimistic. Relating to Don Quixote.
Wistful (adj) — sad and deep in thought about something.
Part 8
Deaf (adj) — unable to hear.
Acquire (v) — to get or grain something, usually permanently.
Ad hoc (adj, Latin) — made for a particular purpose. We are going to have an ad hoc meeting about
company’s new policy in five minutes.
Insight (n) — ability to see and understand something clearly and quickly. Her political insight is was
helped her to climb the career ladder so swiftly.
From scratch (phr v) — from the ground up, from nothing.
Gesture (n) — a hand motion indicating something. The meaning of that gesture is ‘victory’.
Cognitive (adj) — relating to mind and thinking.
Decompose (v) — to break down into smaller parts.
Map onto (phr v) — to fit to or correspond with.
Derivefrom (v) — take from source or origin. These examples are derived from Shakespeare’s Othello.
Rudimentary (adj) — basic or fundamental.
Utterance (n) — a statement.
Raw (adj) — unfinished. (Relating to food) not cooked. Raw meat is the main source of nutrients for
most big carnivores.
Innate (adj) — existing in person from birth. His innate talents are praised by all of his teachers.
Uphold (v) — to defend or maintain.
Primed (adj) — prepared for.
Impose (v) to force something. They imposed big fines upon major companies.
Cumbersome (adj) — heavy and big in size, awkward.
