Question Library

To "back up" someone means to support or endorse their position, statement or argument. In this context, the speaker is expressing agreement with their friend's argument during the meeting.

The word "altruistic" means being selfless or showing a concern for the well-being of others. The opposite of this would be "selfish," which means prioritising one's own needs and interests over others.

The word "invincible" means unable to be defeated or overcome. The opposite is "surmountable," which means capable of being overcome or defeated.

The word "austere" refers to something strict, severe, or harsh in manner or attitude. The opposite, "benign," means gentle, kind, or mild in character or approach.

The word "phony" means fake or not genuine. The opposite of "phony" would be something genuine or based on fact, which is factual.

To "stretch" one's mind means to expand or broaden one's mental capacity. The opposite of this would be to "restrict," which means to limit or constrain.

"Anxious" means being worried or unsettled, which is closest in meaning to "perturbed," meaning disturbed or troubled.

A demagogue is someone who seeks to gain power by manipulating people's emotions, prejudices or fears. Therefore, the word manipulator is the closest in meaning, as it also implies someone who controls or influences others in a negative way.

The word tinge refers to a slight trace or hint of something, often used to describe a subtle amount of colour or quality. Tint is a synonym, meaning a slight shade or trace of a particular quality, which fits the context of the sentence.

The word grotesque means something that is unnatural, ugly or disturbing in appearance. Horrid is the nearest in meaning, as it conveys a sense of something unpleasant or repulsive.

The word hovering refers to staying in one place in the air and flying around without moving much.

The sentence is a hypothetical or unreal condition, indicating that the situation is not true at the moment. In English, for unreal or hypothetical situations in the present or future, we use the past simple tense (e.g., "were") instead of "was" for all subjects, even with singular subjects like "he" or "she". Therefore, "were" is the correct choice here. This is an example of the second conditional, which is used to talk about hypothetical situations.

The verb "intervene" means to get involved in a situation to help or prevent something. In this context, the man who tried to intervene (or stop the fighting) was knocked down.

The phrase "break into" means to interrupt or enter something, such as a conversation, without permission. It fits the context of the sentence, where children are interrupting adults' conversations.

The phrase "came up" means to think of or devise something.