QUESTION 16-19: WORD CHOICE
PRIMALY ENGLISH OLYMPIAD 1 · 4 lessons
The old abandoned mansion at the edge of town was so ________ that even the bravest visitors hesitated to step inside.
A. Eerie is correct because it means spooky or unsettling in a way that makes people nervous—perfectly explaining why brave visitors would hesitate to enter.
B. Mysterious means puzzling or hard to understand, but doesn't necessarily create fear or reluctance.
C. Silent describes a lack of sound, which alone wouldn't stop brave people from entering a building.
D. Inviting means welcoming and attractive—the opposite of what would make people hesitant to go inside.
The orchard workers were instructed by the farmer to __________ the ripe apples from the trees carefully.
Why A is correct:
"Pluck" means to pick or pull something off, which is exactly what you do to harvest ripe apples from trees.
Why the others are wrong:
- B (trim): This means to cut back or prune branches—not to remove fruit.
- C (fertilise): This means to add nutrients to soil—it's about tree care, not harvesting.
- D (sow): This means to plant seeds—it happens before growing, not when harvesting ripe fruit.
The python moved smoothly through the dense jungle, its body ______ silently without making a sound.
Correct Answer: Slithering
- "Slithering" is the natural movement of snakes—it describes how pythons specifically move their long, limbless bodies across surfaces.
- It fits the "silently without making a sound" detail perfectly, as slithering is inherently quiet.
Why the others are wrong:
- Crawling describes movement on hands and knees or with limbs, which pythons don't have.
- Creeping suggests slow, sneaky movement but isn't the specific term for snake locomotion.
- Leaping means jumping, which contradicts the smooth, continuous motion of a snake and doesn't fit the jungle scene.
The view from the mountaintop was so __________ that it took my breath away.
A. wonderful ✓
The phrase "took my breath away" indicates an amazingly positive experience that left the person stunned or overwhelmed with awe. Only "wonderful" matches this meaning.
Why the others are wrong:
- B. terrible – While this could be breath-taking, the phrase "took my breath away" in context suggests positive emotion, not fear or distress.
- C. ordinary – An ordinary view wouldn't provoke such a strong reaction.
- D. boring – A boring view definitely wouldn't cause someone's breath to be taken away.
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