LEXICAL RESOURCE ( NEC 2026-2027)

B. in spite of

Trevor started to laugh __________ himself.

A. notwithstanding            B. in spite of         C. albeit            D. although

____+ oneself= used when you do something that you do not intend to do and are trying not to do:

B. is

Studies suggest that cognitive flexibility among bilingual students __________ higher than that among their monolingual counterparts.

A. be                     B. is                   C. will be                    D. would be

(1) suggest= mandative subjunctive: a recommendation, advice, proposal, or demand.

Grammatical use: S + suggest + S + (should) + bare infinitive

(2) suggest= report the evidence, to indicate, imply, state a fact

Grammatical use: Indicative mood

D. least of all

. I didn’t expect anyone to spill the beans, __________ you!

A. not least               B. in the least              C. the least bit              D. least of all

not least= especially

in the least= at all

not the least bit/ not the least/ not in the least = none at all

Example: I tried to convince them, but they weren’t the least interested.

least of all= especially not/ less than anything or anyone else; the smallest amount or number

C. he was

Sophia: My Maths teacher was lovely. He was a great teacher, __________.

      Bill: Hm, you were lucky. Mine wasn’t so good.

A. wasn’t he                    B. was he                    C. he was               D. he wasn’t

Statement tags:

We can use a statement tag to emphasise or reinforce an affirmative statement. The tag is also affirmative. They typically invite the listener to agree or sympathise in some way, or to offer a parallel comment. Statement tags are very informal

When the main clause has a pronoun subject, a statement tag can have a noun as the subject instead of a pronoun

She won some money last week, Catherine did

C. approximate

Houses have had no option but to rebuild their masterpieces from what remains, and the results, however skilful, only (1)______ the originals rather than reproduce them.

A. emulate             B. simulate             C. approximate         D. replicate

• reproduce= produce a copy of something, or to be copied in a production process
  ___= to come near in quality, amount, value, or character

emulate= To try to equal or excel somebody/something, typically out of admiration.

simulate: To imitate the appearance or character of something (e.g., simulate flight).( model/machine)

replicate: To duplicate or make an exact copy of something

B. tenuous

Perfumers grumble that the science is thinner than the rulebook suggests. The epidemiological link between trace quantities of these materials and widespread sensitisation remains (2)______

A. flimsy                B. tenuous                C. precarious             D. tentative

*sensitization (sense)= the process of becoming more responsive or sensitive to a stimulus, event, or substance after repeated exposure

_____ (adj)= very weak, doubtful, or slight ( abstract links, connections, or arguments)

flimsy (adj)= very thin, or easily broken or destroyed

example: flimsy wooden box, flimsy dress

(2) a flimsy argument, excuse is weak and difficult to believe

example: flimsy excuse

precarious (adj)= Dangerously unsteady or uncertain in terms of safety/situation

example: Many borrowers now find themselves caught in a precarious financial position.

tentative (adj)= Hesitant, unconfirmed, or provisional ( plan, idea, suggestion, action)

example: tentative plan, agreement, deal, step

D. behest

What rankles most is that the restrictions were adopted at the (3)______ of the industry's own trade association, drafted in-house and imposed on itself long before any legislature demanded them.

A. mercy                  B. bidding                 C. behalf                  D. behest

at the____of someone/ at someone’s behest =because someone has asked or ordered you to do something (authoritative request or directive)

at the mercy of someone=to be in a situation where someone or something has complete power over you

example: Poor people are increasingly at the mercy of predatory lenders

on behalf of someone= representing someone

at someone’s bidding= because someone has asked or ordered you to do something (total obedience, servitude, or submissiveness)

C. jealously

Formulas are (4)______ guarded, reformulation is announced nowhere, and a bottle bought today may bear no relation to one bought a decade ago beyond its label and its price.

A. zealously              B. covetously            C. jealously               D. enviously

collocation: to guard/protect something +____=

(1) to protect something very carefully because it is important to you

(2) to very carefully keep information secret

covetously= enviously= Wishful wanting of what someone else possesses.

zealously= in a very enthusiastic and eager way ( + guard)

Example: Their complaints were zealously investigated

D. sailing close to the wind

By selling a rewritten liquid under an unchanged name, houses are arguably (5)______ where trade-descriptions law is concerned — though no regulator has yet shown the slightest appetite for testing the point in court.

A. skating on thin ice                                      B. swimming against the tide

C. going against the grain                              D. sailing close to the wind

sail close to the wind (idiom)= to do something that is risky, dangerous, or just barely legal, honest, or acceptable without actually breaking the rules

skate on thin ice= take a big risk

swimming against the tide: Acting against prevailing public opinion

going against the grain: Doing something contrary to one's natural inclinations or norms.

B. billing

Charlie Chaplin (1889–1977) gets top (41) __________ in the subtitle of Hard Streets but he’s not the star of the show.

 A. status                  B. billing                    C. distinction                  D. emphasis

star/top billing= the top position that someone is advertised as having in a show

A. pervade

. Abject poverty (42) __________ this part of London

.A. pervaded        B. percolated                C. prevailed                    D. perjure

___= spread throughout and be present in every part of a place or situation

This much we know; but, as leisure and education and perhaps inclination to record experience were lacking at the time, what we actually know (43) __________   to very little.

. A. amount            B. condense                  C. reduce                  D. translate

As the eldest surviving son of a wheelwright, Tinworth was early (44) __________  into his father’s precarious trade

A. inducted             B. conscripted              C. apprenticed                   D. initiated

. Such a pattern appeared less an aberration than an almost (45) ______ progression within that socio-economic milieu.

A. inexorable              B. immutable          C. perfunctory               D. incidental

 A. rare though the instances be wherein such a bond wavers

  

In the intricate tapestry of human existence, friendship weaves threads of profound emotional resonance, serving as an indispensable anchor throughout life's inevitable vicissitudes. Far from being a mere luxury, a true confidant is one whose steadfast presence remains unshaken; (36) ________ when subjected to unpredictable hardship.

 A. rare though the instances be wherein such a bond wavers

   B. rare as be the instances wherein wavers such a bond

   C. rare though be the instances wherein such a bond wavers

   D. rare as the instances be wherein wavers such a bond

Grammatical structure: ADJ + though + subject + be, S + V

wherein= in which, or in which part

A. can an environment be fostered wherein individuals feel safe enough to expose their vulnerabilities

At the core of any enduring alliance lies an unyielding sense of trust. Only when confidences are scrupulously kept and commitments honored (37) ________

confidences (plural noun) = secrets or private thoughts shared with someone you trust, or a feeling of strong trust and assurance→ confidential (adj)

  A. can an environment be fostered wherein individuals feel safe enough to expose their vulnerabilities

   B. an environment will foster where individuals feeling safe enough exposing vulnerability

   C. does it create the environment that individuals feel safely to be vulnerable

   D. can individuals be safe to foster an environment where vulnerabilities are exposed

Grammatical structure: Only when/only after/ not only + adverbial expression, auxiliary verb + subject

A. rather, it is through active listening and transparent self-expression that partners mend ruptures

Furthermore, healthy relationships demand a nuanced command of communication. Rarely do interpersonal conflicts resolve themselves organically; (38) ________.

  A. rather, it is through active listening and transparent self-expression that partners mend ruptures

  B. instead, active listening combined with transparent self-expression are what mends ruptures by partners

  C. on the contrary, it is active listening which transparent self-expression mends ruptures for partners

  D. nevertheless, listening actively with transparent self-expression mends the ruptures of partners

Structure 1: Clause 1; rather, Clause 2

Structure 2: It is + emphasized element + that + remaining clause

A. seldom do reliable companions fail to materialize when the need for support is paramount

Through this deliberate dialogue, companions navigate inevitable friction points and fortify their connection. Coupled with this is an innate reliability, a quality so vital that (39) ________.

A. seldom do reliable companions fail to materialize when the need for support is paramount

   B. rarely a reliable companion fails to materialize whenever the support need is paramount

   C. hardly reliable companions materialize when paramount is the need for support

   D. scarcely a companion fails to materialize when the paramount need of support is required

Negative/ restrictive adverb + auxiliary + subject + main verb

A. it is the willingness to pardon shortcomings that acts as a restorative balm

Ultimately, true friendship transcends superficial camaraderie, demanding both magnanimity and an extraordinary capacity for forgiveness. In the face of inevitable human frailty, (40) ________,

A. it is the willingness to pardon shortcomings that acts as a restorative balm

   B. a willingness of pardoning shortcomings acts like the restorative balm

   C. for shortcomings to be pardoned, it acts as a balm that restores

   D. pardoning shortcomings is what it acts like a restorative balm

magnanimity= kindness and generosity, especially towards an enemy or someone you have defeated

D. into

The right-wing campaign against Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) intensifies by the week, as universities are coerced (41) ________ systematically erasing every trace of these programs under the existential threat of sequestering federal funding

41. A. of

B. in

C. onto

D. into

Collocation: be coerced ___ + v-ing= to persuade someone forcefully to do something that they are unwilling to do

sequester = to isolate, separate, or hide away a person, property, or substance from others

A. paper over

This aggressive campaign seeks to silence research on systemic inequality, effectively attempting to (42) ________ the shameful realities of persistent racial discrimination that continue to plague the nation.

42. A. paper over

B. gloss down

C. smooth out

D. chalk off

= conceal a problem rather than genuinely solve or confront it.

gloss over= treat a problem superficially or conceal its unpleasant aspects

smooth something out= to reduce the difficulties or changes in a process or situation

chalk up something= to have success or failure

example: chalk up profits/gains/sales

example: chalk up debts/losses

B. susceptible

The data incontrovertibly demonstrates that across nearly every key metric, from wealth accumulation to maternal mortality, minority populations remain disproprionately (43) ________ to a rigid racial hierarchy

43. A. amenable

B. susceptible

C. predisposed

D. inclined

= likely/vulnerable to being affected by something

amenable + to= willing to accept or be influenced by a suggestion

Example: Do you think the new manager will prove more amenable to our proposals?

predisposed to + N/V= Made susceptible or vulnerable beforehand by nature, genetics, or past experiences. (medical conditions, health risks, or deep-seated behavioral patterns)

Example: He is predisposed to heart disease because of his family history.

inclined to + V= Having a leaning, preference, or soft spot toward a specific choice or action.( habits, opinions, choices..)

Example: She is inclined to agree with the new plan

A. short-circuit

Furthermore, this institutionalized disadvantage permeates the political realm, where targeted voter suppression and gerrymandering actively (44) ________ minority political agency

44. A. short-circuits

B. double-crosses

C. back-pedals

D. sidetracks

short-circuit= cause an electrical circuit to bypass its normal path.

(figurative nuance) prevent something from functioning normally; disrupt/bypass a process

double-cross= to deceive someone by working only for your own advantage in the (usually illegal) activities you have planned together

Example: The diamond thief double-crossed his partners and gave them only worthless fake jewels

back-pedal= to change an opinion that you had expressed before, or do something different from what you had said you would do

Example: He said he'd help, but now he's starting to backpedal (on his promise)

sidetrack (v)= to direct a person's attention away from an activity or subject towards another one that is less important

Example: The students sidetracked their teacher into talking about her hobby.

C. give countenance to

To bow to such pressure is to (45) ________ white supremacist rhetoric, abandoning the fundamental pursuit of historical truth and democratic equality.

45. A. give handle to

B. give truck to

C. give countenance to

D. give quarter to

give countenance to something= support, approve,tolerate, or lend legitimacy to something.

to have a handle on something= to understand something and be able to deal with it

Example: You need a specialist lawyer who has a handle on litigation trends

give quarter to= show mercy or spare someone, especially an opponent/enemy

 When researchers finally put the claim to a controlled test — players trying old and new instruments in a darkened room, wearing welder's goggles — the proportion who could reliably tell one from the other was (1)______ small.

A. marginally            B. minutely               C. negligibly             D. vanishingly

= extremely, or to a point of disappearing entirely (small,rare, impossible)

marginally (adv.): slightly; by a very small amount.

Example: Prices have increased marginally this month

minutely (adv.): in very small detail; meticulously ( examining/inspecting)

Example” The contract was examined minutely by the lawyers

negligibly (adv.): to a degree so small that it can be ignored or disregarded

Example: The two values differ only negligibly

C.provenance

auditorium= large room, hall, or building built for public gatherings, speeches, stage shows, and musical performance

They cannot, however, explain away the second finding, which nobody had anticipated — asked which violins they would take on tour, the soloists chose the new ones more often than the old. The market, meanwhile, goes on paying for (2)______: who made the instrument, who owned it, who played it

A. pedigree               B. lineage                  C. provenance           D. ancestry

= the place of origin or earliest known history of something, especially a work of art, antique, or collectible item.
pedigree = the place of origin or earliest known history of something, especially a work of art, antique, or collectible item.

example= He is a dog with an impressive pedigree

lineage (n.): direct descent from an ancestor; ancestry.

example:

Example: She can trace her lineage back to the 18th

ancestry (n.): the family or ethnic background of a person.

Example: He was proud of his Native American ancestry

dislodge

Collocation dent in one’s savings

dent one’s confidence

None of this has dented a price.

A belief that flatters its holder and enriches its owner is not easily (3)______

A. dispelled               B. dislodged              C. debunked              D. refuted

= to remove or force out of a position, especially an established, firm, or fixed one ( long-held beliefs) ( physical object)

dispel= to make a feeling, doubt, or belief disappear or go away. (fears, rumours)
Example: His statements failed to dispel growing fears of inflation

debunk (v.): to show that an idea or belief is false or exaggerated.

• Example: "The study debunked the myth that coffee causes heart disease.

• refute (v.): to prove a statement, theory, or claim to be wrong or false.

  • Example: "She refuted the allegations with hard evidence."

A. circular

the reasoning sustaining it is comfortably (4)______: the violin must sound extraordinary because it is a Stradivari, and its standing as a Stradivari is confirmed by how extraordinary it sounds.

A. circular                 B. tautological          C. recursive               D. self-fulfilling

using a premise to prove a conclusion that was already assumed by the premise (argument/ reasoning)
tautological (adj.): saying the same thing twice in different words, giving no useful extra information.

Example: A phrase like 'free gift' is tautological

recursive= involving a process or rule that calls/repeats itself within a system (often in mathematics or computer code).

example: A recursive function calls itself until a base condition is met

a case of the emperor’s new clothes

A few economists call the whole edifice (5)______, though rarely where a client might hear. The instruments remain magnificent artefacts. Whether they are better violins is another question entirely.

A. a case of sour grapes                                  B. a red herring

     C. a case of the emperor's new clothes          D. a leap in the dark

= a situation in which people pretend to see, admire, or believe something because everyone else is doing so, despite knowing secretly (or clearly seeing) that it has no real substance.

sour grapes= pretending to dislike or disparage something merely because one cannot obtain it

example: His criticism of their new car is just sour grapes because he can't afford one
a red herring (idiom): something intended to divert attention from the real problem or main issue.

Example: The debate about uniform policy was a red herring to distract from budget cuts

a leap in the dark ): an action performed without knowledge of what the consequences will be.

Example: Investing all his savings in the startup was a leap in the dark