Which word does not belong with the others?
Answer(s): C
Although all of these words have something to do with music and sound, do not be fooled by this general similarity. Note that all of the wrong answers have to do with the “beats” in music. “Cadence” is admittedly an exception, for it can indicate a change in pitch, usually one that gives evidence to a rhythm in speech; however, it can mean merely “rhythm.” In the case of “timbre,” there is no link to rhythm. Instead, the timbre of an instrument (or a voice) is the distinctive quality of its sound as distinct from it pitch. Timbre thus pertains to sound quality alone, not its beat structure.
Answer(s): A
Note that only the word “fragment” deals with a part of a whole. To “fracture” something is to break it. A fragment is the part that is perhaps so broken off from a whole. In contrast, the “total,” “whole,” or “sum” indicates a complete thing, not merely some part that might make up that whole. The one word that is perhaps difficult is “aggregate.” It means “a combined whole.” The base “-greg-” comes from the Latin word for “flock” (as in “flock of sheep”). To “aggregate” is to gather a group of things into a “flock.” Often we will talk about “aggregate figures,” as in economics when we talk about the “summed up” figures and facts of the economic situation at a given time.
Answer(s): D
"Chair," "table," and "armoire" are all types of furniture, while "kitchen" is a type of room.
Each of the words that are alike in this group pertain to fire in some way. Certainly “heat” and “blaze” are obvious in this regard. An “ember” is a hot coal or piece of wood left in the bottom of a dying fire – the little glowing red chips at the end of the long process of burning. A "cinder" is perhaps the most distantly related to fire, as it is a piece of burned material that still has some burnable matter in it. Still, note that the word is related to fire in a direct way. This is not a secondary meaning of “cinder” but, instead, its primary meaning. The word “log” has many meanings that are not at all related to fire – thankfully so, as many log cabins would be ablaze if logs had to be used in fire!
Answer(s): B
All of the related words pertain to some kind of exchange between two parties – whether in an agreeable fashion or in disagreement. While debates and (particularly) disputes can be contentious and argumentative, they are still a type of active exchange between parties. A “questionnaire” is really a passive type of data interchange. Certainly, someone writes a questionnaire and gives it to the people who will answer it; however, there is no “back and forth” when someone receives a questionnaire (as there is in the case of all of our related words).
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