Deceiving appearances

English is a mélange of roots and forms from various languages.  This creates a rich language but unfortunately quite a lot of confusion. It can make guessing the meaning of word a bit of a crap shoot.

Here are some examples in the form of a short quiz.

1   “Appositive” is

a.      A type of blood

b.      Another name for something

c.       Negative

2 “Tortuous” is

a.      Curvy

b.      Painful

c.       Tasty like a cake

3  An infamous person is 

a.      Unknown

b.      Well known in limited circles

c.       Known for doing awful things

     An “inflammable” substance is

a.      Gasoline

b.      Water

c.       A gasoline can

5 To “ululate” is

a.      To constantly be tardy

b.      To sing Swiss mountain songs

c.       To imitate the calls of wolves

     A bimonthly magazine appears

a.      Twice a month

b.      Every two months

c.       Both a and b

7 A positive charge in electronics has

a.      Lost electrons

b.      Gained electronics

c.       Sometimes a and sometime b

8 A parkway is a place

a.      To park

b.      To drive

c.       To play football
A scarified road
a. has been the scene of many deaths.
b. is in the middle of repavement
c. has many warning signs.

In all honesty, if you didn’t know any of the answers, you probably still can express yourself perfectly well.  Still, English scholars, i.e., those who enjoy using the language to its best, actually enjoy the peculiarity of the language. As for the answers, to be really nasty, I won’t give the answers.  That way, you will remember what the word means! However, if you are unsure about any, write me.