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I provide a sentence that uses an obscure word of four letters (five if plural) and an adjective ending in "-acious". See if you can choose which of the sentences that follow has nearest to the same meaning.

A multiple-choice quiz by uglybird. Estimated time: 7 mins.

Author
uglybird

Time
7 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
186,159

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
5 / 10

Plays
2679

Awards
Top 5% quiz!

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. [The edacious Bell Miners consume large numbers of lerps.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

A particular species of bird, Bell Miners, voraciously devour the protective coverings of a type of aphid.

The miners of Bell, an Irish village, love to eat their famous pastry.

An aggressive weed, the Bell Miner, can take over many acres of tillable land.

Restoring precious artifacts, specialized archeologists remove scale from ancient bells with their special solution.

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Question 2 of 10

2. [Staggered by Lady Olivia's exquisite beauty, the usually loquacious bard found himself uttering a mora.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

Lady Olivia's eye-catching appearance caused the typically suave poet to make a crude comment.

Stunned by Lady Olivia's charming features, the poet responded with a tired clich�.

The Lady's elegance so unnerved the lyricist that his couplet failed to rhyme.

The usually garrulous poet could utter only a strangled syllable, so stunned was he by the lady's attractive appearance.

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Question 3 of 10

3. [The usually dicacious merchant was eloquent in his praise of the buhl.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most closely matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

The storekeeper's sterling reputation was at odds with his extolling the virtues of the petty thief.

Driven by his venal nature, the merchant obsequiously praised the city official.

The talkative and sometimes impertinent shopkeeper expressed his admiration of the furniture's intricate inlay.

The duplicitous trader extolled the old stallion's fine qualities.

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Question 4 of 10

4. [Arnold was frustrated to find that Amanda considered bort nugacious.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

After working hours on the soup, Arnold was a bit dismayed that Amanda found it malodorous.

Arnold was disappointed that Amanda thought the industrial diamond was trifling.

Arnold found, to his alarm, that Amanda preferred soft centers to chewy candy.

Arnold's hopes were dashed when he realized that Amanda found his favorite sport was thoroughly disgusting.

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Question 5 of 10

5. [The frit shattered into volacious fragments.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

The burning brand broke into flaming shards.

The fruit broke into numerous, sticky pieces.

Squabbling factions were all that was left of the once united legislature.

The glassy fragments were crushed small enough to be susceptible to being carried off in the slightest breeze.

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Question 6 of 10

6. [The gaur's distress was fugacious.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

A fungus afflicted the insect.

The seladang's misery was fleeting.

The church official's medical problems were age related.

The little bird's plight was piteous.

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Question 7 of 10

7. [Abigail purchased only the most meracious malm.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

Abigail would buy only the most fragrant incense.

Abigail's clothing was made from the softest fabrics money could buy.

The intravenous drugs Abby injected were the strongest she could purchase.

Abby bought only the purest loam for her bricks.

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Question 8 of 10

8. [Had Lloyd been less bibacious, he would, perhaps, have found the abra less treacherous.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

Trembling men should not be snake handlers.

Lloyd's religious training rendered him less effective in dealing with the Middle Eastern cult.

If Lloyd hadn't been a drunk, the narrow defile through the mesa might have been less hazardous.

Lloyd's duplicity inspired similar behavior on the part of the magician.

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Question 9 of 10

9. [Carl's quest for a fess proved feracious.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets? Hint

Carl found a number of family shields with broad based horizontal bars.

Carl died of drowning while attempting to capture the silvery-blue water snake.

Carl's application for a deed of conveyance for his unregistered property was an exercise in futility.

Not only did Carl fail to find any evidence supporting the existence of the mythical creature, but the attempt to do so ruined his reputation.

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Question 10 of 10

10. [Being pervicacious may be advantageous when working with harl.]

Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Hint

When working with the tiny tufts of feathers used to tie flies, obstinacy may be an advantage.

Although a tendency to hesitate may bring great loss, a cautious approach is indicated in dealing this aggressive species of fruit bat.

Unfortunately, facile lying is sometimes an asset in dealing with a native tribe.

Dexterity is certainly an advantage when knitting with a coarse grade of yarn.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. [The edacious Bell Miners consume large numbers of lerps.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: A particular species of bird, Bell Miners, voraciously devour the protective coverings of a type of aphid.

Lerp is a covering scale or cocoon under which Psyllid insect nymphs develop on eucalyptus leaves. Bell Miner birds eat the lerp but not the underlying insects permitting them to live to be adults and produce more lerp. The Bell Miners are aggressive birds that also keep other potential Psyllid predators out of their territory.

The resulting increase in Psyllids leads to the production of more lerp but also increasing damage to trees.

2. [Staggered by Lady Olivia's exquisite beauty, the usually loquacious bard found himself uttering a mora.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: The usually garrulous poet could utter only a strangled syllable, so stunned was he by the lady's attractive appearance.

"Mora" designates a short syllable. It derives from the Latin "mora" which means pause. A consonant with a short vowel or a consonant terminating a word would count as a single mora. Long vowels would count as two moras. When confronted with the magnificence of Lady Olivia, our bard presumably said something along the lines of "uh".

3. [The usually dicacious merchant was eloquent in his praise of the buhl.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most closely matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: The talkative and sometimes impertinent shopkeeper expressed his admiration of the furniture's intricate inlay.

Charles Boulle or Buhl was a French woodcarver after whom delicate patterns of metal, ivory or turquoise came to be named. One who is "dicacious" is talkative, sometimes in an animated or disrespectful fashion.

4. [Arnold was frustrated to find that Amanda considered bort nugacious.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: Arnold was disappointed that Amanda thought the industrial diamond was trifling.

Bort diamonds are industrial grade stones or fragments. They are sometimes incorporated in jewelry. "Nugacity" is the quality of being negligible or trifling. (One could say "trivial", but somehow FunNugacity doesn't have the right ring to it.) Although absent in the "Web" dictionaries I consulted, "nugacious" does have an entry in "Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary".

5. [The frit shattered into volacious fragments.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: The glassy fragments were crushed small enough to be susceptible to being carried off in the slightest breeze.

"Frit" is a glassy material from which glass or pottery glazing can be made. "Volacious" has its origin in the Latin verb "volare", meaning to fly. A "volacious" article is one that is fit for or inclined to fly.

6. [The gaur's distress was fugacious.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: The seladang's misery was fleeting.

Gaur, which are also called "seladang", are the largest species of wild ox. Gaur live in herds with a single male, and I suspect that the distress of the lonely, non-dominant males is anything but fugacious. Similar domesticated animals are known as "gayal". I stumbled over "fugacious" while looking up words that incorporated "fogey".

As an arcane word lover, I was instantly smitten. Already determined to do a four letter word quiz incorporating "lerp" (another of my favorite obscure words), I combined the ideas and this quiz is the result.

7. [Abigail purchased only the most meracious malm.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: Abby bought only the purest loam for her bricks.

That which is "meracious" is pure and unadulterated. The term, according to Dictionary.com, is obsolete, making it perfect for a FunTrivia obscure word quiz. Malm is loam used in brick making.

8. [Had Lloyd been less bibacious, he would, perhaps, have found the abra less treacherous.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: If Lloyd hadn't been a drunk, the narrow defile through the mesa might have been less hazardous.

The etymological kinship of "bibacious" is with "imbibing" rather than with the Bible. An "abra" is a narrow cleft in a mesa in the Southwestern United States. It derives from the Spanish "abra" meaning "a bay or fissure".

9. [Carl's quest for a fess proved feracious.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: Carl found a number of family shields with broad based horizontal bars.

A "fess" is, indeed, a broad based horizontal bar across the center of the shield (escutcheon) on a family crest. The "fess point" is the exact center of the shield. "Feracious" means fruitful or fecund. Question: Why was the farmer uncertain that the peach tree would produce peaches? Answer: The farmer doubted the tree's feracity!

10. [Being pervicacious may be advantageous when working with harl.] Which of the following sentences has the meaning that most nearly matches the sentence in brackets?

Answer: When working with the tiny tufts of feathers used to tie flies, obstinacy may be an advantage.

To be "pervicacious" is to be obstinate or willful, deriving from the Latin "pervicax" which has the same meaning. "Harl" may refer either to filaments of hemp or flax or to tiny tufts of feather used in tying flies.

Source: Author uglybird

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor fringe before going online.
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