Word Power: Test Your Knowledge of “Truth” Terms
Updated: Mar. 12, 2021Distinguishing fact from fiction isn’t always easy. These words describe the many shades of truth and falsehood—and that’s no lie.
Answer: C—Made with sincere intent
As in, “Although he was forced to break it, Martin’s promise had been bona fide.”
These slang words from the 1920s are worth bringing back!
Answer: B—Not shown to be true
As in, “Some of the alleged health benefits of probiotics are so far unproven.”
Discover the English words that have different meanings in other languages.
Answer: B—Make false, malicious statements about someone
As in, “The politician calumniated her rival, accusing her of corruption.”
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Echo chamber
A: Environment where you encounter only opinions that match your own
B: Repeating a claim until you are believed
C: Effect where information tends to get distorted as it spreads
Answer: A—Environment where you encounter only opinions that match your own
As in, “To transcend the echo chamber of his Facebook feed, Arun picked up a newspaper.”
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Impugn
A: Refuse to change your mind
B: Reject a fact because it makes you feel bad
C: Challenge the truth or honesty of something
Answer: C—Challenge the truth or honesty of something
As in, “The witness braced himself, knowing the defence lawyers would try to impugn his credibility.”
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Answer: C—Using popular prejudices and dishonest claims to gain power
As in, “Bruce stooped to demagoguery by unfairly blaming immigrants for the crime rate.”
You’re probably guilty of uttering these redundant phrases.
Embroider
A: Add fictitious details to make a story more interesting
B: Pay someone to express a particular opinion
C: Assume a false identity
Answer: A—Add fictitious details to make a story more interesting
As in, “Pirouz got some laughs by embroidering an account of a family gathering.”
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Answer: B—Having the appearance of truth
As in, “Khuyen’s strength as a novelist was in writing verisimilar dialogue.”
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Answer: C—Obvious truth that goes without saying
As in, “Ana’s book rehashed the truism that kids learn from their parents’ example.”
Here are the everyday phrases with offensive origins.
Answer: A—Bluff
As in, “The other poker players thought Kira was four-flushing when in fact she had a great hand.”
Can you guess which famous authors coined these common words?
Answer: B—Pretentious nonsense
As in, “Hal thought his company’s ‘holistic framework for achieving disruptive innovation’ was taradiddle.”
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Answer: C—Logical and convincing
As in, “Rhiannon made a cogent case for a safe-injection site.”
These words from the first dictionary no longer exist!
Gish Gallop
A: Spread a rumour
B: Bombard an opponent with weak arguments
C: Get something wrong because you researched it hastily
Answer: B—Bombard an opponent with weak arguments
As in, “Gish galloping is dishonest, but it still wins debates.”
Slang overload? These are the words you should stop saying ASAP.
Answer: B—Pretend to be sick to avoid work
As in, “Sasha spent the day malingering and watching his favourite show’s new season.”
Next, test your knowledge of these royal terms.
