Daily Vocabulary from International Newspapers ( 10 October 2025): DAILY QUIZ
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Each day, we bring you 5 carefully crafted MCQs based on the words featured in our Daily Vocabulary Post. These quizzes help you reinforce what you’ve learned, sharpen your recall, and build lasting word power — one day at a time!
Once you’ve reviewed the meanings and examples, dive right into the quiz below and see how much you’ve mastered! 💪
Daily Vocabulary from International Newspapers ( 10 October 2025): DAILY QUIZ
1. Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies tyranny in its most precise sense?
Tyranny specifically denotes oppressive, absolute, and unjust rule characterized by the arbitrary exercise of power without legal or constitutional limitations. Option B captures the essential elements: unchecked authority, suppression of dissent, and cruel or unreasonable exercise of power. Option A describes an unpopular but potentially legitimate corporate decision. Option C involves democratic processes, which contradict tyranny's essence. Options D and E, while potentially unfair, lack the political dimension and absolute power that define tyranny. The word derives from the Greek tyrannos, specifically referring to rulers who seized power illegitimately and governed oppressively.
2. In political science, when power begins to devolve from a central government to regional authorities, this process is most accurately characterized as:
"Devolve" has a precise political meaning: the transfer or delegation of power from a central authority to regional or local entities, as seen in the devolution of powers to Scotland's Parliament or to U.S. states. This represents a formal, structural redistribution of authority. Option A contradicts devolution by describing centralization. Option C is incorrect because devolution describes systematic restructuring, not temporary measures. Option D confuses "devolve" (to transfer) with "deteriorate," though the words share etymology. Option E also describes the opposite process—centralization rather than decentralization. Understanding this distinction is crucial for GRE reading comprehension passages discussing governance structures.
3. Select the word that is most nearly OPPOSITE in meaning to aristocracy:
Egalitarianism—the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities—stands in direct ideological opposition to aristocracy, which is based on inherited privilege, hereditary status, and hierarchical social stratification. While aristocracy assumes natural inequality and rule by a noble elite class, egalitarianism rejects such distinctions entirely. Option A (plutocracy—rule by the wealthy) shares aristocracy's elitist nature though based on wealth rather than birth. Option B (meritocracy) differs from aristocracy but isn't its opposite, as both systems recognize hierarchies. Option D (bureaucracy) describes administrative systems, not social philosophy. Option E (theocracy—religious rule) represents a different governance type but doesn't contradict aristocracy's fundamental premise of inequality.
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4. The term “oligarchy” shares its closest conceptual relationship with which of the following?
Oligarchy (rule by a small, privileged few) shares the strongest conceptual affinity with plutocracy (rule by the wealthy), as plutocracies often function as oligarchies where economic power translates into political control—a small wealthy elite effectively governs. Both systems concentrate power in a limited group rather than distributing it broadly. Option A represents the opposite extreme—no rule at all. Option C contradicts oligarchy by emphasizing broad participation rather than elite control. Option D involves singular rather than collective elite power. Option E, while describing rule by a select group, emphasizes expertise rather than the wealth, birth, or power connections that typically characterize oligarchies. This nuanced distinction tests sophisticated understanding of political terminology.
5. “The diplomatic negotiations stalled when one of the primary __________ refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the opposing party’s territorial claims.”
The word “interlocutors” in this context most precisely refers to:
"Interlocutors" specifically denotes persons who participate in dialogue, conversation, or discussion—in this diplomatic context, the parties directly engaged in negotiations themselves. The term derives from Latin inter (between) and loqui (to speak), literally meaning "those who speak between/among themselves." Option A incorrectly suggests neutral third parties rather than primary participants. Option C misidentifies interlocutors as documents rather than people. Option D describes passive observers rather than active conversational participants—interlocutors are directly engaged in the exchange. Option E conflates participants with procedural rules. On the GRE, recognizing that "interlocutors" refers specifically to dialogue participants (not facilitators, documents, or frameworks) is essential for correctly interpreting passages about negotiations, debates, or philosophical exchanges.
