Get Ready for Yet Another Cost When Buying a Home: Junk Fees

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

C2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Use the surrounding sentence to identify the meaning and word form needed. Check which words naturally go together.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “advertised” as used in the article?

   1. presented publicly as available or offered, especially at a stated price
   2. legally guaranteed without qualification
   3. privately negotiated after inspection
   4. calculated according to historical demand
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   presented publicly as available or offered, especially at a stated price

   The word describes what is publicly presented, especially at a stated price.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “burden” as used in the article?

   1. a significant responsibility, obligation, or difficulty that must be endured or managed
   2. a temporary discount offered to consumers
   3. a formal estimate of future appreciation
   4. a professional service performed by an agent
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   a significant responsibility, obligation, or difficulty that must be endured or managed

   Here, it denotes the accumulated difficulty or obligation created by costs.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “absorb” as used in the article?

   1. to bear or take on a cost, impact, or difficulty without passing it elsewhere
   2. to conceal a charge within an advertised price
   3. to divide a payment among several lenders
   4. to remove a fee through administrative review
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   to bear or take on a cost, impact, or difficulty without passing it elsewhere

   In context, it means bearing a cost rather than transferring it elsewhere.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “transparency” as used in the article?

   1. the quality of being open, clear, and readily understandable
   2. the practice of minimizing a property’s market value
   3. the authority to impose a mandatory charge
   4. the process of completing a sale remotely
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   the quality of being open, clear, and readily understandable

   The term concerns openness and clarity about a charge’s nature and justification.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “prospective” as used in the article?

   1. likely or intending to become a particular person or thing in the future
   2. already legally responsible for a completed transaction
   3. highly experienced in property valuation
   4. temporarily exempt from transaction costs
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   likely or intending to become a particular person or thing in the future

   It identifies people who may become buyers or sellers in the future.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “arrangement” as used in the article?

   1. an agreed or organized plan governing how something is structured or handled
   2. an unexpected increase in property demand
   3. a standardized method of estimating repairs
   4. a dispute formally submitted to a court
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   an agreed or organized plan governing how something is structured or handled

   It refers to the organized understanding governing the transaction’s fees.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “establish” as used in the article?

   1. to demonstrate or determine something with sufficient evidence or authority
   2. to introduce a new fee without prior notice
   3. to transfer ownership before payment
   4. to estimate a property’s value informally
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   to demonstrate or determine something with sufficient evidence or authority

   The article uses it to mean demonstrating something with adequate evidence.

8. Question 8 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which option best defines “intelligible” as used in the article?

   1. clear enough to be understood, especially despite complexity
   2. legally binding under every circumstance
   3. financially advantageous to all parties
   4. visible only to professional specialists
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   clear enough to be understood, especially despite complexity

   The word means sufficiently clear for people to understand the costs involved.

What to review next

Keep a short list of unfamiliar words with their meanings and example sentences. Practise recalling them later, then use them in a sentence of your own.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Read the whole sentence before choosing a word. Check both its meaning and the words it naturally combines with.

Please make an appointment before visiting the clinic.

Make an appointment is a natural word combination. Knowing a dictionary meaning alone may not tell you which verb fits.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.