A clumsy (heavy, stupid, unskillful) workman is likely to fid fault with his tools. 2 John was a deft (skilful, clever, ready) mechanic; he was hired by the joint- ven ture in no time. 3. T he writer made a point of avoiding using loose (vague, unbound, disengaged): terminology in his science fiction. ' 4. We didn't appreciate his subtle (delicate, tricky, profound) scheme to make money at the expense of the customers. 5. Annie Oakley became famous as one of the world's most precise (accurate, scrupulous, rigid) sharpshooters. 6. The government in that newly-independent country has decided to make a shif t ( altera tion, turn, transference) in its foreign policies. 7. M isunderstanding arose on account of the vague (undetermined, confused, ambi guous) instructions on the part of the manager. 8. If soldiers do not pay scrupulous (exact, vigilant, conscientious) attention to orders they will not defeat the enemy. 9. 1 n s ome areas the virgin forest has been cut through ignorance (blindness, want knowledge, darkness) of the v alue of trees. 10. Since many pure metals have such disadvantages (harm, unfavourableness, dr awbacks) as being too soft and being liable to rust too easily, they have little 11.M y colleague, Mr. Hill, has a small but well-chosen library, whore it is said he :spends most of his spare time cultivating ( nourishing, tilling, developing) his mind. 12. If you think photography is my hobby, your belief is quite mistaken (fraudulent, erroneous, deceitful). 13. What appears to the laymen as unimportant (minute, trivial, diminutive) and unrelated facts is often precious to the archaeologist. 14. The lounge has a seating capacity of 30 people but it is too dark (dim, dingy, gloomy) to read there. 15. These career-oriented women are used to flexible (adaptable, willowy, docile) working hours in the office. 16 . Only experts with a professional eve can tell the fine ( fair , pleasant , subtle ) distinction between the two gems . 17 . The goose quill pen has a great sentimental ( tender , emotional , soft ) appeal to Emily as it was a gift from her best friend , 18 . Being thoughtful of and enthusiastic towards others IS the essence ( gist , kernel, quintessence ) of politeness . 19 . When they destroyed some of their nuclear and chemical weapons , they acted under coercion ( repression , concession , compulsion ). 20. My uncle ’ s oft-repeated anecdotes of his adventures in Africa were fascinating ( catching , pleasing , absorbing ) to listen to.