Questionable meaning in English
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Definition
questionable: dubious, suspicious, suspect, doubtful
His decision to hire his 12 year old son as his assistant was questionable to say the least.
a question an inquiry, an investigation; an issue, a point
Examples
- "Susie : If you consider the dangers of questionable labor practices strictly from a financial perspective, you'll find that continuing to exploit cheap labor sources is extremely risky."
- "People are becoming more aware of these questionable subcontracting practices."
- "We're just trying to protect ourselves from making a multi-year investment in an actress who has made some "questionable" decisions."
Exercise 1
Now select the TRUE statements according to the conversation you just heard.
There may be more than one correct choice!
There may be more than one correct choice!
Now select the TRUE statements according to the conversation you just heard.
There may be more than one correct choice!
There may be more than one correct choice!
This is a true statement. Susie tells Steve that it is an "advantage for you to sign a shorter contract" for Ivana Bümbüm, because he will be "in a position to sign a more lucrative deal" later on. Susie then says that this "lucrative deal" will mean "a bigger commission for her agent". "Lucrative" and "profitable" are synonymous terms, both mean "financially productive" or "remunerative".
This is a correct statement. At the end of the conversation, Susie says, "I'll fax over a draft of the contract as soon as I get back to the office." A "draft" is a preliminary (non-final) version of something that may have small details changed later.
This is an incorrect statement. Susie says that Ivana's "last film wasn't exactly a blockbuster. We're just trying to protect ourselves from making a multi-year investment in an actress who has made some questionable decisions". A "blockbuster" is a big film that makes lots of money. A "questionable (decision)" is one which is "controversial" or "uncertain". All this is suggesting that Ivana Bümbüm has made poor career choices in the past.
This is an incorrect statement. Susie says that Delavigne wants to "protect (itself) from making a multi-year investment in an actress who has made some questionable decisions". A "multi-year investment" would last at least one year, and this is something that Delavigne wants to avoid.
This is an incorrect statement. Steve says that she won't accept anything less than 35,000.
Exercise 2
Houston has the dubious distinction of being America's fattest city.
In this sentence, "dubious" could be replaced by "" without changing the meaning of the sentence.
In this sentence, "dubious" could be replaced by "" without changing the meaning of the sentence.
Houston has the dubious distinction of being America's fattest city.
In this sentence, "dubious" could be replaced by "questionable" without changing the meaning of the sentence.
In this sentence, "dubious" could be replaced by "questionable" without changing the meaning of the sentence.
questionable: This is correct. "Dubious" means "doubtful" or "questionable". The journalist is not sure that the prize of "America's fattest city" should be described as a "distinction". Other examples: "I had the dubious honour of shaking President Boosh's hand", or "His story about finding the money was dubious at best".
surprising: This is not correct. The term "surprising" describes something "unexpected" or "slightly shocking". Example: "Jane made a surprising revelation to everyone after the wedding". This does not share a similar meaning with "dubious".
horrible: This is incorrect. "Horrible" is too strong a word to replace "dubious", which means "doubtful" or "questionable".
tragic: This is incorrect. "Tragic" is too strong a word to replace "dubious", which means "doubtful" or "questionable".
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