Civil Service Exam Vocabulary · Module 3
Analysis, planning and operations
Ten words for reports, audits and planning: aggregate, corroborate, disseminate, empirical, feasible, fiduciary, mitigate, pragmatic, scrutinize and substantiate.
✓ Last checked: November 2026 · meanings checked against Merriam-Webster
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aggregate adjective, noun
Formed by adding many separate amounts or parts together; a total.
Example: The aggregate collections of all barangays reached ₱4.2 million for the quarter.
Same meaning: total, combined, cumulative
Opposite: individual, separate, partial
Exam tip: "In the aggregate" means taken all together.
corroborate verb
To support a statement or idea with more evidence, showing that it is true.
Example: The bank statement corroborated the cashier's report that the deposit was made on Monday.
Same meaning: confirm, support, verify
Opposite: contradict, refute, disprove
Exam tip: Corroborate adds support to something already claimed; substantiate (below) is giving the proof in the first place.
disseminate verb
To spread information or ideas widely, to many people.
Example: The office disseminated the new payment schedule through the barangay halls and its Facebook page.
Same meaning: spread, circulate, distribute
Opposite: withhold, suppress, conceal
Exam tip: Used for information, not objects: disseminate a memo, but distribute supplies.
empirical adjective
Based on observation, experience or data, not only on theory.
Example: The plan was built on empirical data: ten years of actual monthly collections.
Same meaning: observed, experimental, evidence-based
Opposite: theoretical, speculative, hypothetical
Exam tip: Empirical evidence is something you can observe or measure.
feasible adjective
Possible to do; able to be done in practice.
Example: The engineer said a new market building was feasible only if the land were donated.
Same meaning: possible, practicable, viable
Opposite: impossible, impractical, unworkable
Exam tip: A feasibility study asks whether a project can be done and is worth doing.
fiduciary adjective, noun
Involving trust, especially when one person holds or manages money or property for another; also, a person who does so.
Example: A treasurer has a fiduciary duty to keep public money safe and spend it only as the law allows.
Same meaning: trustee, custodial
Exam tip: Think of "fidelity" (faithfulness): both come from the Latin word for trust.
mitigate verb
To make something bad less severe or less serious.
Example: Planting mangroves helped mitigate the damage from storm surges.
Same meaning: lessen, ease, reduce
Opposite: worsen, aggravate, intensify
Exam tip: In law, "mitigating circumstances" lower a penalty; "aggravating circumstances" raise it.
pragmatic adjective
Dealing with problems in a sensible, practical way that suits the real situation.
Example: Instead of waiting for a new system, the staff took a pragmatic step and used a shared spreadsheet.
Same meaning: practical, realistic, sensible
Opposite: idealistic, impractical, theoretical
Exam tip: A pragmatist cares more about what works than about theory.
scrutinize verb
To look at or examine something very carefully.
Example: The auditor scrutinized every voucher above ₱50,000 before signing the report.
Same meaning: examine, inspect, study
Opposite: skim, glance at, overlook
Exam tip: Noun: scrutiny. "Under scrutiny" means being closely watched or examined.
substantiate verb
To give evidence that shows a claim is true.
Example: The supplier could not substantiate its claim that the goods were delivered on time.
Same meaning: prove, support, establish
Opposite: disprove, refute, invalidate
Exam tip: Unsubstantiated means there is no proof: an unsubstantiated rumor.
Practice
Tap your answer. A green ✓ means you got it right; a red ✗ means try to learn the right one, shown in green.
Choose the word closest in meaning to MITIGATE.
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B. lessen Mitigate means to make something bad less severe.
Choose the word opposite in meaning to EMPIRICAL.
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D. theoretical Empirical is based on observation; theoretical is based on ideas only.
Complete the sentence: The memo was ____ to all offices by e-mail and printed copies.
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C. disseminated Spreading information widely is disseminating it.
FEASIBLE is to VIABLE as PRAGMATIC is to ____.
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A. practical Feasible and viable are synonyms, so the answer is the synonym of pragmatic: practical.
Which sentence uses FIDUCIARY correctly?
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B. As a fiduciary, the trustee must act in the best interest of the people whose money she manages. Fiduciary is about trust over money or property. It is not a verb, and it has nothing to do with weather or color.
Choose the word closest in meaning to CORROBORATE.
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C. confirm To corroborate is to confirm with more evidence.
Choose the word closest in meaning to SCRUTINIZE.
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D. examine To scrutinize is to examine very carefully.
Complete the sentence: The treasurer reported the ____ income of all ten markets, not each market's share.
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B. aggregate The total of all the parts is the aggregate.
Choose the word opposite in meaning to SUBSTANTIATE.
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B. refute To substantiate is to prove; to refute is to prove false.
DISSEMINATE is to SPREAD as MITIGATE is to ____.
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A. lessen Disseminate and spread are synonyms; the synonym of mitigate is lessen.
Score: 0 correct, 0 of 10 answered