Lesson 03 (with audio)

Question 1

bombast

(bŏmʹ băst)

Answer 1

(noun) impressive but meaningless language

Please, professor, no more bombast; just give me the facts.

Question 2

bona fide

(bōʹ nǝ fīd)

Answer 2

(adj.) in good faith

We made a bona fide offer for the property.

• syn: legitimate, genuine*
• ant: fraudulent, phony*

Question 3

boor

(boor)

Answer 3

(noun) a rude or impolite person

My brother was acting like a boor.

• syn: buffoon, clown*
• ant: sophisticate*

Question 4

bovine

(bōʹ vīn)

Answer 4

(adj.) pertaining to cows or cattle

The critic described the large figures in the painting as bovine.

Question 5

bowdlerize

(boudʹ lĕr īz)

Answer 5

(verb) to remove offensive passages of a play, novel, etc.

If the editors bowdlerize much more of the book, there won’t be anything left to read.

syn: to censor

Question 6

brevity

(brĕvʹ ĭ tē)

Answer 6

(noun) briefness; short duration

The brevity of the candidate’s speech surprised everyone.

• syn: terseness, conciseness*
• ant: long-windedness*

Question 7

bucolic

(byōō kŏlʹ ĭk)

Answer 7

(adj.) pertaining to the countryside; rural, rustic

Jim wanted to find an old inn in a bucolic setting in which to have lunch.

syn: pastoral

Question 8

cajole

(kǝ jōlʹ)

Answer 8

(verb) to coax, to persuade, to wheedle

Tim tried to cajole his parents into letting him use the new car.

Question 9

callow

(kălʹ ō)

Answer 9

(adj.) young and inexperienced

Although he was not the typical callow youth, he was not as experienced as he pretended.

• syn: immature*
• ant: mature, sophisticated*

Question 10

carcinogen

(kär sĭnʹ ǝ jǝn)

Answer 10

(noun) causing cancer

It is widely believed that nicotine is a carcinogen.

Question 11

carnal

(kärʹ nǝl)

Answer 11

(adj.) sensual, sexual

Even though Evelyn didn’t understand the painting, she knew it had a carnal feeling about it.

• syn: erotic, voluptuous*
• ant: chaste, modest*

Question 12

carrion

(kărʹ ē ǝn)

Answer 12

(noun) decaying flesh

The vultures circling in the sky led the border patrol to the carrion they had been seeking since the report of the disaster.

Question 13

cataclysm

(kătʹ ǝ klĭz ǝm)

Answer 13

(noun) a violent change

The earthquake in Mexico was a cataclysm which no one could have foreseen.

• syn: disaster, catastrophe*
• ant: triumph, boon*

Question 14

cataract

(kătʹ ǝ răkt)

Answer 14

(noun) 1. large waterfall; abnormality of the eye

Because of the cataracts in that part of the river, you can’t put a canoe in the water.

My grandmother had to have a cataract surgically removed from her eye.

Question 15

caveat

(kāʹ vi ăt)

Answer 15

(noun) a warning

John did not heed that old caveat about swimming alone because he had such confidence in his own ability.