301-350

Question 1

defunct

Answer 1

adj. having ceased to exist or live Sentence: Since the Soviet Union became defunct, the political situation in Eastern Europe has turned far more complicated.

Question 2

circumscribe

Answer 2

v. to form or mark the limits of; to restrict or limit severely Sentence: Having a body cast from your neck to your feet is not the end of the world, but it will certainly circumscribe your recreational options.

Question 3

anarchy

Answer 3

n. the absence of government Sentence: During the Iranian revolution, there was a brief period of anarchy between the overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of a new government.

Question 4

cornucopia

Answer 4

n. an abundance Sentence: The cornucopia of foods offered at the Las Vegas buffet was impressive, and though Chris ate until she was sated, she barely made a dent in the abundance of available food.

Question 5

extant

Answer 5

adj. currently or actually existing Sentence: Remaining artifacts from the region are beautiful, making it all the more regrettable that so few are extant.

Question 6

vigilant

Answer 6

adj. alert and watchful, esp. for what is dangerous Sentence: It looks as though the crisis has passed, but officials will no doubt remain vigilant for the next few days.

Question 7

abstinence

Answer 7

n. the act of voluntarily doing without something Sentence: After being visited by four ghosts and reforming, Ebenezer Scrooge of ‘A Christmas Carol’ never sees another ghost, what Dickens called ‘the Total Abstinence Principle.’

Question 8

brood

Answer 8

v. to be deep in thought; to think over moodily and at length Sentence: Larry could have used the poor grade as motivation to study harder, but instead, he just went into his room and brooded sullenly.

Question 9

chagrin

Answer 9

n. feeling of embarrassment because of failure or disappointment Sentence: To the chagrin of the campaign manager, his predictions of an overwhelming victory turned out to be wildly inaccurate.

Question 10

infamous

Answer 10

adj. having a bad reputation Sentence: Billy the Kid became infamous during the nineteenth century as an outlaw gunslinger.

Question 11

season

Answer 11

v. to make competent through experience; to accustom Sentence: Years of living as a celebrity had seasoned her to the constant prying of reporters and fans into her personal life.

Question 12

petulant

Answer 12

adj. impatient or irritable, esp. over a minor annoyance Sentence: After standing in line at the DMV for only five minutes, her petulant three year old began to complain, and when she told him to be patient, he started screeching.

Question 13

renege

Answer 13

v. to fail to carry out a promise Sentence: You stand to make a lot of money on this deal, so long as they don’t renege at the last minute.

Question 14

hangar

Answer 14

n. a structure used for housing aircraft Sentence: He thought he remembered putting it away the night before, but when he got to the hangar his beloved Cessna biplane was missing.

Question 15

egregious

Answer 15

adj. outstanding for undesirable qualities; remarkably bad Sentence: In hindsight, letting the supplies run so low turned out to be an egregious error, with consequences more severe than any of us had imagined.

Question 16

eon

Answer 16

n. a long period of time Sentence: Since Kathy and Colin had not seen each other in eons, they were initially somewhat awkward, but after a few minutes, they were the best of friends again, acting as if they had never been apart.

Question 17

obdurate

Answer 17

adj. not easily moved to pity or sympathy Sentence: The obdurate headmaster seemed deaf to the complaints of the students about the ridiculous rules; nothing could get him to change his mind.

Question 18

deplore

Answer 18

v. to feel or express strong disapproval of Sentence: I deplore violence in all forms and thus oppose war in all its forms.

Question 19

larder

Answer 19

n. a place (e.g., a pantry or cellar) where food is stored Sentence: Convinced that civilization was about to collapse, the survivalist stocked his larder with enough canned supplies to feed himself for several years.

Question 20

remnant

Answer 20

n. a small amount left over after the rest has been used; a surviving trace Sentence: A few stones scattered around a field are the only remnants of the huge cathedral that once stood here.

Question 21

novel

Answer 21

adj. strikingly new Sentence: Though the teacher was impressed by the imaginative and novel reasons you gave for your tardiness, you’re still being penalized for it.

Question 22

indigent

Answer 22

adj. poor; needy; destitute Sentence: Responding to harsh criticism that arose after the candidate said indigence is a sign of moral failure, the would-be governor explained that he meant a nation that tolerates poverty is not doing its duty to alleviate the problem.

Question 23

abeyance

Answer 23

n. a suspension of activity Sentence: The development of the corporate database was left in abeyance after the lead programmer unexpectedly quit.

Question 24

gripe

Answer 24

v. to complain constantly or naggingly Sentence: Since the judge let you off easy, I would advise you not to gripe about the sentence.

Question 25

mirth

Answer 25

n. gladness, esp. when expressed as laughter Sentence: The mirth at the birthday party came to an end when the birthday boy started crying after falling and scraping his knee.

Question 26

mausoleum

Answer 26

n. a huge tomb Sentence: The Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan to honor the memory of his favorite wife, is the most famous extant example of a mausoleum.

Question 27

forlorn

Answer 27

adj. appearing sad because abandoned, in pitiful condition; almost without hope Sentence: Everyone felt sympathy for the forlorn widow, who looked as if she were about to collapse from grief.

Question 28

tout

Answer 28

v. to solicit customers; to praise or recommend highly Sentence: Thirty-minute infomercials are a particularly cheap way to tout your product's benefits to potential customers.

Question 29

rhapsody

Answer 29

n. a state of great happiness; such a state expressed in speech or writing Sentence: Although I’m happy that Peter has found a new girlfriend, it's tiresome to listen to his endless rhapsody about all her virtues.

Question 30

adjourn

Answer 30

v. to suspend until a later, stated time Sentence: Each afternoon of the lengthy trial, the judge would admonish jurors not to speak of the case and then adjourn until the next day.

Question 31

impassive

Answer 31

adj. not feeling emotion; not showing emotion Sentence: The defendant remained impassive during his sentencing, even though the judge gave him a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

Question 32

accrue

Answer 32

v. to come as a gain; to increase Sentence: Billy enjoyed working and saving his money because he liked to dream about all the interest that would accrue by the time he was 50.

Question 33

martyr

Answer 33

n. one who chooses to die rather than to give up religious beliefs, or who suffers greatly to further a cause Sentence: The early Christian church, severely persecuted by Roman authorities, had many members who chose to become martyrs rather than sacrifice to the Roman gods.

Question 34

byline

Answer 34

n. a line at the head of a newspaper article carrying the author's name Sentence: Although the article appeared under his byline, most of the reporting in the field was actually done by others.

Question 35

haggle

Answer 35

v. to argue, as over terms or price Sentence: Look, I am too tired to haggle, just make me your best offer for the car.

Question 36

frugal

Answer 36

adj. careful in spending money or resources Sentence: John thinks of himself as frugal, but he takes saving money to such extreme lengths that his friends think he is a miser.

Question 37

caste

Answer 37

n. a rigid and hereditary social class Sentence: The duchess, convinced of the importance of marrying someone of the same caste, was alarmed to see her daughter spending so much time with the chauffeur.

Question 38

timid

Answer 38

adj. easily frightened; lacking self-confidence Sentence: Although Brad was madly in love with Natalia, he was too timid even to talk to her, let alone ask her out on a date.

Question 39

invigorate

Answer 39

v. to give strength and energy to Sentence: It's time to invigorate this stale and repetitive discussion with new ideas.

Question 40

harbor

Answer 40

v. to give shelter; to entertain or nourish (a specific thought or feeling) Sentence: The school harbored those whose homes had been destroyed in the hurricane.

Question 41

polyglot

Answer 41

one who speaks many languages; adj. speaking many languages Sentence: George is a polyglot, able to speak four languages fluently.

Question 42

acclimate

Answer 42

to make comfortable in a new environment; to adapt to Sentence: In order to acclimate herself to the new city, Melissa took a long walk each night so that she could see and become used to all the city had to offer.

Question 43

incorrigible

Answer 43

unable to be corrected or reformed Sentence: Alicia's parents feared she was absolutely incorrigible when she was a teenager, but once she married and had her own children she settled down.

Question 44

frank

Answer 44

open and sincere; straightforward Sentence: Don't ask someone for frank answers to questions about yourself if your feelings are easily hurt by blunt comments.

Question 45

lucrative

Answer 45

producing wealth; profitable Sentence: The profession attracts the noble as well as the materialistic, since it's one of the most lucrative ways to help others.

Question 46

check

Answer 46

to restrain or block Sentence: Unless countries unite to check that dictator's territorial ambitions, it is likely that he will invade neighboring countries.

Question 47

magnanimous

Answer 47

generous; noble in mind Sentence: I know how much you love your bedroom, so it was truly magnanimous of you to let your newly adopted brother have it while you take the smaller room.

Question 48

protégé

Answer 48

one whose welfare, training, or career is promoted by another person Sentence: Mr. Garret took an instant liking to the much younger man, whom he made his protégé and began to groom as his eventual replacement.

Question 49

pacify

Answer 49

to make peaceful; to restore calm Sentence: The explanation for his tardiness was a fabrication designed to pacify the other members of his carpool, who had every right to be angry.

Question 50

insular

Answer 50

narrow in outlook; provincial Sentence: Before World War II, many Americans were insular in their outlook and preferred to believe that the violence in Europe and Asia was none of their concern.