Advanced IV

Question 1

unviable

Answer 1

unviable
adjective: not able to work, survive, or succeed (also spelled inviable).

The plan was obviously unviable considering that it lead to complete environmental destruction in the river valley.

Question 2

nonchalant

Answer 2

nonchalant
adjective: coming across as uninterested or unconcerned; overly casual

The twenty-somethings at the coffee shop always irked Sheldon, especially the way in which they acted nonchalantly towards everything, not even caring when Sheldon once spilled his mocha on them.

Question 3

celerity

Answer 3

celerity
noun: speed, rapidity

We aim to respond to customers’ questions with celerity and accuracy, with no longer than a 24 hour wait time.

Question 4

obstreperous

Answer 4

obstreperous
adjective: noisily and stubbornly defiant; willfully difficult to control

When the teacher asked the obstreperous student simply to bus his tray, the student threw the entire tray on the floor, shouted an epithet, and walked out.

Question 5

presentiment

Answer 5

presentiment
noun: a feeling of evil to come

On the night that Lincoln would be fatally shot, his wife had a presentiment about going to Ford’s Theater, but Lincoln persuaded her that everything would be fine.

Question 6

dispensation

Answer 6

dispensation
noun: an exemption from a rule or obligation

Since her father is a billionaire, she is given dispensation from many of the school’s policies.

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 7

puissant

Answer 7

puissant
adjective: powerful

Over the years of service, and quite to his surprise, he became a puissant advisor to the community.

Question 8

dovetail

Answer 8

dovetail
verb: fit together tightly, as if by means of an interlocking joint

Although Darwin’s evolution and Mendel’s genetics were developed in isolation from one another, they dovetail very well.

Question 9

subterfuge

Answer 9

subterfuge
noun: something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity

Finally deciding to abandon all subterfuge, Arthur revealed to Cindy everything about his secret affair over the past two years.

Question 10

decry

Answer 10

decry
verb: express strong disapproval of

The entire audience erupted in shouts and curses, decrying the penalty card issued by the referee.

Question 11

ribald

Answer 11

ribald
adjective: humorously vulgar

The speaker was famous for his ribald humor, but the high school principal asked him to keep the talk G-rated when he spoke to the student body.

Question 12

recrimination

Answer 12

recrimination
noun: mutual accusations

The two brothers sat and cried, pointing fingers and making elaborate recriminations of the other’s guilt

Question 13

spartan

Answer 13

spartan
adjective: unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; practicing great self-denial

After losing everything in a fire, Tim decided to live in spartan conditions, sleeping on the floor and owning as little furniture as a possible.

Question 14

inviolate

Answer 14

inviolate
adjective: must be kept sacred

While the literary critic subjected most of the classics to the harshest reviews, he regarded Cervantes as inviolate, and had nothing but praise for him.

Question 15

flippant

Answer 15

flippant
adjective: showing inappropriate levity

Although Sam was trying to honor Mark’s sense of humor, many found it quite flippant that he wore a comic nose and glasses mask to Mark’s funeral.

Question 16

peripatetic

Answer 16

peripatetic
adjective: traveling by foot

Jim always preferred a peripatetic approach to discovering a city: he felt that he could see so many more details while walking.

Question 17

unpropitious

Answer 17

unpropitious
adjective: (of a circumstance) with little chance of success

With only a bottle of water and a sandwich, the hikers faced an unpropitious task: ascending a huge mountain that took most two days to climb.

Question 18

unflappable

Answer 18

unflappable
adjective: not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure

The house shook and the ground quaked, but my dad was unflappable and comforted the family.

Question 19

improvident

Answer 19

improvident
adjective: not given careful consideration

Marty was improvident, never putting money aside for the future but spending it on decorating the interior of his home.

Question 20

machinate

Answer 20

machinate
verb: engage in plotting or enter into a conspiracy, swear together

The rebels met at night in an abandoned barn to machinate.

Question 21

incontrovertible

Answer 21

incontrovertible
adjective: necessarily or demonstrably true; impossible to deny or disprove

Unless you can provide incontrovertible evidence, I will remain skeptical.

Question 22

rarefied

Answer 22

rarefied
adjective: made more subtle or refined

Jack’s vulgar jokes were not so successful in the rarefied environment of college professors.

Question 23

encumber

Answer 23

encumber
verb: hold back

The costume encumbered all my movements and caused me to sweat profusely.

Question 24

invidious

Answer 24

invidious
adjective: likely to cause resentment

At a time when many others in the office were about to be laid off, many considered Cheryl’s fine clothes that day an invidious display.

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 25

puerile

Answer 25

puerile adjective: of or characteristic of a child; displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity Helen enjoyed blowing soap bubbles, but Jim regarded this as puerile, totally unworthy of a woman with a Ph.D.

Question 26

immure

Answer 26

immure verb: to enclose, usually in walls The modern supermarket experience makes many feel claustrophobic, as they are immured in walls upon walls of products.

Question 27

firebrand

Answer 27

firebrand noun: someone who deliberately creates trouble Freddie is a firebrand: every time he walks into the office, he winds up at the center of heated argument.

Question 28

apposite

Answer 28

apposite adjective: remarkably appropriate For a writer with such quick wit, Jonathan Swift has a rather apposite name.

Question 29

hubris

Answer 29

hubris noun: overbearing pride or presumption Bill Clinton was criticized for his hubris, since he believed he could get away with anything once in the White House.

Question 30

lacerate

Answer 30

lacerate verb: deeply hurt the feelings of; distress The teacher was fired for lacerating a student who wrote a poor essay. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 31

crystallize

Answer 31

crystallize verb: cause to take on a definite and clear shape Only after fifteen minutes of brainstorming did Samantha's ideas for the essay crystallize. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 32

denouement

Answer 32

denouement noun: the final resolution of the many strands of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events At the denouement of the movie, all questions were answered, and the true identity of the robber was revealed.

Question 33

imperious

Answer 33

imperious adjective: having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy Children are imperious with each other before they learn that earning someone's respect is better than demanding.

Question 34

patent

Answer 34

patent adjective: glaringly obvious Since the book had been through no fewer than six proof runs, the staff was shocked to see such a patent spelling mistake remaining, right in the middle of the front cover! This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 35

inure

Answer 35

inure verb: to make accustomed to something unpleasant Three years of Manhattan living has inured her to the sound of wailing sirens; she could probably sleep through the apocalypse.

Question 36

crestfallen

Answer 36

crestfallen adjective: brought low in spirit I asked Maria on a date and she refused without a moment's thought; I was crestfallen.

Question 37

untenable

Answer 37

untenable adjective: (of theories etc) incapable of being defended or justified With the combination of Kepler's brilliant theories and Galileo's telescopic observations, the old geocentric theory became untenable to most of the educated people in Europe.

Question 38

ossify

Answer 38

ossify verb: make rigid and set into a conventional pattern Even as a young man, Bob had some bias against poor people, but during his years in social services, his bad opinions ossified into unshiftable views. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 39

intimation

Answer 39

intimation noun: an indirect suggestion At first the hostess tried intimation, praising the benefits of cutlery; when Cecil continued eating with his hands, the hostess told him to use a fork at dinner.

Question 40

surreptitous

Answer 40

surreptitious adjective: stealthy, taking pains not to be caught or detected Since his mom was a light sleeper, Timmy had to tiptoe surreptitiously through the entire house, careful to not make the floors creak, until he at last was able to enjoy his plunder: a box of chocolate chip cookies.

Question 41

irrefutable

Answer 41

irrefutable adjective: impossible to deny or disprove Scientists are searching for irrefutable evidence that some form of life existed on mars at some point in its history.

Question 42

asperity

Answer 42

asperity noun: harshness of manner The editor was known for his asperity, often sending severe letters of rejection to amateur writers.

Question 43

inimitable

Answer 43

inimitable adjective: defying imitation; matchless Mozart's music follows a clear pattern that, anyone could imitate, but his music gives an overall sense of effortlessness that is inimitable.

Question 44

hobble

Answer 44

hobble verb: to hold back the progress of something Bad weather has hobbled rescue efforts, making it difficult for crews to find bodies in the wreckage.

Question 45

corollary

Answer 45

corollary noun: a practical consequence that follows naturally A corollary of Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the east coast of the U.S., is a push to build higher sea walls to protect against future hurricanes.

Question 46

tempestuous

Answer 46

tempestuous adjective: as if driven by turbulent or conflicting emotions; highly energetic and wildly changing or fluctuating Chuck and Kathy had always been stable and agreeable people on their own, but when they got involved, it was a tempestuous relationship.

Question 47

cosseted

Answer 47

treat with excessive indulgence

Question 48

equitable

Answer 48

fair to all parties as dictated by reason and conscience

Question 49

magisterial

Answer 49

offensively self assured or given to exercising unwanted power

Question 50

impetuous

Answer 50

characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation

Question 51

untenable

Answer 51

(of theories its) incapable of being defended or justified

Question 52

stalwart

Answer 52

dependable, inured to fatigue ot hardships