Basic IV

Question 1

altruisum

Answer 1

altruism
noun: the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others

Albert Schweitzer spent most of his life doing missionary work as a doctor in Africa, seeking no reward, apparently motivated only by altruism.

Question 2

commendable

Answer 2

commendable
adjective: worthy of high praise

The efforts of the firefighters running into the burning building were commendable.

Question 3

derisive

Answer 3

derisive
adjective: abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule

I was surprised by her derisive tone; usually, she is sweet, soft spoken, and congenial.

Question 4

spurn

Answer 4

spurn
verb: reject with contempt

She spurned all his flattery and proposals, and so he walked off embarrassed and sad.

Question 5

lucid

Answer 5

lucid
adjective: (of language) transparently clear; easily understandable

Though Walters writes about physics and time travel, his writing is always lucid, so readers with little scientific training can understand difficult concepts.

Question 6

credence

Answer 6

credence
noun: belief in something

He placed no credence in psychics, claiming that they offered no special powers beyond the ability to make people part with their money.

Question 7

urbane

Answer 7

urbane
adjective: showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience

Because of his service as an intelligence officer and his refined tastes, W. Somerset Maugham became the inspiration for the urbane and sophisticate spy James Bond.

Question 8

martial

Answer 8

martial
adjective: suggesting war or military life

Americans tend to remember Abraham Lincoln as kindly and wise, not at all martial, despite the fact that he was involved in the fiercest war America has even fought.

Question 9

grovel

Answer 9

grovel
verb: show submission or fear

Every time Susan comes to the office, Frank grovels as if she were about to fire him.

Question 10

conductive

Answer 10

conducive
adjective: making a situation or outcome more likely to happen

Studying in a quiet room is conducive to learning; studying in a noisy environment makes learning more difficult.

Question 11

pristine

Answer 11

pristine
adjective: Unspoiled, untouched (usu. of nature)

The glacial lake was pristine and we filled our canteens to drink deeply.

adjective: Immaculately clean and unused

Drill sergeants are known for demanding pristine cabinets, uniforms, and beds, and often make new recruits clean and clean and clean until they meet the expected high standards.

Question 12

whimsical

Answer 12

whimsical
adjective: determined by impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason

Adults look to kids and envy their whimsical nature at times, wishing that they could act without reason and play without limitation.

Question 13

euphoria

Answer 13

euphoria
noun: a feeling of great (usually exaggerated) elation

The euphoria of winning her first gold medal in the 100 meter dash overwhelmed Shelly-Ann Fraser and she wept tears of immense joy.

Question 14

genial

Answer 14

genial
adjective: agreeable, conducive to comfort

Betty is a genial young woman: everyone she meets is put at ease by her elegance and grace.

Question 15

vacucous

Answer 15

vacuous
adjective: devoid of intelligence, matter, or significance

To the journalist’s pointed question, the senator gave a vacuous response, mixing a few of his overall campaign slogans with platitudes and completely avoiding the controversial subject of the question.

Question 16

pertinent

Answer 16

pertinent
adjective: having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand

While the salaries of the players might draw attention in the media, such monetary figures are not pertinent to the question of who plays the best on the field.

Question 17

facetious

Answer 17

facetious
adjective: cleverly amusing in tone

Facetious behavior will not be tolerated during sex education class; it’s time for all of you to treat these matters like mature adults.

Question 18

benign

Answer 18

benign
adjective: kind

I remember my grandfather’s face was wrinkled, benign, and calm.

adjective: (medicine) not dangerous to health; not recurrent or progressive

The tumor located in your ear lobe seems to be benign and should not cause you any trouble.

Question 19

hamstrung

Answer 19

hamstrung
verb: made ineffective or powerless

The FBI has made so many restrictions on the local police that they are absolutely hamstrung, unable to accomplish anything.

Question 20

banish

Answer 20

banish
verb: expel from a community, residence, or location; drive away

The most difficult part of the fast was banishing thoughts of food.

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

Question 21

egotistic

Answer 21

egotist
noun: a conceited and self-centered person

An egotist, Natasha had few friends because of her inability to talk about anything except her dream of becoming the next American Idol.

Question 22

irresolute

Answer 22

irresolute
adjective: uncertain how to act or proceed

He stood irresolute at the split in the trail, not sure which route would lead back to the camp.

Question 23

jargon

Answer 23

jargon
noun: a characteristic language of a particular group

To those with little training in medicine, the jargon of doctors can be very difficult to understand.

Question 24

sentimental

Answer 24

sentimental
adjective: effusively or insincerely emotional, especially in art, music, and literature

I don’t like romanticism for the same reason I don’t like melodramatic acting and soap operas—overly sentimental.

Question 25

detrimental

Answer 25

detrimental adjective: (sometimes followed by "to") causing harm or injury Many know that smoking is detrimental to your health, but processed sugar in large quantities is equally bad.

Question 26

assuage

Answer 26

assuage verb: make something intense less severe Her fear that the new college would be filled with unknown faces was assuaged when she recognized her childhood friend standing in line.

Question 27

illicit

Answer 27

illicit adjective: contrary to or forbidden by law Though Al Capone was engaged in many illicit activities, he was finally arrested for income tax evasion, a relatively minor offence.

Question 28

cornucopia

Answer 28

cornucopia noun: an abundant supply of something good The International Food Expo was a cornucopia of culinary delights: gourmet foods from every continent were under one roof.

Question 29

uncompromising

Answer 29

uncompromising adjective: not making concessions The relationship between Bart and Hilda ultimately failed because they were both so uncompromising, never wanting to change their opinions.

Question 30

impeccable

Answer 30

impeccable adjective: without fault or error He was impeccably dressed in the latest fashion without a single crease or stain.

Question 31

tumult

Answer 31

tumult noun: a state of chaos, noise and confusion Riots broke out just in front of our apartment building, and the tumult continued late into the night.

Question 32

debase

Answer 32

debase verb: reduce the quality or value of something The third-rate script so debased the film that not even the flawless acting could save it from being a flop.

Question 33

perennial

Answer 33

perennial adjective: lasting an indefinitely long time; eternal; everlasting Even at the old-timers games, Stan Musial would get the loudest cheer: he was a perennial favorite of the fans there. This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 34

perpetuate

Answer 34

perpetuate verb: cause to continue If you do not let him do things for himself, you are merely perpetuating bad habits that will be even harder to break in the future.

Question 35

assail

Answer 35

assail verb: attack in speech or writing In the weekly paper, the editor assailed the governor for wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars in public projects that quickly failed.

Question 36

unruly

Answer 36

unruly adjective: (of persons) noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline; unwilling to submit to authority Walk in to any preschool and I am sure that you will find an unruly and chaotic scene—unless it's nap time.

Question 37

inadvertent

Answer 37

inadvertent adjective: happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally Although Prohibition was rooted in noble ideals, the inadvertent and costly consequences of making alcohol illegal in the U.S. led to its repeal.

Question 38

fickle

Answer 38

fickle adjective: liable to sudden unpredictable change, esp. in affections or attachments She was so fickle in her politics, it was hard to pinpoint her beliefs; one week she would embrace a side, and the next week she would denounce it.

Question 39

contemptuous

Answer 39

contemptuous adjective: scornful, looking down at others with a sneering attitude Always on the forefront of fashion, Vanessa looked contemptuously at anyone wearing dated clothing.

Question 40

elaborate

Answer 40

elaborate adjective: marked by complexity and richness of detail Thomas, on returning from Morocco, replaced his dirty gray carpet with an elaborate one he'd brought back with him. verb: explain in more detail Most high school physics teachers find themselves elaborating the same point over and over again, since many concepts confuse students.

Question 41

glib

Answer 41

glib adjective: (of a person) speaking with ease but without sincerity I have found that the more glib the salesman, the worse the product.

Question 42

augment

Answer 42

augment verb: enlarge or increase; improve Ideally, the restaurant's augmented menu will expand its clientele and increase its profits.

Question 43

precedent

Answer 43

precedent noun: an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time The principal explained that even though one student had done modelling work outside of school, the outfits that student wore in those photographs in no way established a precedent for what could be worn at school dances.

Question 44

tawdry

Answer 44

tawdry adjective: tastelessly showy; cheap and shoddy Carol expected to find New York City magical, the way so many movies had portrayed it, but she was surprised how often tawdry displays took the place of genuine elegance.

Question 45

rankle

Answer 45

rankle verb: gnaw into; make resentful or angry His constant whistling would rankle her, sometimes causing her to leave in a huff.

Question 46

empathetic

Answer 46

empathetic adjective: showing understanding and ready comprehension of other peoples' states and emotions Most discrimination and hatred is based on a lack of empathetic awareness of people that have the same aspirations and fears.

Question 47

buck

Answer 47

buck verb: resist The profits at our firm bucked the general downturn that affected the real estate industry.

Question 48

genteel

Answer 48

genteel adjective: marked by refinement in taste and manners A live string quartet would provide a more genteel air to the wedding than would a folk singer.

Question 49

surly

Answer 49

surly adjective: inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace Every morning, Bhavin was a surly, unhappy person, but once he ate breakfast, he became loving, laughing, and a joy to be around.

Question 50

ONE MORE WORD

Answer 50

1 MORE