cum assessment

Question 1

abstruse

Answer 1

difficult to understand; obscure

Question 2

acrimony

Answer 2

bitterness or ill feeling

Question 3

bombastic

Answer 3

emotionally or rhetorically over the top speech (eg. saying indubitably instead of sure or absolutely)

Question 4

buoyancy

Answer 4

resilience of spirit

Question 5

connotative

Answer 5

language rich in subtext or secondary meaning, perhaps for a subtly negative or positive undertone (ex.: “insurgent” vs. “freedom fighter” vs. “terrorist”)

Question 6

consternation

Answer 6

a sudden, alarming dread or dismay

Question 7

cynical

Answer 7

negative, pessimistic, cutting

Question 8

despondent

Answer 8

in low spirits from lack of confidence

Question 9

effusive

Answer 9

emotionally excessive; overly demonstrative

Question 10

enmity

Answer 10

being actively opposed or resistant to something

Question 11

euphemistic

Answer 11

relying heavily on sugar coated or indirect wording when the content is considered coarse or unpleasant

Question 12

flippant

Answer 12

characterized by levity or lack of seriousness

Question 13

homespun

Answer 13

plain, unpolished, unsophisticated speech

Question 14

idiomatic

Answer 14

peculiar to a particular group, individual, or style (ex.: the Brits say “loo”, “queue”, and “cheers”, where we say “restroom”, “line”, and “thank you”!)

Question 15

insolent

Answer 15

showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect

Question 16

jargon

Answer 16

words or expressions associated with a particular career, industry, or subculture

Question 17

lugubrious

Answer 17

mournful; gloomy

Question 18

pedantic

Answer 18

polished, overly stuffy, meticulous, stuck up?

Question 19

picturesque

Answer 19

rich imagery (really paints a scene)

Question 20

sanguine

Answer 20

optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation

Question 21

serene

Answer 21

calm, peaceful, tranquil

Question 22

somber

Answer 22

dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit

Question 23

trite

Answer 23

simplified, naive, or lowest-common-denominator in approach (ex.: some would argue “All we are saying is give peace a chance” or “America, love it or leave it” both disregard crucial complexities!)

Question 24

turgid

Answer 24

swollen, bloated, filled to excess; overdecorated or excessive in language

Question 25

asyndeton

Answer 25

the practice of omitting conjunctions between words, phrases, or clauses in a list (eg. he was brave, fearless, afraid of nothing)

Question 26

personification

Answer 26

giving a non living thing human/active qualities

Question 27

synecdoche

Answer 27

a figure of speech in which a part is used to designate the whole or the whole is used to designate a part

Question 28

horatian (satire)

Answer 28

tolerant, witty, wise, self-effacing

Question 29

juvenalian (satire)

Answer 29

angry, caustic, resentful, personal

Question 30

diminution

Answer 30

taking a real life situation and reducing it to make it ridiculous and showcase its faults and childishness

Question 31

understatement

Answer 31

the opposite of exaggeration, draws attention to the truth

Question 32

apostrophe

Answer 32

words that are spoken to a person who is absent or imaginary, or to an object of abstract idea

Question 33

allusion

Answer 33

a reference to a work of literature, film, etc