DH 8: Science And The Social Sciences

Question 0

caustic

Answer 0

in chemistry, a caustic substance is one that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action; hydrofluoric acid and silver nitrate are examples of caustic substances / in everyday usage, a caustic comment is one that hurts or burns

Question 1

catalyst

Answer 1

in chemistry, a catalyst is a substance (such as an enzyme) that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction at some temperature, but without itself being transformed or consumed by the reaction / in everyday usage a catalyst is any agent that provokes or triggers change

Question 2

crystallize

Answer 2

in chemistry, crystallization is the process by which crystals are formed / in everyday usage, to crystallize means to give a definite form to an idea or plan

Question 3

osmosis

Answer 3

in chemistry, osmosis refers to the diffusion of a fluid through a semipermeable membrane until there is an equal concentration of fluid on both sides of the membrane / in everyday usage, osmosis refers to a gradual, often unconscious process of assimilation

Question 4

sedentary

Answer 4

in ecology, animals that are sedentary remain or live in one area / in everyday usage, sedentary means settled and therefore accustomed to sitting or doing little exercise

Question 5

virulent

Answer 5

in medical science, virulent refers to a disease or toxin that is extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous / in everyday usage, virulent refers to language that is bitterly hostile, hateful, and antagonistic

Question 6

empirical

Answer 6

in science, empirical means originating in or based on direct observation and experience; empirical data can then be used to support or reject a hypothesis / in everyday language, empirical means to be guided by practical experience, not theory

Question 7

entomology

Answer 7

the scientific study of insects

Question 8

gestate

Answer 8

in science, gestate means to carry within the uterus from conception to delivery / in everyday language, gestate means to conceive and develop in the mind

Question 9

paradigm

Answer 9

in science, a paradigm is a framework or model of thought

Question 10

entrepreneur

Answer 10

a person who organizes and manages a business or enterprise

Question 11

lucrative

Answer 11

very profitable

Question 12

extravagant

Answer 12

excessive and therefore lacking restraint

Question 13

avarice, cupidity

Answer 13

excessive desire for material wealth; greed; covetousness

Question 14

glut, plethora, surfeit

Answer 14

a surplus or excess of something

Question 15

destitute, impoverished, indigent

Answer 15

very poor, lacking basic resources

Question 16

affluent, opulent

Answer 16

very rich, having abundant resources

Question 17

munificent

Answer 17

very generous

Question 18

parsimonious

Answer 18

excessively cheap with money; stingy

Question 19

depreciation

Answer 19

any decrease or loss in value caused by age, wear, or market conditions

Question 20

remunerate

Answer 20

to compensate; to make payment for; to pay a person

Question 21

accord

Answer 21

a formal concurrence, agreement, or harmony of minds

Question 22

enlighten, edify

Answer 22

to inform, instruct, illuminate, and thus remove darkness and ignorance

Question 23

appeasement

Answer 23

the policy of granting concessions to maintain peace

Question 24

nullify

Answer 24

to make null; declare invalid

Question 25

triumvirate

Answer 25

a group or association of three leaders

Question 26

pretext

Answer 26

an excuse; an alleged cause

Question 27

watershed

Answer 27

critical point that marks a change of course; a turning point

Question 28

consensus

Answer 28

a general agreement

Question 29

autocrat, despot

Answer 29

a ruler or other person with unlimited power and authority

Question 30

manifesto

Answer 30

a public declaration of beliefs, policies, or intentions

Question 31

enfranchise

Answer 31

to endow with the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote

Question 32

disenfranchise

Answer 32

to deprive of some privilege or right, especially the right to vote

Question 33

coerce

Answer 33

to force to act or think in a certain way by use of pressure, threats, or torture; to compel

Question 34

egalitarian

Answer 34

favoring social equality; believing in a society in which all people have equal political, economic, and civil rights

Question 35

demarcation

Answer 35

the setting or marking of boundaries or limits, as a line of demarcation

Question 36

inquisition

Answer 36

a severe interrogation; a systematic questioning

Question 37

ameliorate

Answer 37

to make a situation better

Question 38

exacerbate

Answer 38

to make a situation worse

Question 39

desiccated

Answer 39

thoroughly dried out; lifeless, totally arid

Question 40

contiguous

Answer 40

sharing an edge or boundary; touching

Question 41

pertinent

Answer 41

relevant; to the point; clearly illustrative of a major point

Question 42

complicity

Answer 42

association or participation in a wrongful act

Question 43

exonerate, exculpate

Answer 43

to free from guilt or blame

Question 44

indisputable

Answer 44

not open to question; undeniable; irrefutable

Question 45

precedent

Answer 45

an act or instance that is used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar instances

Question 46

unprecedented

Answer 46

without previous example, never known before; an event that has never happened before

Question 47

malfeasance

Answer 47

misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official