Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

GRE Essential > Essential Units 22-28 > Flashcards

Essential Units 22-28 Flashcards

1
Q

Diffuse

A

Diffuse (v)

To spread out

The idea of equality and liberty diffused through society after the French Revolution.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Digression

A

Digression (n)

Act of straying from the main point

The novel Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Contain many fascinating digressions from the main story that discuss topics such as platonic philosophy.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Dirge

A

Dirge (n)

Funeral hymn

The music critic described the movement of the symphony portraying the here’s last days as dirge like.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Disabuse

A

Disabuse (v)

To free from a misconception

The chairman of the federal reserve used his testimony before congress to disabuse his audience of the idea that the business cycle had been eliminated by the unprecedented period of prosperity.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Discerning

A

Discerning (adj)

Perceptive; exhibiting keen insight and good judgement.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Discomfit

A

Discomfit (v)

To make uneasy; disconcert

The young man was discomfited being the only male in the play.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Discordant

A

Discordant (adj)

Not in tune

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Discredit

A

Discredit (v)

To dishonor; disgrace; cause to be doubted.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Discrepancy

A

Discrepancy (n)

Difference between

The book studies the discrepancy between x and y.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Discrete

A

Discrete (adj)

Constituting a separate thing; distinct

Like the physicist, the abstract artist strives to identify the discrete elements of reality and to understand how they interact.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Discretion

A

Discretion (n)

Quality of showing of self-restraint in speech or actions; circumspection; freedom to act on ones own.

Gentlemen are expected to behave with discretion.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Disingenuous

A

Disingenuous (adj)

Not candid; crafty

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Disinterested

A

Disinterested (adj)

Unprejudiced; objective

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Diffidence

A

Diffidence (n)

Shyness; lack of confidence

As a result of the strength of his opposition to the Vietnam War Senator Eugene Mcarthy overcame his diffidence and ran against President Lyndon Johnson for the Democratic nomination for president.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Disjointed

A

Disjointed (adj)

Lacking order or coherence; dislocated

The technique of telling a story through a disjointed narrative is a brilliant technique.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Dismiss

A

Dismiss (v)

To put away from consideration; reject

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Disparage

A

Disparage (v)

To belittle

Philosophy is sometimes disparaged as an intellectual game.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Disparate

A

Disparate (adj)

Dissimilar

Many tech projects are interdisciplinary, requiring a knowledge of fields as disparate as physics and biology.

Disparity (noun) - unequal or unlike

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Dissemble

A

Dissemble (v)

To pretend; disguise ones motives

I believe you are dissembling. I want you to tell me the truth.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Disseminate

A

Disseminate (v)

To spread; scatter; disperse

The belief of reincarnation disseminated all over India.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Dissident

A

Dissident (n)

Person who disagrees about beliefs

Some of the most notorious concentration camps in history were the gulag camps used by the Soviet Union to control dissidents.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Dissolution

A

Dissolution (n)

Disintegration; debauchery

Some philosophers maintain that the dissolution of the body does not mean the destruction of the mind.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Dissonance

A

Dissonance (n)

Discord; lack of harmony

In psychology, the term cognitive dissonance refers to a conflict between ones beliefs and ones actions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Distend

A

Distend (v)

To expand; swell out

People in an advanced stage of starvation often have distended bellies.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Distill

A

Distill (v)

Extract the essential elements

He managed to distill the essence of leading thinkers like Martin Luther king.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Distrait

A

Distrait (adj)

In attentive; preoccupied

The chairperson became distrait because his secretary was not sitting in her usual position on his right.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Diverge

A

Diverge (v)

To vary; go in different directions from the same point

The two roads diverged in a wood.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Divest

A

Divest (v)

To strip; deprive; rid

The candidate for secretary of defense pledged to divest himself of the shares he held in defense-related companies.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Divulge

A

Divulge (v)

To make known something that is secret

30
Q

Doctrinaire

A

Doctrinaire (adj)

Relating to a person who cannot compromise about points of a theory or doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding

31
Q

Document

A

Document (v)

To provide with written evidence to support

32
Q

Doggerel

A

Doggerel (n)

Poor verse

33
Q

Dogmatic

A

Dogmatic (adj)

Stating options without proof

Dogma is the noun

Religious dogma specifies a time of the birth of creation.

34
Q

Dormant

A

Dormant (adj)

Inactive

Dormant volcanoes.

35
Q

Dross

A

Dross (n)

Waste; worthless matter; trivial matter

One of the ways the dross among blogs on the internet are filtered out from the worthwhile ones is through links good blogs provide to other good blogs.

36
Q

Dupe

A

Dupe (v) to deceive; trick

In friendship, as well as in love, the mind is often duped by the heart.

37
Q

Ebullient

A

Ebullient (adj)

Exhilarated; enthusiastic

The ebullient candidate for president appeared before his supporters to announce that he had won in a landslide.

38
Q

Eclectic

A

Eclectic (adj)

Selecting from various sources

39
Q

Effervescence

A

Effervescence (n)

State of high spirits or liveliness; the process of bulb ing as has escapes

Effervescence occurs when hydrochloride acid is added to a block of limestone.

40
Q

Effete

A

Effete (adj)

Depleted of vitality; over refined; decadent

In 1960, the Vice President denounced people protesting against the Vietnam war, said this was encouraged by “an effete corps of impudent snobs who characterized themselves as intellectuals.”

41
Q

Efficacy

A

Efficacy (n)

Efficiency; effectiveness

Efficacious (adj)

42
Q

Effrontery

A

Effrontery (n)

Shameless boldness; presumptuousness

In her essay the student had the effrontery to argue that school is largely a waste of time

43
Q

Egoism

A

Egoism (n)

The tendency to see things in relation to oneself; self-centeredness

The beginning of philosophy has been described as a moving away from egoism to an understanding of the larger world.

44
Q

Egotistical

A

Egotistical (adj)

Excessively self centered; conceited

The critics accused the writer of being egotistical since she wrote only about herself.

45
Q

Elegy

A

Elegy (n)

Poem or song expressing lamentation (grief)

46
Q

Elicit

A

Elicit (v) to provoke; draw out

The Socratic method is designed to elicit responses that guide the student toward understanding.

47
Q

Elixir

A

Elixir (n)

A substance believed to have the power to cute all ills

48
Q

Elysian

A

Elysian (adj)

Blissful; delightful

49
Q

Emaciated

A

Emaciated (adj)

Thin and wasted

The prisoner was Emaciated.

50
Q

Embellish

A

Embellish (v)

To adorn; decorate; enhance; make more attractive by adding details.

The story he wrote was so powerful there was no need to embellish it.

51
Q

Emollient

A

Emollient (adj)

Soothing; mollifying

The politician’s speech is filled with emollient phrases to make his message more palatable.

Emollient is also a noun that means an agent that soothes it makes acceptable .

52
Q

Empirical

A

Empirical (adj)

Derived from observation or experiment

Empiricism is a noun meaning the view that experience is the only source of knowledge.

53
Q

Emulate

A

Emulate (v)

To imitate; copy

Bionics uses technology to emulate nature, but sometimes a similar process occurs in reverse, in which scientists use technology as a heuristic tool to better understand natural processes.

54
Q

Heuristic

A

Heuristic (adj)

serving to indicate or point out; stimulating interest as a means of furthering investigation.

encouraging a person to learn, discover, understand, or solve problems on his or her own, as by experimenting, evaluating possible answers or solutions, or by trial and error: a heuristic teaching method.

of, relating to, or based on experimentation, evaluation, or trial-and-error methods.

55
Q

Encomium

A

Encomium (n)

A formal expression of praise

The prime minister asked her speechwriter to compose an encomienda for the retiring general.

56
Q

Endemic

A

Endemic (adj)

Inherent; belonging to an area

Malaria, once endemic to the area, has now been largely eradicated.

57
Q

Enervate

A

Enervate (v)

To weaken

During World War 2 Russian commanders counted on the bitter cold to enervate German soldiers invading their country.

58
Q

Engender

A

Engender (v)

To cause; produce

Freudians believe that the traumatic events of infancy often engender repression that creates neuroses

59
Q

Enhance

A

Enhance (v)

To increase; improve

60
Q

Entomology

A

Entomology (n)

The scientific study of insects

61
Q

Enunciate

A

Enunciate (v)

To pronounce clearly

62
Q

Ephemeral

A

Ephemeral (adj)

Short-lived; fleeting

Kurt Cobain was an ephemeral phenomena.

63
Q

Epistemology

A

Epistemology (n)

Branch of philosophy that examines the nature of knowledge

64
Q

Equable

A

Equable (adj)

Steady; unvarying; serene

Throughout the crisis the president remained equable

65
Q

Equitably

A

Equitably

Fair, just it impartial

66
Q

Equaniminity

A

Equanimity (n)

Composure; calmness

Emergency room doctors and nurses are trained to maintain their equanimity when treating patients.

67
Q

Equivocate

A

Equivocate (v)

To intentionally use vague language

The businessperson has earned a reputation as someone who never equivocates and can be trusted to do exactly what he promises.

The noun is equivocation

68
Q

Errant

A

Errant (adj)

Mistaken; straying from the proper course

The pitchers errant fastball struck the batter on the shoulder.

69
Q

Erudite

A

Erudite (adj)

Learned; scholarly

He is one of the most erudite people I have ever met.

Erudition (noun)

70
Q

Esoteric

A

Esoteric (adj)

Hard to understand; known only to a few

He has a plethora of esoteric statistics that really helped this company.

71
Q

Essay

A

Essay (v)

To make an attempt; subject to a test

The composer began to work on a sonata, a form she had not previously essayed.

72
Q

Estimable

A

Estimable (adj)

Admirable; possible to estimate

Estimable figures

GRE Essential (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions