GRE

Question 1

Arbitrary

“When you lack the information to judge what to do next, you will be forced to make an arbitrary decision”

Answer 1

determined by chance or impulse

Question 2

Apocryphal
“There is no hard or authoritative evidence to support the apocryphal tales that link the Roswell, new Mexico, incident to a downed U.F.O.”

Answer 2

of questionable authority or authenticity

Question 3

Anomaly

“Albone animals may display too great an anomaly in their coloring to attract normally colored mates.”

Answer 3

deviation from what is normal

Question 4

Aberrant
“Since he had been a steady, cheerful worker for many years, his fellow postal workers did not expect his aberrant burst of rage.”

Answer 4

deviating from what is normal or expected

Question 5

Abstain

“During Lent, practicing Catholics abstain from eating meat.”

Answer 5

to choose not to do something

Question 6

Adulterate

“The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by adulterating it with water.”

Answer 6

to make impure

Question 7

Abyss

“The submarine dove into the abyss to chart the previously unseen depths.”

Answer 7

an extremely deep hole

Question 8

Abscond

“The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bills by sneaking out the back door.”

Answer 8

to leave secretly

Question 9

Abate

“As the hurricane’s force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.”

Answer 9

to reduce in amount, degree or severity

Question 10

Aesthetic

“The Aesthetic Movement regarded the pursuit of beauty to be only true purpose of art.”

Answer 10

concerning the appreciation of beauty

Question 11

Alacrity
“The restaurant won a reputation for fine service since the wait staff responded to their clients’ requests with alacrity.”

Answer 11

speed or quickness

Question 12

Amalgamate

““Giant Industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega products Incorporated.”

Answer 12

to combine, to mix together

Question 13

Ameliorate

“The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient’s suffering using pain-killers.”

Answer 13

to make better; to improve

Question 14

Anachronism

“The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like’groovy’ and ‘far out’ that had not been popular for years.”

Answer 14

something out of place in time

Question 15

Ambiguous

“The directions he gave were so ambigious that we disagreed on which way to turn.”

Answer 15

doubtful or uncertain, can be interpreted in several ways

Question 16

Alleviate

“Taking aspiring helps to alleviate a headache.”

Answer 16

to make more bearable

Question 17

aggrandize

“The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own.”

Answer 17

to increase in power, influence and reputation

Question 18

Analogous

“His mother aregued that not going to college was analogous to throwing his life away.”

Answer 18

similar or alike in some way; equivalent to

Question 19

Antagonize

“The child discovered that he could antagonize the cat by pulling its tail.”

Answer 19

to annoy or provoke to anger

Question 20

Apathy

“ The apathy of voters is si great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so.”

Answer 20

Lack of interest or emotion

Question 21

Approbation

“The approbation that Jerry Lewis received in France included a medal from the Ministry of Culture.

Answer 21

approval and praise

Question 22

Arbitrate

“Since the could could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings.

Answer 22

to judge a dispute between two opposing parties

Question 23

Ardor

“Bishop’s ardor for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley.”

Answer 23

intense and passionate feeling

Question 24

Assuage

“Like many people, Philip Larkin used alcohol to assuage his sense of meaningless and despair.”

Answer 24

to make something unpleasant less severe

Question 25

Audacious

“The audacious peasant dared to insult the king’s mother.”

Answer 25

fearless and daring

Question 26

Austere

“The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seem austere to the untrained eye.”

Answer 26

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

Question 27

Attenuate

“ The Bill of Rights attenuated the traditional power of government to change laws at will”

Answer 27

reduce in force or degree; weaken

Question 28

Articulate

“ She articulates her pro-labor views so clearly that unions are among her strongest supporters”

Answer 28

able to speak clearly and expressively

Question 29

Archaic

“Her archaic Commodore computer could not run the latest software”

Answer 29

ancient, old-fashioned

Question 30

Capricious

“Queen Elizabeth I was quite capricious; her courtiers could never be sure which one would catch her fancy”

Answer 30

changing one’s mind quickly and often

Question 31

Cacophony

“The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable cacophony as they tried to tune their instruments”

Answer 31

harsh, jarring noise

Question 32

Burgeon

“Faulkner neither confirmed nor denied stories about himself, allowing rumor to burgeon where it would.”

Answer 32

to grow and flourish

Question 33

Bolster

“The presence of giant footprints bolstered the argument that Bigfoot was in the area.”

Answer 33

support, prop up

Question 34

Banal

“His conversation consisted of banal phrases like ‘Have a nice day’ or ‘Another day, another dollar.’”

Answer 34

predictable, cliched, boring

Question 35

Bombastic

“Mussolini’s speeches were mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact.”

Answer 35

pompous in speech and manner

Question 36

Burnish

“ He burnished the silver coffee pot until it shone brightly”

Answer 36

to polish

Question 37

Candid

“The observations of a child can be charming since they are candid and unpretentious.”

Answer 37

impartial and honest in speech

Question 38

Coalesce

“The sun and planets eventually coalesced out of a vast cloud of gas and dust.”

Answer 38

to grow together to form a single whole

Question 39

Chicanery

“Dishonest used-car salesmen often use chicanery to sell their beat-up old cars.”

Answer 39

deception by means of craft or guile

Question 40

Chaos

“In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from a chaotic void.”

Answer 40

great disorder or confused situation

Question 41

Catalyst

“ The imposition of harsh taxes was the catalyst that finally brought on the revolution.”

Answer 41

something that brings about a change in something else

Question 42

Circumspect

“She was very circumspect in her language and behavior when first introduced to her fiancee’s parents.”

Answer 42

cautious, aware of potential consequences

Question 43

Chauvinist

“The attitude that men must be obeyed since they are inherently superior to women is common among male chauvinists.”

Answer 43

someone prejudiced in favor of a group that he or she belongs to

Question 44

Caustic

“Dorothy Parker gained her caustic reputation from her cutting, yet witty, insults.”

Answer 44

biting in wit

Question 45

Castigate
“Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of what would be only minor crimes in the US.”

Answer 45

to punish or criticize harshly

Question 46

Cogent

“Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant.”

Answer 46

convincing and well-reasoned

Question 47

Connoisseur

“Dr. Crane was a connoisseur of the fine food and wine, drinking and eating only the best.”

Answer 47

a person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes

Question 48

Enervate

“The guerillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would enervate the regular army”.

Answer 48

to reduce in strength