GRE Major Tests Chapter 18

Question 1

Beguile

Answer 1

mislead, lure

ex) The car salesman tried to beguile the customer with an offer of free gas for a year.

Question 2

Congenital

Answer 2

present from birth

ex) Her deafness was considered congenital.

Question 3

Egalitarianism

Answer 3

belief in equality

ex) The justice system is not egalitarian because often the court sentences with people less harshly than poor people.

Question 4

Goad

Answer 4

prod, urge, provoke, annoy

ex) As a teacher, he was constantly looking for positive ways to goad her students into reading more.

Question 5

Irreproachable

Answer 5

cannot be criticized, perfect

ex) The police captain is expected to have irreproachable behavior.

Question 6

Nebulous

Answer 6

vague

ex) After the accident, his memories were quite nebulous.

Question 7

Pertinent

Answer 7

relevant

ex) As a lawyer, I have to wonder if these questions are pertinent to my client’s case.

Question 8

Rebuttal

Answer 8

denial

ex) Gil was so hurt by his wife’s accusation he refused to respond with a rebuttal.

Question 9

Subtle

Answer 9

not obvious

ex) He saw the subtle signal max gave his brother.

Question 10

Wary

Answer 10

hesitant, cautious

ex) His expression was wary, but he said nothing.

Question 11

Belabor

Answer 11

explain in unnecessary detail

ex) Critics thought they belabored the obvious.

Question 12

Connoisseur

Answer 12

person with refined taste and good judgement

ex) A true coffee connoisseur never drinks instant coffee.

Question 13

Egregious

Answer 13

outstandingly, obviously bad

ex) The judge said it was the most egregious act he had ever seen.

Question 14

Grate

Answer 14

to annoy

ex) The buzzing sound grated on her nerves.

Question 15

Irrevocable

Answer 15

cannot be cancelled

ex) Your smoking is causing irrevocable harm to your body.

Question 16

Nefarious

Answer 16

wicked, immoral

ex) The senior prank was a nefarious thing to do.

Question 17

Peruse

Answer 17

read carefully

ex) Peruse the manual to set up your television.

Question 18

Recant

Answer 18

disclaim

ex) A true follower will never recant his religious beliefs.

Question 19

Subversive

Answer 19

rebellious

ex) The government closely monitors subversive organizations to see if they pose a threat.

Question 20

Wax

Answer 20

to increase, to grow

ex) His love for her waxed.

Question 21

Beleaguer

Answer 21

besiege, attack

ex) The school bully would often beleaguer the smaller kids.

Question 22

Consecrate

Answer 22

dedicate

ex) The monks will consecrate the temple as a house of worship.

Question 23

Egress

Answer 23

exit

ex) The auditorium is designed to provide easy egress in an emergency.

Question 24

Gratis

Answer 24

free of charge

ex) The homeless shelter provides good gratis for needly individuals.

Question 25

Itinerant

Answer 25

nomadic ex) She is an itinerant teacher who travels between schools teaching special education students.

Question 26

Negate

Answer 26

cancel ex) Having our luggage stolen did not negate the fantastic time we had on our cruise.

Question 27

Pervasive

Answer 27

spreading everywhere ex) In many cities, police corruption is a pervasive issue that touches all communities.

Question 28

Recapitulate

Answer 28

summarize ex) The president will recapitulate the main points of his speech before leaving the podium.

Question 29

Succinct

Answer 29

concise ex) The ideal summary is succinct and to the point.

Question 30

Waylay

Answer 30

accost, stop ex) The trucks were being waylaid by bandits.

Question 31

Belie

Answer 31

Contradict ex) Because the large man wan ted to belie his gentle personality, he often spoke in a rough tone of voice.

Question 32

Consensus

Answer 32

general agreement ex) The teacher asked the group to reach a consensus on who would present their data to the class.

Question 33

Eloquent

Answer 33

fluent and persuasive in speech ex) The valedictorians eloquent words brought the audience to its feet.

Question 34

Gratuitous

Answer 34

unwarranted ex) He's always looking for gratuitous attention from his classmates by pulling all sorts of reckless stunts.

Question 35

Jaded

Answer 35

tired ex) He was jaded with love after having his heart broken countless times.

Question 36

Negligence

Answer 36

carelessness ex) I felt negligent for leaving her toddler alone in the car.

Question 37

Petrify

Answer 37

terrify, turn to stone ex) I was too petrified to go to the police.

Question 38

Receptacle

Answer 38

container ex) In the restaurant kitchen, there is a huge receptacle that holds the unwashed dishes.

Question 39

Suffragist

Answer 39

someone who campaigns for voting rights ex) If the people in the small country had suffrage, they would remove the evil leader from power.

Question 40

Weighty

Answer 40

serious ex) This is a very weighty problem.

Question 41

Belittle

Answer 41

to demean ex) Since the internet creates a feeling of anonymity, many people belittle others online because they do not fear any consequences.

Question 42

Conspicuos

Answer 42

easily seen, prominent ex) If you dye your hair purple, you will be very conspicuous among the other teachers.

Question 43

Elucidate

Answer 43

make clear ex) I hope my review will elucidate the strengths and weaknesses I found in your novel.

Question 44

Gravity

Answer 44

seriousness ex) They deserve punishment which matches the gravity of their crime.

Question 45

Jargon

Answer 45

specialized language used by experts ex) The coach and quarterback were the only two people who understood the jargon they exchanged.

Question 46

Neologism

Answer 46

newly coined word ex) The neologism became so popular it was added to most dictionaries.

Question 47

Petulant

Answer 47

sulky, peevish ex) He was a petulant child who as aggravated by the smallest things.

Question 48

Recluse

Answer 48

someone who cuts himself off from life ex) Despite her reputation as a refuse, Samantha held regular gatherings in her home to entertain close friends.

Question 49

Supercilious

Answer 49

proud and haughty ex) The supercilious woman demands special treatment for being pretty.

Question 50

Whelp

Answer 50

young dog ex) The little whelp will cry anytime the momma dog is away from him too long.