GRE Major Tests Chapter 6

Question 1

Aloof

Answer 1

distant, detached, cold

ex) The aloof princess stood in a corner alone.

Question 2

Cajole

Answer 2

coax

ex) Cajoled her into doing his laundry.

Question 3

Deplete

Answer 3

use up, lessen

ex) It would deplete her savings, but she could rent.

Question 4

Exceptionable

Answer 4

very bad (something which we should object to)

ex) An unpleasant highly exceptionable piece of writing.

Question 5

Illuminate

Answer 5

to light up or make clear

ex) The room was illuminated with red lights.

Question 6

Livid

Answer 6

very angry

ex) I was livid when I learned my flight would be delayed.

Question 7

Onerous

Answer 7

burdensome, hard to undertake

ex) Taking care of the puppy is an onerous task.

Question 8

Preamble

Answer 8

introductory material

ex) Without preamble he started talking.

Question 9

Sacrosanct

Answer 9

very holy, inviolable

ex) How dare you write in something as sacrosanct as a Bible?

Question 10

Traverse

Answer 10

to move across

ex) He traversed the forest.

Question 11

Altruism

Answer 11

putting others first, being self-sacrificing

ex) The billionaire is a altruistic man who gives away millions of dollars every year to various charities.

Question 12

Caldron

Answer 12

huge cooking pot

ex) She returned to the caldron of soup on the stove.

Question 13

Deplore

Answer 13

regret

ex) We deplore the development of nuclear weapons.

Question 14

Exculpate

Answer 14

free someone from blame

ex) I will present evidence that will exculpate my client.

Question 15

Illusory

Answer 15

deceptive, false

ex) Her success was only illusory.

Question 16

Lobbyist

Answer 16

person who tries to persuade someone to support a particular case

ex) As a lobbyist for a gun manufacturer, Harry tries to persuade legislators to vote against strict gun control bills.

Question 17

Onus

Answer 17

burden

ex) It is onus of the applicant to completely fill out the application materials.

Question 18

Precarious

Answer 18

unstable, risky

ex) I’m in a precarious situation.

Question 19

Sagacious

Answer 19

wise

ex) Many agree that replacing typewriters with computers is a sagacious idea because computers make typing, editing, and proofreading easier.

Question 20

Trepidation

Answer 20

fear

ex) Shaking with trepidation, the young man faced his fears of heights by skydiving.

Question 21

Ambiguity

Answer 21

uncertainty, vagueness

ex) The ambiguity beings to disappear as more explanations are made.

Question 22

Candid

Answer 22

frank, honest

ex) Because the politician made a candid speech, he earned respect of the votes.

Question 23

Deprecate

Answer 23

criticize, denounce

ex) The teacher should not deprecate his student’s efforts.

Question 24

Exegesis

Answer 24

scholars explanation or interpretation

ex) The task of biblical exegesis.

Question 25

Immutable

Answer 25

unchanging, permanent ex) Although I tried to get the bank president to change his mind about giving me the loan, I finally realized his decision was immutable.

Question 26

Longevity

Answer 26

long life ex) The politicians longevity in office will be determined by voter popularity.

Question 27

Opulent

Answer 27

wealthy, rich ex) He had an opulent lifestyle.

Question 28

Precept

Answer 28

guiding principle ex) The school's honesty precept dictates we only turn in our own work.

Question 29

Salacious

Answer 29

lecherous, erotic ex) The salacious content of some popular novels were demanded to be removed.

Question 30

Trite

Answer 30

unoriginal, dull ex) I did not finish the novel because the story's plot was trite and uninspiring.

Question 31

Amass

Answer 31

accumulate ex) To start a business, one needs to amass a huge sum of ready money.

Question 32

Callow

Answer 32

immature, lacking in life experience ex) Alice is a callow secretary who needs to take a few more computer classes.

Question 33

Depravity

Answer 33

moral corruption ex) That kind of depravity will get you arrested for public indecency.

Question 34

Execrable

Answer 34

very bad ex) The conditions in that restaurant were execrable.

Question 35

Immoderate

Answer 35

excessive, extreme ex) The climate in African countries is immoderately extreme.

Question 36

Lofty

Answer 36

arrogant, haughty, very high ex) She achieved her lofty objective of graduating from medical school.

Question 37

Opaque

Answer 37

does not let light through ex) I cannot see through the glass because it is opaque.

Question 38

Precedent

Answer 38

a previous occurrence used as a guide ex) The judges had no precedent to review before making their decision on the controversial case.

Question 39

Sage

Answer 39

a wise person ex) When I have questions about my courses, I often seek advice from my sage, my college mentor.

Question 40

Trinket

Answer 40

something of little value ex) She wore a trinket for the occasion.

Question 41

Ambiguous

Answer 41

unclear in meaning ex) The ambiguous position of women in modern society.

Question 42

Candor

Answer 42

frankness, sincere ex) Because the raptor was an honest woman, she replied with candor about the damage to the house.

Question 43

Deride

Answer 43

ridicule, make fun of ex) The movie critic took every opportunity to deride the A-list actor for making the awful film.

Question 44

Exemplary

Answer 44

outstandingly good, setting a fine example ex) His carefulness was exemplary, and his references are always exact.

Question 45

Impartial

Answer 45

unbiased, neutral ex) The impartial moderator managed the debate and did not show favoritism to either politician.

Question 46

Loquacious

Answer 46

talkative ex) After drinking four beers, my normally quiet wife becomes quite loquacious.

Question 47

Ordain

Answer 47

destine, order ex) Equal punishment was ordained for the two crimes.

Question 48

Precinct

Answer 48

district of a city. ex) A pedestrian precinct.

Question 49

Sallow

Answer 49

yellowish ex) He had lost weight and his skin had a sallow look.

Question 50

Trivial

Answer 50

unimportant ex) It might be trivial, but it was an integral part of their marriage.