GRE_3000_List17

Question 1

nugatory

Answer 1

of little or no consequence
[E] The book is entertaining, but its contributions to Shakespearean are nugatory.
[S] incidental,inconsiderable
[A] consequential;substantial
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Question 2

obeisance

Answer 2

a movement of the body made in token of respect or submission
[E] make obeisance to her mentors.
[S] obeisant
[A] impertinent;impudent;imperious

Question 3

obfuscate

Answer 3

to make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand
[E] obfuscate the reader
[S] becloud;befog;blur;muddy;
[A] demystify;elucidate;illuminate;clarify;

Question 4

oblique

Answer 4

inclined or twisted to one side
[E] The old man give the eavesdropper an oblique glance.
[S] askew;cant;listing;
[A] direct;level;straight;

Question 5

obliterate

Answer 5

to remove from existence
[E] The March snowstorm obliterated our hopes for an early spring.
[S] efface;eradicate;expunge;expurgate;extirpate;

Question 6

oblivious

Answer 6

lacking conscious awareness; not informed about or aware of something
[E] He seemed oblivious to the fact that he had hurt her.
[S] incognizant;insensible;unwitting
[A] mindful;vigilant;cognizant;witting

Question 7

obloquy

Answer 7

1 abusively detractive language or utterance;
[E] She unlashed a torrent of obloquy on her opponent.
[S] billingsgate;fulmination;invective;scurrility;vitriol;vituperation
[A] adulation;
2 the state of having lost the esteem of others
[E] The accused murder was condemned to live out his days in perpetual obloquy.
[S] discredit;disesteem;dishonor;disrepute;opprobrium;
[A] esteem;honor;respect;

Question 8

obsequious

Answer 8

marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
[E] She’s constantly flowed by obsequious assistants who will do anything.
[S] supercilious

Question 9

obtuse

Answer 9

not having or showing an ability to absorb ideas readily
[E] Are you being deliberately obtuse?
[S] dumb; fatuous; oafish; vacuous;
[A] brainy; insightful; nimble

Question 10

obviate

Answer 10

to anticipate and prevent or make unnecessary
[E] The new treatment obviates the need for surgery.
[S] avert; forestall; preclude; stave off;

Question 11

occult

Answer 11

1 not easily apprehended or understood; abstruse
[E] an occult reference in the text that has puzzled many scholars
[S] ambiguous; arcane; equivocal; inscrutable;opaque;
[A] manifest;patent; bare;
2 to keep secret or shut off from view
[E] The actor’s life had long been occulted by a contrived public persona.
[S] belie; blanket; cloak;
[A] bare;disclose;

Question 12

offbeat

Answer 12

noticeably different from what is generally found
[E] The writer has an enjoyable offbeat sense of humor.
[S] extraordinarily;peculiar;
[A] bathetic; hackneyed;

Question 13

officious

Answer 13

thrusting oneself where one is not welcome
[E] an officious little man who was always telling others how to do their jobs.
[S] interfering; intruding;
[A] unobtrusive;

Question 14

omniscient

Answer 14

possessed of complete knowledge
[E] an omniscient god
[A] vacuous

Question 15

opine

Answer 15

to express opinions
[E] You can opine about everything you like.
[S] editorialize; comment;

Question 16

opportune

Answer 16

suitable or convenient for a particular occurrence
[E] an opportune moment
[S] seasonable;
[A] inconvenient;

Question 17

opprobrious

Answer 17

1 expressing contemptuous reproach;
[E] opprobrious language
[S] scurrilous; vitriolic; vituperative;
2 bring disgrace; shameful or infamous
[E] opprobrious conduct
[S] discreditable;
[A] irreproachable;

Question 18

ossify

Answer 18

to become hardened
[E] a disease that ossified the joints
[A] make pliant

Question 19

ostentatious

Answer 19

marked by or found of conspicuous or vainglorious and sometimes pretentious display
[E] She wears an ostentatious diamond ring on his neck.
[S] flamboyant;
[A] modest;artless;austere;

Question 20

ostracize

Answer 20

to exclude from a group
[E] He was ostracized from the scientific community for many years because of his radical political beliefs.
[S] banish; bounce; chase;
[A] embrace

Question 21

outmaneuver

Answer 21

to overcome by artfully, and clever maneuvering
[E] He outmaneuvered his congressional opponent.
[S] outfox; outslick;

Question 22

overture

Answer 22

1 an introductory section or part
[E] preamble; preliminary;
2 an instrumental composition intended especially as an introduction to an extended work, such as an opera or oratorio.
[E] The parade down Main Street served as the overture for a weekend for fun and festivals.
[A] coda

Question 23

oxymoron

Answer 23

a combination of contradictory or incongruous words

[E] The phrase “ cruel kindness “ is an oxymoron.

Question 24

paean

Answer 24

a joyous song or hymn o praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph
[E] Her retirement party featured many paeans for her long years of service to the company.
[S] accolade; dithyramb

Question 25

palatable

Answer 25

giving pleasure or contentment to the mind of senses [E] I always associate the palatable aroma of the turkey with Thanksgiving. [S] agreeable; congenial; delectable; dulcet; luscious; [A] unpalatable;

Question 26

palatial

Answer 26

of the natural of a palace, as in spaciousness or ornateness [E] a palatial penthouse apartment; [S] deluxe; lavish; [A] spartan; ascetic;

Question 27

palmy

Answer 27

marked by prosperity [E] the palmy days of the British drama [S] flourishing; prosperous; halcyon [A] depressed

Question 28

palpable

Answer 28

``` 1 capable of being touched or felt [E] a small but palpable lump in my neck [S] touchable; [A] intangible; 2 obvious; [E] a palpable difference; [S] detectable; [A] imperceptible;inappreciable; ```

Question 29

palter

Answer 29

to act insincerely or deceitfully [E] unwilling to palter over the price of the house [S] chaffer; dicker;haggle; [A] candor;

Question 30

paltry

Answer 30

1 lacking in important or worth [E] Venture capitalists appear to be confused by such paltry amounts. [S] niggling; piffling; trivial; [A] material; 2 arousing or deserving one's loathing or disgusting [E] a paltry, underhanded scheme to get someone fired [S] cheap; lousy; scummy; scurry; [A] admirable; creditable;

Question 31

panache

Answer 31

dash or flamboyance in style and action [E] Belanger dances with an undemonstrative panache that draw one's attention as if by seeking to deflect it; through fitness and understatement, he manages to seem at once intensely present and curiously detached. [S] humility; dullness;

Question 32

pandemonium

Answer 32

wild uproar or noise [E] Christmas morning at our house is always marked by pandemonium. [S] bluster; furor; pother; ruckus; ruction; tumult; [A] serene;

Question 33

pandemic

Answer 33

widespread [E] pandemic malaria [S] limited

Question 34

panoramic

Answer 34

``` of an unobstructed or complete view of an area in every direction [S] compendious; cyclopedic; embracive; [A] narrow; [P] panorama; [E] a panorama of American history ```

Question 35

paradigm

Answer 35

one that serves as a pattern [E] He was the paradigm of the successful man. [S] archetype; example; paragon

Question 36

paragon

Answer 36

``` 1 a model of excellence or perfection of a kind [E] a paragon of a good husband [S] archetype 2 to compare with [E] paragon treat with treachery [S] assimilate; parallel; [A] contrast ```

Question 37

paramount

Answer 37

of chief concern or importance [E] The paramount goal is to restore the colonial-era house with complete historical accuracy. [S] cardinal; chief; primary; [A] ancillary; paltry

Question 38

paranoid

Answer 38

exhibiting or characterized by extreme and irrational fear or distrust of others [E] a paranoid suspicion that the phone might be bugged [S] distrustful; [A] credulous; [P] paranoia

Question 39

parch

Answer 39

to make extremely dry [E] parch a surface from exposure to sun [S] dehydrate; desiccate; scorch; [A] douse; drench; hydrate; steep;

Question 40

pariah

Answer 40

one that is despised or rejected [E] I felt like a pariah when I wore the wrong suit to the dinner party. [S] castaway; castoff [A] respectable person

Question 41

parity

Answer 41

the quality or state of being equal [E] achieve parity with our commercial competitors. [S] coequality; coordinateness; [A] disparity

Question 42

parody

Answer 42

1 a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule [E] The Back Dormitory Boys specialized in parody of Backstreet Boys. [S] burlesque; caricature; spoof; travesty; 2 to copy or exaggerate in order to make fun [E] parody a public figure's management [S] imitate; mock; mimic

Question 43

paroxysm

Answer 43

``` 1 a sudden outburst of emotion [E] a paroxysm of coughing [S] burst; ebullition; eruption; 2 a violent disturbance [E] Darwin's introduction of the theory of evolution created paroxysm in both religion and science that are still being felt today. [S] bouleversement; cataclysm; upheaval; ```

Question 44

parrot

Answer 44

to repeat or imitate, especially without understanding [E] parrot others blindly [S] ditto; copy; duplicate; [A] coin

Question 45

parry

Answer 45

to evade especially by an adroit answer. [E] He parried the embarassing question with a clever reply. [S] avoid; dodge; [A] confront

Question 46

pastiche

Answer 46

1 a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that imitates the style of previous work, often with satirical intend. [E] a pastiche of Birth of Venus [S] parody 2 a pasticcio of incongruous parts; a hodgepodge [E] a pastiche of dishes from different countries. [S] agglomerate

Question 47

pathological

Answer 47

being such to a degree that is extreme, excessive, or markedly abnormal [E] She has a pathological fear for sneaks. [S] anomalous; [A] normal;

Question 48

patina

Answer 48

1 a superficial covering [E] a superficial patina of knowledge [S] facade [A] core 2 an appearance or aura that is derived from association, habit [E] Although the winery is brand-new, it has been constructed and decorated to give it a patina of old-world quaintness. [S] ambience; halo; vibration

Question 49

nudge

Answer 49

1 to seek the attention of by a push o the elbow [E] accidentally nudged me as he squeezed past 2 to try to persuade through earnest appeals to follow a course of attention. [E] The car salesman nudged me into taking a test-drive. [S] encourage,exhort,goad,press,prod