Key Terms 1

Question 1

aberrant

Answer 1

deviating from the norm

Question 2

abscond

Answer 2

to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide

Question 3

clandestinely

Answer 3

in a secretive and illicit way

Question 4

approbation

Answer 4

an expression of approval or praise

Question 5

arduous

Answer 5

strenuous, taxing; requiring significant effort

Question 6

assuage

Answer 6

to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify

Question 7

austere

Answer 7

without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic

Question 8

ascetic

Answer 8

characterized by or suggesting the practice of severe self-discipline and abstention from all forms of indulgence, typically for religious reasons

Question 9

axiomatic

Answer 9

taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth

Question 10

capricious

Answer 10

inclined to change one’s mind impulsively; erratic, unpredictable

Question 11

censure

Answer 11

to criticize severely; to officially rebuke

Question 12

chicanery

Answer 12

trickery or subterfuge

Question 13

subterfuge

Answer 13

deceit in order to achieve one’s goal

Question 14

disabuse

Answer 14

to undeceive, to set right

Question 15

discordant

Answer 15

conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound

Question 16

effrontery

Answer 16

extreme boldness; presumptuousness

Question 17

enervate

Answer 17

to weaken, to reduce in vitality

Question 18

ennul

Answer 18

dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy

Question 19

equivocate

Answer 19

to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent

Question 20

exculpate

Answer 20

to exonerate; to clear of blame

Question 21

exigent

Answer 21

urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action of attention

Question 22

extemporaneous

Answer 22

improvised; done without preparation

Question 23

filibuster

Answer 23

intentional obstruction, especially using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action

Question 24

fulminate

Answer 24

to loudly attack or denounce

Question 25

ingenuous

Answer 25

artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication

Question 26

inured

Answer 26

accustomed to accepting something undesirable

Question 27

irascible

Answer 27

easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts

Question 28

laud

Answer 28

to praise highly

Question 29

lucid

Answer 29

clear; easily understood

Question 30

magnanimity

Answer 30

the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving

Question 31

martial

Answer 31

associated with war and the armed forces

Question 32

nascent

Answer 32

coming into being; in early developmental stages

Question 33

nebulous

Answer 33

vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form

Question 34

neologism

Answer 34

a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses

Question 35

noxious

Answer 35

harmful, injurious

Question 36

obviate

Answer 36

to anticipate and make unnecessary

Question 37

onerous

Answer 37

troubling; burdensome

Question 38

paean

Answer 38

a song of hymn of praise and thanksgiving

Question 39

perfidy

Answer 39

intentional breach of faith; treachery

Question 40

perfunctory

Answer 40

cursory; done without care of interest

Question 41

cursory

Answer 41

hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

Question 42

perspicacious

Answer 42

acutely perceptive; having keen discernment

Question 43

prattle

Answer 43

to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner

Question 44

precipitate

Answer 44

acting with excessive haste or impulse

Question 45

predilection

Answer 45

a disposition in favor of something; preference

Question 46

prescience

Answer 46

foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring

Question 47

prevaricate

Answer 47

to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead

Question 48

qualms

Answer 48

misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy

Question 49

relegate

Answer 49

to forcibly assign, especially to a lower place or position

Question 50

reticent

Answer 50

quiet; reserved; reluctant to express

Question 51

solicitous

Answer 51

concerned and attentive; eager

Question 52

sordid

Answer 52

characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul

Question 53

squander

Answer 53

to waste by spending or using irresponsibly

Question 54

stymie

Answer 54

to block; to thwart

Question 55

tortuous

Answer 55

winding, twisting; excessively complicated

Question 56

truculent

Answer 56

fierce and cruel; eager to fight

Question 57

veracity

Answer 57

truthfulness; honesty

Question 58

voracious

Answer 58

having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous

Question 59

waver

Answer 59

to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion