SAT 3

Question 1

Pariah

Answer 1

(n.) an outcast; persona non grata

Question 2

Cantankerous

Answer 2

(adj.) bad-tempered, ornery, grumpy, grouchy

Question 3

Rote

Answer 3

(n.) mechanical or habitual repetition of something to be learned; automatically, mindlessly, memorization

Question 4

Debutant

Answer 4

(n.) a person making a first appearance (especially in society)

Mr. Marple, the debutant, hit a homerun in his first at-bat in the MLB!

Question 5

Penultimate

Answer 5

(adj.) the second to last one in a series

Star Wars Episode 8, The Last Jedi is the penultimate movie in the Skywalker saga. Episode 9, The Rise of Skywalker was the final installment.

Question 6

Obsequious

Answer 6

adj.) excessively obedient or complimenting, sycophantic, subservient, cloying, submissive, oleaginous

Question 7

Spontaneity

Answer 7

(n.) the condition of being spontaneous

Question 8

Gallivant

Answer 8

(v.) to go around from place to place for fun, roam, travel, wander

Question 8

Sanguine

Answer 8

(adj.)
a. optimistic or positive, especially in a difficult situation (hopeful, cheerful, buoyant)
b. blood-red

Question 9

Perfunctory

Answer 9

(adj.) (of an action or gesture) carried out with minimum effort, cursory, lacking effort, hasty, brief

Question 10

Capricious

Answer 10

adj.) given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior, variable, mercurial, unpredictable, volatile, changeable

Question 11

Despot

Answer 11

(n.) an autocratic ruler, totalitarian, tyrant

Question 12

Utilitarian

Answer 12

(adj.) designed to be useful or practical (rather than attractive); functional, effective, useful

After having his 17th kid, the semi-idiot king needed an addition to his mansion, but elected to go for a utilitarian floor plan to fit all his kids’ toys rather than a beautiful palatial estate.

Question 13

Troglodyte

Answer 13

(n.)
a. (literally) a caveman, hermit
b. (informally) somebody intentionally ignorant or old-fashioned

Question 14

Brooding

Answer 14

(adj.) showing deep unhappiness in thought

Question 15

Brood

Answer 15

(v.) to think deeply about something that makes one unhappy

Question 16

Incredulity/Incredulous

Answer 16

(n.) the state of being unwilling to believe something; disbelief, dubiousness, skepticism
(adj) - (of a person or their manner) unwilling or unable to believe something; dubious; doubtful

Question 17

Dapper

Answer 17

(adj.) (typically of a man) neat and trim in dress and appearance; dashing, handsome, well-dressed

Question 18

Bellicose

Answer 18

(adj.) demonstrating aggression or willingness to fight; pugnacious (OMM: hostile, combative, antagonistic)

Question 19

Stoic

Answer 19

(adj.) a person not showing pain, hardship, nerves, or stress

Question 20

Cacophony

Answer 20

(n.) a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds; din, racket
Cacophonous – (adj.) harsh-sounding
Antonym: mellifluous, dulcet

Question 21

Candid

Answer 21

(adj.) truthful and straightforward, honest, frank, blunt, open, unposed (in a photo)
Candor – (n.) open and honest

Question 22

Demure

Answer 22

(adj.) reserved, modest, shy, milquetoast

Question 23

Proverbial

Answer 23

(adj.) for a word or phrase referred to as a proverb or idiom (“Steph Curry was proverbially on fire”)

Antonym of literally

Question 24

Alacrity

Answer 24

(n.) brisk and cheerful readiness; eagerness, willingness, enthusiastic