Vocab 20

Question 1

Philosophy

Answer 1

Philosophy – study of fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, & existence OR attitude that acts as guiding principle for behaviour

Question 2

Sociology

Answer 2

Sociology – study of human behaviour, beliefs & identity in context of social interactions, relationships, institutions & change

Question 3

Apprehensive

Answer 3

Apprehensive – anxious or fearful that something bad will happen

(E.g. “He felt apprehensive about going home.”)

Question 4

Sneer

Answer 4

Sneer – contemptuous or mocking (smile, remark, tone)

(E.g. “He acknowledged their presence with a condescending sneer.”)

Question 5

Glib

Answer 5

Glib – fluent but insincere & shallow

(E. g. “The glib phrases soon roll off the tongue.”)

Question 6

Deviant

Answer 6

Deviant – unusual & different behaviour from accepted standards, especially social-sexual behaviour

Question 7

Mercenary

Answer 7

Mercenary – hired soldier fighting for any nation without regard to political interests

Question 8

Hitherto

Answer 8

Hitherto – until now or until the point in time under discussion

(E.g. “She discovered a world of parties and pleasure she had hitherto only known by hearsay.”)

Question 9

Inexplicable

Answer 9

Inexplicable – unexplainable, unaccountable

(E.g. “For some inexplicable reason her mind went completely blank.”

Question 10

Unfathomable

Answer 10

Unfathomable – not fully understood or explored, incomprehensible

(E.g. “Her grey eyes were dark with some unfathomable emotion.”)

Question 11

Bland

Answer 11

Bland – lacking strong features, uninteresting

(E.g. “Bland, mass-produced pop music.”)

Question 12

Abysmal

Answer 12

Abysmal – bad, terrible

(E.g. “The quality of her work is abysmal.”)

Literary: deep, extreme

(e.g. “Waterfalls that plunge into abysmal depths.”)

Question 13

Disingenuous

Answer 13

Disingenuous – untruthful, insincere, pretending one knows less than one does

(E.g. “He was being somewhat disingenuous as well as cynical.”)

Question 14

Evocative

Answer 14

Evocative – bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind

(E.g. “Powerfully evocative lyrics.”)

Question 15

Unsparing

Answer 15

Unsparing – merciless, severe

(E.g. “He is unsparing in his criticism of the arms trade.”)

Question 16

Intrepid & Fortitude

Answer 16

Intrepid – fearlessness, endurance, fortitude

Fortitude – courage in pain or adversity

(“An intrepid engineer is on the edge of fulfilling his dream of conquering the world’s toughest mountaineering challenge.)

Question 17

Circumstantial

Answer 17

Circumstantial – pointing indirectly towards someone’s guilt but not conclusively proving it

(E.g. “The prosecution will have to rely on circumstantial evidence.”)

Question 18

Inexorable

Answer 18

Inexorable – unstopable, impossible to stop or prevent

(E.g. “The seemingly inexorable march of new technology.”)