Vocabulary

Question 0

Equivocal

Answer 0

Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous.

The experiment produced results. – Or – He responded to reporters’ questions with equivocal answers.

Synonyms; indefinite, noncommittal, vague

Question 1

Anomaly

Answer 1

Something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected.

The growth on the duck’s bill is a harmless anomaly.

Synonyms: oddity, peculiarity, aberration

Question 2

Lucid

Answer 2

Expressed clearly; easy to understand.

He is able to recognize his wife and his lucid moments. – Or – His lucid history of this Graham subject is scrupulously accurate.

Synonyms; luminous, clear, intelligible, articulate

Question 3

Precipitate

Answer 3

Done, made, or acting suddenly or without careful consideration.

I must apologize for my staff – their actions or precipitate.

Synonyms; hasty, hurried, rushed, provoke

Question 4

Assuage

Answer 4

To make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.

The letter assuaged the fears of most members.

Synonyms; alleviate, palliate, relieve

Question 5

Erudite

Answer 5

Having or showing great knowledge or learning.

The most erudite people in medical research attended the conference.

Synonyms; scholarly, educated, knowledgeable, intellectual

Question 6

Opaque

Answer 6

Hard or impossible to understand; unfathomable. Not able to be seen through; not transparent.

The technical jargon was opaque to her.

Synonyms; ambiguous, enigmatic, unclear

Question 7

Enigma

Answer 7

Something hard to understand or explain.

To his friends, he was always something of an enigma.

Synonyms; conundrum, perplexity

Question 8

Prodigal

Answer 8

Having or giving on a lavish Gail. Spending resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant.

The bankrupt man had difficulty letting go of his prodigal habits.

Synonyms; profligate, wasteful, imprudent.

Question 9

Fervid

Answer 9

Having or expressing great depth of feeling.

At the school board meeting the library and delivered a fervid speech defending the classic novel against would-be censors.

Synonyms; Arden, impassioned, vehement

Question 10

Placate

Answer 10

To lessen the anger or agitation of.

The parent attempted to placate the screaming child by offering him a cookie.

Synonyms; appease, assuage, propitiate

Question 11

Zeal

Answer 11

A strong feeling of interest and enthusiasm that make someone very eager or determined to do something

He was uncomfortable with the collectors zeal for the most expensive, most ostentatious brands – Rolex and Prada.

Synonyms; enthusiasm

Question 12

Laudable

Answer 12

Deserving praise

Reorganizing the files was a laudable idea.

Synonyms; commendable, praiseworthy

Question 13

Pedant

Answer 13

A person who over emphasizes rules or minor details; who makes an excessive or inappropriate display of learning.

It is not just the pedants who persist in this usage.

Synonyms; pedagogue, dogmatist, doctrinaire

Question 14

Capricious

Answer 14

Subject to, led by, or indicative of a sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change; erratic

He’s such a capricious boss I never know how he’ll react.

Synonyms; arbitrary, erotic, temperamental, volatile

Question 15

Engender

Answer 15

To produce or give rise to; to be produced; come into existence

Hatred engenders violence.

Synonyms; beget, foment, reciprocate

Question 16

Loquacious

Answer 16

Excessive talk; wordy; talkative

She was a loquacious dinner guest.

Synonyms; garrulous, valuable, verbose

Question 17

Pragmatic

Answer 17

Pertaining to a practical point of view

While daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, pragmatic gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them.

Synonyms;practical, commonsensical, realistic

Question 18

Abate

Answer 18

To reduce an amount, degree, or severity

As the hurricanes force abated, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.

Moderate, slacken, subside

Question 19

Abscond

Answer 19

To leave secretly

The patron absconded from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door.

Flee, decamp, escape

Question 20

Aggrandize

Answer 20

To increase in power, influence, and reputation

The supervisor sought to aggrandize himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own.

Apotheosize, glorify, augment

Question 21

Amalgamate

Answer 21

To combine; to mix together

Giant industries amalgamated with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega products Inc.

Combine, merge

Question 22

Ameliorate

Answer 22

To make better; to improve

The doctor was able to ameliorate the patient’s suffering using painkillers.

Pacify, improve

Question 23

Anachronism

Answer 23

Something out of place and time

The aged hippie used anachronistic phrases like “groovy” and “far out” that had not been popular for years.

Archaism, incongruity

Question 24

Arbitrate

Answer 24

To judge a dispute between two opposing parties Since the couple could not come to an agreement, a judge was forced to arbitrate their divorce proceedings. Adjudge, adjudicate, moderate

Question 25

Archaic

Answer 25

Ancient, old-fashioned Her archaic Commodore computer could not run the latest software. Archaism: an outdated word or phrase Ancient, bygone, obsolete

Question 26

Ardor

Answer 26

Intense and passionate feeling Bishop's ardor for landscape was evident when he passionately describe the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley. Forever, zealousness, zeal

Question 27

Assuage

Answer 27

To make something unpleasant less severe Like many people, Philip Larkin used alcohol to assuage his sense of meaninglessness and despair. Allay, propitiate, conciliate, placate

Question 28

Attenuate

Answer 28

To reduce in force or degree; to weaken The bill of rights attenuated the traditional power of government to change laws at will. Debilitate, enervate, weaken, undermine

Question 29

Banal

Answer 29

Predictable, clichéd, boring He used but now phrases like "have a nice day.", or "another day, another dollar." Quotidian, innocuous, commonplace

Question 30

Bombastic

Answer 30

Pompous in speech and manner Mussolini's speeches were mostly bombastic; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact. Bloated, pretentious, rhetorical

Question 31

Capricious

Answer 31

Changing one's mind quickly and often. Queen Elizabeth I was quite capricious; her court hears could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy. Erratic, mercurial, whimsical

Question 32

Castigate

Answer 32

To punish or criticize harshly Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore castigate perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the United States. Upbraid, reprimand, admonish

Question 33

Caustic

Answer 33

Biting in wit Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for caustic wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults. Biting, mordant, acerbic

Question 34

Chicanery

Answer 34

Deception by means of craft or guile Dishonest used car sales people often use chicanery to sell their cars. Deviousness, artifice, deception

Question 35

Cogent

Answer 35

Convincing and well – reasoned Swayed by the cogent argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to work with the defendant. Convincing, persuasive, valid

Question 36

Condone

Answer 36

To overlook, pardon, or disregard Some theorists believe the failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as condoning an air of lawlessness. Exculpate, pardon, excuse

Question 37

Corroborate

Answer 37

To provide supporting evidence Fingerprints corroborated the witnesses testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim's apartment. Authenticate, substantiate, verify

Question 38

Credulous

Answer 38

To trusting; gullible Although some four-year-olds believe in the Easter bunny, only the most credulous nine-year-olds believe in him. Naïve, susceptible, trusting

Question 39

Mollify

Answer 39

To calm or make less severe The argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise with mollify them. Appease, assuage, conciliate, pacify,

Question 40

Obdurate

Answer 40

Hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion The president was completely obdurate on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind. Inflexible, unyielding, intransigent, recalcitrant

Question 41

Obsequious

Answer 41

Overly submissive and eager to please The obsequious new associate made sure to complement her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue. Compliant, subservient, serval, deferential

Question 42

Obstinate

Answer 42

Stubborn, unyielding The obstinate child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked. Intransigent, pertinacious, stubborn

Question 43

Obviate

Answer 43

To prevent; to make a necessary The river was shallow enough to wait across that many points, which obviated the need for a bridge. Forestall, preclude, prohibit

Question 44

Onerous

Answer 44

Troublesome and oppressive; burdensome The assignment was so extensive and it difficult to manage that it proved onerous to the team in charge of it. Arduous, rigorous, formidable, cumbersome

Question 45

Opprobrium

Answer 45

Public disgrace After the scheme to embezzle from the elderly was made public, the treasury I resigned in utter opprobrium. Discredit, disrepute, disgrace, obloquy

Question 46

Ostentation

Answer 46

Excessive showing this The ostentation of the Sun Kings court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness of his palace Versailles. Conspicuousness, pretentiousness, flashiness

Question 47

Paradox

Answer 47

A contradiction or dilemma It is a paradox that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to attain it. Anomaly, irony

Question 48

Paragon

Answer 48

model of excellence or perfection she is the paragon of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hard-working, and just. Apotheosis, quintessence, standard, ideal