Vocabulary

Question 1

impregnable

Answer 1

im·preg·na·ble
/imˈpregˌnəbəl/
Adjective
(of a fortified position) Unable to be captured or broken into: “an impregnable wall of solid sandstone”; “impregnable to takeovers”.
Unable to be defeated or destroyed; unassailable.
Synonyms
inexpugnable - invincible - unassailable

Question 2

natter

Answer 2

nat·ter
verb
To talk idly; chatter.
To talk aimlessly, often at great length; rarely, it means simply to converse.

You can tell our staff meetings are winding down when everybody starts nattering about their kids.

Question 3

ostentatious

Answer 3

os·ten·ta·tious
/ˌästənˈtāSHəs/
Adjective

Characterized by vulgar or pretentious display.

I tried to tell Mary her fur coat was a bit too ostentatious to be worn at a funeral!

Synonyms
showy

Question 4

didactic

Answer 4

di·dac·tic
\dī-ˈdak-tik, də-\
Adjective

1. Designed or intended to teach
2. Intended to convey instruction and information as well as pleasure and entertainment

Sentences:

1. The poet’s works became increasingly didactic after his religious conversion.
2. Slaves related human as well as animal trickster tales; they told Bible stories, explanatory tales, moralistic and didactic tales, supernatural tales and legends. —Lawrence W. Levine, The Unpredictable Past, 1993

Question 5

pragmatic

Answer 5

prag·mat·ic
\prag-ˈma-tik\
Adjectives

1. Archaic
2. relating to matters of fact or practical affairs often to the exclusion of intellectual or artistic matters : practical as opposed to idealistic
3. relating to or being in accordance with philosophical pragmatism

Sentences:

1. His pragmatic view of public education comes from years of working in city schools.
2. A pragmatic man, not given to grand, visionary schemes…
3. … their pragmatic successors like Benjamin Franklin were concerned with lightning’s … power but not its thrilling scenic value. —John Updike, New York Review of Books, 15 Aug. 2002

Question 6

bilk

Answer 6

bilk
verb

1.
a. To defraud, cheat, or swindle: made millions bilking wealthy clients on art sales.
b. To evade payment of: bilk one’s debts.
2. To thwart or frustrate: “Fate . . . may be to a certain extent bilked” (Thomas Carlyle).
3. To elude.
n.
1. One who cheats. (bilker)

Question 7

engender

Answer 7

en·gen·der
/enˈjendər/
Verb

Verb
Cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition).
Beget (offspring).

Synonyms
generate - produce - cause - beget - create - originate

Sentence:

“engendered deep loyalty in their students.”

“This can also engender a feeling of belonging, even pride in being part of the project team.”

“engendered fiercer hatred than religion.”

Question 8

replete

Answer 8

re·plete
/riˈplēt/

Adjective
Filled or well-supplied with something.
Very full of or sated by food.

Synonyms
full - fraught - saturated

Sentence:
“replete with drama, soviet paranoia and sinister computer geeks.”

“replete with examples of the efficacy of the word.”

“Online articles are often replete with cutting-edge information on just about every topic.”

Question 9

propagate

Answer 9

prop·a·gate
/ˈpräpəˌgāt/

Verb
Breed specimens of (a plant, animal, etc.) by natural processes from the parent stock.

(of a plant, animal, etc.) Reproduce in such a way: “the plant propagates from stem cuttings”.

Synonyms
spread - disseminate - multiply - breed - diffuse

“propagate through to the iam data.”

“propagate hatred, yet they are often the people who hate, and not their critics.”

“propagated by seed in the spring or divided in the autumn or spring.”

Question 10

placate

Answer 10

pla·cate
/ˈplākāt/

Verb
Make (someone) less angry or hostile.

Synonyms
appease - pacify - soothe - propitiate - mollify

Sentence:

“placate the unions who say that even negotiations cannot help in this matter.”

“placate these gods.”

“placate the farming lobby than protect wildlife because of its political leverage.”

Question 11

ephemeral

Answer 11

e·phem·er·al
/əˈfem(ə)rəl/

Adjective
Lasting for a very short time: “fashions are ephemeral”; short-lived

Noun
An ephemeral plant.

Synonyms
transitory - transient - momentary - short-lived

“There is a risk that partnerships will prove ephemeral if they are devised in response to a particular funding regime.”

“ephemeral nature of the public’s interest.”

“To go through very ephemeral thought processes which did not necessarily need to reach any tangible conclusions.”