week 1

Question 1

civilian

[n, adj]

Answer 1

a person who is not a member of the armed forces, or police, or fire-fighting forces

Eight of the passengers were soldiers, and one was a marine; the rest were civilians

Question 2

complicated

[adj]

Answer 2

not simple or easy; intricate

if some of the requirements for graduation seem complicated, see your guidance counselor. he will be glad to explain them to you

Question 3

concur

[v]

Answer 3

agree, be of the same opinion

good sportsmanship requires you to accept the umpire’s decision even if you do not concur with it

Question 4

confirm

[v]

Answer 4

state or prove the truth of; substantiate

my physician thought i had borken my wrist, and an x ray later confirmed his opinion

Question 5

digress

[v]

Answer 5

turn aside, get off the main subject in speaking or writing

at one point in his talk, the speaker digressed to tell us of an incident in his childhood, but then he got right back to his topic

Question 6

fragile

[adj]

Answer 6

easily borken; breakable; weak; frail

the handle is fragile; it will easily break if you use too much pressure

Question 7

galore

[adj]

Answer 7

plentiful; abundant (galore always follows the word it modifies)

there were no failures on the final test, but on the midterm there were failures galore

Question 8

genuine

[adj]

Answer 8

actually being what it is claimed or seems to be; true; real; authentic

jane wore an imitation fur coat that every one thought it was made of genuine leopard skin

Question 9

hostile

[adj, n]

Answer 9

of or relating to an enemy or enemies; unfriendly

it was not immediately announced whether the submarine reported off our coast was of a friendly or a hostile nation

Question 10

impatient

[adj]

Answer 10

not patient; not willing to bear delay; restless; anxious

five minutes can seem like five hours when you are impatient

Question 11

inter

[v]

Answer 11

put into the earth or in a grave; bury

many american heroes are interred in arlington national cemetery

Question 12

mitigate

[v]

Answer 12

make less severe; lessen; soften; relieve

with the help of novocaine, your dentist can greatly mitigate the pain of drilling

Question 13

novice

[n]

Answer 13

one who is new to a field or activity; beginner

our dance club has two groups; one for experienced dancers and one for novices

Question 14

original

[adj, n]

Answer 14

a work created firsthand and from which copies are made
belonging to the beginning; first; earliest

most of us can buy copies of a masterpiece, but few can afford the original
miles standish was one of the original colonists of massachusetts; he cam over on the ‘mayflower’

Question 15

rarity

[n]

Answer 15

something uncommon, infrequent, or rare

rain in the sahara desert is a rarity

Question 16

resume

[v, n]

Answer 16

begin again

school closes for the christmas recess on december 24 and resumes on january 3

Question 17

shrink

[v]

Answer 17

draw back; recoil

wendy shrank from the task of telling her parents about her low french mark,but she finally got the courage and told them

Question 18

sober

[adj]

Answer 18

not drunk
serious; free from excitement or exaggeration

our driver had refused all strong drinks because he wanted to be sober for the trip home

Question 19

suffice

[v]

Answer 19

be enough, adequate, or sufficient

i told dad that $3 would suffice for my school supplies. as it turned out, it was not enough

Question 20

vacant

[adj]

Answer 20

empty; unoccupied; not being used

i had to stand for the first half of the performance because i could not find a vacant seat