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Question 1

unfathomable

-ˈfa-thə-mə-bəl\

Answer 1

D. too strange or difficult to be understood

E. an unfathomable mystery / an unfathomable expression

Question 2

ungainly

Answer 2

D. lacking in smoothness or dexterity; hard to handle; having an awkward appearance

E. ungainly movements / an ungainly contraption / a large ungainly bird

Question 3

unguent

\än-gwe’nt\

Answer 3

D. a soft substance that is used for rubbing onto the skin to heal it

Question 4

unimpeachable

Answer 4

D. that you cannot doubt or question

E. evidence from an unimpeachable source

Question 5

unique

Answer 5

D. unlike any other

Question 6

unkempt

Answer 6

D. not well cared for; not neat or tidy

E. The children were unwashed and unkempt. / a wild and unkempt garden

Question 7

unmitigated

Answer 7

D. used to mean ‘complete’, usually when describing something bad; unrelieved

E. The evening was an unmitigated disaster. / sufferings unmitigated by any hope of early relief

Question 8

unprecedented

Answer 8

D. never before

Question 9

unremitting

\än-rē-‘mi-\

Answer 9

D. never stopping

E. unremitting hostility / unremittingly gloomy weather

Question 10

unruly

Answer 10

D. unmanageable

E. He struggled hard to control his unruly emotions.

Question 11

unseemly

Answer 11

D. not proper

E. He spent unseemly amounts of money on himself.

Question 12

untenable

Answer 12

D. that cannot be defended against attack or criticism; unable to be held

E. His position had become untenable and he was forced to resign.

Question 13

unwitting

Answer 13

D. not aware of what you are doing or of the situation you are involved in

E. He became an unwitting accomplice in the crime. / She was the unwitting cause of the argument.

Question 14

unwonted

-wōn-\

Answer 14

D. rare

E. He spoke with unwonted enthusiasm.

Question 15

upbraid

\äp-brād\

Answer 15

D. to rebuke

E. his wife upbraided him for his irresponsible handling of the family finances

Question 16

urbane

\e’r-‘bān\

Answer 16

D. polished and refined

E. He was charming and urbane, full of witty conversation.

Question 17

usurp

\yü-‘se’rp\

Answer 17

D. to take by force

E. the usurpation of power

Question 18

usury

\ˈyü-zhə-rē\

Answer 18

D. the practice of lending money to people at unfairly high rates of interest

Question 19

utilitarian

(ˌ)yü-ˌti-lə-ˈter-ē-ən\

Answer 19

D. designed to be useful and practical rather than attractive

Question 20

utopian

Answer 20

D. having a strong belief that everything can be perfect, often in a way that does not seem to be realistic or practical

E. utopian ideals / a utopian society

Question 21

uxorious

\ˌək-ˈsȯr-ē-əs\

Answer 21

D. overly fond of one’s wife

Question 22

vacillate

'vä-se’-lāt\

Answer 22

D. to keep changing your opinion or thoughts about something, especially in a way that annoys other people

E. The country’s leaders are still vacillating between confrontation and compromise.

Question 23

vacuous

Answer 23

D. empty; showing no sign of intelligence or sensitive feelings

E. He stared down at her, grinning vacuously.

Question 24

vagary

\ˈvā-gə-rē\

Answer 24

D. a peculiarity

E. the vagaries of a rather eccentric, elderly lady

Question 25

vainglorious

\ˌvān-ˈglȯr-ē-əs\

Answer 25

D. too proud of your own abilities or achievements

E. a vainglorious woman who always insists on being the center of attention

Question 26

valiant

'va-\

Answer 26

D. very brave or determined

E. She made a valiant attempt not to laugh.

Question 27

validate

Answer 27

D. to confirm legally

Question 28

vanguard

\ven-‘gärd\

Answer 28

D. the groups in front: the leaders of a movement in society; the part of an army, etc. that is at the front when moving forward to attack the enemy

E. The company is proud to be in the vanguard of scientific progress. / The army was advancing steadily and the vanguard was already at the border.

Question 29

vapid

Answer 29

D. dull, lacking interest or intelligence

E. The vapid conversation bored her.

Question 30

variegated

\ˈva-rē-ə-ˌgāt-\

Answer 30

D. having spots or marks of a different colour; consisting of many different types of thing or person

E. a plant with variegated leaves

Question 31

vaunt

\ˈvänt\

Answer 31

D. a boast

E. even the noblest of fellows have been known to vaunt a bit

Question 32

veer

Answer 32

D. to change direction suddenly

E. It is still not clear why the missile veered off course. / His emotions veered between fear and anger.

Question 33

vegetate

Answer 33

D. to have a dull, inactive existence

E. I just spent the weekend vegetating at home.

Question 34

vehement

Answer 34

D. showing very strong feelings, especially anger

E. He had been vehement in his opposition to the idea. / The charge was vehemently denied.

Question 35

venal

'vē-ne’l\

Answer 35

D. prepared to do dishonest or immoral things in return for money

E. a reputation for venality and corruption

Question 36

vendetta

Answer 36

D. a long and violent disagreement between two families or groups, in which people are murdered in return for previous murders

E. He has accused the media of pursuing a vendetta against him. / V for Vendetta

Question 37

vendor

Answer 37

D. a seller

Question 38

vengeance

've’n-je’nce\

Answer 38

D. the act of punishing or harming somebody in return for what they have done to you, your family or friends

E. He swore vengeance on his child’s killer.

Question 39

*vencer

Answer 39

**

Question 40

venerable

Answer 40

D. old and honorable

Question 41

venerate

Answer 41

D. to respect deeply

Question 42

venial

'vē-ni-e’l\

Answer 42

D. forgivable (because it’s not very serious)

E. taking the restaurant’s menu as a souvenir seems like a venial offense

Question 43

vent

Answer 43

D. an opening that allows air, gas or liquid to pass out of or into a room, building, container, etc

E. Children give vent to their anger in various ways.

Question 44

veracious

\və-ˈrā-shəs\

Answer 44

D. truthful, honest

E. he has a reputation for being veracious, so people generally take his word for things

Question 45

verbatim

\ve’r-‘bä-te’m\

Answer 45

D. exactly as spoken or written

E. He reported the speech verbatim.

Question 46

verbiage

\ˈvər-bē-ij\

Answer 46

D. the use of too many words, or of more difficult words than are needed, to express an idea

E. teachers loathe the verbiage that students resort to in order to pad a paper