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Question 1

aggrandize

Answer 1

v. to make larger or greater

One of the concerns of the framers of the U.S. Constitution was that one branch of government would try to aggrandize itself at the expense of the others.

Question 2

aggregate

Answer 2

adj. amounting to a whole; total

The aggregate wealth of a country includes private as well as public resources and possessions.

Aggregate is also a verb meaning to collect into a mass.
Portals are Web sites designed to aggregate information and are used as a starting point on the Web.

Aggregate is also a noun meaning collective mass or sum.

Question 3

alacrity

Answer 3

n. cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed

The football coach was pleased to see the team get to work on the tasks of improving its tackling skills with alacrity.

Question 4

alchemy

Answer 4

n. medieval chemical philosophy based on changing metal into gold; a seemingly magical power or process of transmutation.

Alchemy was the forerunner of the modern science of chemistry.

Question 5

allay

Answer 5

v. to lessen; ease; soothe

Improvements in antivirus software have allayed many people’s fears of having their computers “infected” with malicious software.

Question 6

alleviate

Answer 6

v. to relieve; improve partially

According to some commentators, one of the weaknesses of capitalism is that, although it is very efficient at increasing absolute wealth, it is not as successful at alleviating relative poverty; thus, a person living in a slum in America may be reasonably well of by historical standards, but he might perceive himself to be poor compared to members of the bourgeoisie, whom he sees regularly buying luxury goods that he is not able to afford.

Question 7

alloy

Answer 7

n. a combination; a mixture of two or more metals

Scientists formulate alloys to create properties that are not possessed by natural metals or other substances.

Question 8

allure

Answer 8

n. the power to entice by charm

Political groups in the U.S. often lobby Congress to use the allure of America’s vast market as an incentive for countries to pursue policies in accordance with American policies.

Question 9

amalgamate

Answer 9

v. to combine into a unified whole

In early 1999, six municipalities were amalgamated into an enlarged city of Toronto, Canada.

Question 10

ambiguous

Answer 10

adj. unclear or doubtful in meaning

The gender of the Mahayana Buddhist deity Avalokitesuara, the god of infinite mercy, is ambiguous in both China and Japan, where the god is sometimes called a gooddess.