598

Question 1

cumbersome

\ˈkäm-bər-səm\

Answer 1

D. clumsy

E. The application process is cumbersome and time-consuming.

Question 2

cuneate

\ˈkyü-nē-ˌāt\

Answer 2

D. wedge-shaped

E. cuneate leaf

Question 3

cupidity

\kyu̇-ˈpi-di-tē\

Answer 3

D. greed

E. reports of great treasure in the Indies inflamed the cupidity of Columbus’s crew

Question 4

curmudgeon

\kər-ˈm(ä)-jən\

Answer 4

D. a bad-tempered, cantankerous person

E. only a curmudgeon would object to the nursing home’s holiday decorations

Question 5

curry*

\ˈk(ə)r-ē\

Answer 5

D. to try to obtain favor by flattery

Question 6

cursory

\ˈk(ə)r-sə-rē\

Answer 6

D. superficial

E. a cursory glance / Even the most cursory look at the organization’s records shows problems.

Question 7

curtail

Answer 7

D. to cut short

Question 8

cynic

Answer 8

D. a person who believes all actions are n\motivated by selfishness

E. A cynic might think that the governor visited the hospital just to gain votes.

Question 9

dais

\ˈd(ā)-əs\

Answer 9

D. a platform in a hall or room

E. the speaker took his place at the front of the dais

Question 10

dally

\ˈda-lē\

Answer 10

D. to play or trifle; to waste time

E. accused him of dallying with a serious problem

Question 11

dank

\ˈdaŋk\

Answer 11

D. damp

E. vegetables tended to go bad quickly in the dank cellar

Question 12

dastard

\ˈd(a)s-tərd\

Answer 12

D. a mean coward

E. the villain of the story is a dastard indeed

Question 13

daunt

\ˈdänt\

Answer 13

D. to intimidate

E. he raging inferno didn’t daunt the firefighters for a moment

Question 14

dauntless

Answer 14

D. bold

Question 15

dearth

\ˈdərth\

Answer 15

D. scarcity

E. there was a dearth of usable firewood at the campsite

Question 16

debacle

\dē-ˈb(ä)-kəl\

Answer 16

D. an overwhelming defeat or failure

E. After the debacle of his first novel, he had trouble getting a publisher for his next book.

Question 17

debase

Answer 17

D. to lower in dignity, quality, or value

E. The governor debased himself by lying to the public.

Question 18

debauch

\di-ˈb(ä)-ch\

Answer 18

D. to corrupt

E. the long stay on a tropical isle had debauched the ship’s crew to the point where they no longer acted liked naval professionals

Question 19

debilitate

Answer 19

D. to weaken

E. the virus debilitates the body’s immune system.

Question 20

debonair

\ˌde-bə-ˈn(e)r\

Answer 20

D. courteous; gay

E. Their history, past and recent, may be scribbled with viciousness and deprivation, but the debonair politeness, the good humor, of the Irish I met, who are still among the poorest people in the West, gave me to believe that calamity breeds mellow character.

Question 21

decadence

Answer 21

D. decay

E. The book condemns the decadence of modern society.

Question 22

decamp

Answer 22

D. to break camp; to run away

E. He decamped to Europe soon after news of the scandal broke.

Question 23

deciduous

Answer 23

D. falling off at a certain time or yearly (as leaves from trees)

E. a deciduous forest / tree

Question 24

decimate

\ˈd(e)-sə-ˌmāt\

Answer 24

D. to kill a large part of

E. Budget cuts have decimated public services in small towns. / firebombs decimated the city

Question 25

declivity

\di-cl(ē)-vi-tē\

Answer 25

D. a downgrade; a slope

E. the cabin is precariously perched on a declivity of the mountain’s northern face

Question 26

decorous

\ˈd(e)-kər-əs\

Answer 26

D. proper

E. we were asked to be on our most decorous behavior at the formal event / the oppressively decorous standards of a royal court

Question 27

decoy

\ˈd(ē)-ˌkȯi\

Answer 27

D. a lure or bait

E. we set the decoy afloat in the marsh and from the blind waited for the ducks to arrive

Question 28

decrepit

\di-ˈkr(e)-pit\

Answer 28

D. weak from age

E. My decrepit car barely starts.

Question 29

decry

Answer 29

D. to speak against publicly

E. In her article, she decries the pollution of the environment by manufacturers. / Violence on television is generally decried as harmful to children.

Question 30

deduce

\di-ˈdüs\

Answer 30

D. to reason out logically; to conclude from known facts

E. I can deduce from the simple observation of your behavior that you’re trying to hide something from me.

Question 31

de facto

\di-ˈf(a)k-tō\

Answer 31

D. in fact, actuall

E. with the death of his father, he became the de facto head of the family / a de facto state of war

Question 32

defalcate

\di-ˈf(e)l-ˌkāt\

Answer 32

D. to misuse money left in one’s care; to embezzle

Question 33

defamation

\ˌde-fə-ˈm(ā)-shən\

Answer 33

D. slander

E. accused the newspaper columnist of defamation of character

Question 34

default

Answer 34

D. neglect; failure to do what is required

E. lost the game by default / The defendant has made no appearance in the case and is in default. / You can enter your own settings or use the defaults.

Question 35

defection

\di-ˈf(e)k-shən\

Answer 35

D. desertion; conscious abandonment of duty (as to a person, cause, or doctrine)

E. He was overcome by a sudden defection of courage. / His defection to East Germany was regarded as treasonable.

Question 36

deference

\ˈd(e)-fə-rəns\

Answer 36

D. regard for another’s wishes

E. Her relatives treat one another with deference. / She returned early in deference to her parents’ wishes.

Question 37

defile

Answer 37

D. to make dirty or pollute; to dishonor

E. the countryside defiled by billboards / defile a sanctuary

Question 38

definitive

\di-ˈf(i)-ni-tiv\

Answer 38

D. conclusive; distinguishing

E. a definitive victory / The court has issued a definitive ruling. / a definitive collection of the band’s albums

Question 39

deflect

Answer 39

D. to turn aside; to deviate

E. armor that can deflect bullets / They are trying to deflect attention from the troubled economy.

Question 40

defunct

Answer 40

D. not functioning

Question 41

deign

\ˈdān\

Answer 41

D. to condscend (reluctantly and with a strong sense of the affront to one’s superiority that is involved)

E. I wouldn’t deign to answer that absurd accusation.

Question 42

delete

Answer 42

D. to strike out or erase

Question 43

deleterious

\ˌde-lə-ˈt(i)r-ē-əs\

Answer 43

D. harmful

E. The chemical is deleterious to the environment. / In developing countries, the imposition of boundaries around national parks and protected areas has been deleterious for both people and wildlife.

Question 44

delineate

\di-ˈl(i)-nē-ˌāt, dē-\

Answer 44

D. to sketch or design; to portray

E. lights delineating the narrow streets / The report clearly delineates the steps that must be taken. / The characters in the story were carefully delineated.

Question 45

delude

\də-ˈlüd\

Answer 45

D. to mislead

E. we deluded ourselves into thinking that the ice cream wouldn’t affect our diet

Question 46

delusion

\də-ˈlü-zhən\

Answer 46

D. a false belief

E. He is living under the delusion that he is incapable of making mistakes. / As the illness progressed, his delusions took over and he had violent outbursts.