8 sprints - repeat

Question 1

to surprise someone very much

Answer 1

to astonish

Question 2

untidy; not cared for

Answer 2

unkempt

Question 3

to hate someone or something very much

Answer 3

to detest

Question 4

(of a person) never thinking about things that are serious or important

Answer 4

superficial

Question 5

to believe something to be true because it is very likely, although you are not certain

Answer 5

to presume

Question 6

careful not to cause embarrassment or attract too much attention, especially by keeping something secret

Answer 6

discreet (adj)

Question 7

to cause someone to become less respected

Answer 7

to demean

Question 8

knowledge of a subject

Answer 8

my acquaintance with Spanish literature is rather limited

Question 9

the place of origin of something

Answer 9

provenance

Question 10

the process of getting stored information from a computer

Answer 10

retrieval

Question 11

to fail to include or do something

Answer 11

to omit
She was omitted from the list of contributors to the report. The book omitted any mention of the king’s illness.

Question 12

(used especially in reporting questions and expressing doubts) if, or not

Answer 12

whether

I doubt whether it’ll work.
Anyway, it’s a good story, whether or not it’s true.

Question 13

seeming likely to be true, or able to be believed

Answer 13

plausible (adj) / a plausible explanation

Question 14

An *** thought or feeling is one that you do not know you have

Answer 14

unconscious (adj) / my unconscious desire to impress her

Question 15

only and not involving anyone or anything else

Answer 15

solely (adv)

I bought it solely for that purpose.

Question 16

to say bad things about someone to influence other people’s opinion of them

Answer 16

to besmirch /bɪˈsmɜːtʃ/ / hey served to besmirch her reputation.

Question 17

to get something, especially by asking for it, buying it, working for it, or producing it from something else

Answer 17

to obtain

Sugar is obtained by crushing and processing sugar cane.

Question 18

a result or effect of an action, situation, etc.

Answer 18

outcome

It’s too early to predict the outcome of the meeting.

Question 19

expressing welcome, approval, or pleasure in a way that shows very strong feeling

Answer 19

effusive (adj)

They gave us such an effusive welcome it was quite embarrassing.

Question 20

a sudden wish or idea, especially one that cannot be reasonably explained

Answer 20

whim

We booked the trip on a whim

Question 21

looking bright and attractive but in fact cheap and of low quality

Answer 21

tawdry (adj) /ˈtɔː.dri/

some districts are downright tawdry.

Question 22

to feel a strong dislike for someone or something because you think that that person or thing is bad or has no value

Answer 22

to despise

despise someone/yourself for something

Question 23

the quality of being good and deserving praise (formal)

Answer 23

Merit

Her ideas have merit.

Question 24

the addition of more information to or an explanation of something that you have said

Answer 24

elaboration

This point needs greater elaboration.

Question 25

unable to produce plants or fruit OR unable to have children or young animals

Answer 25

barren (adj)

She became very depressed during the barren years when she was unable to paint.

Question 26

to start doing a job or being responsible for something that another person did or had responsibility for before

Answer 26

to take (something) over

She took over as manager two weeks ago. He took over from the previous headmaster in February.

Question 27

to do or finish an unpleasant but necessary piece of work or duty so that you do not have to worry about it in the future

Answer 27

to get something over with

I’ll be glad to get these exams over with.

Question 27

serious, sad, and without humor or entertainment

Answer 27

somber /ˈsɑːm.bɚ/ (adj)

I left them in a somber mood.

Question 28

They’re okay with that

Answer 28

They seem pretty calm about it

Question 29

to come from something

Answer 29

derive from something (phrasal verb) / The English word “olive” is derived from the Latin word “oliva”

Question 30

one of the main characters in a story or a play

Answer 30

protagonist

Key protagonists of the revolution were hunted down and executed.

Question 31

to feel or express great pleasure or satisfaction because of your own success or good luck, or someone else’s failure or bad luck

Answer 31

to gloat

She’s continually gloating over/about her new job.

Question 32

the act of using or spending energy, time, or money

Answer 32

expenditure on

The expenditure of effort on this project has been enormous

Question 33

to arrange for an event or activity to happen

Answer 33

set something up

We need to set up a meeting to discuss the proposals.

Question 34

If something *** to you, it makes you suffer

Answer 34

get to someone

The heat was beginning to get to me, so I went indoors.

Question 35

only; just / Used to emphasize that an amount is small.

Answer 35

a matter of something (idiom) / In a matter of seconds, the building was in flames.

Question 36

to show that something is very important or worth giving attention to

Answer 36

to emphasize

I’d just like to emphasize how important it is for people to learn foreign languages.

Question 37

That’s correct

Answer 37

That’s be fair to say

Question 38

to persuade someone that something false is the truth (in a negative way)

Answer 38

to deceive

The company deceived customers by selling old computers as new ones.

Question 39

to continue to be informed about something (phrasal verb)

Answer 39

keep up with something

He’s never made an effort to keep up with current events.

Question 40

to supply or produce something positive such as a profit, an amount of food or information

Answer 40

to yield

The investigation yielded some unexpected results.

Question 41

(I broke the coffee machine because of that)

Answer 41

It was getting a little chummy around here.

Question 42

(of a fact, event, etc.) to show something or prove that something is true

Answer 42

to testify

These monuments testify to the prosperity of the country and the richness of its culture.

As his story testifies, social mobility is not a myth.