Ana Karenina 1

Question 1

snipe

Answer 1

noun ( pl. same or snipes ) a wading bird of marshes and wet meadows, with brown camouflaged plumage, a long straight bill, and typically a drumming display flight. “…Sviyazhsky, who had excellent snipe marshes near by and who had written” MD. long straight bill like the stem of a camouflaged pipe

Question 2

usury

Answer 2

the lending of money at exorbitant interest rates.

Question 3

crockery

Answer 3

n. Tableware (eating and serving dishes) collectively = dishware “And the prince adopted the Russian spirit with extreme ease, smashed whole trays of crockery, sat gypsy girls on his knees and seemed to be asking: ‘What else, or is this all that makes up the Russian spirit?’ “ MD -

Question 4

earthenware

Answer 4

a ceramic made of clay fired at low heat.

• It is nonvitrious unlike bone china, porcelain, and stoneware.

MD - there are different forms of ceramics, but earthenware was the earliest form of pottery.

Question 5

china

Answer 5

(also called porcelain) fine white or translucent vitrified ceramic material.

MD - porcelain is referred to as China because it was developed in China 2000 years ago.

Question 6

unservile

Answer 6

not submissive. suggesting the fawning behavior of a slave

• “He was equable and unservile with his superiors, free and simple with his equals, and contemptuously good-natured with his inferiors” (355)
• Etymology - Latin served us servile with the help of servilis, itself from servus, the Latin word for “slave.” Servus is also an ancestor of serve, service, and servitude. Synonyms of servile in English include subservient, slavish, and obsequious. Servile - suggests the fawning behavior of a slave.
• MD - Drill sergant who insists on being called sir is unservile.

Question 7

equable

Answer 7

1. (of a person) not easily disturbed or angered; calm and even-tempered.
2. (of a climate) not varying or fluctuating greatly: an equable climate.

• “He was equable and unservile with his superiors, free and simple with his equals, and contemptuously good-natured with his inferiors” (355)
• MD Ecuador, being at the equator, has an equable climate. Consistently hot and humid

Question 8

penitent

Answer 8

adjective Feeling pain or sorrow on account of sins or offenses;

• “…she said with a penitent and at the same time trustful smile.”
• MD Before one is repentant (expressing or feeling sincere regret or remorse) one must feel penitent

Question 9

cipher

Answer 9

one that has no weight, worth, or influence .

• ” ‘Not bad, but a mere cipher.’ “ (355)
• MD - cipher - c and e for cero

Question 10

confound

Answer 10

cause surprise or confusion in (someone), esp. by acting against their expectations: the inflation figure confounded economic analysts

Question 11

salutary

Answer 11

producing a beneficial effect MD - salutary - SALUD

Question 12

fallacy

Answer 12

a false or mistaken idea resulting from incorrect reasoning. “Pestsov liked to bring his discussions to a finish, and had not been satisfied with Koznyshev’s remark, especially as he felt the fallacy of his own opinion.”

Question 13

languid

Answer 13

sluggishness from fatigue or weakness

• ’ “It seems to me,” replied Karenin deliberately and languidly, “that it is one and the same thing. “ ‘ (352)

Question 14

Samson

Answer 14

a Hebrew hero who wreaked havoc among the Philistines by means of his great strength

Question 15

vitrify

Answer 15

to convert into glass or a glassy substance by heat

• MD - Latin (vitrium - glass) vitrify to convert to glass.

Question 16

marsh

Answer 16

noun an area of low-lying land that is flooded in wet seasons or at high tide, and typically remains waterlogged at all times. Marshes can often be found at the edges of lakes and streams, where they form a transition between the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.