C (III)

Question 1

counterpart (n.)

Answer 1

a thing that completes another; things very much alike

Night and day are counterparts, complementing one another.

Question 2

coup (n.)

Answer 2

highly successful action or sudden attack

As the news of his coup spread throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him.

Question 3

couple (v.)

Answer 3

to join; to unite

The Flying Karamazovs couple expert juggling and amateur joking in their nightclub act.

Question 4

courier (n.)

Answer 4

messanger

The publisher sent a special courier to pick p the manuscript.

Question 5

covenant (n.)

Answer 5

agreement

We must comply with the terms of the covenant.

Question 6

covert (adj.)

Answer 6

secret; hidden; implied

Investigations of the Central Intelligence Agency and other secret service networks reveal that such covert operations can get out of control.

Question 7

covetous (adj.)

Answer 7

avaricious (=having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain); eagerly desirous of

The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates.

Question 8

cow (v.)

Answer 8

to terrorize; to intimidate

The little boy was so cowed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of protest.

Question 9

cower (v.)

Answer 9

to shirk quivering, as from fear

The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.

Question 10

coy (adj.)

Answer 10

shy; modest; coquettish

Reluctant to commit herself so early in the game, Kay was coy in her answers to Ken’s offer.

Question 11

cozen (v.)

Answer 11

to cheat; to hoodwink; to swindle

He was the kind of individual who would cozen his friends in a cheap card game but remain eminently ethical in all business dealings.

Question 12

crabbed (adj.)

Answer 12

sour; peevish

The crabbed old man was avoided by the children because he scolded them when they made noise.

Question 13

craftiness (n.)

Answer 13

slyness; trickiness

In many Native America legends, the coyote is the clever trickster, the embodiment of craftiness.

Question 14

crass (adj.)

Answer 14

very unrefined; grossly insensible

The film critic deplored the crass commercialism of movie-makers who abandon artistic standards in order to make a quick buck.

Question 15

craven (adj.)

Answer 15

cowardly

Lillian’s craven refusal to join the protest was criticized by her comrades, who had expected her to be brave enough to stand up for her beliefs.

Question 16

credence (n.)

Answer 16

belief

Do not place any credence in his promises.

Question 17

credibility (n.)

Answer 17

believability

Because the candidate had made some pretty unbelievable promises, we began to question the credibility of everything she said.

Question 18

credo (n.)

Answer 18

creed (a set of beliefs or aims that guide someone’s actions)

I believe we many best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Golden Rule.

Question 19

crescendo (n.)

Answer 19

increase in the volume or intensity, as in a musical passage; climax

The music suddenly shifted its mood, dramatically switching from a muted, contemplative passage to a crescendo with blaring trumpets and clashing cymbals.

Question 20

crest (n.)

Answer 20

highest point of a hill; foamy top of a wave

Fleeing the tidal wave, the islanders scrambled to reach the crest of Mount Lucinda.
With relief, they watched the crest of the wave break well below their vantage point.

Question 21

crestfallen (adj.)

Answer 21

dejected; dispirited

We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen, he was busily engaged in planning new activities.

Question 22

cringe (v.)

Answer 22

to shrink back, as if in fear

The dog cringed, expecting a blow.

Question 23

criterion (n.)

Answer 23

standard used in judging

What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner?

Question 24

crop (v.)

Answer 24

to cut off unwanted parts of a photograph; graze

With care, David cropped the picture until its edges neatly framed the flock of sheep cropping the grass.

Question 25

crotchety (adj.)

Answer 25

eccentric; whimsical

Although he was reputed to be a crotchety old gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and sensible.

Question 26

crux (n.)

Answer 26

crucial point

This is the crux of the entire problem: everything centers on its being resolved.

Question 27

crypt (n.)

Answer 27

secret recess or vault, usually used for burial

Until recently, only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in this crypt.

Question 28

cryptic (adj.)

Answer 28

mysterious; hidden; secret

Thoroughly baffled by Holmes’s cryptic remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.

Question 29

cubicle (n.)

Answer 29

small compartment partitioned off; small bedchamber

Hoping to personalize their workspace, the staff members decorated their tiny identical cubicles in markedly individual ways.

Question 30

cuisine (n.)

Answer 30

style of cooking

French cuisine is noted for its use of sauces and wines.

Question 31

culinary (adj.)

Answer 31

relating to cooking

Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices.

Question 32

cull (v.)

Answer 32

to pick out; to reject

Every month the farmer culls the nonlaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher.

Question 33

culminate (v.)

Answer 33

to attain the highest point; to climax

George Bush’s years of service to the Republican Party culminated in his being chosen as the Republican candidate for the presidency.
His subsequent inauguration as President of the United States marked the culmination of his political career.

Question 34

culpable (adj.)

Answer 34

deserving blame

Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable.

Question 35

cumbersome (adj.)

Answer 35

heavy; hard to manage

He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.

Question 36

cumulative (adj.)

Answer 36

growing by addition

Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to your vocabulary, one by one.

Question 37

cupidity (n.)

Answer 37

greed

The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.

Question 38

curator (n.)

Answer 38

superintendent; manager

The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.

Question 39

curmudgeon (n.)

Answer 39

churlish (=rude in a mean-spirited and surly way), miserly individual

Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and act of charity that he secretly performed.

Question 40

cursive (adj.)

Answer 40

flowing, running

In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters.

Question 41

cursory (adj.)

Answer 41

casual; hastily done

Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicated the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire’s cause.

Question 42

curtail (v.)

Answer 42

to shorten; to reduce

When Herb asked Diane for a date, she said she was really sorry she couldn’t go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.

Question 43

cynical (adj.)

Answer 43

skeptical or distrustful of human motives

Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift “with no strings attached.”

Question 44

cynosure (n.)

Answer 44

the object of general attention

As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.