chapter 05

Question 1

verletzend, beleidigend

Answer 1

scathing (adj.) [ˈskeɪðɪŋ]

(sharp, critical, hurtful)

Beispiel:
My boss made several scathing comments on my work before firing me.

Question 2

fahl, blass

Answer 2

pallid (adj.) [ˈpælɪd]

(pale, with no color in one’s face)

Beispiel:
Her pallid face is evidence of her poor health and lack of exercise.

Question 3

geeignet, adäquat, passend

Answer 3

appropriate (adj.) [əˈprəʊpriət]

(suitable, following expected patterns and norms)

Beispiel:
What’s an appropriate birthday present for a colleague who is retiring after 40 years of service?

Question 4

sprunghaft, flüchtig

Answer 4

tangential (adj.) [tænˈdʒenʃl̩]

(incidental, with no direct relevance or connection)

Beispiel:
Why do you keep talking about these tangential issues; can’t you keep to the point?

Question 5

kompromisslos, unversöhnlich

Answer 5

intransigent (adj.) [ɪnˈtrænsɪdʒənt]

(refusing to compromise or to change one’s attitudes or plans)

Beispiel:
We’ve repeatedly tried to reach an agreement with them, but they’re completely intransigent, refusing to give way on anything.

Question 6

geheim, esoterisch

Answer 6

esoteric (adj.) [ˌesəʊˈterɪk]

(understood by only a select few)

Beispiel:
His esoteric writings are highly regarded, but not widely read.

Question 7

hektisch, fieberhaft

Answer 7

frenetic (adj.) [frəˈnetɪk]

(very busy, hectic, frantic)

Beispiel:
Life in New York is so frenetic; I try to escape to my country house at least once a month.

Question 8

betäubend, verblüffend

Answer 8

stupefying (adj.) [ˈstjuːpɪfaɪɪŋ]

(surprising, making someone unconscious)

Beispiel:
What a stupefyingly boring movie - I could hardly keep my eyes open!

Question 9

homogen, gleichartig

Answer 9

homogeneous (adj.) [ˌhɒməˈdʒiːnɪəs]

(all of the same texture or type)

Beispiel:
The population in my neighborhood is very homogeneous; they’re almost all professional couples with children.

Question 10

flüchtig, oberflächlich

Answer 10

cursory (adj.) [ˈkɜːsəri]

(brief to the point of being superficial)

Beispiel:
He was already late for the meeting, and only gave a cursory look at the agenda.

Question 11

prägnant, klar

Answer 11

incisive (adj.) [ɪnˈsaɪsɪv]

(clear, sharp, direct)

Beispiel:
Jane’s incisive comments helped us to see the true issues and brought the discussions to an end.

Question 12

umgangssprachlich

Answer 12

colloquial (adj.) [kəˈləʊkwɪəl]

(typical of informal conversation)

Beispiel:
You shouldn’t use too many colloquial expressions in a formal examination.

Question 13

allgegenwärtig, universell

Answer 13

ubiquitous (adj.) [juːˈbɪkwɪtəs]

(found everywhere, widespread)

Beispiel:
Mobile phones are ubiquitous these days, even in Africa.

Question 14

flüchtig, kurzlebig

Answer 14

transient (adj.) [ˈtrænzɪənt]

(passing in and out; temporary)

Beispiel:
The population of Palm Beach is quite transient; almost everyone is a tourist.

Question 15

totalitär

Answer 15

totalitarian (adj.) [ˌtəʊtælɪˈteərɪən]

(not democratic, authoritarian (political system))

Beispiel:
Totalitarian governments frequently arrest journalists on false charges.

Question 16

haftbar, verantwortlich

Answer 16

liable (adj.) [ˈlaɪəbl̩]

(responsible, obliged to deal with)

Beispiel:
The driver is liable for any damage to the vehicle.

Question 17

fragwürdig

Answer 17

dubious (adj.) [ˈdjuːbɪəs]

(doubtful, of uncertain quality)

Beispiel:
These cars are of dubious quality. They frequently break down.

Question 18

gehäuft

Answer 18

cumulative (adj.) [ˈkjuːmjʊlətɪv]

(increasing, building upon itself)

Beispiel:
The cumulative effect of listening to this awful music is deep depression.

Question 19

zynisch

Answer 19

cynical (adj.) [ˈsɪnɪkl̩]

(not trusting people’s intentions, not believing in people’s honesty)

Beispiel:
Why are you always so cynical? There are good people in the world, you know.

Question 20

hörbar, vernehmlich

Answer 20

audible (adj.) [ˈɔːdəbl̩]

(able to be heard)

Beispiel:
The music was so far away that it was not audible.

Question 21

schüchtern, schamhaft

Answer 21

bashful (adj.) [ˈbæʃfl̩]

(shy, very timid)

Beispiel:
Frankie is very bashful; he hates attending parties where he has to speak to strangers.

Question 22

heftig

Answer 22

vehement (adj.) [ˈviːəmənt]

(passionate, intense, with strong feeling)

Beispiel:
He’s vehemently opposed to allowing immigrants to be able to vote.

Question 23

stur

Answer 23

obstinate (adj.) [ˈɒbstɪnət]

(not giving way, refusing to change)

Beispiel:
He’s so obstinate, nothing will persuade him to change once he’s made up his mind.

Question 24

ironisch

Answer 24

ironic(al) (adj.) [aɪˈrɒnɪk]

(strange or contradictory, in an amusing way)

Beispiel:
It’s ironical that someone who always talks about the importance of marriage should end up in a very unpleasant divorce.

Question 25

vernünftig

Answer 25

prudent (adj.) [ˈpruːdnt]

(cautious, careful, avoiding risks and dangers)

Beispiel:
After losing so much money on high-risk technology companies, I’ve decided to invest more prudently in future.