Chapter 2

Question 1

supplant

Answer 1

tr. v.
1. To take the place of or substitute for (another), replace: Computers have largely supplanted typewriters.
2. To usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics: In the Bible, Jacob supplants his older brother Esau.

Question 2

consensual

Answer 2

adj.

1. Of or expressing a consensus: a consensual decision.

Question 3

adversarial

Answer 3

adj.
Relating to or characteristic of an adversary; involving antagonistic elements: “Some speakers fall almost willingly into an adversarial relationship with the audience”

Question 4

megalomania

Answer 4

n.

1. A psychopathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of wealth, power, or omnipotence.
2. An obsession with grandiose or extravagant things or actions.

Question 5

omnipotent

Answer 5

adj.
Having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful.
n.
1. One having unlimited power or authority: the bureaucratic omnipotents.
2. Omnipotent God. Used with “the”.

Question 6

pillories

Answer 6

n. pl.
A wooden framework on a post, with holes for the head and hands, in which offenders were formerly locked to be exposed to public scorn as punishment.

Question 7

polemic

Answer 7

n.

1. A controversial argument, especially one refuting or attacking a specific opinion or doctrine.
2. A person engaged in or inclined to controversy, argument, or refutation.

Question 8

adroit

Answer 8

adj.

Quick and skillful in body or mind; deft.

Question 9

repudiate

Answer 9

v.
1. To reject the validity or authority of
2. To reject emphatically as unfounded, untrue, or unjust: repudiated the accusation.
3. To refuse to recognize or pay: repudiate a debt.
4.
a. To disown (e.g. a child).
b. To refuse to have any dealings with.

Question 10

vociferous

Answer 10

adj.

Making, given to, or marked by noisy and vehement outcry.

Question 11

kernel

Answer 11

n.
1. A grain or seed, as of a cereal grass, enclosed in a husk.
2. The usually edible seed inside the hard covering of a nut or fruit stone.
3.
a. The central or most important part; the core
b. A small amount of something, especially when potentially developing into something else: detected a kernel of anger in his remarks.

Question 12

asunder

Answer 12

adv.

1. Into separate parts or pieces: broken asunder.
2. Apart from each other either in position or in direction: The curtains had been drawn asunder.

Question 13

stymie

Answer 13

v.
To be an obstacle to; prevent the advancement or success of; thwart or stump: weather that stymied attempts to locate the missing hikers; a math problem that stymied half the class.

Question 14

denigrate

Answer 14

v.

1. To attack the character or reputation of; speak ill of; defame
2. To disparage; belittle: The movie critics denigrated the director’s latest film.

Question 15

truism

Answer 15

n.

A statement that is obviously true or that is often presented as true

Question 16

ensconce

Answer 16

v.

1. To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably: She ensconced herself in an armchair.
2. To place or conceal in a secure place.

Question 17

ambivalence

Answer 17

n.

1. The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings, such as love and hate, toward a person, object, or idea.
2. Uncertainty or indecisiveness as to which course to follow.

Question 18

stultify

Answer 18

v.

1. To cause to lose interest or feel dull and not alert: The audience was stultified by the speaker’s unchanging monotone.
2. To render useless or ineffectual: e.g. stultify imagination
3. To cause to appear stupid, inconsistent, or ridiculous: stultify himself by quarrelling

Question 19

clout

Answer 19

n.
1.
a. Influence; pull
b. Power; muscle.
2. A blow, especially with the fist.

Question 20

consternation

Answer 20

n.

A state of great alarm, agitation, or dismay.

Question 21

hegemonies

Answer 21

n. pl.

The predominance of one state or social group over others.

Question 22

wherewithal

Answer 22

n.

The necessary means, especially financial means: didn’t have the wherewithal to survive an economic downturn.

Question 23

sanguine

Answer 23

adj.
1.
a. Cheerfully confident; optimistic: sanguine about the prospects for an improved economy.
b. At ease; accepting
2.
a. Of the color of blood; red.
b. Of a healthy reddish color; ruddy: a sanguine complexion.

Question 24

detritus

Answer 24

n. pl.
1. Loose fragments or grains that have been worn away from rock.
2. Disintegrated or eroded matter; debris: the detritus of past civilizations.

Question 25

esoteric

Answer 25

adj.
1.
a. Intended for or understood by only a small group, especially one with specialized knowledge or interests: an esoteric philosophical doctrine.
b. Relating to or being a small group with specialized knowledge or interests: an esoteric circle.
2. Not known by or suitable for the public; private: Few understood the celebrity’s esoteric side.
3. Obscure, difficult to understand