Chapter 20

Question 1

odyssey

Answer 1

a long and eventful or adventurous journey or experience

Question 2

orchestrate

Answer 2

1 arrange or score (music) for orchestral performance: the song cycle was stunningly arranged and orchestrated.
2 arrange or direct the elements of (a situation) to produce a desired effect, especially surreptitiously: the developers were able to orchestrate a favorable media campaign.

Question 3

ordain

Answer 3

1 make (someone) a priest or minister; confer holy orders on: he was ordained a minister before entering Parliament | women ordained to the diaconate | (as adjective ordained) : an ordained clergyman.
2 order or decree (something) officially

Question 4

ordeal

Answer 4

a painful or horrific experience, especially a protracted one: the ordeal of having to give evidence.

Question 5

protracted

Answer 5

lasting for a long time or longer than expected or usual

Question 6

ordinance

Answer 6

1 North American a piece of legislation enacted by a municipal authority: a city ordinance banned smoking in nearly all types of restaurants.
2 an authoritative order; a decree.

Question 7

ornate

Answer 7

made in an intricate shape or decorated with complex patterns: an ornate wrought-iron railing.

Question 8

orthodox

Answer 8

(of a person or their views, especially religious or political ones, or other beliefs or practices) conforming to what is generally or traditionally accepted as right or true; established and approved: orthodox medical treatment | orthodox Hindus | the orthodox economics of today.
• (of a person) not independent-minded; conventional and unoriginal: a relatively orthodox artist.

Question 9

ossify

Answer 9

1 turn into bone or bony tissue: these tracheal cartilages may ossify.
2 become rigid or fixed in attitude or position; cease developing: our political system has ossified.

Question 10

oust

Answer 10

drive out or expel (someone) from a position or place: he ousted a long-term incumbent by only 500 votes.

Question 11

outlying

Answer 11

remote; situated far from a center

Question 12

outmoded

Answer 12

old-fashioned

Question 13

outskirts

Answer 13

the outer parts of a town or city: the park was built on the outskirts of New York in 1857.
• the fringes of something: he likes to be on the outskirts of a discussion.

Question 14

overbearing

Answer 14

unpleasantly or arrogantly domineering: his overbearing, sometimes ruthless desire to succeed.

Question 15

overhaul

Answer 15

1. verb: take apart (a piece of machinery or equipment) in order to examine it and repair it if necessary
2. noun: a thorough examination of machinery or a system, with repairs or changes made if necessary

Question 16

overrule

Answer 16

reject or disallow by exercising one’s superior authority: the Supreme Court overruled the lower court.
• reject the decision or argument of (someone): he was overruled by his senior managers.

Question 17

overpower

Answer 17

defeat or overcome with superior strength: he overpowered the two men and frogmarched them to the police station.
• be too intense for; overwhelm: they were overpowered by the fumes.

Question 18

overshadow

Answer 18

appear much more prominent or important than: his competitive nature often overshadows the other qualities.
• be more impressive or successful than (another person): he was always overshadowed by his brilliant elder brother.

Question 19

overturn

Answer 19

tip over; upend

Question 20

overt

Answer 20

done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden: an overt act of aggression | in untreated cases, overt psychosis may occur.

Question 21

overtake

Answer 21

(especially of misfortune) come suddenly or unexpectedly upon: the pattern of economic ruin overtook them.
• (of a feeling) affect (someone) suddenly and powerfully: weariness overtook him and he retired to bed.

Question 22

pallid

Answer 22

(of a person’s face) pale, typically because of poor health.

• feeble or insipid: an utterly pallid and charmless character.

Question 23

insipid

Answer 23

lacking flavor or vigor

Question 24

palpable

Answer 24

1 (of a feeling or atmosphere) so intense as to seem almost tangible: a palpable sense of loss.
• plain to see or comprehend: to talk of dawn raids in the circumstances is palpable nonsense.
2 able to be touched or felt: the palpable bump at the bridge of the nose.

Question 25

paltry

Answer 25

meager (lacking in quantity or quality): she would earn a paltry $33 more each month.
• petty; trivial: naval glory struck him as paltry.

Question 26

pander

Answer 26

gratify or indulge (an immoral or distasteful desire, need, or habit or a person with such a desire, etc.): newspapers are pandering to people’s baser instincts.

Question 27

base

Answer 27

(of a person or a person’s actions or feelings) without moral principles; ignoble: the electorate’s baser instincts of greed and selfishness | we hope his motives are nothing so base as money.

Question 28

inexorably

Answer 28

in a way that is impossible to stop or prevent; irrevocable; irreversible; unavoidable: the conflict was to lead inexorably to the outbreak of World War I.

Question 29

parry

Answer 29

ward off (a weapon or attack) with a countermove: he parried the blow by holding his sword vertically.

Question 30

pastoral

Answer 30

associated with country life

Question 31

pathos

Answer 31

a quality that evokes pity or sadness: the actor injects his customary humor and pathos into the role.

Question 32

penchant

Answer 32

a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something: he has a penchant for adopting stray dogs.

Question 33

patter

Answer 33

make a repeated light tapping sound: a flurry of rain pattered against the window.
• run with quick light steps: plovers pattered at the edge of the marsh.

Question 34

payable

Answer 34

1 (of money) required to be paid; due: interest is payable on the money owing | send a check, payable to the ASPCA.
2 able to be paid: it costs just $195, payable in five monthly installments.

Question 35

pedant

Answer 35

a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning: the royal palace (some pedants would say the ex-royal palace).