Chapter 21

Question 1

perch

Answer 1

1. (of a bird) alight or rest on something: a herring gull perched on the mast.
2. • (be perched) (of a building) be situated above or on the edge of something: the fortress is perched on a crag in the mountains.
3. • [with object] (perch someone/something on) set or balance someone or something on (something): Peter perched a pair of gold-rimmed spectacles on his nose.

Question 2

peremptory

Answer 2

(especially of a person’s manner or actions) insisting on immediate attention or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way: “Just do it!” came the peremptory reply.

Question 3

imperious

Answer 3

arrogant and domineering: his imperious demands.

Question 4

perennial

Answer 4

lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring: his perennial distrust of the media | perennial manifestations of urban crisis.

Question 5

permeate

Answer 5

spread through = pervade

Question 6

persuasive

Answer 6

有说服力的

Question 7

pervasive

Answer 7

(especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people: ageism is pervasive and entrenched in our society.

Question 8

pestilential

Answer 8

relating to or tending to cause infectious diseases: you shouldn’t be out on a pestilential night like this.
2. annoying

Question 9

pettition

Answer 9

make or present a formal request to (an authority) with respect to a particular cause: Americans who moved west petitioned Congress for admission to the Union as states | [with object and infinitive] : leaders petitioned the government to hold free elections soon.

Question 10

pettiness

Answer 10

undue concern with trivial matters, especially of a small-minded or spiteful nature:

Question 11

picturesque

Answer 11

visually attractive, especially in a quaint or pretty style: the picturesque covered bridges of New England.

Question 12

piety

Answer 12

the quality of being religious or reverent: acts of piety and charity.

Question 13

pine

Answer 13

suffer a mental and physical decline, especially because of a broken heart: she thinks I am pining away from love.
• (pine for) miss and long for the return of: I was pining for my boyfriend.

Question 14

pinnacle

Answer 14

1 the most successful point; the culmination: he had reached the pinnacle of his career.

Question 15

pious

Answer 15

devoutly religious.

Question 16

pitfall

Answer 16

a hidden or unsuspected danger or difficulty

Question 17

pivotal

Answer 17

of crucial importance in relation to the development or success of something else: the alliance that played a pivotal role in the revolution.

Question 18

placid

Answer 18

(of a person or animal) not easily upset or excited: this horse has a placid nature.

Question 19

plaudit

Answer 19

praise or approval

Question 20

plausible

Answer 20

(of an argument or statement) seeming reasonable or probable: a plausible explanation | it seems plausible that one of two things may happen.

Question 21

plead

Answer 21

present an argument, especially in a legal case.

Question 22

pliable

Answer 22

easily bent; flexible

Question 23

pliant

Answer 23

pliable

Question 24

plight

Answer 24

touble; dilemma

Question 25

plod

Answer 25

walk doggedly and slowly with heavy steps: we plodded back up the hill | figurative : talks on a new constitution have plodded on.

• work slowly and perseveringly at a dull task: we were plodding through a textbook.

Question 26

tenacity

Answer 26

the quality of being very determined

Question 27

doggedly

Answer 27

in a manner that shows tenacity and grim persistence:

Question 28

ploy

Answer 28

tactic

Question 29

pluck

Answer 29

take hold of (something) and quickly remove it from its place: she plucked a blade of grass | he plucked a tape from the shelf.

Question 30

plummet

Answer 30

drop straight down at high speed

Question 31

plunge

Answer 31

thrust into water, or into any substance that is penetrable; to immerse.

Question 32

plump for something

Answer 32

decide definitely in favor of one of two or more possibilities: offered a choice of drinks, he plumped for brandy.

Question 33

plush

Answer 33

richly luxurious and expensive: the plush chrome and leather office.

Question 34

pore

Answer 34

be absorbed in the reading or study of: Heather spent hours poring over cookbooks.

Question 35

portfolio

Answer 35

a set of pieces of creative work collected by someone to display their skills, especially to a potential employer: she had a portfolio of crayon portraits.

Question 36

posit

Answer 36

1 [with object] assume as a fact; put forward as a basis of argument: the Confucian view posits a perfectible human nature | [with clause] : he posited that the world economy is a system with its own particular equilibrium.
• (posit something on) base something on the truth of (a particular assumption): these plots are posited on a false premise about women’s nature as inferior.
2 [with object and adverbial] put in position; place: the Professor posits Cohen in his second category of poets.

Question 37

potency

Answer 37

the power of something to influence or make an impression: a myth of enormous potency.

Question 38

pounce

Answer 38

(of an animal or bird of prey) spring or swoop suddenly so as to catch prey: the wolf pounced on the rat | she looked like a vulture waiting to pounce.
• (of a person) spring forward suddenly so as to attack or seize someone or something: the gang pounced on him and knocked him to the ground.

Question 39

practitioner

Answer 39

a person actively engaged in an art, discipline, or profession, especially medicine: patients are treated by skilled practitioners.

Question 40

pragmatic

Answer 40

dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical

Question 41

preach

Answer 41

publicly proclaim or teach (a religious message or belief): a church that preaches the good news.

Question 42

precept

Answer 42

1 a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought: the legal precept of being innocent until proven guilty | children learn far more by example than by precept | moral precepts.
2 a writ or warrant: the Commissioner issued precepts requiring the companies to provide information.

Question 43

precipitate

Answer 43

cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely: the incident precipitated a political crisis.
• cause to move suddenly and with force: suddenly the ladder broke, precipitating them down into a heap.
• (precipitate someone/something into) send someone or something suddenly into a particular state or condition: they were precipitated into a conflict for which they were quite unprepared.

Question 44

preclude

Answer 44

prevent from happening; make impossible: the secret nature of his work precluded official recognition.

Question 45

preconception

Answer 45

a preconceived idea or prejudice.

Question 46

predispose

Answer 46

make someone liable or inclined to a specified attitude, action, or condition: lack of exercise may predispose an individual to high blood pressure.

Question 47

predominant

Answer 47

present as the strongest or main element: its predominant color was white.
• having or exerting control or power: the predominant political forces.