Chapter 7

Question 1

cryptic

Answer 1

having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure: he found his boss’s utterances too cryptic.

Question 2

culminate

Answer 2

[no object] reach a climax or point of highest development: the tensions and disorders which culminated in World War II.

Question 3

culpable

Answer 3

deserving blame

Question 4

cult

Answer 4

a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object: the cult of St. Olaf.

Question 5

cunning

Answer 5

having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion: a cunning look came into his eyes.
• ingenious: plants have evolved cunning defenses.

Question 6

dangle

Answer 6

hang or swing loosely: saucepans dangled from a rail | [with object] : they were dangling their legs over the water.

Question 7

dank

Answer 7

disagreeably damp(潮湿的）, musty (moldy), and typically cold: huge dank caverns.

Question 8

dart

Answer 8

move or run somewhere suddenly or rapidly: she darted across the street.
• [with object] cast (a look or one’s eyes) suddenly and rapidly in a particular direction: she darted a glance across the table.

Question 9

dash

Answer 9

1. run or travel somewhere in a great hurry: I dashed into the garden | I must dash, I’m late.
   • cause (someone) to lose confidence: I won’t tell Stuart—I think he’d be dashed.

Question 10

daunt

Answer 10

make someone feel intimidated or apprenhensive

Question 11

dearth

Answer 11

lack

Question 12

debase

Answer 12

reduce (something) in quality or value; degrade: the love episodes debase the dignity of the drama.
• lower the moral character of (someone): war debases people.

Question 13

debilitate

Answer 13

make (someone) weak and infirm: a weakness that debilitates him despite his overwhelming physical might.

Question 14

debut

Answer 14

a person’s first appearance or performance in a particular capacity or role: the film marked his debut as a director.
• the first public appearance of a new product or presentation of a theatrical show: the car makes its world debut.

Question 15

declaim

Answer 15

utter or deliver words or a speech in a rhetorical or impassioned way, as if to an audience: [with object] : she declaimed her views | [no object] : a preacher declaiming from the pulpit | an opportunity to declaim against the evils of society.

Question 16

decompress

Answer 16

relieve or reduce pressure on

Question 17

decrepit

Answer 17

(of a person) elderly and infirm: a decrepit old drunk.

Question 18

decry

Answer 18

publicly denounce: they decried human rights abuses.

Question 19

deface

Answer 19

spoil the surface or apperance of something, for example by drawing or writing on it: he defaced library books.

Question 20

deferment

Answer 20

the action or fact of putting something off to a later time; postponement: deferment of the decision.

Question 21

defraud

Answer 21

illegally obtain money from (someone) by deception: he used a false identity to defraud the bank of thousands of dollars | [no object] : conspiracy to defraud.

Question 22

defray

Answer 22

provide money to pay (a cost or expense): the proceeds from the raffle help to defray the expenses of the evening.

Question 23

deft

Answer 23

neatly skillful and quick in one’s movements: a deft piece of footwork.
• demonstrating skill and cleverness: the script was both deft and literate.

Question 24

defuse

Answer 24

• reduce the danger or tension in (a difficult situation): he had the ability to defuse tense moments with humor.

Question 25

dejected

Answer 25

sad and depressed; dispirited

Question 26

deleterious

Answer 26

causing harm or damage

Question 27

delimit

Answer 27

determine the limits or boundaries of: agreements delimiting fishing zones.

Question 28

delineate

Answer 28

describe or portray (something) precisely: the law should delineate and prohibit behavior that is socially abhorrent.

Question 29

delude

Answer 29

impose a misleading belief upon (someone); deceive; fool: too many theorists have deluded the public.

Question 30

deluge

Answer 30

1. noun: a severe flood: this may be the worst deluge in living memory.
2. vern [with object]: inundate with a great quantity of something: be deluged with something/be inundated with something

Question 31

delusion

Answer 31

an idiosyncratic belief or impression that is firmly maintained despite being contradicted by what is generally accepted as reality or rational argument, typically a symptom of mental disorder: the delusion of being watched.

Question 32

demarcate

Answer 32

set the boundaries or limits of: plots of land demarcated by barbed wire; delimit
• separate or distinguish from: art was being demarcated from the more objective science.

Question 33

demeaning

Answer 33

causing someone to lose their dignity and the respect of others: the poster was not demeaning to women.