Common II

Question 1

presceince

Answer 1

prescience
noun: the power to foresee the future

Baxter’s warnings about investing in technology stocks seemed like an act of prescience after the whole market declined significantly.

Question 2

rustic

Answer 2

rustic
adjective: characteristic of rural life; awkwardly simple and provincial

The vacation cabin had no electricity and no indoor plumbing, but despite these inconveniences, Nigel adored its rustic charm.

Question 3

culpability

Answer 3

culpability
noun: a state of guilt

Since John had left his banana peel at the top of the stairwell, he accepted culpability for Martha’s broken leg.

Question 4

superfluous

Answer 4

superfluous
adjective: serving no useful purpose

How can we hope to stay open if we don’t eliminate all superfluous spending, like catered meetings and free acupuncture Tuesday?

adjective: more than is needed, desired, or required

The third paragraph in your essay is superfluous and can be deleted.

Question 5

gainsay

Answer 5

gainsay
verb: deny or contradict; speak against or oppose

I can’t gainsay a single piece of evidence James has presented, but I still don’t trust his conclusion.

Question 6

gall

Answer 6

gall
noun: the trait of being rude and impertinent

The speeding car had the gall to switch five lanes at once, run through a red light, and then cut off a police car before finally coming to a stop in front of a sea of flashing red lights.

noun: feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

In an act of gall, Leah sent compromising photos of her ex-boyfriend to all his co-workers and professional contacts.

Question 7

audacious

Answer 7

audacious
adjective: willing to be bold in social situations or to take risks

As all of the other campers cowered in their tents, Bill, armed only with a flashlight, audaciously tracked down the bear that had raided their food.

Question 8

frivolous

Answer 8

frivolous
adjective: not serious in content or attitude or behavior

Compared to Juliet’s passionate concern for human rights, Jake’s non-stop concern about football seems somewhat frivolous.

Question 9

fortuitous

Answer 9

fortuitous
adjective: occurring by happy chance; having no cause or apparent cause

Though Maria’s neighbor Ernie “bumped into” her at the Farmer’s Market, the encounter wasn’t nearly as fortuitous as Maria was led to believe: Ernie desperately wanted to ask Maria out on a date and had been following her about town.

Question 10

diffident

Answer 10

diffident
adjective: showing modest reserve; lacking self-confidence

As a young girl she was diffident and reserved, but now as an adult, she is confident and assertive.

Question 11

perfidy

Answer 11

perfidy
noun: an act of deliberate betrayal; a breach of a trust

Sure, he was the best salesman in the company; but Michael had abused the trust of the firm, sharing product secrets with a competitor, and for such perfidy he was terminated.

Question 12

impudent

Answer 12

impudent
adjective: improperly forward or bold

In an impudent move, the defendant spoke out of order to say terribly insulting things to the judge.

Question 13

vociferous

Answer 13

vociferous
adjective: conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry

In giving Marcia a particular vociferous response, Paul caused people at every other table in the restaurant to turn around and look at them angrily.

Question 14

culminate

Answer 14

culminate
verb: reach the highest or most decisive point

Beethoven’s musical genius culminated in the 9th Symphony, which many consider his greatest work.

Question 15

deferential

Answer 15

deferential
adjective: showing respect

If you ever have the chance to meet the president, stand up straight and be deferential

Question 16

volubility

Answer 16

volubility
noun: the quality of talking or writing easily and continuously

The professor’s volubility knows no bounds; he could talk through a hurricane and elaborate a point from one St. Patrick’s Day to the next.

Volume over ability

Question 17

lambast

Answer 17

lambast
verb: criticize severely or angrily

Showing no patience, the manager utterly lambasted the sales team that lost the big account.

Question 18

aesthete

Answer 18

aesthete
noun: one who professes great sensitivity to the beauty of art and nature

A true aesthete, Marty would spend hours at the Guggenheim Museum, staring at the same Picasso.

Question 19

conspicuious

Answer 19

conspicuous
adjective: without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

American basketball players are always conspicuous when they go abroad–not only are they American, but some are over seven feet tall.

Question 20

decorous

Answer 20

decorous
adjective: characterized by good taste in manners and conduct

Sally’s parties are decorous affairs, and instead of the usual beer and music, there is tea and intellectual conversation.

Question 21

chortle

Answer 21

chortle
verb: to chuckle, laugh merrily, often in a breathy, muffled way

Walking into the cafe, I could hear happy, chortling people and smell the rich aroma of roasted coffee beans.

Question 22

concede

Answer 22

concede
verb: acknowledge defeat

I concede. You win!

verb: admit (to a wrongdoing)

After a long, stern lecture from her father, Olivia conceded to having broken the window.

verb: give over; surrender or relinquish to the physical control of another

The Spanish were forced to concede much of the territory they had previously conquered.

Question 23

aesthetic

Answer 23

aesthetic
adjective: concerned with the appreciation of beauty

The director, not known for his aesthetic sensibilities, decided not to use costumes at all, and put on the play in everyday clothing.

noun: a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement.

The artist operated according to a peculiar aesthetic, not considering any photograph to be worth publishing unless it contained a marine mammal.

Question 24

exacerbate

Answer 24

exacerbate
verb: make worse

Her sleeplessness exacerbated her cold–when she woke up the next day, her sinuses were completely blocked.

Question 25

obscure

Answer 25

obscure
verb: make unclear

On the Smith’s drive through the Grand Canyon, Mr. Smith’s big head obscured much of Mrs. Robinson’s view, so that she only saw momentary patches of red rock.

adjective: known by only a few

Many of the biggest movie stars were once obscure actors who got only bit roles in long forgotten films.

This word has other definitions, but these are the most important ones to study

Question 26

mitigate

Answer 26

mitigate
verb: make less severe or harsh

I can only spend so much time mitigating your disagreements with your wife, and at certain point, you need to do it on your own.

verb: lessen the severity of an offense

If it weren’t for the mitigating circumstances, he would have certainly lost his job.

Question 27

recondite

Answer 27

recondite
adjective: difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge

I found Ulysses recondite and never finished the book, waiting instead to read it with someone else so we could penetrate its meaning together.

Question 28

inexorable

Answer 28

inexorable
adjective: impossible to stop or prevent

The rise of the computer was an inexorable shift in technology and culture.

Question 29

reticent

Answer 29

reticent
adjective: disinclined to talk, not revealing one’s thoughts

When asked about her father, Helen lost her outward enthusiasm and became rather reticent.

Question 30

banal

Answer 30

banal
adjective: repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

The professor used such banal expression that many students in the class either fell asleep from boredom or stayed awake to complete his sentences and humor friends.

Question 31

mawkish

Answer 31

mawkish
adjective: overly sentimental to the point that it is disgusting

The film was incredibly mawkish, introducing highly likeable characters only to have them succumb to a devastating illness by the end of the movie.

Question 32

meticulous

Answer 32

meticulous
adjective: marked by extreme care in treatment of details

The Japanese noodle maker was meticulous in making his noodles and would never let another person take over the task.

Question 33

dictatorial

Answer 33

dictatorial
adjective: expecting unquestioning obedience; characteristic of an absolute ruler

The coach was dictatorial in his approach: no players could ever argue or question his approach.

Question 34

eschew

Answer 34

eschew
verb: avoid and stay away from deliberately; stay clear of

Politicians are the masters of eschewing morals; academics are the masters of eschewing clarity.

Question 35

platitude

Answer 35

platitude
noun: a trite or obvious remark

The professor argued that many statements regarded as wise in previous times, such as the Golden Rule, are now regarded as mere platitudes.

Question 36

entrenched

Answer 36

entrenched
adjective: fixed firmly or securely

By the time we reach 60-years old, most of our habits are so entrenched that it is difficult for us to change.

Question 37

didactic

Answer 37

didactic
adjective: instructive (especially excessively)

Tolstoy’s The Death of Ivan Ilyich is a didactic novel, instructing the reader on how to live a good life.

Question 38

torpor

Answer 38

torpor
noun: inactivity resulting from lethargy and lack of vigor or energy

After work, I was expecting my colleagues to be enthusiastic about the outing, but I found them in a state of complete torpor.

Question 39

vociferous

Answer 39

vociferous
adjective: conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry

In giving Marcia a particular vociferous response, Paul caused people at every other table in the restaurant to turn around and look at them angrily.

Question 40

glut

Answer 40

glut
noun: an excessive supply

The Internet offers such a glut of news related stories that many find it difficult to know which story to read first.

verb: supply with an excess of

In the middle of economic crises, hiring managers find their inboxes glutted with resumes.

Question 41

preclude

Answer 41

preclude
verb: keep from happening or arising; make impossible

The manager specified that all other gates be locked, to preclude the possibility of persons without tickets entering the arena undetected.

Question 42

bucolic

Answer 42

bucolic
adjective: relating to the pleasant aspects of the country

The noble families of England once owned vast expanses of beautiful, bucolic land.

Question 43

incisive

Answer 43

incisive
adjective: having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

The lawyer had an incisive mind, able in a flash to dissect a hopelessly tangled issue and isolate the essential laws at play.

Question 44

apathetic

Answer 44

apathetic
adjective: marked by a lack of interest

Mr. Thompson was so talented at teaching math that even normally apathetic students took interest.

Question 45

predilection

Answer 45

predilection
noun: a strong liking

Monte had a predilection for the fine things in life: Cuban cigars, 200 dollar bottles of wine, and trips to the French Riviera.

Question 46

gossamer

Answer 46

gossamer
adjective: characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy

The gossamer wings of a butterfly, which allow it to fly, are also a curse, so delicate that they are often damaged.

Question 47

cryptic

Answer 47

cryptic
adjective: mysterious or vague, usually intentionally

Since Sarah did not want her husband to guess the Christmas present she had bought him, she only answered cryptically when he would ask her questions about it.

Question 48

germane

Answer 48

germane
adjective: relevant and appropriate

The professor wanted to tell the jury in detail about his new book, but the lawyer said it wasn’t germane to the charges in the cases.

Question 49

engender

Answer 49

engender
verb: give rise to

The restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles were so severe that they engendered deep hatred and resentment in the German people.

Question 50

dogmatic

Answer 50

dogmatic
adjective: highly opinionated, not accepting that one’s own beliefs may not be correct

Bryan is dogmatic in his belief that the earth is flat, claiming that all pictures of a spherical earth are computer generated.

Question 51

querolous

Answer 51

?

complaining in a petulant or whining manner.