Common VI

Question 1

sullen

Answer 1

sullen
adjective: showing a brooding ill humor

Herbert took board games too seriously, often appearing sullen after losing.

Question 2

truncate

Answer 2

truncate
verb: reduce the length of something

The soccer game was truncated when the monsoon rain began to fall.

Question 3

pejorative

Answer 3

pejorative
adjective: expressing disapproval (usu. refers to a term)

Most psychologists object to the pejorative term “shrink”, believing that they expand the human mind, not limit it.

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 4

posit

Answer 4

posit
verb: assume as fact

Initially, Einstein posited a repulsive force to balance Gravity, but then rejected that idea as a blunde

Question 5

effcacious

Answer 5

efficacious
adjective: producing the intended result

Since Maggie’s cough syrup, which had expired five years back, was no longer efficacious, she coughed through the night.

Question 6

stingent

Answer 6

stringent
adjective: demanding strict attention to rules and procedures

Most of the students disliked the teacher because of his stringent homework policy, but many students would later thank him for demanding so much from them.

Question 7

elicit

Answer 7

elicit
verb: call forth (emotions, feelings, and responses)

Just smiling–even if you are depressed–can elicit feelings of pleasure and happiness.

Question 8

rebuke

Answer 8

rebuke
verb: criticize severely or angrily; censure

The police chief rebuked the two officers whose irresponsible decisions almost led to the deaths of seven innocent by-standers.

Question 9

polemic

Answer 9

polemic
noun: a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.

The professor launched into a polemic, claiming that Freudian theory was a pack of lies that absolutely destroyed European literary theory.

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 10

maverick

Answer 10

maverick
noun: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action

Officer Kelly was a maverick, rarely following police protocols or adopting the conventions for speech common among his fellow officers.

Question 11

mundane

Answer 11

mundane
adjective: repetitive and boring; not spiritual

Nancy found doing dishes a thorougly mundane task, although Peter found a kind of Zen pleasure in the chore.

adjective: relating to the ordinary world

Though we think of the pope as someone always dealing in holy matters, he is also concerned with mundane events, such as deciding when to set his alarm each morning.

Question 12

antipathy

Answer 12

antipathy
noun: an intense feeling of dislike or aversion

Maria had an antipathy for tour groups, often bolting to the other side of the museum as soon as she saw a chaperone leading a group of wide-eyed tourists.

Question 13

misconsture

Answer 13

misconstrue
verb: interpret in the wrong way

The politician never trusted journalists because he thought that they would misconstrue his words and misrepresent his positions.

Question 14

nuance

Answer 14

nuance
noun: a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude

Because of the nuances involved in this case, I hired an outside consultant to advise us and help.

Question 15

timorous

Answer 15

timorous
adjective: timid by nature or revealing fear and nervousness

Since this was her first time debating on stage and before an audience, Di’s voice was timorous and quiet for the first 10 minutes.

Question 16

mendacity

Answer 16

mendacity
noun: the tendency to be untruthful

I can forgive her for her mendacity but only because she is a child and is seeing what she can get away with.

Question 17

fluz

Answer 17

flux
noun: a state of uncertainty about what should be done (usually following some important event)

Ever since Elvira resigned as the head of marketing, everything about our sales strategy has been in a state of flux.

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 18

harried

Answer 18

harried
adjective: troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances

With a team of new hires to train, Martha was constantly harried with little questions and could not focus on her projects.

Question 19

erudite

Answer 19

erudite
adjective: having or showing profound knowledge

Before the Internet, the library was typically where you would find erudite readers.

Question 20

opulence

Answer 20

opulence
noun: wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living

Russian oligarchs are famous for their opulence, living in fancy homes and dining on expensive caviar.

Question 21

fastidious

Answer 21

fastidious
adjective: overly concerned with details; fussy

Whitney is fastidious about her shoes, arranging them on a shelf in a specific order, each pair evenly spaced.

Question 22

deleterious

Answer 22

deleterious
adjective: harmful to living things

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was deleterious to the fishing industry in the southern states.

Question 23

maladroit

Answer 23

maladroit
adjective: clumsy

As a child she was quite maladroit, but as an adult, she has become an adept dancer.

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 24

contrition

Answer 24

contrition
noun: the feeling of remorse or guilt that comes from doing something bad

Those who show contrition during their prison terms–especially when under review by a parole board–often get shortened sentences.

Question 25

anomaly

Answer 25

anomaly
noun: something that is not normal, standard, or expected

After finding an anomaly in the data, she knew that she would have to conduct her experiment again.

Question 26

nonplussed

Answer 26

nonplussed
adjective: unsure how to act or respond

Shirley was totally nonplussed when the angry motorist cut her off and then stuck his finger out the window.

Question 27

dilatory

Answer 27

dilatory
adjective: wasting time

Lawyers use dilatory tactics so that it takes years before the case is actually decided.

Question 28

furtive

Answer 28

furtive
adjective: marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed

While at work, George and his boss Regina felt the need to be as furtive as possible about their romantic relationship.

Question 29

placate

Answer 29

placate
verb: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

I was able to placate the angry mob of students by promising to bring cookies on Monday.

Question 30

ignominious

Answer 30

ignominious
adjective: (used of conduct or character) deserving or bringing disgrace or shame

Since the politician preached ethics and morality, his texting of revealing photographs was ignominious, bringing shame on both himself and his party.

Question 31

craven

Answer 31

craven
adjective: pathetically cowardly

Though the man could have at least alerted the police, he crouched cravenly in the corner as the old woman was mugged.

Question 32

esoteric

Answer 32

esoteric
adjective: confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle

Map collecting is an esoteric hobby to most, but to geography geeks it is a highly enjoyable pastime.

Question 33

duress

Answer 33

duress
noun: compulsory force or threat

The witness said he signed the contract under duress and argued that the court should cancel the agreement.

Question 34

disseminate

Answer 34

disseminate
verb: cause to become widely known

Before the effects of anesthesia were disseminated, patients had to experience the full pain of a surgery.

Question 35

banality

Answer 35

banality
noun: a trite or obvious remark

Herbert regarded the minister’s remark as a mere banality until Sharon pointed out profound implications to the seemingly obvious words.

Question 36

edifying

Answer 36

edifying
adjective: enlightening or uplifting so as to encourage intellectual or moral improvement

I recently read an article in the Times about whether good literature is edifying or not; specifically, does reading more make a person more moral.

Question 37

indecorous

Answer 37

indecorous
adjective: not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society

Eating with elbows on the table is considered indecorous in refined circles.

Question 38

economical

Answer 38

economical
adjective: avoiding waste, efficient

Journalists favor an economical style of writing, in which no unnecessary words are used and every sentence is as short as possible.

Question 39

reproach

Answer 39

reproach
verb: to express criticism towards

At first, Sarah was going to yell at the boy, but she didn’t want to reproach him for telling the truth about the situation.

Question 40

impartial

Answer 40

impartial
adjective: free from undue bias or preconceived opinions

The judge was not impartial since he had been bribed by the witness’s family.

Question 41

specious

Answer 41

specious
adjective: based on pretense; deceptively pleasing

Almost every image on TV is specious and not to be trusted.

adjective: plausible but false

He made a career out of specious arguments and fictional lab results, but lost his job and reputation when his lies were exposed by an article in The New York Times.

Question 42

imprudent

Answer 42

imprudent
adjective: not wise

Hitler, like Napoleon, made the imprudent move of invading Russia in winter, suffering even more casualties than Napoleon had.

Question 43

arduous

Answer 43

arduous
adjective: demanding considerable mental effort and skill; testing powers of endurance

In order to deal with the arduous cross-country journey, truck drivers often survive on a string of caffeinated drinks, staying awake for up to 30 hours at a time.

Question 44

appease

Answer 44

appease
verb: pacify by acceding to the demands of

Neville Chamberlain, the British prime minister during WWII, tried to appease Hitler and in doing so sent a clear message: you can walk all over us.

Question 45

jovial

Answer 45

jovial
adjective: full of or showing high-spirited merriment

The presidential candidate and her supporters were jovial once it was clear that she had won.

Question 46

trasient

Answer 46

transient
adjective: lasting a very short time

The unpredictable and transient nature of deja vu makes it a very difficult phenomenon to study properly.

Question 47

askance

Answer 47

askance
adverb: with a look of suspicion or disapproval

The old couple looked askance on the teenagers seated next to them, whispering to each other, “They’ve got rings through their noses and purple hair!”

Question 48

capricious

Answer 48

capricious
adjective: determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason

Nearly every month our capricious CEO had a new plan to turn the company around, and none of them worked because we never gave them the time they needed to succeed.

Question 49

bolster

Answer 49

bolster
verb: support and strengthen

The case for the suspect’s innocence was bolstered considerably by the fact that neither fingerprints nor DNA were found at the scene.

This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 50

dispassionate

Answer 50

dispassionate
adjective: unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice

A good scientist should be dispassionate, focusing purely on what the evidence says, without personal attachment.