CrunchPrep

Question 1

laconic

Answer 1

brief and to the point; effectively cut short

Jessica is so talkative that her sister thought the situation warranted conciseness, and her being laconic.

Question 2

insipid

Answer 2

lacking taste or flavor

Too much sugar tends to make this otherwise delightful fruit pie insipid.

Question 3

iconoclast

Answer 3

someone who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions

Irrespective of his actuating motives, his deeds as an iconoclast will be treated harshly and is answerable in court.

Question 4

arduous

Answer 4

difficult to accomplish, hard to endure

James and Matthew are planning to leave next week for their Masters, following months of arduous GRE preparation.

Question 5

profligate

Answer 5

recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources

The senate is particularly perturbed over our profligate use of natural resources such as forest, oil, water, land, and minerals.

Question 6

prosaic

Answer 6

commonplace; dull and lacking excitement; not challenging

The project was full of prosaic ideas, such as using sand and stone to raise natural walls around monument built in honor of the late president.

Question 7

amellorate

Answer 7

make, become better

Increase in penalties and effective awareness programs would ameliorate the growing pollution levels it may have generated.

Question 8

obsequlous

Answer 8

obedient or attentive to an excessive degree

It was evident that the manager was flattering – from his obsequious manner in receiving his boss.

Question 9

capricious

Answer 9

given to sudden behavior change

The recent recession is yet another example of how making rules without forethought and acting without thinking the arbitrary and capricious effects these changes in policies have on our economy.

Question 10

fortuitous

Answer 10

happening by accident or chance

The alignment timing proved to be scientifically fortuitous of planetary astronomers, who already have a orbital satellite stationed around the moon.

Question 11

orthodox

Answer 11

conforming to all the traditional beliefs and religious practices

Alice describes her childhood in a conservative Orthodox community in Iraq, which kept to traditional religious beliefs.

Question 12

alacrity

Answer 12

lively and cheerful readiness

After marriage, Jenny rushed off with excitement to visit her parents, but her father did not accept their marriage with equal alacrity.

Question 13

pellucid

Answer 13

translucently clear

The river water was so pellucid that Mary could see clearly that it swarmed with countless small fish and loaves.

Question 14

corroborate

Answer 14

confirm or give support to

The police officials said, allegations of misconduct by the officer have been corroborated by video from closed circuit cameras.

Question 15

scrupulous

Answer 15

diligent, thorough, and extremely careful

The health inspector during his usual visit found pests in the restaurant’s kitchen and hence ordered the owner to observe scrupulous hygiene to stop spreading illness or he would issue an immediate closure notice.

Question 16

prolific

Answer 16

fruitful, present in large number

Ryan is furiously prolific, releasing albums on Maple, Mr. Siebel’s label, as well as his own label.

Question 17

dogmatic

Answer 17

inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true; dictatorial, opinionated

Most Americans have less dogmatic, more open-ended views and would ignore such as request, but Mr. Johns did not hesitate, and removed his coat immediately.

Question 18

placate

Answer 18

make (someone) less angry or hostile

Sam started working at an unsustainable pace in order to placate the company investors and shareholders.

Question 19

mercurial

Answer 19

subject to sudden or unpredictable changes of mood; temperamental

The mercurial senator, who retained office for more than 25 years, has frequently gone back and forth on his resignation.

Question 20

exacerbate

Answer 20

infuriate, make worse

Hummingbird declines have been connected to a lack of appropriate habitat, so increasing the number of Washington’s hives could exacerbate the issue.

Question 21

hackneyed

Answer 21

unoriginal and trite

Girls dreaming their way to a wonderland to marry a prince and live happily ever after was already a hackneyed notion by the time Snow White was written.

Question 22

prudent

Answer 22

acting with or showing care and thought

When the food manufacturer discovered toxins in a product sample case of one of its containers, it made a prudent decision to destroy all the boxes from the shipment.

Question 23

esoteric

Answer 23

mysterious, obscure; intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest

A couple of months ago, Mr. Niobe submitted a thesis with his analysis and computations – a fairly esoteric mathematical dissent about how best to gather rational generalizations on the origin of the universe theory.

Question 24

cacophony

Answer 24

a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

The cacophony surrounding the multi-billion dollar buyout of leading messaging service by a social networking company shook the whole tech industry.

Question 25

impetuous

Answer 25

acting or done quickly without thought or care Michael is methodical, barely the impetuous kind, and he has had ample time to come to a consolidated opinion of the university he wishes to apply for.

Question 26

idiosyncrasy

Answer 26

an odd habit or peculiar behavior; behavior or way of thought specific to an individual Her worst idiosyncrasy involved repeating back every word that was said to her.

Question 27

didactic

Answer 27

intended to teach, educational Though more didactic, Rama's story of the triumph over evil and of a king's dharma and nobility is quite powerful and enchanting.

Question 28

pithy

Answer 28

brief, to the point The professor was not known for talking much, but what he did say was always pithy.

Question 29

copious

Answer 29

abundant in supply or quantity Matthew insisted that Sophie track all her household expenditures, including every penny spent for hair clips, in copious account books.

Question 30

adulterate

Answer 30

alter or debase, often for profit Of all teas, I love green tea the most and would never adulterate it with sweeteners; even a pitch of sugar would be a desecration.

Question 31

vociferous

Answer 31

loud and clamorous The protesters were vociferous in their demands as they screamed outside of the mayor's house.

Question 32

taciturn

Answer 32

reserved or uncommunicative in speech Over the past 50 ears, as a recruiter, Yuri has come across different types of candidates, some of them speak a lot while some stay taciturn.

Question 33

obdurate

Answer 33

refuse to change one's opinion; stubborn The teacher could not stand the obdurate student as he yelled at anyone who dared to disagree with his opinions during the debate.

Question 34

garrulous

Answer 34

excessively talkative Though not garrulous by nature, Ryan seems to be comfortable with the diverse audiences at the education conference and managed to have conversations with several of them.

Question 35

misanthrope

Answer 35

person who hates others People thought the old woman was a misanthrope since should wouldn't talk to any of her neighbors, let alone help them, but they realized how much she loved them when she put a huge bad of candy out on Halloween.

Question 36

lionize

Answer 36

treat someone as a celebrity The retired lieutenant is being lionized as a paragon of integrity for standing up against corruption.

Question 37

frivolous

Answer 37

trivial, silly Ram was passionate and serious about collecting coins, but his friends thought it was a frivolous activity.

Question 38

inculpate

Answer 38

accuse or blame Although the killer successfully disposed of the murder weapon, his friends provided evidence that could actually inculpate both the killer and the people who tried to cover up the killing.

Question 39

docile

Answer 39

compliant, submissive Although a trained lion appears docile during the circus acts, it really is a fierce animal when not controlled by a trainer.

Question 40

prevaricate

Answer 40

deceive; stretch the truth Aria does not take bad news well and hence her brother always prevaricates when telling her something she does not want to hear.

Question 41

chicanery

Answer 41

deception; trickery The judge has plenty of reason to suspect chicanery because the lawyer has a reputation of aggressively defending his clients and of getting verdicts of innocence on guilty policemen.

Question 42

gainsay

Answer 42

deny or contradict Some of the officers were about to reject the project, but it had come from them; they could not well gainsay it.

Question 43

providential

Answer 43

lucky, occurring at a favorable time; opportune Sam's dangerous and providential escape made her tremble. So pale did she look, that she could scarcely believe she was uninjured.

Question 44

diffidence

Answer 44

hesitancy; lack of confidence A lot of sportsmen attain prominence before they know what to do with it; others put across a diffidence to fame while secretly craving it, and some just do not treasure their moments in the spotlight.

Question 45

fractious

Answer 45

irritable and quarrelsome Third world powers are hesitant about sending arms to aid the war, partially due to the fractious politics of the hostile political group abroad.

Question 46

sanguine

Answer 46

optimistic or positive Among those who remain sanguine about the nation's economic revival, there is always the lively topic of tax reduction policies, the remedy to deflationary recession in the US.

Question 47

venerate

Answer 47

regard with great respect In a nod to the religious customs of the Vatican, which popes here venerate, there are plans for a cathedral between the St. Peter's Square and Mount Street.

Question 48

trite

Answer 48

silly, commonplace Of these athletes, only Johnson delivered movements with any firmness; he moved with such a professional awe that rendered everything trite.

Question 49

erudite

Answer 49

well-educated, cultured Consuming the books her father supplied, Jane, who grew up near poverty, became an erudite, self-educated woman who loves sharing her knowledge with others.

Question 50

anachronism

Answer 50

error in time placement Since there were not laptop computers during the Civil War, the presence of a portable computer in the history film is a definite anachronism.

Question 51

conspicuous

Answer 51

obvious, easily seen During the storm, there was a conspicuous lack of tourists at the beach.

Question 52

audacious

Answer 52

reckless, daring Jim is known for his adventurous style and audacious nature, for when he is inside the ring, his audiences would jump off their seats to watch him play with the lion.

Question 53

tumultous

Answer 53

confused, disorderly During the recent riots, the crowd was tumultuous and went berserk as the police arrest their leader, washing away all that impeded it.

Question 54

reticent

Answer 54

secretive, quiet The usually reticent Swiss bank acknowledged the policy quandary at an IMF meeting in New York this month.

Question 55

fervid

Answer 55

intensely enthusiastic or passionate During political debates, the candidates hurl fervid accusations at each other while justifying their positions on national issues.

Question 56

enervate

Answer 56

weaken, wear out The blazing heat in mid-June caused dehydration and enervated the shipwrecked crew, leaving them almost too weak to hail the passing vessel.

Question 57

prodigal

Answer 57

wastefully extravagant If you want to save money for college, you should stop your prodigal spending sprees.

Question 58

auspicious

Answer 58

conducive to success; favorable The Australian skipper considered the sunny forecast to be an auspicious sign that his team would win tomorrow's match.

Question 59

soporific

Answer 59

tending to induce drowsiness or sleep The reality shows aired on TV tends toward the soporific; by contrast, the coverage of soccer game in newspapers is more fun because the pictures counted for everything.

Question 60

engender

Answer 60

cause or give rise to The new technology has engendered great hope for the potential development of preventive methods for lethal genetic and severe chronic diseases such as glaucoma and cancer.

Question 61

loquacious

Answer 61

tending to talk a great deal; talkative Julie and Katie were not being loquacious with the other guests because they were too busy making long conversations with each other.

Question 62

equivocate

Answer 62

to use unclear language especially to deceive or mislead someone Whenever the politician responded to questions, he would avoid eye contact and equivocate his answers.

Question 63

inimical

Answer 63

tending to obstruct or harm Though Sarah's husband is an inimical person who often beats her for trivial reasons, she has always tried to be nice to him.

Question 64

fastidious

Answer 64

very careful and attentive After the party, Jenny and her brother were fastidious in their efforts to clean up the mess because they knew their parents were on their way home.

Question 65

recalcitrant

Answer 65

disobedient, uncontrollable Recalcitrant politicians, in interviews on TV and newspaper, raised their concerns over the party's national policies publicly and were consequently punished for their disobedience.

Question 66

ephemeral

Answer 66

momentary, passing Sophie always knew the relationship with Hayden would be ephemeral; she just didn't expect they would break up so soon.

Question 67

pusillanimous

Answer 67

lacking courage, fearful Despite the opportunity for heroism, the captain led his soldiers into a pusillanimous retreat, and since then the man has been rated as a coward.

Question 68

vacillate

Answer 68

go back and forth, be indecisive Since his term exams were just around the corner, Adam vacillated between going on the family vacation and staying back at home to study.

Question 69

euphoric

Answer 69

intense excitement and happiness The Australian cricket players were all euphoric when the government declared a bonus pay to each of them to bring the world cup home.

Question 70

pedant

Answer 70

a person who overemphasizes rules or minor details The senior professor was obviously a pedant since she persistently focuses on mediocre details and keeps interrupting me to point out my imperfect pronunciation and grammar usage without letting me make my argument.

Question 71

inchoate

Answer 71

undeveloped, beginning Just after the big bang explosion, before the universe expanded to the gigantic distances, it was an inchoate assemblage of elemental matter.

Question 72

lethargic

Answer 72

lazy, sluggish In Asia, data on Tuesday showed that Japan's economy contracted in the three months to September, as exports and domestic consumer spending remained lethargic.

Question 73

deride

Answer 73

make fun of; insult When the US briefly considered withdrawing their forces completely out of Iraq in 2009, several patriots in public conversations derided the idea as a big mistake.