D_17/4/21 -> Manhattan 7 -> Chapter 8 -> passage A,B,C

Question 1

psychic

Answer 1

1. ADJECTIVE
   If you believe that someone is psychic or has psychic powers, you believe that they have strange mental powers, such as being able to read the minds of other people or to see into the future.
   Trevor helped police by using his psychic powers.
   Synonyms: supernatural, mystic, occult, clairvoyant More Synonyms of psychic
   A psychic is someone who seems to be psychic.
2. ADJECTIVE
   Psychic means relating to ghosts and the spirits of the dead.
   He declared his total disbelief in psychic phenomena.
   Synonyms: mystical, spiritual, magical, other-worldly More Synonyms of psychic
3. ADJECTIVE
   Psychic means relating to the mind rather than the body.
   [formal]
   These truths cause individuals much psychic pain.

Question 2

Wield

Answer 2

1. VERB
   If you wield a weapon, tool, or piece of equipment, you carry and use it.
   …a lone assailant wielding a kitchen knife. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: brandish, flourish, manipulate, swing More Synonyms of wield
2. VERB
   If someone wields power, they have it and are able to use it.
   She remains chairwoman, but wields little power at the company. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: exert, hold, maintain, exercise

Question 3

Exert

Answer 3

1. VERB
   If someone or something exerts influence, authority, or pressure, they use it in a strong or determined way, especially in order to produce a particular effect.
   [formal]
   He exerted considerable influence on the thinking of the scientific community on these issues. [VERB noun]
   The cyst was causing swelling and exerting pressure on her brain. [VERB noun]
2. VERB
   If you exert yourself, you make a great physical or mental effort, or work hard to do something.
   Youngsters get so absorbed that they don’t realise how much they’re exerting themselves. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]
   Do not exert yourself unnecessarily. [VERB pronoun-reflexive]

Question 4

Forge

Answer 4

1. VERB
   If one person or institution forges an agreement or relationship with another, they create it with a lot of hard work, hoping that it will be strong or lasting.
   The Prime Minister is determined to forge a good relationship with America’s new leader. [VERB noun + with]
   They agreed to forge closer economic ties. [VERB noun]
   The programme aims to forge links between higher education and small businesses. [V n between]
   The pair forged a formidable alliance. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: form, build, create, establish More Synonyms of forge
2. VERB
   If you say that a person has forged something that you approve of, you mean that you admire them for having done something difficult.
   [approval]
   The project will help inmates forge new careers. [VERB noun]
3. VERB
   If someone forges something such as a banknote, a document, or a painting, they copy it or make it so that it looks genuine, in order to deceive people.
   He admitted seven charges including forging passports. [VERB noun]
   She alleged that Taylor had forged her signature on the form. [VERB noun]
   They used forged documents to leave the country. [VERB-ed]
   forger
   Word forms: plural forgers
   COUNTABLE NOUN
   …the most prolific art forger in the country.
   Synonyms: counterfeiter, copier, copyist, falsifier More Synonyms of forge
4. COUNTABLE NOUN [oft in names]
   A forge is a place where someone makes metal goods and equipment by heating pieces of metal and then shaping them.
   …the blacksmith’s forge.
   …Woodbury Blacksmith & Forge Co.
5. VERB
   If someone forges an object out of metal, they heat the metal and then hammer and bend it into the required shape.
   To forge a blade takes great skill. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: create, make, work, found

Question 5

inscription

Answer 5

1. COUNTABLE NOUN
   An inscription is writing carved into something made of stone or metal, for example a gravestone or medal.
   Above its doors was a Latin inscription: Non omnia possumus omnes.
   The medal bears the inscription ‘For distinguished service’.
   Synonyms: engraving, words, lettering, label More Synonyms of inscription
2. COUNTABLE NOUN
   An inscription is something written by hand in the front of a book or on a photograph.
   The inscription reads: ‘To Emma, with love from Harry’.
   Synonyms: dedication, message, signature, address

Question 6

Paradigm

Answer 6

1. VARIABLE NOUN
   A paradigm is a model for something which explains it or shows how it can be produced.
   [formal]
   …a new paradigm of production. [+ of]
2. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A paradigm is a clear and typical example of something.
   [formal]
   He had become the paradigm of the successful man. [+ of]
   Synonyms: model, example, original, pattern

Question 7

Visionary

Answer 7

1. COUNTABLE NOUN
   If you refer to someone as a visionary, you mean that they have strong, original ideas about how things might be different in the future, especially about how things might be improved.
   Visionaries see the world ahead in terms of what it can be.
   She isn’t just an entrepreneur. She is a visionary.
   Synonyms: idealist, romantic, dreamer, daydreamer More Synonyms of visionary
2. ADJECTIVE
   You use visionary to describe the strong, original ideas of a visionary.
   Many are hailing Rendell’s ideas as visionary.
   …the visionary architecture of Etienne Boulleé.

Question 8

contend

Answer 8

1. VERB
   If you have to contend with a problem or difficulty, you have to deal with it or overcome it.
   It is time, once again, to contend with racism. [VERB + with]
   American businesses could soon have a new kind of lawsuit to contend with. [VERB + with]
2. VERB
   If you contend that something is true, you state or argue that it is true.
   [formal]
   The government contends that he is fundamentalist. [VERB that]
   ‘You were just looking,’ contends Samantha. ‘I was the one doing all the work.’ [VERB with quote]
   Synonyms: argue, hold, maintain, allege More Synonyms of contend
3. VERB
   If you contend with someone for something such as power, you compete with them to try to get it.
   …the two main groups contending for power. [VERB + for]
   …with 10 U.K. construction yards contending with rivals from Norway, Holland, Italy and Spain. [VERB + with]
   …a binding political settlement between the contending parties. [VERB-ing]
   Synonyms: compete, fight, struggle, clash

Question 9

Speculate

Answer 9

1. VERB
   If you speculate about something, you make guesses about its nature or identity, or about what might happen.
   Critics of the project speculate about how many hospitals could be built instead. [VERB preposition]
   It would be unfair to speculate on the reasons for her resignation. [VERB preposition]
   The doctors speculate that he died of a cerebral haemorrhage caused by a blow on the head. [VERB that]
   The reader can speculate what will happen next. [VERB wh]
   [Also V, V with quote]
   Synonyms: conjecture, consider, wonder, guess More Synonyms of speculate
   speculation (spekjʊleɪʃən)
   Word forms: plural speculations
   VARIABLE NOUN
   The President has gone out of his way to dismiss speculation over the future of the economy minister.
   I had published my speculations about the future of the universe in the Review of Modern Physics.
   Synonyms: gamble, risk, gambling, hazard More Synonyms of speculate
   Synonyms: theory, opinion, hypothesis, conjecture More Synonyms of speculate
2. VERB
   If someone speculates financially, they buy property, stocks, or shares, in the hope of being able to sell them again at a higher price and make a profit.
   Big farmers are moving in, in order to speculate with rising land prices. [VERB preposition/adverb]
   The banks speculated in property whose value has now dropped. [VERB preposition/adverb]
   [Also VERB]
   Synonyms: gamble, risk, venture, hazard

Question 10

Probe

Answer 10

1. VERB
   If you probe into something, you ask questions or try to discover facts about it.
   The more they probed into his background, the more inflamed their suspicions would become. [VERB + into]
   For three years, I have probed for understanding. [VERB + for]
   The Office of Fair Trading has been probing banking practices. [VERB noun]
   The form asks probing questions. [VERB-ing]
   Synonyms: examine, research, go into, investigate More Synonyms of probe
   Probe is also a noun.
   …a federal grand-jury probe into corruption within the FDA.
   probing
   Word forms: plural probings
   COUNTABLE NOUN
   If he remains here, he’ll be away from the press and their probings.
2. VERB
   If a doctor or dentist probes, he or she uses a long instrument to examine part of a patient’s body.
   The surgeon would pick up his instruments, probe, repair and stitch up again. [VERB]
   Dr Amid probed around the sensitive area. [VERB preposition/adverb]
   A doctor probed deep in his shoulder wound for shrapnel. [VERB preposition/adverb]
   Synonyms: explore, examine, poke, prod More Synonyms of probe
3. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A probe is a long thin instrument that doctors and dentists use to examine parts of the body.
   …a fibre-optic probe.
4. VERB
   If you probe a place, you search it in order to find someone or something that you are looking for.
   A flashlight beam probed the underbrush only yards away from their hiding place. [VERB noun]
   I probed around for some time in the bushes. [VERB adverb/preposition]
5. VERB
   In a conflict such as a war, if one side probes another side’s defences, they try to find their weaknesses, for example by attacking them in specific areas using a small number of troops.
   [journalism]
   He probes the enemy’s weak positions, ignoring his strongholds. [VERB noun]
   Squads of prison officers have been probing the rioters’ defences. [VERB noun]
   Probe is also a noun.
   Small probes would give the allied armies some combat experience.
6. COUNTABLE NOUN [usually noun NOUN]
   A space probe is a spacecraft which travels into space with no people in it, usually in order to study the planets and send information about them back to earth.
   Its rings were discovered by telescope from Earth, but space probes later found that spectacular rings surround some other planets.
   The Pioneer probes have on board ultra-violet instruments which are measuring light that we can’t measure on the earth.

Question 11

simplistic

adjective disapproving

Answer 11

making something complicated seem simple by ignoring important parts of it:
They have a simplistic point of view about the war.

Question 12

cynical

Answer 12

1. ADJECTIVE
   If you describe someone as cynical, you mean they believe that people always act selfishly.
   …his cynical view of the world.
   Synonyms: sceptical, mocking, ironic, sneering More Synonyms of cynical
   cynically ADVERB [ADVERB with verb]
   As one former customer said cynically, ‘He’s probably pocketed the difference!’
2. ADJECTIVE [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
   If you are cynical about something, you do not believe that it can be successful or that the people involved are honest.
   It’s hard not to be cynical about reform. [+ about]
   It has also made me more cynical about relationships.
   Synonyms: unbelieving, sceptical, disillusioned, pessimistic

Question 13

Insouciance

Answer 13

UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Insouciance is lack of concern shown by someone about something which they might be expected to take more seriously.
[formal]
He replied with characteristic insouciance: ‘So what?’

Question 14

Extricate

Answer 14

If you extricate yourself or another person from a difficult or serious situation, you free yourself or the other person from it.
It represents a last ditch attempt by the country to extricate itself from its economic crisis. [V pron-refl + from]
He wanted to extricate her from the immediate influence of Catherine de Medici. [VERB noun + from]
2. VERB
If you extricate someone or something from a place where they are trapped or caught, you succeed in freeing them.
[formal]
…extricate the survivors. [VERB noun]
He endeavoured to extricate the car, digging with his hands in the blazing sunshine. [VERB noun]

Question 15

Florid

Answer 15

1. ADJECTIVE
   If you describe something as florid, you disapprove of the fact that it is complicated and extravagant rather than plain and simple.
   [disapproval]
   …florid language.
2. ADJECTIVE
   Someone who is florid always has a red face.
   Jacobs was a stout, florid man.
   Synonyms: flushed, ruddy, rubicund, high-coloured

Question 16

Natatory

Answer 16

of or relating to swimming

Question 17

Neoteric

Answer 17

ADJECTIVE
1. belonging to a new fashion or trend; modern
a neoteric genre
NOUN
2. a new writer or philosopher

Question 18

Invidious

Answer 18

adjective
(of an action or situation) likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others.
"she'd put herself in an invidious position"
Similar:
unpleasant
awkward
difficult
undesirable
unenviable
Opposite:
pleasant
desirable
(of a comparison or distinction) unfairly discriminating; unjust.
"it seems invidious to make special mention of one aspect of his work"
Similar:
unfair
unjust
prejudicial
discriminatory
iniquitous
weighted
one-sided
offensive
objectionable
deleterious
detrimental
unwarranted
Opposite:
fair

Question 19

perspicuous

Answer 19

adjectiveFORMAL
clearly expressed and easily understood; lucid.
"it provides simpler and more perspicuous explanations than its rivals"
Similar:
clear
lucid
crystal clear
limpid
pellucid
unambiguous
plain
understandable
transparent
comprehensible
intelligible
clearly expressed
luminous
luculent
able to give an account or express an idea clearly.

Question 20

perspicacious

Answer 20

ADJECTIVE
Someone who is perspicacious notices, realizes, and understands things quickly.
[formal]
…one of the most perspicacious and perceptive historians of that period.
Synonyms: perceptive, aware, sharp, keen More Synonyms of perspicacious
perspicacity (pɜːʳspɪkæsɪti) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Channel 4’s overseas buyers have foreseen the audience demand with their usual perspicacity.
Synonyms: insight, discrimination, penetration, acumen

Question 21

conspicuous

Answer 21

1. ADJECTIVE
   If someone or something is conspicuous, people can see or notice them very easily.
   He spent his money in a conspicuous way on fast cars and luxury holidays.
   You may feel tearful in situations where you feel conspicuous.
   conspicuously ADVERB [ADVERB with verb, ADVERB adjective]
   Johnston’s name was conspicuously absent from the list.

Question 22

overture

Answer 22

1. COUNTABLE NOUN
   An overture is a piece of music, often one that is the introduction to an opera or play.
   The programme opened with the overture to Wagner’s Flying Dutchman. [+ to]
2. COUNTABLE NOUN [usually plural]
   If you make overtures to someone, you behave in a friendly or romantic way towards them.
   He had lately begun to make clumsy yet endearing overtures of friendship. [+ of]
   If only the West had been more responsive to his peace overtures in the fifties.

Question 23

Vitiate

vicious

Answer 23

VERB
If something is vitiated, its effectiveness is spoiled or weakened.
[formal]
The Commission’s handling of its finances is vitiated by error and fraud. [be VERB-ed]
But this does not vitiate his scholarship. [VERB noun]

deliberately cruel or violent.
“a vicious assault”

Question 24

somnolent

Answer 24

1. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
   If you are somnolent, you feel sleepy.
   [formal]
   The sedative makes people very somnolent.
   Synonyms: sleepy, drowsy, dozy, comatose More Synonyms of somnolent
2. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
   If a place is somnolent, it is very peaceful and quiet.
   [literary]
   …the somnolent villages of Sicily.
   Synonyms: quiet, peaceful, dull, sleepy