Deck 4 Flashcards

Question

pallid

Answer 1

lacking color or liveliness Archeological evidence indicates that women have been using makeup to give color to **pallid** face for millennia.

Answer 2

elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise Many **panegyrics** were written to Abraham Lincoln in the years after his death, and he has become one of the most revered figures in American history.

Answer 3

model of excellence or perfection The epic poet Homer was regarded by the ancient Greeks as a **paragon** of literary excellence.

Answer 4

one-sided; committed to a party, group, or cause; prejudiced Supporters of constitutional monarchy believe that while in this system, as it is generally practiced today, virtually all power is vested in popularly elected assemblies, the institution of the monarchy continues to serve a purpose as a focus of national unity above the furor of **partisan** politics.

Answer 5

departing from normal condition; 病理学の、病的な Psychology is the science that studies cognitive and affective functions, both normal and **pathological**, in human beings and other animals.

Answer 6

a regional dialect; nonstandard speech; jargon In Singapore the lingua franca is increasingly becoming Singapore English, widely regarded as a **patois**.

Answer 7

scarcity An argument sometimes advanced for euthanasia is that the amount of money spent on prolonging a person's life for several months is exorbitant in relation to the **paucity** of funds available for preventive health programs and child health, both of which are highly cost-effective.

Answer 8

showing off learning The Sophists have acquired a reputation as being learned but rather **pedantic** entertainers who gave didactic talks on every subject under the Sun; the truth, however, is that some of the Sophist philosophers were very able thinkers.

Answer 9

transparent; translucent; easily understood Two writers often mentioned as having an admirably **pellucid** style are Bertrand Russell and George Orwell.

Answer 10

inclination; 好み、傾向 Sue has a **penchant** for science, while her brother is more interested in the arts.

Answer 11

extreme poverty The autobiography tells the story of the billionaire's journey from **penury** to riches beyond his imagining.

Answer 12

a wandering from place to place Swami Vivekananda's **peregrinations** took him all over India.

Answer 13

imperative; leaving no choice The general's words were spoken in the **peremptory** tone of a man who is used to having his commands obeyed without question.

Answer 14

present throughout the years; persistent **Perennial** warfare has left most of the people of the country in poverty.

Answer 15

faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy The novel tells the story of the hero's **perfidious** lover.

Answer 16

superficial; not thorough; performed really as a duty The **perfunctory** inspection of the airplane failed to reveal structural faults in the wing.

Answer 17

point in an orbit that is closest to the Earth The Earth observation satellite reaches a **perigee** of 320 miles above the Earth's surface.

Answer 18

penetrable Wetsuits, used by divers in cold water, are **permeable** to water but designed to retain body heat.

Answer 19

to disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious; cause a body to deviate from its regular orbit The findings that violence is increasing in schools greatly **perturbed** government officials.

Answer 20

adj. spread throughout every part It is a plausible hypothesis that the atheistic and materialistic philosophy of Marxism was readily accepted in China because of its similartities with Confucian views on spiritual matters, which had a **pervasive** influence in China for many centuries.

Answer 21

rude; peevish The boy's father worried that his disobedient and **petulant** child would grow up to be a bitter and annoying man.

Answer 22

calm in temperament; sluggish; 不活発な、冷静な **Phlegmatic** natures can be inspired to enthusiasm only by being made into fanatics.

Answer 23

facial features The art teacher assigned her students to make drawings of people with a wide variety of **physiognomy**.

Answer 24

devoutness; 心身深さ、敬虔 Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was a medieval French monk revered for his **piety**.

Answer 25

appealingly stimulating; pleasantly pungent; attractive Many of the guests enjoyed the **piquant** barbecue sauce, but others found it too spicy for their taste.

Answer 26

fleeting feeling of hurt pride; 不興、立腹 Sally left the restaurant in a fit of **pique** after her date called to say he couldn't come beause he was working late.

Answer 27

to lessen another's anger; to pacify to **placate** an outraged citizenry

Answer 28

calm We were amazed how the monk was able to remain **placid** despite the fire that was raging through the building.

Answer 29

melancholy; mournful After the battle all that could be heard was the **plaintive** cries of women who had lost their husbands.

Answer 30

condition of being able to be shaped or formed; pliability The sociologist is continually amazed by the **plasticity** of social institutions.

Answer 31

stale, overused expression Though Sarah's marriage didn't seem to be going well, she took comfort in the **platitude** that the first six months of a marriage were always the most difficult.

Answer 32

spiritual; without sensual desire; theoretical; 観念的な、純精神的な Gradually what had been a **platonic** relationship between Tim and Kyoko became a romantic one.

Answer 33

excess; overabundance Because it deals with death and grieving, the funeral business has produced a **plethora** of euphemisms such as "slumber room" for the place where the corpse is placed for viewing.

Answer 34

to determine the depth; to examine deeply A recurrent theme of mystical experience is "the dark night of the soul," in which a person **plumbs** the depths of despair before finding a transcendent reality that brings the person closer to what he or she regards as God.

Answer 35

to fall; plunge The fighter jet, struck by an enemy missile, **plummeted** to earth.

Answer 36

society ruled by the wealthy It has been argued that modern democracies are **plutocracies** to the extent that wealth allows certain people to have a disproportionately large influence on political decision-making.

Answer 37

full of holes; permeable to liquids If you go camping, make sure to spend enough money to buy a tent with a roof that is not **porous**.

Answer 38

person who affects an attitude or identity to impress others; 気取り屋、目立ちたがり屋 The critic labeled the writer a **poseur** who was more interested in getting the public's attention than in writing good books.

Answer 39

practical The cult of romantic love was a major factor in making a marriage for love, rather than for more **pragmatic** reasons, a ubiquitous phenomenon in the West by the nineteenth century.

Answer 40

to talk idly; chatter The "talk radio" program allows people to call in and **prate** about their pet peeves.

Answer 41

meaningless, foolish talk The sociologist theorizes that what may seem like **prattle** often has an important social function: what might be labeled "gossip" is an important means for people to communicate valuable information about themselves and others.

Answer 42

preliminary statement; 序文、前文 the **preamble** to the Constitution of the United States contains...

Answer 43

uncertain The prime minister's **precarious** hold on power ended when she lost a vote of confidence in Parliament.

Answer 44

principle; law A good **precept** to follow in writing is to avoid redundancies such as "track record", "revert back," "free gift," and "general consensus."

Answer 45

to cause to happen; throw down from a height Full-scale American entry into World War II remained unpopular with the vast majority of Americans until a declaration of war was **precipitated** by the Japanese attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor, a day that President Roosevelt predicted, in a memorable phrase, would "live in infamy."

Answer 46

rash; hasty; sudden The secretary of state advised the president not to take **precipitate** action.

Answer 47

forerunner; predecessor The **precursor** to the theory of plate tectonics was the theory of continental drift.

Answer 48

to occupy (land) in order to establish a prior right to buy; to supersede; appropriate for oneself The movie was **preempted** for the president's emergency address to the nation.

Answer 49

capable of grasping; adapted for seizing, grasping, or taking hold of something Many more animals in South America have **prehensile** tails than those in Southeast Asia and Africa, possibly because the greater density of the forest there favored this adaptation over the ability to glide through the trees.

Answer 50

a feeling of anticipation of or anxiety over a future event; Shortly after his reelection in 1864, President Abraham Lincoln had a **premonition** of his impending death, and on April 14, 1865, he was shot and died the next day.

Answer 51

to foretell; indicate in advance The English poet William Blake believed his work **presaged** a new age in which people would achieve political, social, psychological, and spiritual freedom.

Answer 52

rude; improperly bold The new employee did not offer her advice to her boss because she was afraid he might consider it **presumptuous** for a recent graduate to make a suggestion to someone with 30 years experience in the field.

Answer 53

beyond the normal course of nature; supernatural Most scientists believe that putative **preternatural** phenomena are outside the scope of scientific inquiry.

Answer 54

to speak falsely or misleadingly; deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression; lie Journalists accused government leaders of **prevaricating** about the progress of the war.

Answer 55

original; existing from the beginning Scholars are divided as to whether polytheism represents a degeneration from a **primordial** monotheism, or was a precursor to a more sophisticated view, monotheism.

Answer 56

untouched; uncorrupted The bank's hermetically sealed vault has kept the manuscript in **pristine** condition for 50 years.

Answer 57

honesty; high-mindedness No one questioned the **probity** of the judge being considered for elevation to the U.S. Supreme Court; what was at issue was his controversial views on several important issues.

Answer 58

wasteful; extravagant; lavish Betty warned her husband that he must stop his **prodigal** spending on sports cars and expensive clothing.

Answer 59

so high as to prevent the purchase or use of; preventing; forbidding; 手が出せない Most people in poor countries are unable to purchase a computer because of its **prohibitive** price.

Answer 60

to increase rapidly With the pervasive influence of American culture, "fast-food" restaurants are **proliferating** in many countries.

Answer 61

inclination; tendency There is a natural **propensity** to stress the importance of what one is saying by exaggerating it.

Answer 62

to win over; appease "But for four years there was a contagion of nobility in the land, and the best blood of North ad South poured itself out a libation to **propitiate** the deities of Truth and Justice. The great sin of slavery was washed out, but at what a cost!"

Answer 63

correct conduct; fitness Judges are expected to conduct themselves with **propriety**, especially in the courtroom.

Answer 64

to condemn; forbid; outlaw The expert in English believes that since the tendency to use hyperbole is natural and often enriches the language, it should not be **proscribed**.

Answer 65

providing for future needs; frugal; 将来に備えた、先見の明のある Most people have heard the story of the prodigal grasshopper and the **provident** ant that spends the summer saving food for the winter.

Answer 66

powerful The article analyzes the simiarities and differences between the Roman Empire and the British Empire when each was at its most **puissant**.

Answer 67

careful in observing rules of behavior or ceremony The prime minister reminded his staff that they must be **punctilious** in following protocol during the visit by the foreign head of state.

Answer 68

strong or sharp in smell or taste; penetrating; caustic; to the point Slang frequently expresses an idea succinctly and **pungently**.

Answer 69

to profess; suppose; claim; 〔偽って〕～であると称する［主張する］ The United States is generally considered to be a secular society in which church and state are separate; however, religion plays a large role, since nearly everyone **purports** to believe in God and many people are members of churches.

Answer 70

cowardly Traditionally, a ship captain is considered **pusillanimous** if he abandons his ship before everyone else has.

Answer 71

marsh; difficult situation The federal government's antitrust suit in the 1990s against Microsoft created a legal **quagmire**.

Answer 72

to lose heart or courage in difficulty or danger; shrink with fear The defendant **quailed** when the judge entered the room to announce the sentence.

Answer 73

sudden feeling of faintness or nausea; uneasy feeling about the rightness of actions; 気がとがめること、めまい The judge had no **qualms** about sentencing the thief to five years imprisonment.

Answer 74

to question Until widespread industrialization caused massive pollution in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the ability of the biosphere to dissipate and assimilate waste created by human activity was not **queried**.

Answer 75

to argue over insignificant and irrelevant details The lawyers spent so much time **quibbling** over details that they made little progress in reaching an agreement on the central issue.

Answer 76

inactive; still Although malignant tumors may remain **quiescent** for a period of time, they never become benign.