Direct Hits 8 Science And The Social Sciences

Question 1

catalyst

Answer 1

in chemistry, a catalyst is a substance (such as an enzyme) that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction at some temperature, but without itself being transformed or consumed by the reaction / in everyday usage a catalyst is any agent that provokes or triggers change

Question 2

caustic

Answer 2

in chemistry, a caustic substance is one that burns or destroys organic tissue by chemical action; hydrofluoric acid and silver nitrate are examples of caustic substances / in everyday usage, a caustic comment is one that hurts or burns

Question 3

crystallize

Answer 3

in chemistry, crystallization is the process by which crystals are formed / in everyday usage, to crystallize means to give a definite form to an idea or plan

Question 4

osmosis

Answer 4

in chemistry, osmosis refers to the diffusion of a fluid through a semipermeable membrane until there is an equal concentration of fluid on both sides of the membrane / in everyday usage, osmosis refers to a gradual, often unconscious process of assimilation

Question 5

sedentary

Answer 5

in ecology, animals that are sedentary remain or live in one area / in everyday usage, sedentary means settled and therefore accustomed to sitting or doing little exercise

Question 6

virulent

Answer 6

in medical science, virulent refers to a disease or toxin that is extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous / in everyday usage, virulent refers to language that is bitterly hostile, hateful, and antagonistic

Question 7

empirical

Answer 7

in science, empirical means originating in or based on direct observation and experience; empirical data can then be used to support or reject a hypothesis / in everyday language, empirical means to be guided by practical experience, not theory

Question 8

entomology

Answer 8

the scientific study of insects

Question 9

gestate

Answer 9

in science, gestate means to carry within the uterus from conception to delivery / in everyday language, gestate means to conceive and develop in the mind

Question 10

paradigm

Answer 10

in science, a paradigm is a framework or model of thought

Question 11

entrepreneur

Answer 11

a person who organizes and manages a business or enterprise

Question 12

lucrative

Answer 12

very profitable

Question 13

extravagant

Answer 13

excessive and therefore lacking restraint

Question 14

avarice, cupidity

Answer 14

excessive desire for material wealth; greed; covetousness

Question 15

glut, plethora, surfeit

Answer 15

a surplus or excess of something

Question 16

destitute, impoverished, indigent

Answer 16

very poor, lacking basic resources

Question 17

affluent, opulent

Answer 17

very rich, having abundant resources

Question 18

munificent

Answer 18

very generous

Question 19

parsimonious

Answer 19

excessively cheap with money; stingy

Question 20

depreciation

Answer 20

any decrease or loss in value caused by age, wear, or market conditions

Question 21

remunerate

Answer 21

to compensate; to make payment for; to pay a person

Question 22

accord

Answer 22

a formal concurrence, agreement, or harmony of minds

Question 23

enlighten, edify

Answer 23

to inform, instruct, illuminate, and thus remove darkness and ignorance

Question 24

appeasement

Answer 24

the policy of granting concessions to maintain peace

Question 25

nullify

Answer 25

to make null; declare invalid

Question 26

triumvirate

Answer 26

a group or association of three leaders

Question 27

pretext

Answer 27

an excuse; an alleged cause

Question 28

watershed

Answer 28

critical point that marks a change of course; a turning point

Question 29

consensus

Answer 29

a general agreement

Question 30

autocrat, despot

Answer 30

a ruler or other person with unlimited power and authority

Question 31

manifesto

Answer 31

a public declaration of beliefs, policies, or intentions

Question 32

enfranchise

Answer 32

to endow with the rights of citizenship, especially the right to vote

Question 33

disenfranchise

Answer 33

to deprive of some privilege or right, especially the right to vote

Question 34

coerce

Answer 34

to force to act or think in a certain way by use of pressure, threats, or torture; to compel

Question 35

egalitarian

Answer 35

favoring social equality; believing in a society in which all people have equal political, economic, and civil rights

Question 36

demarcation

Answer 36

the setting or marking of boundaries or limits, as a line of demarcation

Question 37

inquisition

Answer 37

a severe interrogation; a systematic questioning

Question 38

ameliorate

Answer 38

to make a situation better

Question 39

exacerbate

Answer 39

to make a situation worse

Question 40

desiccated

Answer 40

thoroughly dried out; lifeless, totally arid

Question 41

contiguous

Answer 41

sharing an edge or boundary; touching

Question 42

pertinent

Answer 42

relevant; to the point; clearly illustrative of a major point

Question 43

complicity

Answer 43

association or participation in a wrongful act

Question 44

exonerate, exculpate

Answer 44

to free from guilt or blame

Question 45

indisputable

Answer 45

not open to question; undeniable; irrefutable

Question 46

precedent

Answer 46

an act or instance that is used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar instances

Question 47

unprecedented

Answer 47

without previous example, never known before; an event that has never happened before

Question 48

malfeasance

Answer 48

misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official