Final Exam Vocabulary

Question 1

ambiguity

Answer 1

Uncertainty; vagueness

Martha, Lt. Jimmy Cross’s girlfriend, wrote with ambiguity in her letters to Cross, allowing him to believe that there was love between the two of them.

Question 2

candid

Answer 2

Frank; honest

The Nazis were not candid through the “Work will set you free” signs, since the Jews were “set free” by way of death.

Question 3

deprecate

Answer 3

Criticize; denounce

Any Jew who openly deprecated the Nazis would be seriously punished, usually by death.

Question 4

exegesis

Answer 4

Scholarly explanation or interpretation

Adolf Hitler had no legitimate exegesis for his starting of the Holocaust and his own hatred of Jews.

Question 5

immutable

Answer 5

Unchanging; permanent

Many Jews in camps began to believe their hardships and overall torture would be immutable.

Question 6

longevity

Answer 6

Long life

Most of the Jewish people in the concentration camps did not experience longevity, for they were killed through different processes.

Question 7

opulent

Answer 7

Wealthy; rich; magnificent

If the Jews were indeed opulent, it would have no benefit to them in camps, since all of their belongings would be taken by the Germans.

Question 8

precept

Answer 8

Guiding principle

Elie Wiesel, like all of the other Jews, was guided by the precept in Jewish life that there is an omnipotent, omniscient God.

Question 9

salacious

Answer 9

Lecherous; erotic

During his own training, Jimmy had different salacious thoughts of Martha.

Question 10

trite

Answer 10

Unoriginal; dull

Jimmy Cross believed that his life without Martha would be exceedingly trite.

Question 11

ambiguous

Answer 11

Unclear in meaning; can be interpreted in different ways

“Work will set you free” was an ambiguous message placed by the Nazis above the concentration camps, deceiving some Jews.

Question 12

candor

Answer 12

Frankness; openness

Bob Ewell spoke with racist candor when criticizing Tom Robinson in front of the people in Maycomb court.

Question 13

deride

Answer 13

Ridicule; make fun of; mock

The Nazi regime derided the Jewish people and their faith, viewing them as inferior.

Question 14

exemplary

Answer 14

Outstandingly good; setting a fine example

Atticus Finch was an exemplary person for attempting to bring about racial equality in the courts of law.

Question 15

impartial

Answer 15

Unbiased; neutral

The United States was not impartial during World War II, since it fought against Germany, liberating many camps.

Question 16

loquacious

Answer 16

Talkative

Scout was a loquacious little girl, talking to all kinds of people in her town in Alabama.

Question 17

ordain

Answer 17

1. Destine 2. Confer holy orders on a priest

The Jews believed that they were ordained to undergo the Holocaust, thinking that God decided to punish the Jews.

Question 18

precinct

Answer 18

District of a city

Holden explored the Manhattan precinct within New York City on his adventure, seeing different sights in the city.

Question 19

sallow

Answer 19

Yellowish

In the camps, the unsanitary conditions caused fingernails and skin to turn sallow and dirty.

Question 20

trivial

Answer 20

Unimportant

The Germans stripped the Jews of any trivial and any prominent belongings before bringing them into the camps.