GRE Major Tests Chapter 10

Question 1

Antagonism

Answer 1

hostility, strong opposition

ex) Before the American Civil War, there was a great antagonism between the north and south.

Question 2

Charlatan

Answer 2

trickster who claims knowledge he doesn’t have

ex) The charlatan pretended to be a doctor so he could go into the hospital and steal prescription drugs.

Question 3

Dike

Answer 3

dam, embarkment

ex) Dike prevents flooding.

Question 4

Fanatical

Answer 4

obsessive

ex) He is fanatical about his beliefs.

Question 5

Indifferent

Answer 5

neutral, not interested

ex) The indifferent look on his face made it hard for me to understand his mood.

Question 6

Malingerer

Answer 6

person who deliberately tries to avoid work.

ex) When it came to facing the physical hardships of the North he was a malingerer.

Question 7

Paragon

Answer 7

a perfect example

ex) As a paragon of purity, a nun would never dress inappropriately.

Question 8

Procrastinate

Answer 8

delay, put off

ex) If I didn’t procrastinate so much, I could get more done.

Question 9

Sentinel

Answer 9

guard

ex) On the road he was stopped by a French sentinel, who ordered him back.

Question 10

Unwitting

Answer 10

not deliberate, unconscious, not aware

ex) He kept the truth from his unwitting friends.

Question 11

Antagonistic

Answer 11

opposed, hostile

ex) It shook her up to known that she was to accompany a man so antagonistic to her.

Question 12

Chary

Answer 12

wary of, cautious about

ex) He is chary of offending people.

Question 13

Dilatory

Answer 13

slow, falling behind, intended to cause delay

ex) My daughter used dilatory tactics to stay up past her bed time.

Question 14

Fanaticism

Answer 14

passion

ex) Religious fanaticism created a lot of communal tension in the country.

Question 15

Indigenous

Answer 15

native to a particular area

ex) Because these trees require very moist temperature, they are only indigenous in rainforests.

Question 16

Malleable

Answer 16

flexible, can be shaped

ex) Once I made up my mind about a person, my feelings are not malleable.

Question 17

Paramount

Answer 17

of supreme importance

ex) The interests of the child are of paramount importance.

Question 18

Prodigal

Answer 18

wasteful

ex) Not a penny was left with him because of being a prodigal man.

Question 19

Sequester

Answer 19

isolate

ex) The people with the virus was told to sequester themselves at home.

Question 20

Upbraid

Answer 20

scold

ex) The police officer did not hesitate to upbraid the man for driving without insurance.

Question 21

Antediluvian

Answer 21

outdated

ex) My daughter often tells me I wear antediluvian clothes.

Question 22

Chastises

Answer 22

punishes

ex) If you bully someone, the teacher will chastise you and keep you out of school.

Question 23

Dilemma

Answer 23

puzzling situation

ex) Too many options available in the dress design left me in a dilemma.

Question 24

Fastidious

Answer 24

overly particular, concerned about accuracy and detail

ex) Your friends will be few if you do now change your habit of being fastidious.

Question 25

Indolence

Answer 25

laziness

ex) He lost his job because he was an indolent employee.

Question 26

Mallet

Answer 26

wooden hammer

ex) The doctor hit my knee with a mallet.

Question 27

Parasite

Answer 27

scrounger

ex) Foxes carry a lot of parasites.

Question 28

Prodigious

Answer 28

very large

ex) After overindulging in a prodigious meal, I really needed a nap.

Question 29

Serendipity

Answer 29

fortunate coincidence

ex) Nature has created a wonderful serendipity.

Question 30

Uproarious

Answer 30

hilarious

ex) The comedian’s jokes were so uproarious.

Question 31

Anthology

Answer 31

a book which is a collection of poems or stores

ex) Before the Anthology was published, she had to find several more stories to add to it.

Question 32

Chicanery

Answer 32

trickery

ex) You can smell the chicanery from a dishonest person.

Question 33

Dilettante

Answer 33

person who dabbles in a subject without serious study

ex) You can always tell a true expert from a dilettante.

Question 34

Fatuous

Answer 34

silly

ex) Buying a car without negotiating down the price is a fatuous move.

Question 35

Inductee

Answer 35

novice, beginner

ex) A new crop of inductees produced by the draft.

Question 36

Manipulatable

Answer 36

influenceable, controllable

ex) His inexperience in the business world meant he was manipulatable.

Question 37

Parched

Answer 37

dried up

ex) How could the ground be so parched when the air was so water fogged.

Question 38

Profane

Answer 38

unholy

ex) He seldom yells profane words.

Question 39

Serene

Answer 39

calm

ex) I sleep best in a serene environment.

Question 40

Upshot

Answer 40

outcome

ex) The upshot of several days of fighting was the retreat of the British.

Question 41

Anthropocentrism

Answer 41

putting man at the center of one’s philosophy

ex) He showed a great deal of anthropocentrism in his attitude towards the environment.

Question 42

Chimerical

Answer 42

changeable, unstable, an invention of an individuals imagination

ex) The company was fined when the government discovered it had used chimerical data to get approval for its new drug.

Question 43

Diligent

Answer 43

hard-working

ex) He is a diligent student.

Question 44

Feasible

Answer 44

possible and practicable

ex) Driving with your eyes closed is not feasible.

Question 45

Indulgent

Answer 45

pampering, satisfying desires

ex) My indulgent parents five me everything I want.

Question 46

Marred

Answer 46

damaged, spoiled

ex) The rowdy college boys marred the hotel room.

Question 47

Pariah

Answer 47

an outcast from society

ex) When the child molester was released from prison, he was treated like a pariah in his community.

Question 48

Profanity

Answer 48

swearing, cursing

ex) The comic uses too much profanity.

Question 49

Serrated

Answer 49

jagged, saw-like

ex) A serrated knife.

Question 50

Urbane

Answer 50

sophisticated, suave

ex) He is an urbane traveller who has visited over eighty countries.