GRE Major Tests Chapter 13

Question 1

Archetype

Answer 1

classic example of

ex) According to the popular magazine, the year’s most handsome man is the archetype of the perfect male.

Question 2

Clemency

Answer 2

mercy

ex) He knew without clemency he would spend the rest of his life in prison.

Question 3

Disinterested

Answer 3

unbiased

ex) A banker is under an obligation to give disinterested advice.

Question 4

Flout

Answer 4

defy, to intentionally disobey

ex) Safety guidelines exist for a reason, and if you flout them, there could be serious consequences.

Question 5

Ingenue

Answer 5

naive, unsophisticated

ex) In her latest film she plays the part of an ingenue.

Question 6

Mendacious

Answer 6

given to lying

ex) My wife is mendacious for dating another man.

Question 7

Paucity

Answer 7

shortage

ex) It will be difficult for me to construct the project with such a paucity of tools.

Question 8

Protean

Answer 8

changeable

ex) Since the mutant superhero is protean, she can take the form of anyone she encounters.

Question 9

Sophomoric

Answer 9

juvenile, immature

ex) The sophomoric humor in the movie only appeals to teenagers.

Question 10

Venal

Answer 10

corrupt

ex) He is a venal politician.

Question 11

Archives

Answer 11

collection of old records, place of storage of old documents

ex) The encyclopedia is a archive of world history.

Question 12

Cliche

Answer 12

overused expression, something unoriginal

ex) By using a cliche repeatedly in the lyrics, the songwriter has made the tune very boring.

Question 13

Disparage

Answer 13

criticize

ex) You disparage my brother by saying he is worthless?

Question 14

Flustered

Answer 14

worked-up

ex) The flustered defendant began to yell at the prosecutor.

Question 15

Ingrate

Answer 15

ungrateful

ex) After the singer refused to accept the award, she was called an ingrate.

Question 16

Mercenary

Answer 16

concerned only with money

ex) Because he is a mercenary, he is motivated by financial gain.

Question 17

Peccadillo

Answer 17

minor weakness, a small mistake

ex) Unless you’re perfect, you should never complain about a peccadillo of someone else.

Question 18

Protege

Answer 18

person under protection of

ex) The King was stunned when the protege he guided tried to take his throne.

Question 19

Soporific

Answer 19

inducing sleep

ex) There is a soporific effect of eating that makes people sleepy after every meal.

Question 20

Veneer

Answer 20

surface coating

ex) She wears a veneer of friendliness while trying to backstab everyone in the office.

Question 21

Articulate

Answer 21

clear

ex) A polished speaker, Jenna was able to articulate her points during any discussion.

Question 22

Clientele

Answer 22

customers

ex) In their opinion, the clientele seem tight and distant.

Question 23

Disparity

Answer 23

an inequality

ex) The disparity between the giants height and the dwarf’s height is obvious.

Question 24

Fly-by-night

Answer 24

unreliable

ex) I used to work for this fly by night company which tricked people into buying defective property.

Question 25

Inimical

Answer 25

hostile ex) The police officer had an inimical attitude towards animals.

Question 26

Mercurial

Answer 26

volatile, changeable ex) Because she is taking a new medication, her moods have become mercurial.

Question 27

Pedant

Answer 27

giving too much importance to details and formal rules ex) As a grammar teacher, it is hard for me to not review everything with a pedantic eye.

Question 28

Protocol

Answer 28

procedure, code of behavior ex) He broke protocol when her approached the queen without being summoned.

Question 29

Sparse

Answer 29

spare, bare ex) With only a sparse amount of hair, the main decided to completely shave his head.

Question 30

Venerate

Answer 30

revere, worship ex) the Bible says we should venerate our parents and elders.

Question 31

Artifice

Answer 31

deception ex) The crooked delivery guy hoped his artifice of overcharging customers would go unnoticed.

Question 32

Coalesce

Answer 32

come together ex) Their ideas coalesced into one theory.

Question 33

Dispassionate

Answer 33

neutral, objective ex) The dispassionate father watched television while his son cried on the floor.

Question 34

Forensic

Answer 34

concerned with argument or debate ex) Forensic science.

Question 35

Innate

Answer 35

inherited, inborn ex) Penguins are born with the innate inclination to live together.

Question 36

Merge

Answer 36

come together ex) Mitsubishi Bank merged with Tokyo Bank.

Question 37

Pedestrian

Answer 37

common ex) Pedestrian concerns like paying the bills and getting the kids to school on time.

Question 38

Provincial

Answer 38

unsophisticated, narrow-minded ex) Even though James had travelled all over the world, he still wore clothing which was quite provincial and outdated.

Question 39

Specious

Answer 39

false ex) The intruder tried to give the authorities a specious excuse regarding his presence in the building.

Question 40

Venial

Answer 40

minor, unimportant ex) Generally, young children are allowed to make venial mistakes without consequence.

Question 41

Artisan

Answer 41

craftsman ex) This carpet was made by the local artisans.

Question 42

Coddle

Answer 42

pamper, indulge ex) Old people are to be coddled.

Question 43

Disseminating

Answer 43

circulating, spreading ex) Cover your mouth while sneezing so that you do not disseminate bacteria.

Question 44

Fortitude

Answer 44

bravery ex) Most successfull businessmen are not afraid to show fortitude when they face failure.

Question 45

Innocuous

Answer 45

harmless ex) When compared to football, tennis seems like a very innocuous sport.

Question 46

Metaphorically

Answer 46

symbolically ex) He conveyed his teachings metaphorically.

Question 47

Peerless

Answer 47

without equal ex) The peerless boxer never loses a fight.

Question 48

Prudent

Answer 48

cautious ex) It is not prudent to go swimming during a hurricane.

Question 49

Speckled

Answer 49

spotted ex) The sky was dark and speckled with stars.

Question 50

Veracity

Answer 50

truthfulness ex) Veracity is the strongest element of her character.