GRE Major Tests Chapter 16

Question 1

Austere

Answer 1

plain, without any decoration, strict and serious

ex) Even though she speared austere, my teacher was a very kind woman.

Question 2

Concatenate

Answer 2

link together

ex) Concatenate several lists of instructions into a single master file.

Question 3

Dubious

Answer 3

doubtful

ex) I had the feeling that his dubious plan would never work.

Question 4

Garble

Answer 4

distort, confuse

ex) Until the toddler is able to speak properly, he will garble most of his words.

Question 5

Intransigent

Answer 5

stubborn

ex) Because my father is usually intransigent, he rarely lets my mother have her way.

Question 6

Momentous

Answer 6

very important

ex) The photographer went out of his way to capture all the momentous moments of my wedding day.

Question 7

Peripatetic

Answer 7

nomadic, moving from place to place

ex) I haven’t been able to train my dog to stop his peripatetic behavior of running away.

Question 8

Quarry

Answer 8

something that its hunted, mine for stone

ex) Some of the finest marble in the country comes from our town’s quarry.

Question 9

Stoke

Answer 9

add fuel to

ex) He has sent his proposals in the hope of stoking up interest for the idea.

Question 10

Vitriolic

Answer 10

strongly attacking

ex) Your vitriolic comments about my dress hurt my feelings.

Question 11

Aversion

Answer 11

a dislike of

ex) Vegetarians have a strong aversion to eating meat.

Question 12

Concatenation

Answer 12

linking into chains

ex) Concatenate several lists of instructions into a single file.

Question 13

Dupe

Answer 13

to fool someone

ex) My brother is a schemer who is always trying to dupe people out of their money.

Question 14

Garish

Answer 14

gaudy

ex) Rappers are known to/for wearing garish accessories like giant gold chains.

Question 15

Intrepid

Answer 15

brave

ex) The intrepid kitten slowly walked towards the two huge dogs.

Question 16

Monotonous

Answer 16

dull

ex) Everybody in my class complains about my math teacher’s monotonous lectures.

Question 17

Peripheral

Answer 17

on the edge, not important

ex) Despite the loss of a few peripheral functions, the airplane will be able to land safely.

Question 18

Querulous

Answer 18

always complaining

ex) Forgive me for sounding querulous.

Question 19

Stolid

Answer 19

impassive, dull

ex) Although the comedian made a lot of jokes, the stolid audience remained quiet.

Question 20

Vivacity

Answer 20

liveliness, animation

ex) He had been talking all day, on many subjects with unusual vivacity.

Question 21

Balk

Answer 21

hinder and prevent

ex) The coach warned the pitcher that if he continues to balk during a pitch, he would be replaced.

Question 22

Conciliate

Answer 22

to bring together

ex) I tried to conciliate the angry competitor.

Question 23

Dynamic

Answer 23

lively, energetic ability to change according to a situation

ex) Dynamic teachers are capable of being flexible with her lesson plans.

Question 24

Garner

Answer 24

gather, collect

ex) The church members are trying to garner enough funds to purchase the pastor a new house.

Question 25

Inveterate

Answer 25

habitual

ex) An inveterate gambler.

Question 26

Moratorium

Answer 26

temporary prohibition or halt to activity

ex) An avid fisherman, Billy was upset when he learned of the fishing moratorium.

Question 27

Perjury

Answer 27

telling lies under oath

ex) He was warned by the judge to tell the truth or else be arrested for perjury.

Question 28

Quirk

Answer 28

oddity

ex) He is full of strange quirks.

Question 29

Stratagem

Answer 29

strategy

ex) His chess stratagem was so good that he never lost a match.

Question 30

Vivify

Answer 30

enliven

ex) Details that vivify the narrative.

Question 31

Banal

Answer 31

common

ex) He made some banal remarks about the weather.

Question 32

Concise

Answer 32

stated in few words

ex) A concise article on violence in the media that manages to say more than most books on the subject.

Question 33

Ebullient

Answer 33

very lively

ex) He always felt the ebullient after drinking his morning coffee.

Question 34

Garrulous

Answer 34

talkative

ex) My garrulous sister talked only about boys on the phone all day.

Question 35

Invidious

Answer 35

arousing envy

ex) I was shocked to learn my best friend was spreading invidious rumors about me.

Question 36

Moribund

Answer 36

at the point of death

ex) An actor who is trying to revive his moribund career.

Question 37

Pernicious

Answer 37

destructive

ex) The pernicious effects of jealousy.

Question 38

Ramble

Answer 38

wander aimlessly

ex) She rambled for several minutes before introducing the main speaker.

Question 39

Strident

Answer 39

loud and harsh

ex) Our relationship will never go far if you continue to talk to me in such a strident tone.

Question 40

Vociferous

Answer 40

noisy, loud

ex) The fans were vociferous that they cheered their underdog team to victory.

Question 41

Banality

Answer 41

ordinariness

ex) I was bored to death because of his banal conversation.

Question 42

Condescend

Answer 42

talk down to

ex) You make me feel worthless with your condescending attitude.

Question 43

Eccentric

Answer 43

unusual

ex) The eccentric old man never ate anything other than cat food.

Question 44

Gaunt

Answer 44

emaciated

ex) After being held for three months in a dark basement, the prisoner was gaunt and weak.

Question 45

Inviolable

Answer 45

cannot be invaded

ex) Her parents made it clear that the rules of curfew were inviolable.

Question 46

Morose

Answer 46

gloomy

ex) Those morose job seekers who have grown accustomed to rejection.

Question 47

Persnickety

Answer 47

fastidious

ex) She lost a lot of friends due to her persnickety attitude.

Question 48

Ramifications

Answer 48

branches, a change that makes a situation more complicated

ex) Before you quit your job, make sure you are aware of the ramification of not having a salary to pay your bills.

Question 49

Stringent

Answer 49

strict or severe

ex) The nursing school had very stringent rules.

Question 50

Volatile

Answer 50

dangerously unstable

ex) Do not smoke near a gas pump. The fumes can be volatile.