GRE Major Tests Chapter 19

Question 1

Bellicose

Answer 1

war-like, aggressive

ex) The patient who took the drug suddenly became erratic and bellicose.

Question 2

Consummate

Answer 2

complete, total

ex) At the poker table, it was easy to spot the consummate players because they never seemed anxious.

Question 3

Elusive

Answer 3

hard to pin down

ex) The animal control officer could not catch the elusive dog.

Question 4

Gregarious

Answer 4

extroverted, sociable, outgoing

ex) If you want to be more approachable, show a gregarious smile.

Question 5

Jaundiced

Answer 5

cynical, pessimistic

ex) My friend is jaundiced against the restaurant because they have no vegan options.

Question 6

Nettle

Answer 6

annoy

ex) My brother will often nettle me by reading my diary.

Question 7

Phenomenon

Answer 7

an event or happening

ex) Since I had never seen a falling star, seeing one on my honeymoon was a real phenomenon.

Question 8

Recuperate

Answer 8

get better after illness

ex) The doctor told the tennis player she needed to recuperate for nine months before getting back into competition.

Question 9

Superlative

Answer 9

extremely good

ex) The author had a superlative story-telling ability, but his grammar left something to be desired.

Question 10

Whet

Answer 10

sharpen, trigger

ex) The purpose of television commercials is to whet the interest of potential buyers.

Question 11

Belligerent

Answer 11

aggressive, ready to fight

ex) You make more friends being nice than you do by being belligerent.

Question 12

Contemporary

Answer 12

living or happening at the same time, quite recent

ex) Contemporary medicine is much more effective than the medicines produced twenty years ago.

Question 13

Emaciated

Answer 13

very thin, withered

ex) The emaciated boy was too weak to right off his kidnapper.

Question 14

Gritty

Answer 14

coarse, granular

ex) The sheets fell on the gritty floor.

Question 15

Jaunt

Answer 15

show pleasure trip, excursion for pleasure or refreshment

ex) She met up with her boyfriends for a two-mile jaunt.

Question 16

Niggardly

Answer 16

miserly, stingy

ex) Stop being so niggardly and at least give a dollar to charity.

Question 17

Philanthropy

Answer 17

charity

ex) During the ceremony, the generous celebrity received an award for her philanthropy.

Question 18

Red tape

Answer 18

formalities, papaerwork

ex) I’am asked about a lot about red tape that a home business requires.

Question 19

Surly

Answer 19

grumpy

ex) Most people tend to act surly in the morning if they aren’t used to waking up early.

Question 20

Whimsical

Answer 20

capricious, changeable, playful

ex) The whimsical music made me feel like a little kid again.

Question 21

Bemoan

Answer 21

complain about

ex) Because her injury did not seem to be healing, she began to bemoan her treatment.

Question 22

Contrite

Answer 22

sorry

ex) Show how contrite you are by writing an apology letter.

Question 23

Emancipate

Answer 23

set free

ex) Computer technology has done a great deal to emancipate offie workers from tedious jobs.

Question 24

Guffaw

Answer 24

sudden loud laughter

ex) Most medical doctors say having a good laugh or guffaw is a great way to start the day.

Question 25

Jeopardize

Answer 25

put at risk ex) How dare you jeopardize the lives of others by driving drunk.

Question 26

Nomadic

Answer 26

wandering from place to place ex) The nomadic tribe moved their camp several times a year.

Question 27

Philistine

Answer 27

uncultured person ex) Only a philistine would destroy such a priceless portrait.

Question 28

Redolent

Answer 28

smelling of ex) The candy shop was redolent with the rich smell of chocolate.

Question 29

Surreptitious

Answer 29

secret ex) Your surreptitious drug habits will not stay unknown for long.

Question 30

Willful

Answer 30

stubborn ex) The willful man continued to chase after the happily married woman.

Question 31

Benevolent

Answer 31

kindly ex) Raising money for worthy causes, he is a benevolent man.

Question 32

Contrition

Answer 32

sorrow and repentance ex) He showed contrition for his crime.

Question 33

Embezzle

Answer 33

defraud, steal ex) The conman planned to embezzle the funds he helped the charity raise.

Question 34

Guile

Answer 34

cunning, craftiness ex) If you want to win the competition, you will need to use your guide to beat the others.

Question 35

Jingoistic

Answer 35

extremely patriotic ex) My fathers jingoism towards foreigners made him appear racist.

Question 36

Nonchalance

Answer 36

an appearance of indifference, calm and composed ex) Gone was his look of nonchalance from earlier.

Question 37

Phlegmatic

Answer 37

calm, imperturbable ex) The normally phlegmatic man could not help but yell when he won the lottery prize.

Question 38

Redress

Answer 38

put right something that was wrong ex) The manager gave me a free meal as redress for the awful service I received in his restaurant.

Question 39

Surreptitiously

Answer 39

secretly ex) He snuck out and surreptitiously bought her a big bunch of flowers.

Question 40

Wily

Answer 40

cunning, calculating ex) The police tried to catch the wily suspect for several months.

Question 41

Benign

Answer 41

kindly, harmless ex) When the doctor said my tumor was benign, I was so happy.

Question 42

Contumacious

Answer 42

stubborn ex) The judge was quick to have contumacious defendants removed from his courtroom.

Question 43

Embroil

Answer 43

involve in hostility or argument ex) I avoided my two best friends because I did not want to get embroiled in their dispute.

Question 44

Guileless

Answer 44

straightforward, trusting ex) The guileless nerd really believed the prom queen had a crush on him.

Question 45

Jocular

Answer 45

in a joking manner ex) The jocular man is known for his funny punch lines.

Question 46

Nondescript

Answer 46

having no special features ex) Because the shop was so nondescript, I walked past it several times.

Question 47

Pillage

Answer 47

plunder ex) The general was a decent man and did not allow any of his soldiers to pillage items from towns they invaded.

Question 48

Redundant

Answer 48

unnecessary, superfluous ex) I consider the celebrity's ownership of their automobiles to be quite redundant.

Question 49

Susceptible

Answer 49

vulnerable ex) Many young children get the flu vaccine so they will be less susceptible to the virus.

Question 50

Wispy

Answer 50

flimsy, frail, delicate ex) A wispy plant.