GRE Major Tests Chapter 2

Question 1

Abstain

Answer 1

desist, go without, withdraw

ex) Janet will abstain from smoking while she is pregnant.

Question 2

Blighted

Answer 2

damaged, destroyed

ex) The scandal blighted the careers of several leading politicians.

Question 3

Credulous

Answer 3

gullible

ex) The salesperson was able to easily sell his products to credulous buyers.

Question 4

Enshroud

Answer 4

cover

ex) He used the blanket to enshroud the delicate picture frame.

Question 5

Haughtiness

Answer 5

arrogance, pride

ex) The great mansion was filled with an aura of haughtiness and wealth.

Question 6

Lachrymose

Answer 6

tearful, sad

ex) I do not enjoy watching sad movies with my lachrymose wife because she is very sensitive.

Question 7

Obfuscate

Answer 7

deliberately make something hard to understand

ex) Politicians keep obfuscating the issues.

Question 8

Plethora

Answer 8

an excess

ex) In order for you to look into happiness, there is plethora books to guide you.

Question 9

Repudiate

Answer 9

not accepted

ex) Her assignment was repudiated by her teacher as it was plagiarized.

Question 10

Tedium

Answer 10

boredom

ex) The tedium of english class caused me too fall asleep.

Question 11

Abstemious

Answer 11

self denying, sparing in consumption

ex) Although my husband is normal abstemious with his money, he will buy a ticked of a football game anytime.

Question 12

Blithe

Answer 12

free-spirited, carefree

ex) The rebellious teenager as blithe about her falling grades.

Question 13

Crepuscular

Answer 13

active at dawn and dusk

ex) The fact that many desert creatures are crepuscular allow them to avoid high temperature.

Question 14

Enunciation

Answer 14

clear pronunciation

ex) When he was intoxicated, he was hard to understand because he did not enunciate his statements.

Question 15

Lackluster

Answer 15

dull

ex) Are you looking to energize your lackluster career this year?

Question 16

Objective

Answer 16

unbiased

ex) We have to base our students marks on objective measures, such as test results.

Question 17

Pliable

Answer 17

flexible

ex) Even though the hose seemed pliable, Henry wasn’t able to curve it around the corner of the house.

Question 18

Rescind

Answer 18

retract, repeal, to end (law, contract, agreement)

ex) I cannot believe her boyfriends tried to rescind his marriage proposal.

Question 19

Headstrong

Answer 19

stubborn, willful

ex) He was headstrong and determined.

Question 20

Temper

Answer 20

to moderate, soften

ex) He tempered his criticism with a few words of encouragement.

Question 21

Abstruse

Answer 21

difficult to understand, obscure

ex) Some of the books were too abstruse for beginning readers to understand.

Question 22

Blunderbuss

Answer 22

ancient weapon (type of gun), clumsy person

ex) Being the blunderbuss he is my husband has broken nearly every glass in our house.

Question 23

Cringe

Answer 23

recoil, flinch, shy away

ex) The sight of blood made me cringe,

Question 24

Envenom

Answer 24

to cause bitterness and bad feeling

ex) It requires but a few drops of poison to envenom a whole well.

Question 25

Hedonism

Answer 25

self indulgence ex) My neighbor is a hedonist who likes to party all night.

Question 26

Laconic

Answer 26

using few words, brief, to the point ex) He had a reputation for being laconic.

Question 27

Oblique

Answer 27

indirect ex) The slight wink was his oblique way of flirting with me.

Question 28

Plumage

Answer 28

feathers of a bird ex) I found a plumage in the garden and decorate my study table with it.

Question 29

Resignation

Answer 29

acceptance of fate ex) I accepted her decision with resignation.

Question 30

Tenacious

Answer 30

stubborn ex) A tenacious negotiator.

Question 31

Accolade

Answer 31

tribute, honor ex) She received a Grammy Award, the highest accolade in the music business.

Question 32

Bolster

Answer 32

support ex) Her presence would bolster his weak will.

Question 33

Cryptic

Answer 33

puzzling, enigmatic ex) The question was so cryptic that i did not understand what it meant.

Question 34

Ephemeral

Answer 34

short-lived, existing or popular for only a short time ex) Brand value is ephemeral.

Question 35

Hedonist

Answer 35

pleasure seeker ex) He was known as a hedonist.

Question 36

Lamentation

Answer 36

expression of regret or sorrow ex) The death of her uncle left her in severe lamentation.

Question 37

Obliterate

Answer 37

destroy ex) Hiroshima was nearly obliterated by the atomic bomb.

Question 38

Plummet

Answer 38

fall suddenly and deeply ex) Profits plummeted from 49 million to 11 million.

Question 39

Resolution

Answer 39

determination ex) Then, with sudden resolution, she stood up.

Question 40

Tentative

Answer 40

not certain ex) The time of the party is tentative and subject to change.

Question 41

Acquiesce

Answer 41

to agree to, go along ex) The administration decided to acquiesce and let students have a dance.

Question 42

Bombast

Answer 42

arrogant, pompous language ex) His bombastic rant made her rethink her decision to go on a date with him.

Question 43

Curtail

Answer 43

cut short, limit something ex) Until the celebrities stalker is caught, we will curtail her public appearances.

Question 44

Epicure

Answer 44

somebody who appreciates good food and drink ex) The food critic is an epicure who gets happy when he eats a delicious meal.

Question 45

Heed

Answer 45

listen too ex) He won't heed the warning.

Question 46

Lampoon

Answer 46

ridicule, spoof ex) Although he uses comic format to lampoon social issues, his underlying message is intended to be taken seriously,

Question 47

Oblivious

Answer 47

totally unaware ex) He seems oblivious that his selfish actions inconvenience everyone else.

Question 48

Podium

Answer 48

raised platform ex) Tom walked to the podium.

Question 49

Resonant

Answer 49

echoing ex) When the length of the tube increases, the resonant frequency decreases.

Question 50

Tenuous

Answer 50

flimsy, not solid ex) I have a tenuous relationship with my girlfriend.