GRE Major Tests Chapter 3

Question 1

Acrid

Answer 1

sharp, pungent (used of smells and tastes)

ex) The acrid smell of cigarette ashes burned her nose and brought tears to her eyes.

Question 2

Boorish

Answer 2

ill-mannered

ex) Even though the pirate captain was brutal and boorish with his men, he was always courteous to the female captives.

Question 3

Cynical

Answer 3

believing that people act only out of selfish motives

ex) I’am cynical about politics.

Question 4

Epistle

Answer 4

a letter (form of communication)

ex) The epistle from the court ordered me to appear as a possible juror.

Question 5

Heresy

Answer 5

against orthodox opinion

ex) Heresy in our church has led to a huge disagreement between members of our congregation.

Question 6

Lance

Answer 6

spear, spike, javelin

ex) I saw a lance in a museum that was said to have been used in the middle ages.

Question 7

Obscure

Answer 7

difficult to understand

ex) Everything seemed dark, obscure, and terrible.

Question 8

Poignant

Answer 8

deeply moving, strongly affecting the emotions

ex) Because the poignant movie reminded me of my partial childhood, it made me cry.

Question 9

Respite

Answer 9

a break

ex) Gardening is the perfect hobby for those who need respite from heretic city life.

Question 10

Terse

Answer 10

concise, to the point

ex) “working on it”, came the terse response.

Question 11

Acrophobia

Answer 11

fear of heights

ex) The boy’s acrophobia prevented him from climbing the ladder.

Question 12

Bourgeois

Answer 12

middle class

ex) Although he came from a poor family, Charles always acted bourgeois when he was out with his friends.

Question 13

Debility

Answer 13

weakness, incapacity

ex) The debility she suffered from has threatened her health.

Question 14

Epistolary

Answer 14

concerned with letters

ex) An epistolary novel.

Question 15

Hiatus

Answer 15

interruption, pause

ex) After a three year hiatus, Simple Minds came back with a new CD.

Question 16

Languid

Answer 16

tired, slow

ex) After the long journey I felt very languid.

Question 17

Obscured

Answer 17

hidden, covered

ex) Dark clouds obscured the Moon.

Question 18

Poised

Answer 18

calm, collected, self-possessed

ex) The actors were poised on stage, ready for the curtain to come up.

Question 19

Resplendent

Answer 19

shining, glowing

ex) The peacock is a bird with resplendent plumage in multiple shades if blues and greens.

Question 20

Therapeutic

Answer 20

medicinal, curative

ex) Research has shown that family pets can be very therapeutic in helping people to overcome depression.

Question 21

Acuity

Answer 21

sharpness (mental or visual)

ex) A snipers visual acuity has to be exceptional because he must be able to clearly see his targets.

Question 22

Braggart

Answer 22

someone who boasts

ex) He was a braggart who was always talking about how much money he made.

Question 23

Debunking

Answer 23

exposing false claims or myths

ex) The results of the study debunks his theory.

Question 24

Epitomized

Answer 24

characterized

ex) She told me my assignment epitomized excellence in the field of physics.

Question 25

Hidebound

Answer 25

rigid in opinions

ex) The hidebound innkeeper refused to see the need for a web site.

Question 26

Languish

Answer 26

decay, fade away, to live in miserable conditions

ex) He languished in prison for years.

Question 27

Obsequious

Answer 27

servile, submissive

ex) The little girl had obsequious manners.

Question 28

Polemical

Answer 28

causing debate or argument

ex) They managed to discuss the issues without resorting to polemics.

Question 29

Restorative

Answer 29

a tonic

ex) The restorative powers of rest.

Question 30

Thwart

Answer 30

prevent, frustrate

ex) She did all she could to thwart his plans.

Question 31

Adamant

Answer 31

forceful, inflexible

ex) We all wondered why they adamantly opposed having GPS installed.

Question 32

Brawny

Answer 32

muscular

ex) He had brawny tattooed arms.

Question 33

Decathlon

Answer 33

an athletic event with ten events

ex) The decathlon was delayed due to poor weather conditions.

Question 34

Equivocate

Answer 34

speak ambiguously

ex) The applicant seemed to be equivocating when we asked about his last job.

Question 35

Hieroglyphics

Answer 35

picture writing, writing which its hard to read or enigmatic.

ex) The word hieroglyphic means “sacred carving” in Greek.

Question 36

Larceny

Answer 36

theft

ex) Once the trial ended, the man was charged with the crime of larceny.

Question 37

Obsession

Answer 37

a domination concern

ex) I’am obsessed with this business.

Question 38

Ponderous

Answer 38

weighty, slow and heavy

ex) He carried a ponderous load.

Question 39

Retention

Answer 39

preservation

ex) The soil’s retention of moisture.

Question 40

Timorous

Answer 40

cowardly

ex) A timorous voice.

Question 41

Adroit

Answer 41

skillful

ex) It was the adroit way to solve problem.

Question 42

Brevity

Answer 42

being brief, shortness of time

ex) The brevity of human life.

Question 43

Decorum

Answer 43

correct behavior

ex) He maintained a decorum behavior throughout the party.

Question 44

Err

Answer 44

make a mistake

ex) To err is human.

Question 45

Hinder

Answer 45

obstruct

ex) She wasn’t certain why her chest felt tight enough to hinder her breathing.

Question 46

Obsolete

Answer 46

no longer valid

ex) We are in the process of obsoleting this product.

Question 47

Pontificate

Answer 47

speak pompously

ex) We had to listen to her pontificate about the best way to raise children.

Question 48

Reticent

Answer 48

restrained, holding something back, uncommunicative

ex) She answered questions but was reticent most of the time.

Question 49

Largess

Answer 49

generosity

ex) An activist for the poor, Philip is well-known for his largess which helps many in need.

Question 50

Tirade

Answer 50

stream of verbal abuse

ex) His tirade ended as abruptly as it began.