GRE Major Tests Chapter 3 Flashcards

1
Q

Acrid

A

sharp, pungent (used of smells and tastes)

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

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2
Q

Boorish

A

ill-mannered

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

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3
Q

Cynical

A

believing that people act only out of selfish motives

ex) I’am cynical about politics.

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4
Q

Epistle

A

a letter (form of communication)

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

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5
Q

Heresy

A

against orthodox opinion

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

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6
Q

Lance

A

spear, spike, javelin

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

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7
Q

Obscure

A

difficult to understand

ex) Everything seemed dark, obscure, and terrible.

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8
Q

Poignant

A

deeply moving, strongly affecting the emotions

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

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9
Q

Respite

A

a break

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

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10
Q

Terse

A

concise, to the point

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

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11
Q

Acrophobia

A

fear of heights

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

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12
Q

Bourgeois

A

middle class

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

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13
Q

Debility

A

weakness, incapacity

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

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14
Q

Epistolary

A

concerned with letters

ex) An epistolary novel.

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15
Q

Hiatus

A

interruption, pause

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

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16
Q

Languid

A

tired, slow

ex) After the long journey I felt very languid.

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17
Q

Obscured

A

hidden, covered

ex) Dark clouds obscured the Moon.

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18
Q

Poised

A

calm, collected, self-possessed

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

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19
Q

Resplendent

A

shining, glowing

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

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20
Q

Therapeutic

A

medicinal, curative

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

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21
Q

Acuity

A

sharpness (mental or visual)

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

22
Q

Braggart

A

someone who boasts

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

23
Q

Debunking

A

exposing false claims or myths

ex) The results of the study debunks his theory.

24
Q

Epitomized

A

characterized

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

25
Hidebound
rigid in opinions ex) The hidebound innkeeper refused to see the need for a web site.
26
Languish
decay, fade away, to live in miserable conditions ex) He languished in prison for years.
27
Obsequious
servile, submissive ex) The little girl had obsequious manners.
28
Polemical
causing debate or argument ex) They managed to discuss the issues without resorting to polemics.
29
Restorative
a tonic ex) The restorative powers of rest.
30
Thwart
prevent, frustrate ex) She did all she could to thwart his plans.
31
Adamant
forceful, inflexible ex) We all wondered why they adamantly opposed having GPS installed.
32
Brawny
muscular ex) He had brawny tattooed arms.
33
Decathlon
an athletic event with ten events ex) The decathlon was delayed due to poor weather conditions.
34
Equivocate
speak ambiguously ex) The applicant seemed to be equivocating when we asked about his last job.
35
Hieroglyphics
picture writing, writing which its hard to read or enigmatic. ex) The word hieroglyphic means "sacred carving" in Greek.
36
Larceny
theft ex) Once the trial ended, the man was charged with the crime of larceny.
37
Obsession
a domination concern ex) I'am obsessed with this business.
38
Ponderous
weighty, slow and heavy ex) He carried a ponderous load.
39
Retention
preservation ex) The soil's retention of moisture.
40
Timorous
cowardly ex) A timorous voice.
41
Adroit
skillful ex) It was the adroit way to solve problem.
42
Brevity
being brief, shortness of time ex) The brevity of human life.
43
Decorum
correct behavior ex) He maintained a decorum behavior throughout the party.
44
Err
make a mistake ex) To err is human.
45
Hinder
obstruct ex) She wasn't certain why her chest felt tight enough to hinder her breathing.
46
Obsolete
no longer valid ex) We are in the process of obsoleting this product.
47
Pontificate
speak pompously ex) We had to listen to her pontificate about the best way to raise children.
48
Reticent
restrained, holding something back, uncommunicative ex) She answered questions but was reticent most of the time.
49
Largess
generosity ex) An activist for the poor, Philip is well-known for his largess which helps many in need.
50
Tirade
stream of verbal abuse ex) His tirade ended as abruptly as it began.