GRE Major Tests Chapter 30

Question 1

Compromised

Answer 1

1. damaged or put in doubt (esp. of reputation) 2. reached an agreement by giving up part of a claim
   ex) Eventually they reached a compromise.

Question 2

Drabness

Answer 2

dullness

ex) It’s the unrelieved drabness of big industrial cities that depresses me.

Question 3

Endow

Answer 3

to bestow something in a natural way or to give funds that are needed to support a project

ex) The billionaire will endow the school of nursing with a huge donation.

Question 4

Esoterica

Answer 4

obscure details

ex) It was the sort of esoterica I had never had an interest in but which now composed a whole world.

Question 5

Falters

Answer 5

hesitates

ex) When the bank teller noticed that the masked man began to falter slightly, she discreetly pressed the silent alarm.

Question 6

Prattle

Answer 6

mindless talk

ex) At every party, there is always one lady who has to prattle on about her cute kids.

Question 7

Prohibitive

Answer 7

1. prohibiting 2. exorbitantly expensive

ex) The park association was prohibitive of bringing glass on the beach.

Question 8

Purist

Answer 8

a perfectionist who believes in sticking to all of the rules

ex) Dressed in a suit and tie, the purist raised his hand every time to answer each question the teacher asked.

Question 9

Quack

Answer 9

charlatan, fake

ex) A quack doctor.

Question 10

Taunt

Answer 10

mock, tease

ex) As the visiting team walked on the court, the hometown fans began to taunt the players.

Question 11

Arresting (a)

Answer 11

attracting attention, striking

ex) Quinn asked, arresting everyone’s attention.

Question 12

Barrage

Answer 12

extended gunfire to cover an attack; dam across river; deluge or information etc.

ex) The attorney asked the reporters not to barrage his client with questions until he had made a statement.

Question 13

Chantey

Answer 13

type of song sung by sailors

ex) I love singing chanteys.

Question 14

Ferrous

Answer 14

concerned with iron or its compounds

ex) The water was reacting with the ferrous iron in the tank.

Question 15

Manipulative

Answer 15

scheming

ex) Edith is a very manipulative woman.

Question 16

Orate

Answer 16

speak in a pompous manner

ex) Although the pope’s oration lasted for only fifteen minutes, it left many in the audience in tears.

Question 17

Psychosis

Answer 17

severe mental disturbance

ex) After three doctor visits, the man suffered from psychosis due to his mind-altering hallucinations and obscure delusions.

Question 18

Savor

Answer 18

enjoy

ex) The team will savor the championship victory for years to come.

Question 19

Table (v)

Answer 19

put down for future discussion

ex) The committee tabled the issue until the next meeting.

Question 20

Underwrite

Answer 20

give guarantee, insure

ex) A university willing to underwrite an archaeological expedition.

Question 21

Dissident

Answer 21

person who disagrees [dissidence (n)]

ex) The dissident was jailed for refusing to obey the law.

Question 22

Enigmatic

Answer 22

puzzling [enigma (n)]

ex) The lady in red had an enigmatic smile which made all the men curious about her.

Question 23

Foolhardy

Answer 23

reckless [foolhardiness (n)]

ex) It is foolhardy to not go to the doctor when one is having chest pains.

Question 24

Homogeneity

Answer 24

evenness, uniformity

ex) As races have mixed, the world’s population has become more and more homogenous.

Question 25

Personification

Answer 25

1. represent something as a person 2. a concrete example of

ex) The queen was the personification of royalty as she waved from her coach.

Question 26

Plaque

Answer 26

1. surface deposit on teeth or in artery etc. 2. decorative plate or sign
   ex) A bronze plaque marked the city’s oldest building.

Question 27

Plausibility

Answer 27

believability [plausible (a)]

ex) This idea is plausible but needs further empirical support.

Question 28

Resilience

Answer 28

resistance, ability to spring back [resilience (a)]

ex) The community was highly spirited and resilient despite a hurricane disaster.

Question 29

Trilogy

Answer 29

set of three (literary works etc.), tetralogy = set of four

ex) The first book in the trilogy sets the course for the other two books in the series.

Question 30

Vagary

Answer 30

something unaccountable, freak

ex) Because Kim has a bipolar disorder, she is known to display a vagary without any warning.

Question 31

Aisle

Answer 31

corridor, passageway (esp. between rows of seats)

ex) The bus ride home was so packed that anyone without a seat was forced to sit in the center aisle.

Question 32

Discountenance

Answer 32

disallow

ex) The teachers discountenanced smoking by the students.

Question 33

Imperative

Answer 33

must be obeyed

ex) It is imperative that we continue to move with speed to make housing more affordable.

Question 34

Indigent

Answer 34

poor, needy [indigence (n)]

ex) The indigent man could not afford food or clothing.

Question 35

Nadir

Answer 35

lowest point

ex) Since the relationship between the two warring nations has reached its nadir, world leaders are greatly concerned about the risk of nuclear war.

Question 36

Paranoia

Answer 36

an illogical belief that others are against you

ex) Jake kept his money under his mattress because of his paranoia about crooked bankers.

Question 37

Prudence

Answer 37

caution, wisdom

ex) It is not prudent to go swimming during a hurricane.

Question 38

Resuscitation

Answer 38

revival from unconsciousness [resuscitate (v)]

ex) Although we tried, we could not resuscitate the puppy who got hit by the speeding car.

Question 39

Shirk

Answer 39

avoid (esp. work)

ex) The man tried to shirk his duties by pretending to be ill.

Question 40

Teetotalism

Answer 40

total abstinence from alcohol

ex) He will not be having a celebratory drink, as he is teetotal.

Question 41

Balm

Answer 41

soothing ointment or anything soothing [balmy (a)]

ex) After shaking his dry cracking hand, I realized that the old man needed to rub some balm on his hands.

Question 42

Calibrate

Answer 42

mark an accurate scale on a device

ex) The hospital pharmacist knows how important it is to calibrate the IV medications correctly.

Question 43

Cataclysmic

Answer 43

violently disruptive [cataclysm (n)]

ex) A severe attack upon the Internet could cause a cataclysm in the financial world.

Question 44

Impropriety

Answer 44

inappropriate behavior

ex) The teacher was arrested for performing a sexual impropriety with a female student.

Question 45

Pith

Answer 45

center, soft part of stem, essence

ex) The heart of a watermelon is the best part because he pith tastes the best.

Question 46

Primordial

Answer 46

in the beginning, in a basic way

ex) Sometimes I feel primordial when I eat food without silverware.

Question 47

Reconnaissance

Answer 47

examination or survey conducted in advance [reconnoiter (v)]

ex) The football coach sent his assistant to his rival’s field to perform reconnaissance on the other team’s strategy.

Question 48

Sinistral

Answer 48

left-handed (or counterclockwise) [dextral - right handed]

ex) Left-handed or sinistral specimens occur rarely.

Question 49

Tempers

Answer 49

moderates

ex) He had to learn to temper his enthusiasm.

Question 50

Undermine

Answer 50

to weaken, hinder, sabotage

ex) Chloe hoped that her allergies were not going to undermine her ability to perform in the recital.