GRE Major Tests Chapter 7

Question 1

Ambivalence

Answer 1

lack of clarity, wavering, undecided, mixed feelings or emotion

ex) Even though the new job meant more money, He felt a great deal of ambivalence about accepting the position.

Question 2

Cantankerous

Answer 2

bad-tempered, quarrelsome

ex) The leading character in the movie was a cantankerous old man who hated the world.

Question 3

Derogatory

Answer 3

uncomplimentary

ex) To a mentally disabled person, the term “retarded” is viewed as a derogatory word.

Question 4

Exemplify

Answer 4

to serve a good example

ex) When James chooses his assistant manager, he will select the employee who can most exemplify the core values of the company.

Question 5

Impecunious

Answer 5

having no money

ex) Impecunious students commonly find themselves in debt after overindulging in the use of credit cards.

Question 6

Lucid

Answer 6

clear

ex) Lucid experiments have been most helpful to my understanding.

Question 7

Ornate

Answer 7

highly decorated

ex) An ornate gambling casino that is designed to look like an Italian palace.

Question 8

Precipice

Answer 8

steep slope, a point where danger, trouble, or difficulty begins.

ex) She is now on a precipice of bankruptcy and might have to sell the family home.

Question 9

Salubrious

Answer 9

health-giving

ex) Vegetables are salubrious foods which provide essential nutrients.

Question 10

Truant

Answer 10

shrinker, someone absent without permission.

ex) Keep an eye on the student. He seems to be a truant.

Question 11

Ambulatory

Answer 11

able to walk around (used of hospital patients)

ex) If he uses his crutches, he can be ambulatory.

Question 12

Capacious

Answer 12

spacious, something huge or roomy

ex) That car has a capacious trunk that makes it a good choice for families.

Question 13

Desecrate

Answer 13

to damage or pollute a holy place

ex) Do not desecrate the temple by speaking loudly during your visit.

Question 14

Exhaustive

Answer 14

complete and thorough

ex) He made an exhaustive study of the dinosaur fossils.

Question 15

Impious

Answer 15

wicked, profane

ex) His lack of protocol in the church caused him to gain a reputation for being impious.

Question 16

Ludicrous

Answer 16

ridiculous, silly

ex) The ludicrous movie is about a dog that becomes the president of a country.

Question 17

Orthodox

Answer 17

conventional

ex) I dislike orthodox opinions.

Question 18

Precipitous

Answer 18

done in a hurry, steep

ex) People were shocked by his precipitous fall from political power.

Question 19

Salutary

Answer 19

something which teaches you a lesson, beneficial

ex) It has a salutary effect on everyone.

Question 20

Truncate

Answer 20

cut short

ex) I had to truncate my presentation so it would not exceed five minutes.

Question 21

Ameliorate

Answer 21

make better

ex) A solution to ameliorate the negative impact of these areas is needed.

Question 22

Capitulate

Answer 22

surrender

ex) I will not capitulate on this deal unless I receive the stock options I have requested.

Question 23

Desecration

Answer 23

spoiling something holy

ex) The communicants were aghast at the desecration of the altar.

Question 24

Exonerate

Answer 24

acquits, absolves, free from guilt.

ex) He was exonerated from the accusation of cheating.

Question 25

Impoverished

Answer 25

destitute, poor ex) The impoverished girl knew she did not have enough money to attend college.

Question 26

Lukewarm

Answer 26

unenthusiastic, neither hot nor cold ex) He has a very lukewarm attitude towards his family.

Question 27

Ossify

Answer 27

turn to bone, become fixed and rigid ex) A disease that ossifies joints.

Question 28

Preclude

Answer 28

prevent or make impossible ex) Even though he has a disability, he never allows it to preclude her from living a normal life.

Question 29

Sanctimonious

Answer 29

hypocritically holy ex) My sanctimonious aunt tends to look down upon people who do not go to church early Sunday.

Question 30

Tumult

Answer 30

uproar, noise ex) Economists are working to find solutions to the financial tumult that is ruining the lives of many Americans.

Question 31

Amelioration

Answer 31

improvement ex) Scratching your eye will not ameliorate itching.

Question 32

Carping

Answer 32

constant criticism ex) I swear I would have heard less carping from him.

Question 33

Desist

Answer 33

stop, discontinue ex) The document from the court orders the magazine to desist from publishing false stories about the actor.

Question 34

Exorcism

Answer 34

getting free, eliminate (demons) ex) An exorcism is probably needed.

Question 35

Impromptu

Answer 35

unrehearsed, spontaneous ex) I get scared to speak impromptu in public.

Question 36

Lummox

Answer 36

clumsy person ex) That player is a lummox in the outfield, with three errors just this week.

Question 37

Ostentatious

Answer 37

showy ex) They made an ostentatious display of their wealth every time they hosted a party.

Question 38

Precocious

Answer 38

developing early ex) My precocious girl thinks she knows everything there is to know about life.

Question 39

Sanction

Answer 39

give approval to ex) he president has sanctioned the use of military force to free hostages.

Question 40

Turpitude

Answer 40

depravity ex) The criminal was sentenced to life in prison for the acts of turpitude he committed.

Question 41

Amiable

Answer 41

friendly ex) I love going to my doctor's office because his staff is so amiable.

Question 42

Cartographer

Answer 42

person who makes maps ex) Map making is done by a cartographer.

Question 43

Despondent

Answer 43

having no hope, miserable ex) How can I help but be despondent after losing my job.

Question 44

Expatriate

Answer 44

refugee, emigrant, someone living away from his country.

Question 45

Inadvertent

Answer 45

not intentional ex) He made an inadvertent disclosure of the winner of the Super Bowl.

Question 46

Luscious

Answer 46

juicy, moist, succulent ex) It has the luscious flavor of strawberry.

Question 47

Oust

Answer 47

push out of a position ex) If you wish to oust a politician form office, then you must go tot he polls and vote him or her out.

Question 48

Predecessor

Answer 48

one who came before ex) The iPhone5's was the predecessor of the iPhone6.

Question 49

Sanguinary

Answer 49

bloodthirsty, bloody ex) This bitter and sanguinary war.

Question 50

Tyro

Answer 50

novice, beginner ex) I suggest you read this book titled "Introduction to computers" as it's perfect for a tech tyro like yourself.