J

Question 1

jaded

Answer 1

adj. tired by excess or overuse; slightly cynical

A life in police work left Bill jaded.

Question 2

jargon

Answer 2

n. nonsensical talk; specialized language

Jargon makes it easier for specialists in a field to talk to one another.

Question 3

jaundiced

Answer 3

adj. having a yellowish discoloration of the skin; affected by envy, resentment, or hostility

He is a talented writer, but his jaundiced view of life becomes tiresome after a while.

Question 4

jejune

Answer 4

adj. not interesting; childish

The art critic called Ellen’s painting, “Jejune, at best.”

Question 5

jettison

Answer 5

v. to cast off, throw cargo overboard

Alice moved from New York to San Francisco, completely jettisoning her old life.

Question 6

jihad

Answer 6

n. A Muslim holy war; a crusade

Jihad can often refer to an internal struggle to correct one’s own mistakes.

Question 7

jingoism

Answer 7

n. extreme support of one’s country

The war film was widely criticized as an exercise in jingoism.

Question 8

jingoist

Answer 8

n. person who supports his or her country in an extreme way

The director of the controversial war film was accused of being a jingoist.

Question 9

jocose

Answer 9

adj. given to joking; merry

Fortunately most people at the holiday party were jocose.

Question 10

jocular

Answer 10

adj. jovial, playful, humorous

The class laughed at the teacher’s jocular comment.

Question 11

joie de vivre

Answer 11

n. joy of living

Sally describes herself as, “87 years young and still full of joie de vivre.”

Question 12

jubilee

Answer 12

n. special anniversary

The church had its jubilee last year.

Question 13

judicious

Answer 13

adj. having sound judgment

The president made a judicious decision in selecting the highly experienced general to lead the army.

Question 14

juggernauut

Answer 14

n. huge force destroying everything in its path

The 2004 USC football team was a juggernaut, going undefeated and winning the national championship.

Question 15

juncture

Answer 15

n. point where two things are joined; turning point

At this juncture in the country’s history, we must carefully consider our course.

Question 16

junta

Answer 16

n. group of people united in political intrigue

The country’s ruling junta has postponed the scheduled elections.

Question 17

jurisdiction

Answer 17

n. power to interpret and apply law; control

The court has no jurisdiction in this state.

Question 18

jurisprudence

Answer 18

n. philosophy of law

The student of jurisprudence is researching the effect of modern technology on the legal system.

Question 19

justify

Answer 19

v. proved to be right; to declare free of blame

The employee justified the expenditure by saying that it would save the company money in the long run.

Question 20

juxtaposition

Answer 20

n. side-by-side placement

Juxtaposition of the two photographs of the landscape showed the changes that had taken place.