Jimmy's Vocabulary Set 3

Question 1

sprawling

Answer 1

When you sprawl, you spread out in an ungainly way, like when you’re lying down comfortably on the sofa with your legs and arms flung out around you. As a noun, the most common use of this word nowadays is in the phrase “urban sprawl” (or “suburban sprawl”), which describes municipal development — things like new neighborhoods, shopping malls, and office complexes — that spreads out of control, according to no approved plan, and usually with pretty ugly results.

Question 2

respite

Answer 2

A respite is a break from something that’s difficult or unpleasant. If you’re cramming for exams, take an occasional walk to give yourself a respite from the intensity.

Question 3

cascade

Answer 3

Think of a cascade as something suddenly falling, tumbling down in a rush.

Question 4

behemoth

Answer 4

You can call both a Tyrannosaurus Rex and a massive telecommunications company a behemoth. The word means something big and powerful.

Question 5

envoy

Answer 5

An envoy is someone sent out as a messenger to represent another person or group, such as a country or business.

Question 6

algorithm

Answer 6

Whether you are doing simple multiplication or a complicated calculus problem, you must use a predetermined set of rules, called an algorithm, to solve it. An algorithm includes a finite number of steps to solve any given problem.

Question 7

bureaucracy

Answer 7

A bureaucracy is an organization made up of many departments and divisions that are administered by lots of people. If you’ve ever had to deal with health insurance or financial aid, you’re familiar with the dark side of bureaucracy.

Question 8

immense

Answer 8

Immense means very large in size, amount, or degree. You might describe the ocean as immense, or your homework load, or the slice of cake your brother took, leaving you a tiny sliver.

Question 9

paraphernalia

Answer 9

Having lunch in the park might require you to first gather together a lot of picnic paraphernalia, such as blankets, coolers, Frisbees, and other miscellaneous items that are relevant to that activity.

Question 10

palaver

Answer 10

Palaver is a type of empty nonsense. In other words, a more refined way of saying “BS.”

Question 11

stint

Answer 11

The noun stint means a set amount of time in which you do something — often work of some sort. “She served a stint in the army, followed by a stint in an office setting, before settling on a career as a lounge singer.”

Question 12

agnostic

Answer 12

If someone believes they cannot know whether or not God exists, label them an agnostic. A bad joke: Did you hear about the dyslexic agnostic insomniac? He stayed up all night wondering if there was a dog.

Question 13

penetration

Answer 13

n. an attack that penetrates into enemy territory Synonyms: incursion n. clear or deep perception of a situation Synonyms: insight n. the act of entering into or through something n. the ability to make way into or through something n. the depth to which something penetrates (especially the depth reached by a projectile that hits a target)

Question 14

ruse

Answer 14

Movie bank robbers always seem to pull some kind of ruse, a deceptive trick or tactic like hiding the money underneath the bank while they drive off in the getaway car to avoid capture by the police.

Question 15

jihadist

Answer 15

n. a Muslim who is involved in a jihad

Question 16

collide

Answer 16

It could be protons bouncing around in a particle accelerator, two cars failing to stop at an intersection, or the priorities of two people with very different goals. When things crash together, they collide.

Question 17

lethal

Answer 17

Lethal refers to anything dangerous enough to cause death. The cobra’s venom is so lethal that if you get bitten and can’t find the antidote, it’s lights out forever.

Question 18

sweltering

Answer 18

adj. excessively hot and humid or marked by sweating and faintness

Question 19

prescient

Answer 19

To be prescient is to have foresight or foreknowledge. We can use this word to describe people themselves, or what they say or do at a given moment.

Question 20

treacherous

Answer 20

Treacherous means either not trusted or dangerous. A treacherous road might be icy or otherwise likely to cause a car accident. A treacherous friend will betray you.

Question 21

juvenile

Answer 21

If you’re being juvenile, you’re not acting your age. Unless of course you are a juvenile. In which case, carry on.

Question 22

tingling

Answer 22

n. a somatic sensation as from many tiny prickles Synonyms: prickling, tingle adj. exciting by touching lightly so as to cause laughter or twitching movements Synonyms:tickling, titillating exciting

Question 23

annihilation

Answer 23

Annihilation is the total destruction of something. In World War II, our nuclear bombs resulted in the annihilation of Hiroshima.

Question 24

pervert

Answer 24

A pervert is a person who doesn’t behave normally, often when it comes to sex: perverts pervert the accepted rules of society.

Question 25

Armageddon

Answer 25

n. (New Testament) the scene of the final battle between the kings of the Earth at the end of the world n. any catastrophically destructive battle

Question 26

shuddered

Answer 26

A shudder is an involuntary vibration, usually in your body, or the shaking itself. A cold breeze or an unpleasant memory might make you shudder.

Question 27

kaleidoscope

Answer 27

A kaleidoscope is a child’s toy, a tube with a series of mirrors at one end that reflect multiple images of colored bits of glass or toys that move, creating constantly-changing images as you turn the tube.

Question 28

molten

Answer 28

Molten describes an object that’s reduced to liquid form by heating. You’re probably familiar with lava, the molten rock that explodes out of a volcano.

Question 29

kernel

Answer 29

Whether it’s the kernel of a pistachio nut or the kernel of wisdom in a story, kernel can refer to the center or essential part of something.

Question 30

stoicism

Answer 30

If you rarely show emotion or feeling, that’sstoicism. Your stoicism helps you endure physical or emotional discomfort without complaint, a helpful trait for long car trips with annoying people.

Question 31

churn

Answer 31

A churn is a container that you fill with cream and then agitate until the cream becomes butter. You may have only bought butter at the store, but your ancestors probably used a traditional plunger-type churn to make their own.

Question 32

litigiousness

Answer 32

n. a quarrelsome disposition to engage in or carry on lawsuits

Question 33

asserted

Answer 33

Asserting is all about standing up for what you believe. You might assert an opinion, your innocence, or even your authority over someone else.

Question 34

succumb

Answer 34

Use the verb succumb to say that someone yields to something they’ve tried to fight off, such as despair, temptation, disease or injury.

Question 35

partisan

Answer 35

If something is prejudicial towards a particular point of view, you can call it partisan. You’ll often hear of the partisan politics in the US — since politicians seem to be so devoted to either the Republican or Democratic parties.

Question 36

lurking

Answer 36

To lurk is to creep around, hide out, and wait to attack. Your team’s strategy for winning capture the flag might be to lurk in the bushes for an hour until the opposing side thinks you gave up and went home.

Question 37

seep

Answer 37

Seep means to leak slowly. When you see the word, imagine water coming in through your sneakers on a rainy day. It’s not a lot of water, but your feet still get pretty wet.

Question 38

fraternity

Answer 38

A fraternity is a group of people who work in the same industry or have similar careers. Your dad’s fraternity of firefighters holds lots of charity events and get-togethers.

Question 39

menace

Answer 39

If it’s threatening you or otherwise posing some sort of danger, then it’s a menace. Angry rabid dogs, smog clouds, and annoying little brothers are all probable menaces.

Question 40

lofty

Answer 40

Lofty is a good word for describing something that’s high above the ground, or someone who acts like she’s high above everyone else.

Question 41

forestalled

Answer 41

It takes a bit of planning to forestall something, meaning stop it from happening. To forestall the effects of aging, exercise and take care of your health all your life.