June 4 - Common Words IV (part a)

Question 1

blatant

Answer 1

• without any attempt at concealment; completely obvious

Allen was often punished in school for blatantly disrespecting teachers.

Question 2

petulant

Answer 2

• easily irritated or annoyed

Although the three year old was often described as mature for his age, he was petulant and whiny whenever his father forgot to remove the crust from his sandwiches.

Question 3

implausible

Answer 3

• describing a statement that is not believable

The teacher found it implausible that the student was late to school because he had been kidnapped by outlaws on horseback.

Question 4

laudable

Answer 4

• worthy of high praise

To say that Gandhi’s actions were laudable is the greatest understatement; he overthrew an empire without violence.

Question 5

indifference

Answer 5

• the trait of seeming not to care

In an effort to fight indifference, the president of the college introduced a new, stricter grading system.

Question 6

adamant

Answer 6

• refusing to change one’s mind

Civil rights icon Rosa Parks will forever be remembered for adamantly refusing to give up her seat on a public bus–even after the bus driver insisted, she remained rooted in place.

Question 7

ingratiate

Answer 7

• gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts

Even though Tom didn’t like his new boss, he decided to ingratiate himself to her in order to advance his career.

Question 8

iconoclastic

Answer 8

• defying tradition or convention

Jackson Pollock was an iconoclastic artist, totally breaking with tradition by splashing paint on a blank canvas.

Question 9

refute

Answer 9

• prove to be false or incorrect

No one could refute his theories or propositions, and that is why he was esteemed by all his colleagues in the philosophy department.

Question 10

eradicate

Answer 10

• to completely destroy

I tried eradicating the mosquitos in my apartment with a rolled up newspaper, but there were too many of them.

Question 11

exonerate

Answer 11

• pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

The document clearly indicated that Nick was out of the state at the time of the crime, and so served to exonerate him of any charges.

Question 12

temperance

Answer 12

• the trait of avoiding excesses

Welles wasn’t known for his temperance–he usually ate enough for two and drank enough for three.

Question 13

exacting

Answer 13

• requiring and demanding accuracy

Though his childhood piano teacher was so exacting, Max is thankful now, as a professional pianist.

Question 14

pedantic

Answer 14

• marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

Professor Thompson was regarded as an expert in his field, but his lectures were utterly pedantic, focused on rigorous details of the most trivial conventions in the field.

Question 15

confound

Answer 15

• to cause confusion

Though Harry loved numbers, calculus confounded him.

• mistake one thing for another

Americans often confound sweet potatoes with yams, and refer to both vegetables by the same name.

Question 16

ostentatious

Answer 16

• intended to attract notice and impress others; tawdry or vulgar

Matt wanted to buy stone lions for front of the house, but Cynthia convinced him that such a display would be too ostentatious for a modest house in an unassuming neighborhood.

Question 17

construe

Answer 17

• interpreted in a particular way

The author’s inability to take a side on the issue was construed by both his opponents and supporters as a sign of weakness.

Question 18

tortuous

Answer 18

• marked by repeated turns and bends; not straightforward

Because the logic behind McMahon’s side of the debate was so tortuous, his audience came out either completely confused or, worse, feeling they’d been tricked.

Question 19

contingent

Answer 19

• a gathering of persons representative of some larger group

A small contingent of those loyal to the king have gathered around the castle to defend it.

• dependent on (usually used with upon)

Whether the former world champions can win again this year is contingent upon none of its star players getting injured.

Question 20

hackneyed

Answer 20

• lacking significance through having been overused

Cheryl rolled her eyes when she heard the lecturer’s hackneyed advice to “be true to yourself.”

Question 21

decorum

Answer 21

• propriety in manners and conduct

“You will obey the rules of decorum for this courtroom or spend the night in a jail cell,” said the judge to the prosecutor.

Question 22

opaque

Answer 22

• not clearly understood or expressed

The meaning of the professor’s new research was opaque to most people, so no one asked any questions.

Question 23

copious

Answer 23

• in abundant supply

In midsummer, there are copious popsicle stands at the beach; in the winter, there are none.

Question 24

abstruse

Answer 24

• difficult to understand; incomprehensible

Physics textbooks can seem so abstruse to the uninitiated that readers feel as though they are looking at hieroglyphics.

Question 25

reconcile

Answer 25

• make (one thing) compatible with (another)

Peggy was unable to reconcile her kind friend Jane with the cruel and merciless character Jane played on television.