June 5 - Common Words V (part b)

Question 1

tractable

Answer 1

• readily reacting to suggestions and influences; easily managed (controlled or taught or molded)

Compared to middle school students, who have an untamed wildness about them, high school students are somewhat more tractable.

Question 2

ostracize

Answer 2

• exclude from a community or group

Later in his life, Leo Tolstoy was ostracized from the Russian Orthodox Church for his writings that contradicted church doctrine.

Question 3

obsequious

Answer 3

• attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

The obsequious waiter did not give the couple a moment’s peace all through the meal, constantly returning to their table to refill their water glasses and to tell them what a handsome pair they made.

Question 4

pedestrian

Answer 4

• acking imagination

While Nan was always engaged in philosophical speculation, her brother was occupied with far more pedestrian concerns: how to earn a salary and run a household.

Question 5

irrevocable

Answer 5

• incapable of being retracted or revoked

Once you enter your plea to the court, it is irrevocable so think carefully about what you will say.

Question 6

arbitrary

Answer 6

• based on a random, groundless decision

One of the arbitrary decrees in place during the emperor’s rule is that all citizens pay him weekly homage at his palace.

Question 7

admonish

Answer 7

• to warn strongly, even to the point of reprimanding

Before the concert began, security personnel admonished the crowd not to come up on stage during the performance.

Question 8

pernicious

Answer 8

• exceedingly harmful; working or spreading in a hidden and injurious way

The most successful viruses are pernicious: an infected person may feel perfectly healthy for several months while incubating and spreading the virus.

Question 9

munificent

Answer 9

• very generous

Uncle Charley was known for his munificence, giving all seven of his nephews lavish Christmas presents each year.

Question 10

poignant

Answer 10

• emotionally touching

After the Montagues and Capulets discover the dead bodies of Romeo and Juliet, in the play’s most poignant moment, the two griefstricken families agree to end their feud once and for all.

Question 11

intrepid

Answer 11

• fearless

Captain Ahab was an intrepid captain whose reckless and fearless style ultimately lead to his downfall.

Question 12

inimical

Answer 12

• hostile (usually describes conditions or environments)

Venus, with a surface temperature that would turn rubber to liquid, is inimical to any form of life.

Question 13

sporadic

Answer 13

• recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances

The signals were at first sporadic, but now we detect a clear, consistent pattern of electromagnetic radiation emanating from deep space.

Question 14

vacillate

Answer 14

• be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action

Some students vacillate between schools when deciding which to attend, while others focus only on one school.

Question 15

rescind

Answer 15

• cancel officially

The man’s driver’s license was rescinded after his tenth car accident, which meant he would never be allowed to legally drive again.

Question 16

foment

Answer 16

• try to stir up public opinion

After having his pay cut, Phil spread vicious rumors about his boss, hoping to foment a general feeling of discontent.

Question 17

prodigious

Answer 17

• so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe

After the relatively small homerun totals in the “dead ball” era, Babe Ruth’s homerun totals were truly prodigious: every year, he set a new all-time record.

Question 18

precipitous

Answer 18

• done with very great haste and without due deliberation

Instead of calling his financial advisor, Harold acted precipitously, buying 4,000 shares of the latest “hot” stock, only to find out that the company had a history of inflating its year end numbers.

Question 19

brazen

Answer 19

• unrestrained by convention or propriety

Their large “donations” to the local police department gave the drug cartel the brazen confidence to do their business out in the open.

Question 20

inscrutable

Answer 20

• not easily understood; unfathomable

His speech was so dense and confusing that many in the audience found it inscrutable.

Question 21

constituent

Answer 21

• a citizen who is represented in a government by officials for whom he or she votes

The mayor’s constituents are no longer happy with her performance and plan to vote for another candidate in the upcoming election.

• an abstract part of something

The constituents of the metal alloy are nickel, copper, and tin.

Question 22

taciturn

Answer 22

• habitually reserved and uncommunicative

While the CEO enthusiastically shares his plans and agenda with all who will listen, the CFO is far more taciturn, rarely revealing his perspective.

Question 23

trite

Answer 23

• repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

Many style guides recommend not using idioms in writing because these trite expressions are uninteresting and show a lack of imagination on the part of the writer.

Question 24

insolent

Answer 24

• rude and arrogant

Lilian could not help herself from being insolent, commenting that the Queen’s shoes were showing too much toe.

Question 25

hegemony

Answer 25

• dominance over a certain area

Until the Spanish Armada was defeated in 1587, Spain had hegemony over the seas, controlling waters stretching as far as the Americas.