Lesson 11

Question 1

Poignant (adj.)

Answer 1

Syn: painful to the feelings; moving

• The sermon was poignant enough to bring tears to the brash delinquent’s eyes.

Question 2

Garbled (adj.)

Answer 2

Syn: confused; mixed up

• Although the message was garbled, its salient point were clear enough.

Question 3

Fruitless (adj.)

Answer 3

Syn: useless; vain

• After a fruitless attempt to wrest control of the government, the traitors was incarcerated.

Question 4

Inundate (vt.)

Answer 4

Syn: to flood; to swamp; over flow

• Even though his boat was almost inundated, the skipper was loath to radio for help.

Question 5

Sanguine (adj.)

Answer 5

Syn: optimistic; hopeful

• Because the malignancy had gone unchecked, the surgeons were not sanguine about the patient’s chances.

Question 6

to feather one’s nest (idiom)

Answer 6

Syn: to enrich oneself on the sly or at every opportunity

→ He played up to his senile aunt in the hope of feathering his nest when she made out her will.

Question 7

Phlegmatic (adj.)

Answer 7

Syn: calm; hard to rouse to action

• Harriet’s egregious error disturbed even her phlegmatic employer.

Question 8

Zealous (adj.)

Answer 8

Syn: enthusiastic; eager; keen

• The fund raiser was so zealous that he solicited money from a Salvation Army Santa Clause.

Question 9

Comprehensive (adj.)

Answer 9

Syn: thorough; complete; wide

• In order to get the job, you had to go through the drudgery of filling out a ten-page comprehensive questionnaire.

Question 10

Coerce (vt.)

Answer 10

Syn: to force; to constrain

• The elusive fugitive was coerced by his attorney into surrendering.

Question 11

Corroborate (vt.)

Answer 11

Syn: confirm; support; prove

• Even the swindler’s nefarious accomplice refused to corroborate his alibi.

Question 12

Fair-weather friends (idiom)

Answer 12

Unreliable; They fail one in time of distress

• The general was chagrined to learn that so many of his supposed supporters were actually fair-weather friends.

Question 13

Elapse (vi.)

Answer 13

Syn: to slip by; to pass

• Inadvertently, Emma had allowed two months to elapse before paying her rent.

Question 14

Sporadic (adj.)

Answer 14

Syn: occasional; irregular

• The lackluster battle was punctuated by sporadic mortar fire.

Question 15

Domicile (n.) (vt.)

Answer 15

Syn: home; nest

• A man’s domicile is his castle.

Question 16

Lax (adj.)

Answer 16

Syn: careless; negligent

• Because the watchman was lax, thievery was rampant at the warehouse.

Question 17

Meticulous (adj.)

Answer 17

Syn: careful; precise

• The meticulous musician had nothing but disdain for his disorganized friends.

Question 18

To sow one’s wild oats (idiom)

Answer 18

To lead a wild; carefree life

• During his teen years, the millionaire avidly sowed his wild oats.

Question 19

Conjecture (vt.) (vi.) (n.)

Answer 19

Syn: guess; theory; interfere

• It was sheer conjecture on the detective’s part but it led to the arrest of the vexatious counterfeiters.

Question 20

Lurid (adj.)

Answer 20

Syn: sensational

• The newspaper switched from mundane coverage to lurid reporting.

Question 21

Rash (adj.)

Answer 21

Syn: too hasty; reckless

• It was exceedingly rash of the lightweight to insult the belligerent longshoreman.

Question 22

Obviate (vt.)

Answer 22

Syn: do away with; eliminate

• The necessity for preparing sandwiches was obviated when the picnic was postponed.

Question 23

Quip (n.) (vi.) (vt.)

Answer 23

Syn: joke

• Hamlet remembered that Yorick was always ready with a lusty quip.

Question 24

Windfall (idiom)

Answer 24

Syn: unexpected financial gain

• The surprised investor received a windfall of $20,000