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.