Lesson 16

Question 1

Cursory (adj.)

Answer 1

Syn: hasty; not thorough

• Sherlock Holmes took a cursory glance at the cryptic message and decoded it instantly.

Question 2

Indigenous (adj.)

Answer 2

Syn: native; aboriginal; home-grown

• The forest was replete with the kind of wild life that is indigenous to Africa.

Question 3

Interloper (n.)

Answer 3

Syn: An unauthorized person; intruder

• Electric eyes, watchdogs and other nuances were there to keep out an interloper.

Question 4

Habitat (n.)

Answer 4

Syn: natural environment

• The alcoholic was found supine in his favorite habitat-Ryan’s Bar.

Question 5

Gregarious (adj)

Answer 5

Syn: sociable; chummy

• At the party the gregarious hostess scurried from group to group, making friends and influencing people.

Question 6

In a bee line (idiom.)

Answer 6

Syn: taking the straightest, shortest route

• When the couple left, the babysitter made a bee line for the refrigerator.

Question 7

Prolific (adj.)

Answer 7

Syn: producing abundantly; fertile

• The usually prolific novelist was frustrated by her failure to come up with a good plot.

Question 8

Antithesis (n.)

Answer 8

Syn: exact opposite; contrast

• Len, the gregarious twin was the antithesis of Lon, the reticent one.

Question 9

Sedentary (adj.)

Answer 9

Syn: largely inactive; accustomed to sitting;

• The typist shook of the fetters of her sedentary life and joined a mountain climbing expedition.

Question 10

Frugal (adj.)

Answer 10

Syn: thrifty; economical

• Frugal shoppers occasionally badger supermarket managers for bargains.

Question 11

Bulwark (n.)

Answer 11

Syn: protection; shelter; cover; barrier; support

• Some feel that the United States should be a bulwark to inchoate democracies around the world.

Question 12

The world, the flesh, and the devil (idiom.)

Answer 12

Syn: temptations that cause man to sin

• By entering the monastery he sought to avoid the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Question 13

Cache (n.)

Answer 13

Syn: secret hiding place

• Through a fortuitous remark, the cache of the art thieves was discovered.

Question 14

Cupidity (n.)

Answer 14

Syn: greed; voracity; eagerness

• We warned him that his reprehensible cupidity would eventuate in a loss of all friends.

Question 15

Altruistic (adj.)

Answer 15

Syn: unselfish; humanitarian

• The good hearted doctor went into the jungle purely for altruistic reasons.

Question 16

Coterie (n.)

Answer 16

Syn: group; club; small group having something in common

• A coterie of bridge players made our club room their permanent habitat.

Question 17

Embellish (vt.)

Answer 17

Syn: adorn; touch up; exaggerate

• Even time the irate motorist told about the accident he had a tendency to embellish the story.

Question 18

To make bricks without straw (idiom.)

Answer 18

Syn: to attempt to do something without having a necessary materials.

• My uncle’s business scheme always fail because he tries to make bricks without straw.

Question 19

Amorous (adj.)

Answer 19

Syn: full of love; loving

• A landmark in the history of amorous drama is Romeo and Juliet.

Question 20

Virtuosity (n.)

Answer 20

Syn: great technical skill; expertise

• The eminent artist, famous for his virtuosity was admired by classicists and beatniks alike.

Question 21

Progeny (n.)

Answer 21

Syn: descendants; children; family

• The Bantu chief and all his progeny were noted for their valor.

Question 22

Temerity (n.)

Answer 22

Syn: foolish boldness; recklessness

• For having the temerity to declaim against the majority leader, the freshman senator was given the worst committee assignments.

Question 23

Saturate (vt.)

Answer 23

Syn: soak; fill up completely; waterlog

• Television in the new century was saturated with the rebirth of the old quiz shows.

Question 24

To have the upper hand (idiom.)

Answer 24

Syn: to gain control

• I had him at my mercy, but now he has the upper hand.