Lesson 21

Question 1

Contemplation

Answer 1

the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time.
“the road is too busy for leisurely contemplation of the scenery”
synonyms: viewing, regarding, examination, inspection, observation, survey, study, scrutiny, scanning, staring at, gazing at, eyeing
“the contemplation of beautiful objects”
deep reflective thought.
“he would retire to his room for study or contemplation”
synonyms: thought, meditation, consideration, pondering, reflection, thinking, musing, rumination, deliberation, cogitation, reverie, concentration, introspection; More
the state of being considered or planned.
“substantial fitting work is in contemplation”
religious meditation.
a form of Christian prayer or meditation in which a person seeks to pass beyond mental images and concepts to a direct experience of the divine.

Question 2

Plode

Answer 2

plod
/plɒd/
 Learn to pronounce
verb
1.
walk doggedly and slowly with heavy steps.
"we plodded back up the hill"
synonyms:	trudge, walk heavily, clump, stomp, stump, tramp, drag oneself, lumber, slog; sprauchle; traik; informaltrog
"Melissa plodded wearily up the stairs"
noun
1.
a slow, heavy walk.
"he settled down to a steady plod"
2.
INFORMAL•BRITISH
a police officer.
"a bunch of plods arrived, offering me a lift to the cop shop"

Question 3

Brazen

Answer 3

BRAZEN Adjective, Verb
bold, shameless, impudent; of or
like brass; ‘to brazen it out’ (endure)
Syn. immodest, unabashed
Ant. modest, shy
A head of state should avoid issuing
brazen statements.
In life, often you have to brazen it out.

Question 4

BREW

Answer 4

BREW Verb, Noun
to prepare by infusion, boiling and
fermentation, to plot; a beverage
‘concoction made by brewing’
Syn. make, ferment, distil, blend
Caesar hardly realised what was
brewing behind his back.
This local brew is one of the
strongest liquors I have ever had.

Question 5

BRUSQUE

Answer 5

BRUSQUE Adjective
abrupt, blunt in manners, cheeky,
impudent, short, usually unpleasant
in effect
Syn. offhand, rough, brisk, gruff, curt
Ant. civil, social, national, communal
The brusque young son of the old lady
met a tragic end.

BRUSQUE

Italian and French root –

brusco = sour (Italian)
brusque = lively, fierce (French)

Question 6

BUCOLIC

Answer 6

BUCOLIC Adjective, Noun
related to cattle-tending, pastoral,
rustic, rural; a pastoral poem
Syn. pastoral, country, countrified
Ant. urban, municipal, metropolitan
Thanks to the government’s heavy
subsidies, bucolic pursuits earn
handsome returns.

BUCOLIC

Greek root –

bous = ox

Question 7

BUMPTIOUS

Answer 7

BUMPTIOUS Adjective

an egotistic and often irritatingly self-
assured approach

Syn. boastful, arrogant, brash, pushy,
arrogant, unpleasantly confident
Ant. modest, diffident, humble, meek
The bumptious plans for acquiring
land fell flat in the courts of law.

BUMPTIOUS

English root –

bump + fractious

Question 8

BURGEON

Answer 8

BURGEON Verb
to sprout or flourish in a rapid manner
Syn. proliferate, prosper, snowball
(negative), mushroom, explode
Ant. shrink, wither, die down
The burgeoning cities of India needed
a dramatic rejuvenation plan.
Burgeoning nuclear weapons pose a
severe threat to mankind.

Question 9

BUTTRESS

Answer 9

BUTTRESS Noun, Verb
a structure that supports; increase
the strength of
Syn. prop, reinforcement, bolster,
abut, pier; brace, fortify, cement,
uphold
Ant. chink in the armour, vulnerability,
weakness; to weaken

Soon after the temple was built,
buttresses had to be built along the
south wall because it was beginning
to collapse.

Tall claims of superiority have to be
buttressed with equally intense
efforts.