Lesson 26

Question 1

hostile (adjective)

Answer 1

Syn: antagonistic; angry; opposite

→ The audience became extremely hostile when the bigot began to attack minority groups.

Question 2

prevalent (adjective)

Answer 2

Syn: prevailing; common; general

→ Long hair among boys is so prevalent today, there is no longer a prohibition against it in most schools.

Question 3

lethargic (adj.)

Answer 3

Syn: lazy; indifferent

→ We are all susceptible to a lethargic feeling after a heavy meal.

Question 4

paramount (adjective)

Answer 4

Syn: supreme; foremost; chief

→ A good politician seeks the paramount issue in his community.

Question 5

remiss (adjective)

Answer 5

Syn: careless; negligent

→ We would be remiss if we overlooked the importance of the Internet to the interchange of ideas and information.

Question 6

to split hairs (idiom)

Answer 6

Syn: to make fine distinctions

→ The mother and child spent a great deal of time arguing about the hair-splitting question of whether “going to bed” meant lights out or not.

Question 7

aversion (noun)

Answer 7

Syn: strong dislike; opposition

→ The female aversion to mice is considered absurd by boys.

Question 8

superficial (adjective)

Answer 8

Syn: on the surface; slight

→ After a superficial examination of the injured motorist, the doctor said that hospitalization was imperative.

Question 9

rebuke (verb) (noun)

Answer 9

Syn: (n.) blame; (v.) criticize; reproach; reprimand

→ May a husband has been given a rebuke for having imbibed too fully at an office party.

Question 10

evince (verb)

Answer 10

Syn: show plainly; exhibit

→ Youngsters often do not evince any curiosity about the lives of their parents or grandparents.

Question 11

vogue (noun)

Answer 11

Syn: fashion; style

→ Good manners are always in vogue.

Question 12

to strike while the iron is hot (idiom)

Answer 12

Syn: to take an action at the right moment

→ As soon as John heard that his father had won in the lottery, he struck while the iron was hot and asked for an increase in his allowance.

Question 13

tussle (verb) (noun)

Answer 13

Syn: a rough struggle; battle; compete

→ Our conscience must always tussle against our yearning for what we know is taboo.

Question 14

intrinsic (adjective)

Answer 14

Syn: essential; natural; inborn

→ Man sets the price of gold; it has no intrinsic value.

Question 15

jettison (verb)

Answer 15

Syn: throw overboard; discard

→ The pilot decided it would be imprudent to jettison his fuel over the populated area.

Question 16

inevitable (adjective)

Answer 16

Syn: sure; certain; unavoidable; necessary

→ It is inevitable that children question what their elders accept as tradition.

Question 17

lucrative (adjective)

Answer 17

Syn: profitable; well-paid; gainful

→ Each year the contracts offered to star sports figures become more lucrative.

Question 18

once in a blue moon (idiom)

Answer 18

Syn: on a very rare occasion

→ His wife complained that they go out to dinner and a show once in a blue moon.

Question 19

acute (adjective)

Answer 19

Syn: sharp; keen; severe; crucial

→ After the catastrophe, there was an acute need for emergency housing.

Question 20

transient (adjective)

Answer 20

Syn: passing; short-lived; fleeting

→ The young lover was susceptible to transient feelings of jealousy when he saw his sweetheart dancing with his best friend.

Question 21

gist (noun)

Answer 21

Syn: essence; main point

→ She tried to get the gist of her message into a 25-word telegram.

Question 22

terse (adjective)

Answer 22

Syn: concise; brief; compact; short; clipped

→ The mayor made a terse statement in which he rebuked his election opponent for making a contemptuous accusation.

Question 23

cogent (adjective)

Answer 23

Syn: forceful; convincing; persuasive

→ The best debater makes the most cogent presentation.

Question 24

sleep on it (idiom)

Answer 24

Syn: postpone a decision while giving it some thought

→ He didn’t want to show his hand immediately, so he agreed to sleep on it for a few more days.