Magoosh Adv - I

Question 1

apogee

Answer 1

noun: the highest point

The apogee of the Viennese style of music, Mozart’s music continues to mesmerize audiences well into the 21st century.

Question 2

attenuate

Answer 2

verb: to make something less or weaker:
verb: to make something longer and thinner:

Her animosity towards Bob attenuated over the years, and she even went so far as to invite him to her party.

Question 2

fractious

Answer 2

adjective: easily upset or annoyed, and often complaining:

We rarely invite my fractious Uncle over for dinner; he always complains about the food, and usually launches into a tirade on some touchy subject.

Question 2

base

Answer 2

adjective: not showing any honor and having no morals:

She was not so base as to begrudge the beggar the unwanted crumbs from her dinner plate.

Question 3

beg the question

Answer 3

idom: If you say that something begs a particular question, you mean that it makes people want to ask that question; some people consider that this use is incorrect.

examples:
1. Spending the summer traveling around India is a great idea, but it does beg the question of how we can afford it.
2. Claiming that a certain product is superior because it’s the most popular begs the question of whether popularity is a reliable indicator of quality.

Question 4

anathema

Answer 4

noun: something that is strongly disliked or disapproved of:

Credit controls are anathema to the government.
For older employees, the new system is an anathema.

Question 5

nadir

Answer 5

noun: the lowest point

At its nadir in the mid-1980s, the pound was almost at parity with the dollar.

Question 5

vicissitudes

Answer 5

noun: You use vicissitudes to refer to changes, especially unpleasant ones, that happen to someone or something at different times in their life or development.

Even great rulers have their vicissitudes—massive kingdoms have diminished overnight, and once beloved kings have faced the scorn of angry masses.

Question 5

penurious

Answer 5

adjective: extremely poor

example: The penurious government cut funding for essential services, leading to widespread discontent.

Question 6

malfeasance

Answer 6

noun: misconduct or wrongdoing (especially by a public official)

The company’s CEO was fired for malfeasance after embezzling millions of dollars.

Question 6

zeitgeist

Answer 6

noun: the general set of ideas, beliefs, feelings, etc. that is typical of a particular period in history

Each decade has its own zeitgeist—the 1990’s was a prosperous time in which the promise of the American Dream never seemed more palpable.

Question 7

imbibe

Answer 7

verb: to drink, especially alcohol:
verb: to receive and accept information, etc.

Plato imbibed Socrates’ teachings to such an extent that he was able to write volumes of work that he directly attributed, sometimes word for word, to Socrates.

Question 7

jingoist

Answer 7

noun: a person who thinks their country is always right and who is in favor of aggressive acts against other countries

In the days leading up to war, a nation typically breaks up into the two opposing camps: doves, who do their best to avoid war, and jingoists, who are only too eager to wave national flags from their vehicles and vehemently denounce those who do not do the same.

Question 8

arrant

Answer 8

adjective: complete and wholly (usually modifying a noun with negative connotation)

An arrant fool, Lawrence surprised nobody when he lost all his money in a pyramid scheme that was every bit as transparent as it was corrupt.

Question 9

truculent

Answer 9

adjective: having a fierce, savage nature

Standing in line for six hours, she became progressively truculent, yelling at DMV employees and elbowing other people waiting in line.

Question 10

saturnine

Answer 10

adjective: morose or gloomy

Deprived of sunlight, humans become saturnine; that’s why in very northerly territories people are encouraged to sit under an extremely powerful lamp, lest they become morose.

Question 11

untoward

Answer 11

adjective: unfavorable; inconvenient

Some professors find teaching untoward as having to prepare for lectures and conduct office hours prevents them from focusing on their research.

Question 12

choleric

Answer 12

adjective: prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered

While a brilliant lecturer, Mr. Dawson came across as choleric and unapproachable—very rarely did students come to his office hours.

Question 13

insufferable

Answer 13

adjective: intolerable, difficult to endure

Chester always tried to find some area in which he excelled above others; unsurprisingly, his co-workers found him insufferable and chose to exclude him from daily luncheons out.

Question 14

conciliate

Answer 14

verb: to make peace with

His opponents believed his gesture to be conciliatory, yet as soon as they put down their weapons, he unsheathed a hidden sword.

Question 15

precipitate

Answer 15

adjective: hasty or rash

Instead of conducting a thorough investigation after the city hall break-in, the governor acted precipitately, accusing his staff of aiding and abetting the criminals.

verb: to cause to happen

The government’s mishandling of the hurricane’s aftermath precipitated a widespread outbreak of looting and other criminal activity.
This word has other definitions, but these are the most important ones to study

Question 16

kowtow

Answer 16

verb: to bow or act in a subservient manner

Paul kowtowed to his boss so often the boss herself became nauseated by his sycophancy.

Question 16

churlish

Answer 16

adjective: lacking manners or refinement

The manager was unnecessarily churlish to his subordinates, rarely deigning to say hello, but always quick with a sartorial jab if someone happened to be wearing anything even slightly mismatching.

Question 17

factious

Answer 17

adjective: produced by, or characterized by internal dissension

The controversial bill proved factious, as dissension even within parties resulted

Question 18

diatribe

Answer 18

noun: a strong verbal attack against a person or institution

Steve’s mom launched into a diatribe during the PTA meeting, contending that the school was little more than a daycare in which students stare at the wall and teachers stare at the chalkboard.

Question 18

lascivious

Answer 18

adjective: lecherous; sexually perverted

Lolita is a challenging novel for many, not necessarily because of the elevated prose style but because of the depravity of the main character, Humbert Humbert, who, as an old, lascivious man, lusts after a girl.

Question 19

sedulous

Answer 19

adjective: done diligently and carefully

An avid numismatist, Harold sedulously amassed a collection of coins from over 100 countries—an endeavor that took over fifteen years across five continents.

Question 20

turpitude

Answer 20

noun: depravity; a depraved act

During his reign, Caligula indulged in unspeakable sexual practices, so it is not surprising that he will forever be remembered for his turpitude.

Question 21

hector

Answer 21

verb: to bully or intimidate

The boss’s hectoring manner put off many employees, some of whom quit as soon as they found new jobs.

Question 21

byzantine

Answer 21

adjective: intricate and complex

Getting a driver’s license is not simply a matter of taking a test; the regulations and procedures are so byzantine that many have found themselves at the mercy of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Question 21

contentious

Answer 21

adjective: likely to argue

Since old grandpa Harry became very contentious during the summer when only reruns were on T.V., the grandkids learned to hide from him at every opportunity.

Question 22

perfunctory

Answer 22

adjective: done routinely and with little interest or care

The short film examines modern perfunctory cleaning rituals such as washing dishes, doing laundry and tooth-brushing.

Question 23

pariah

Answer 23

noun: an outcast

The once eminent scientist, upon being found guilty of faking his data, has become a pariah in the research community.

Question 23

chary

Answer 23

adjective: cautious, suspiciously reluctant to do something

Having received three speeding tickets in the last two months, Jack was chary of driving at all above the speed limit, even on a straight stretch of highway that looked empty for miles ahead.

Question 24

supercilious

Answer 24

adjective: haughty and disdainful; looking down on others

Nelly felt the Quiz Bowl director acted superciliously towards the underclassmen; really, she fumed, must he act so preternaturally omniscient each time he intones some obscure fact—as though everybody knows that Mt. Aconcagua is the highest peak in South America.

Question 24

cow

Answer 24

verb: to intimidate

Do not be cowed by a 3,000-word vocabulary list: turn that list into a deck of flashcards!
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study

Question 25

ponderous

Answer 25

adjective: weighed-down; moving slowly

Laden with 20 kilograms of college text books, the freshman moved ponderously across the campus.

Question 26

alacrity

Answer 26

noun: an eager willingness to do something

The first three weeks at his new job, Mark worked with such alacrity that upper management knew it would be giving him a promotion.

Question 26

expunge

Answer 26

verb: to eliminate completely

When I turned 18, all of the shoplifting and jaywalking charges were expunged from my criminal record.

Question 27

artless

Answer 27

adjective: without cunning or deceit

Despite the president’s seemingly artless speeches, he was a skilled and ruthless negotiator.

Question 27

catholic

Answer 27

adjective: of broad scope; universal

Jonah’s friends said that Jonah’s taste in music was eclectic; Jonah was quick to point out that not only was his taste eclectic but it was also catholic: he enjoyed music from countries as far-flung as Mali and Mongolia.

Question 28

defray

Answer 28

verb: to help pay the cost of, either in part or full

In order for Sean to attend the prestigious college, his generous uncle helped defray the excessive tuition with a monthly donation.

Question 29

prosaic

Answer 29

adjective: dull and lacking imagination

Unlike the talented artists in his workshop, Paul had no such bent for the visual medium, so when it was time for him to make a stained glass painting, he ended up with a prosaic mosaic.

Question 29

Apostate

Answer 29

noun: a person who has abandoned a religious faith or cause

An apostate of the Orthodox faith he was raised in, Sheldon continues to seek a more like-minded religious community.

Question 29

exegesis

Answer 29

noun: critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text

The Bible is fertile ground for exegesis—over the past five centuries there have been as many interpretations as there are pages in the Old Testament.

Question 30

overweening

Answer 30

adjective: arrogant; presumptuous

Mark was so convinced of his basketball skills that in his overweening pride he could not fathom that his name was not on the varsity list; he walked up to the basketball coach and told her she had forgotten to add his name.

Question 31

indigent

Answer 31

adjective: poor; having very little

In the so-called Third World, many are indigent and only a privileged few have the resources to enjoy material luxuries.

noun: a poor or needy person

The indigents, huddled under the overpass, tried to start a small bonfire in the hope of staying warm.

Question 32

feckless

Answer 32

adjective: lazy and irresponsible

Two years after graduation, Charlie still lived with his parents and had no job, becoming more feckless with each passing day.

Question 33

equivocate

Answer 33

verb: to speak vaguely, usually with the intention to mislead or deceive

After Sharon brought the car home an hour after her curfew, she equivocated when her parents pointedly asked her where she had been.

Question 34

expansive

Answer 34

adjective: communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner

After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became expansive, speaking fondly of the “good old days”.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study