p20

Question 1

usury

Answer 1

Charging interest on a loan, esp. charging illegally high or excessive interest

… the conflict between the religious prohibition of usury and its economic necessity.

Question 2

vacillate

Answer 2

Waver in one’s mind or opinions, be indecisive

Many South Korean voters vacillate between the two major parties and tend to make up their minds just weeks before presidential votes.

Question 3

vanguard

Answer 3

the forefront of a trend or movement

talk radio is often regarded as being in the vanguard of the conservative movement

Question 4

vocation

Answer 4

a strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation (직업적 소명)

not all of us have a vocation to be nurses or doctors

Question 5

variegated

Answer 5

Varied in color, having multicolored patches or spots; diverse

Between urban and rural lies a more variegated landscape of intermediates

Question 6

venerate

Answer 6

Revere, regard with deep respect and awe

His patriotic stance is commonplace in nations that venerate the military

Question 7

veracity

Answer 7

Truthfulness, accuracy; habitual adherence to the truth

After the story broke, Facebook acted to restrict its circulation because of concerns over its origins and veracity

Question 8

verdant

Answer 8

Green, such as with vegetation, plants, grass, etc.; young and inexperienced

The neighborhood culminated at the entrance to the city’s verdant Rock Creek Park.

Question 9

verisimilar

Answer 9

Having the appearance of truth, probable

the detail gives the witness’s testimony some verisimilitude.

Question 10

vernal

Answer 10

Relating to the spring; fresh, youthful

.. the vernal freshness of the land

Question 11

vestige

Answer 11

Trace or sign of something that once existed

Despite the decreasing opportunities, some Kabulis have tried to preserve some vestige of their pre-Taliban regime

Question 12

vex

Answer 12

annoy or bother; puzzle or distress

Many economists disagree which elements are most driving the price increases that continue to vex average consumers

Question 13

vicissitude

Answer 13

Changes or variations over time, esp. regular changes from one thing to another

People who pay attention to the vicissitudes of Tesla CEO Elon Musk know that the man is not always serious on Twitter.

Question 14

vim

Answer 14

Pep, enthusiasm, vitality, lively spirit

some food and a little rest should give me back some of my vim

Question 15

virulent

Answer 15

Extremely infectious, poisonous, etc.; hateful, bitterly hostile

The country seemed to be returning to the virulent nationalism of its past
Neo-Nazis don’t just target Jews and have a virulent hatred of African Americans and all nonwhite minorities

Question 16

viscid or viscous

Answer 16

Thick, adhesive, or covered in something sticky

viscous syrup that takes forever to pour from the bottle

Question 17

vitriol

Answer 17

bitterly harsh or caustic language or criticism

Trump’s vitriol has led to an increase in hate crimes across the country

Question 18

vituperate

Answer 18

Verbally abuse, rebuke or criticize harshly

Question 19

vociferous

Answer 19

Noisily crying out, as in protest; marked by vehemence

For decades, China has tried to force Taiwan into diplomatic isolation by picking off its allies and launching vociferous campaigns against any semblance of recognition of Taiwan as a nation

Question 20

vehement

Answer 20

showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense

The company’s proposal was met with vehement opposition from the worker’s union

Question 21

volatile

Answer 21

characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected change

a volatile market

Question 22

voluble

Answer 22

Easily fluent in regards to speech

Others in the Trump orbit, such as the usually voluble Ivanka Trump, wouldn’t answer questions about the storming of the Capitol.

Question 23

wan

Answer 23

Unnaturally pale, or showing some other indication of sickness, unhappiness, etc.; weak, lacking forcefulness

He wanted to sell the the company’s stocks because of its wan revenue

Question 24

wanton

Answer 24

Reckless, vicious, without regard for what is right; unjustifiable, deliberately done for no reason at all; sexually unrestrained or excessively luxurious

Now Senate Republicans have given Trump a pass on another wanton abuse of power

Question 25

warranted

Answer 25

Justified, authorized (warrant can mean to justify or a justification, but can also mean to vouch for or guarantee)

Question 26

wary

Answer 26

Watchful, motivated by caution, on guard against danger

Investors are increasingly wary about putting money into stocks.

Question 27

welter

Answer 27

Confused mass or pile; confusion or turmoil (noun); move around in a turbulent fashion (verb)

… there’s such a welter of conflicting rules

Question 28

whet

Answer 28

Stimulate, make keen or eager (esp. of an appetite)

And to whet the public’s appetite, the German automaker released a teaser image of the vehicle.

Question 29

whimsical

Answer 29

Marked or motivated by whims (odd, fanciful ideas); erratic, unpredictable

it’s hard to make plans with such a whimsical best friend

Question 30

whitewash

Answer 30

A substance used to whiten walls, wood, etc. (noun); deception, covering up of wrongs, errors, misdeeds, etc. (verb)

Question 31

wily

Answer 31

Crafty, cunning, characterized by tricks or artifice

The blend of wily veterans and open-eyed rookies who don’t know anything besides winning helps, too.

Question 32

winnow

Answer 32

Sift, analyze critically, separate the useful part from the worthless part

The least qualified applicants were winnowed out of the initial pool.

Question 33

winsome

Answer 33

Charming, engaging, esp. in a sweet and innocent way

Take the time to meet new people, but do it in a way that is winsome and not overworked.

Question 34

wizened

Answer 34

shriveled or wrinkled with age

… a wizened, weather-beaten old man.

Question 35

yoke

Answer 35

A burden or something that oppresses

The Soviet Union quickly began to disintegrate as nations that had long been under Moscow’s yoke sought independence