PD_30/9/20 --> kaplan --> TC Basic

Question 1

clergy

Answer 1

PLURAL NOUN
The clergy are the official leaders of the religious activities of a particular group of believers.
These proposals met opposition from the clergy.
Synonyms: priesthood, ministry, clerics, clergymen or women

Question 2

herd

noun [ C, + sing/pl verb ]

Answer 2

a large group of animals of the same type that live and feed together:
a herd of cattle/elephants/goats

Question 3

laggard

noun [ C ] old-fashioned

Answer 3

a company, organization, etc. that does something later, or improves less quickly, than others:
Mexico, long a laggard in financial reform, is at last putting its banks in order.
Steel companies are still considered laggards compared to high-tech manufacturers.

someone or something that is very slow

Question 4

calf

noun [ C ]

Answer 4

a young cow, or the young of various other large mammals such as elephants and whales

Question 5

lexicon

Answer 5

1. SINGULAR NOUN
   The lexicon of a particular subject is all the terms associated with it. The lexicon of a person or group is all the words they commonly use.
   …the lexicon of management. [+ of]
   Chocolate equals sin in most people’s lexicon.
2. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A lexicon is an alphabetical list of the words in a language or the words associated with a particular subject.
3. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A lexicon is a dictionary, especially of a very old language such as Greek or Hebrew.

Question 6

verbiage

Answer 6

UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
If you refer to someone’s speech or writing as verbiage, you are critical of them because they use too many words, which makes their speech or writing difficult to understand.
[formal, disapproval]
Many mission statements are nothing but empty verbiage.
Synonyms: verbosity, repetition, tautology, redundancy

Question 7

unfounded

adjective

Answer 7

If a claim or piece of news is unfounded, it is not based on fact:
Our fears about the weather proved totally unfounded.

Question 8

understate

verb [ T ]

Answer 8

to describe something in a way that makes it seem less important, serious, bad, etc. than it really is:
She believes the research understates the amount of discrimination women suffer.

Question 9

disparity

noun [ C or U ] formal

Answer 9

a lack of equality or similarity, especially in a way that is not fair:
the growing disparity between rich and poor

Question 10

hindsight

noun [ U ]

Answer 10

the ability to understand an event or situation only after it has happened:
With (the benefit/wisdom of) hindsight, I should have taken the job.
In hindsight, it would have been better to wait.

Question 11

competence

noun [ C or U ]

Answer 11

the ability to do something well:
Her competence as a teacher is unquestionable.
He reached a reasonable level of competence in his English.

Question 12

discreet

adjective

Answer 12

careful not to cause embarrassment or attract too much attention, especially by keeping something secret:
The family made discreet enquiries about his background.
They are very good assistants, very discreet - they wouldn’t go talking to the press.

Question 13

indiscretion

noun

Answer 13

the quality of being indiscreet:

Jones was censured for indiscretion in leaking a secret report to the press.

Question 14

rebuttal

noun [ C ] formal

Answer 14

a statement that says that something is not true:

She issued a point-by-point rebuttal of the company’s accusations.

Question 15

disavowal

noun [ C or U ]

Answer 15

the action of saying that you know nothing about something, or that you have no responsibility for or connection with something:
Despite his repeated disavowals, he seems ambitious for power.
Not everyone is convinced by the group’s disavowal of criminality and violence.

Question 16

jape

Answer 16

COUNTABLE NOUN
A jape is a silly trick that you play on someone which is quite funny and which does not really involve upsetting them.
[old-fashioned]

Question 17

long-standing

Answer 17

A long-standing situation has existed for a long time.
They are on the brink of resolving their long-standing dispute over money.
…long-standing economic links between Europe and much of Africa.
Synonyms: established, fixed, enduring, abiding

Question 18

nonpartisan

Answer 18

ADJECTIVE
A person or group that is nonpartisan does not support or help a particular political party or group.
…a nonpartisan organization that does economic research for business and labor groups.
…the president’s Thanksgiving Day call for a nonpartisan approach to the problem.

Question 19

dispossess

Answer 19

VERB
If you are dispossessed of something that you own, especially land or buildings, it is taken away from you.
…people who were dispossessed of their land under apartheid. [be VERB-ed + of]
They settled the land, dispossessing many of its original inhabitants. [VERB noun]
Droves of dispossessed people emigrated to Canada. [VERB-ed]
[Also V n + of/from]
Synonyms: strip, deprive More Synonyms of dispossess
The dispossessed are people who are dispossessed.
…the plight of the poor and the dispossessed.

Question 20

recompense

Answer 20

1. UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [in NOUN]
   If you are given something, usually money, in recompense, you are given it as a reward or because you have suffered.
   [formal]
   He demands no financial recompense for his troubles. [+ for]
   Substantial damages were paid in recompense.
   Synonyms: compensation, pay, payment, satisfaction More Synonyms of recompense
2. VERB
   If you recompense someone for their efforts or their loss, you give them something, usually money, as a payment or reward.
   [formal]
   The fees offered by the health service do not recompense dental surgeons for their professional time. [VERB noun + for]
   If they succeed in court, they will be fully recompensed for their loss. [VERB noun for noun]
   Synonyms: compensate, reimburse, redress, repay More Synonyms of recompense

Question 21

diminutive

Answer 21

1. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
   A diminutive person or object is very small.
   She noticed a diminutive figure standing at the entrance.
   Synonyms: small, little, tiny, minute More Synonyms of diminutive
2. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A diminutive is an informal form of a name. For example, ‘ Jim’ and ‘ Jimmy’ are diminutives of ‘ James’.
3. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A diminutive is a suffix which is added to a word to show affection or to indicate that something is small. For example, ‘-ie’ and ‘-ette’ are diminutives, for example in ‘doggie’ and ‘ statuette’.

Question 22

Seismic

Answer 22

1. ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
   Seismic means caused by or relating to an earthquake.
   Earthquakes produce two types of seismic waves.
   The latest seismic activity was also felt in northern Kenya.
2. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
   A seismic shift or change is a very sudden or dramatic change.
   I have never seen such a seismic shift in public opinion in such a short period of time.

Question 23

viable

Answer 23

1. ADJECTIVE
   Something that is viable is capable of doing what it is intended to do.
   They struggled initially to make the business viable.
   The goal has been to establish and sustain a nation of viable family farms.
   …commercially viable products.
   Synonyms: workable, practical, feasible, suitable More Synonyms of viable
   viability (vaɪəbɪlɪti ) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
   …the shaky financial viability of the nuclear industry. [+ of]
2. ADJECTIVE
   Foetuses, seeds, or eggs are described as viable if they are capable of developing into living beings without outside help.
   [technical]
   Five viable pregnancies were established.

Question 24

culpable

Answer 24

ADJECTIVE
If someone or their conduct is culpable, they are responsible for something wrong or bad that has happened.
[formal]
Their decision to do nothing makes them culpable.
…manslaughter resulting from culpable negligence.
Synonyms: blameworthy, wrong, guilty, to blame More Synonyms of culpable
culpability (kʌlpəbɪlɪti ) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
He added there was clear culpability on the part of the government.
Synonyms: fault, blameworthiness, blame, responsibility

Question 25

foremost

Answer 25

1. ADJECTIVE
   The foremost thing or person in a group is the most important or best.
   He was one of the world’s foremost scholars of ancient Indian culture.
   Foremost among the military government’s enemies are the foreign media.
   Synonyms: leading, best, first, top

Question 26

plenitude

Answer 26

1. UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
   Plenitude is a feeling that an experience is satisfying because it is full or complete.
   [formal]
   The music brought him a feeling of plenitude and freedom.
   …the safety and plenitude of their life.
   Synonyms: completeness, fullness, amplitude, repletion More Synonyms of plenitude
2. SINGULAR NOUN
   If there is a plenitude of something, there is a great quantity of it.
   [formal]
   What is the use of a book about interior design without a plenitude of pictures in color? [+ of]
   Synonyms: abundance, wealth, excess, bounty

Question 27

plague

Answer 27

1. COUNTABLE NOUN [oft supplement NOUN]
   A plague is a very infectious disease that spreads quickly and kills large numbers of people.
   A cholera plague had been killing many prisoners of war at the time.
   Synonyms: disease, infection, epidemic, contagion More Synonyms of plague
2. UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [oft the NOUN]
   Plague or the plague is a very infectious disease which usually results in death. The patient has a severe fever and swellings on his or her body.
   …a fresh outbreak of plague.
   …illnesses such as smallpox, typhus and the plague.
3. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A plague of unpleasant things is a large number of them that arrive or happen at the same time.
   The city is under threat from a plague of rats. [+ of]
   Last year there was a plague of robbery and housebreaking.
   Synonyms: infestation, invasion, epidemic, influx More Synonyms of plague
4. COUNTABLE NOUN [usually singular]
   If you describe something as a plague, you mean that it causes a great deal of trouble or harm.
   Inflation will remain a recurrent plague.
   Tim seems to have escaped the cynicism which is the absolute plague of our generation.
   Synonyms: bane, trial, cancer, evil More Synonyms of plague
5. VERB
   If you are plagued by unpleasant things, they continually cause you a lot of trouble or suffering.
   She was plagued by weakness, fatigue, and dizziness. [be VERB-ed + by]
   Fears about job security plague nearly half the workforce. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: torment, trouble, pain, torture More Synonyms of plague
6. VERB
   If someone plagues you, they keep bothering you or asking you for something.
   I’m not going to plague you with a lot more questions. [VERB noun with noun]
   Tommy Cook had been plaguing Pinner for months. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: pester, trouble, bother, disturb

Question 28

disparaged

Answer 28

VERB
If you disparage someone or something, you speak about them in a way which shows that you do not have a good opinion of them.
[formal]
Many people will disparage what you are trying to achieve. [VERB noun]
The tax cut is widely disparaged by senators from both parties as a budget gimmick. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: run down, dismiss, put down, criticize

Question 29

profiled

Answer 29

1. COUNTABLE NOUN
   Your profile is the outline of your face as it is seen when someone is looking at you from the side.
   His handsome profile was turned away from us.
   Synonyms: outline, lines, form, figure More Synonyms of profile
2. UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [in NOUN]
   If you see someone in profile, you see them from the side.
   This picture shows the girl in profile.
3. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A profile of someone is a short article or programme in which their life and character are described.
   A newspaper published profiles of the candidates. [+ of]
   Synonyms: biography, sketch, vignette, characterization More Synonyms of profile
4. VERB
   To profile someone means to give an account of that person’s life and character.
   [journalism]
   Tamar Golan, a Paris-based journalist, profiles the rebel leader. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: describe, outline, write about, portray More Synonyms of profile
   profiling (proʊfaɪlŋ ) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN [usually with supplement]
   …a former FBI agent who pioneered psychological profiling in the 1970s.
   DNA profiling has aided the struggle against crime.
5. COUNTABLE NOUN
   Your profile on a social media website is the part where you post your name, picture, and personal information.
   He lied about himself on his profile.

Question 30

emulate

Answer 30

VERB
If you emulate something or someone, you imitate them because you admire them a great deal.
[formal]
Sons are traditionally expected to emulate their fathers. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: imitate, follow, copy, mirror More Synonyms of emulate
emulation (emjʊleɪʃən ) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
…a role model worthy of emulation.
Synonyms: imitation, following, copying, mirroring

Question 31

cede

Answer 31

VERB
If someone in a position of authority cedes land or power to someone else, they let them have the land or power, often as a result of military or political pressure.
[formal]
Only a short campaign took place in Puerto Rico, but after the war Spain ceded the island to America. [VERB noun + to]
The General had promised to cede power by January. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: surrender, grant, transfer, abandon

Question 32

rationalize

Answer 32

1. VERB
   If you try to rationalize attitudes or actions that are difficult to accept, you think of reasons to justify or explain them.
   He rationalized his activity by convincing himself that he was promoting peace. [VERB noun]
   I poured my thoughts out on paper in an attempt to rationalize my feelings. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: reason out, resolve, think through, elucidate More Synonyms of rationalize
   rationalization (ræʃənəlaɪzeɪʃən )
   Word forms: plural rationalizations
   VARIABLE NOUN
   …this rationalization of his bedside grief.
2. VERB [usually passive]
   When a company, system, or industry is rationalized, it is made more efficient, usually by getting rid of staff and equipment that are not essential.
   [mainly British, business]
   The network of 366 local offices is being rationalised to leave the company with 150 larger branch offices. [be VERB-ed]

Question 33

assertion

Answer 33

NOUN

1. a positive statement, usually made without an attempt at furnishing evidence
2. the act of asserting

Question 34

plenum

Answer 34

COUNTABLE NOUN

A plenum is a meeting that is attended by all the members of a committee or conference.

Question 35

paucity

Answer 35

SINGULAR NOUN
If you say that there is a paucity of something, you mean that there is not enough of it.
[formal]
Even the film’s impressive finale can’t hide the first hour’s paucity of imagination. [+ of]
…the paucity of good British women sprinters. [+ of]
Synonyms: scarcity, lack, poverty, shortage

Question 36

plethora

Answer 36

SINGULAR NOUN
A plethora of something is a large amount of it, especially an amount of it that is greater than you need, want, or can cope with.
[formal]
A plethora of new operators will be allowed to enter the market. [+ of]
Synonyms: excess, surplus, glut, profusion

Question 37

paradigm

Answer 37

1. VARIABLE NOUN
   A paradigm is a model for something which explains it or shows how it can be produced.
   [formal]
   …a new paradigm of production. [+ of]
2. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A paradigm is a clear and typical example of something.
   [formal]
   He had become the paradigm of the successful man. [+ of]
   Synonyms: model, example, original, pattern

Question 38

tallied

Answer 38

1. COUNTABLE NOUN [usually singular]
   A tally is a record of amounts or numbers which you keep changing and adding to as the activity which affects it progresses.
   They do not keep a tally of visitors to the palace, but it is very popular. [+ of]
   The final tally was 817 votes for her and 731 for him.
   Synonyms: record, score, total, count More Synonyms of tally
2. VERB
   If one number or statement tallies with another, they agree with each other or are exactly the same. You can also say that two numbers or statements tally.
   Its own estimate of three hundred tallies with that of another survey. [VERB + with]
   This description didn’t seem to tally with what we saw. [VERB with noun]
   The figures didn’t seem to tally. [VERB]
   Synonyms: agree, match, accord, fit More Synonyms of tally
3. VERB
   If you tally numbers, items, or totals, you count them.
   …as we tally the number of workers who have been laid off this year. [VERB noun]
   When the final numbers are tallied, sales will almost certainly have fallen. [VERB noun]
   Synonyms: count up, total, compute, keep score More Synonyms of tally
   Tally up means the same as tally.

Question 39

tenets

Answer 39

COUNTABLE NOUN
The tenets of a theory or belief are the main principles on which it is based.
[formal]
Non-violence and patience are the central tenets of their faith. [+ of]
The judge’s ruling was based on the simple commonsense tenet that no man is above the law.
Synonyms: principle, rule, doctrine, creed

Question 40

tout

Answer 40

1. VERB
   If someone touts something, they try to sell it or convince people that it is good.
   [disapproval]
   It has the trappings of an election campaign in the United States, with slick television ads touting the candidates. [VERB noun]
   …a popular advertising industry practice of using performers to tout products. [VERB noun]
   He was being touted as the most interesting thing in pop. [beV-ed as n/adj/-ing]
   The product is touted as being completely natural. [beV-ed as n/adj/-ing]
   …a couple of highly touted novels. [VERB-ed]
   Synonyms: praise, tip, promote, urge More Synonyms of tout
2. VERB
   If someone touts for business or custom, they try to obtain it.
   [mainly British]
   He visited Thailand and Singapore to tout for investment. [VERB + for]
   Minicabs are not allowed to tout for hire on the streets. [VERB for noun]
   Synonyms: solicit, canvass, drum up, bark [US, informal] More Synonyms of tout
3. VERB
   If someone touts tickets, they sell them outside a sports ground or theatre, usually for more than their original value.
   [British]
   …a man who made his money touting tickets. [VERB noun]
   The queue stretches several hundred yards and tickets are touted for a tenner. [VERB noun]
   REGIONAL NOTE:
   in AM, use scalp
4. COUNTABLE NOUN
   A tout is someone who sells things such as tickets unofficially, usually at prices which are higher than the official ones.
   [British]
   REGIONAL NOTE:
   in AM, use scalper
   More Synonyms of tout

Question 41

ingrain

verb [ T ]

Answer 41

to establish something such as a belief so firmly that it is not likely to change:
We want to ingrain good financial habits in people.

Question 42

coherent

Answer 42

1. ADJECTIVE
   If something is coherent, it is well planned, so that it is clear and sensible and all its parts go well with each other.
   He has failed to work out a coherent strategy for modernising the service.
   The President’s policy is perfectly coherent.
   Synonyms: consistent, reasoned, organized, rational More Synonyms of coherent
   coherence UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
   The campaign was widely criticised for making tactical mistakes and for a lack of coherence.
   Synonyms: consistency, rationality, concordance, consonance More Synonyms of coherent
   Synonyms: intelligibility, comprehensibility More Synonyms of coherent
   coherently ADVERB [ADVERB with verb, ADVERB adjective]
   The government has to convince voters it is proceeding coherently toward its goals.
2. ADJECTIVE [verb-link ADJECTIVE]
   If someone is coherent, they express their thoughts in a clear and calm way, so that other people can understand what they are saying.
   He’s so calm when he answers questions in interviews. I wish I could be that coherent.
   Synonyms: articulate, lucid, comprehensible, intelligible

Question 43

constringe

Answer 43

(transitive) rare

to shrink or contract

Question 44

preeminent

Answer 44

ADJECTIVE
If someone or something is preeminent in a group, they are more important, powerful, or capable than other people or things in the group.
[formal]
…some of the preeminent names in baseball.

preeminence (priɛmɪnəns ) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Europe was poised to reassert its traditional preeminence in Western art.

Question 45

preternatural

Answer 45

ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
Preternatural abilities, qualities, or events are very unusual in a way that might make you think that unknown forces are involved.
[formal]
Parents had an almost preternatural ability to understand what was going on in their children’s minds.
Synonyms: supernatural, odd, strange, unusual More Synonyms of preternatural

Question 46

middling

Answer 46

ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe a quality such as the size of something as middling, you mean that it is average.
The Beatles enjoyed only middling success until 1963.
…a man of middling height.
Synonyms: moderate, medium, average, fair

Question 47

rigorous

Answer 47

1. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
   A test, system, or procedure that is rigorous is very thorough and strict.
   The selection process is based on rigorous tests of competence and experience.
   …a rigorous system of blood analysis.
   …rigorous military training.
   Synonyms: strict, hard, firm, demanding More Synonyms of rigorous
   rigorously ADVERB
   …rigorously conducted research.
2. ADJECTIVE [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
   If someone is rigorous in the way that they do something, they are very careful and thorough.
   He is rigorous in his control of expenditure. [+ in]
   Synonyms: thorough, meticulous, painstaking, scrupulous

Question 48

spartan

Answer 48

ADJECTIVE
A spartan lifestyle or existence is very simple or strict, with no luxuries.
Their spartan lifestyle prohibits a fridge or a phone.
Felicity’s bedroom was spartan but functional.

Question 49

lacrosse

Answer 49

UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Lacrosse is an outdoor game in which players use long sticks with nets at the end to catch and throw a small ball, in order to try and score goals.

Question 50

wager

Answer 50

1. VERB
   If you wager on the result of a horse race, football match, or other event, you give someone a sum of money which they give you back with extra money if the result is what you predicted, or which they keep if it is not.
   [journalism]
   Just because people wagered on the Yankees did not mean that they liked them. [VERB + on]
   He never wagered money on games involving his own team. [VERB noun + on]
   Wager is also a noun.
   There have been various wagers on certain candidates since the Bishop announced his retirement. [+ on]
2. VERB
   If you say that you will wager that something is the case, you mean you are confident that it is the case.
   She was willing to wager that he didn’t own the apartment he lived in. [VERB that]
   I’ll wager she’ll still make the same impact when she’s 70.

Question 51

pep

Answer 51

UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Pep is liveliness and energy.
[informal, old-fashioned]
Many say that, given a choice, they would opt for a holiday to put the pep back in their lives.
Synonyms: energy, life, spirit, zip [informal]

Question 52

digressed

Answer 52

VERB
If you digress, you move away from the subject you are talking or writing about and talk or write about something different for a while.
I’ve digressed a little to explain the situation so far, so let me now recap. [VERB]
She digressed from her prepared speech to pay tribute to the President. [VERB + from]
Synonyms: wander, drift, stray, depart More Synonyms of digress
digression (daɪgreʃən )
Word forms: plural digressions
VARIABLE NOUN
The text is dotted with digressions.
Synonyms: departure, aside, diversion [British], wandering

Question 53

morphed

Answer 53

VERB
If one thing morphs into another thing, especially something very different, the first thing changes into the second.
[informal]
Mild-mannered Stanley morphs into a confident, grinning hero.

Question 54

imprecations

Answer 54

VARIABLE NOUN
An imprecation is something rude, angry, or hostile that is said to or about someone.
[formal]
Synonyms: curse, denunciation, anathema, blasphemy

Question 55

superfluous

Answer 55

ADJECTIVE
Something that is superfluous is unnecessary or is no longer needed.
My presence at the afternoon’s proceedings was superfluous.
I rid myself of many superfluous belongings and habits that bothered me.
Synonyms: excess, surplus, redundant, remaining

Question 56

nugatory

Answer 56

ADJECTIVE
1. of little value; trifling
2. not valid
a nugatory law

Question 57

preponderance

Answer 57

SINGULAR NOUN
If there is a preponderance of one type of person or thing in a group, there is more of that type than of any other.
…a preponderance of bright, middle-class children in one group. [+ of]
…Bath, with its preponderance of small businesses.

Question 58

prolixity

Answer 58

ADJECTIVE

1. (of a speech, book, etc) so long as to be boring; verbose
2. indulging in prolix speech or writing; long-winded

Question 59

perpetual

Answer 59

1. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
   A perpetual feeling, state, or quality is one that never ends or changes.
   …the creation of a perpetual union.
   perpetually ADVERB [ADVERB with verb]
   They were all perpetually starving.
   They would be compelled to live perpetually as second-class citizens.
2. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
   A perpetual act, situation, or state is one that happens again and again and so seems never to end.
   I thought her perpetual complaints were going to prove too much for me.
   perpetually ADVERB [ADVERB with verb]
   …a perpetually renewed miracle.
   He perpetually interferes in political affairs.

Question 60

recurring

Answer 60

ADJECTIVE
(Accounting: Basic)
If something is recurring, it happens at regularly occurring intervals.
More than 60 percent of recurring costs were attributable directly to materials, products, and services purchased from external suppliers.
Include in the expenses accrued for the period all recurring fees that are charged to all shareholder accounts in proportion to the length of the base period.
If something is recurring, it happens at regularly occurring intervals.

Question 61

sporadic

Answer 61

ADJECTIVE
Sporadic occurrences of something happen at irregular intervals.
…a year of sporadic fighting over northern France.
The sound of sporadic shooting could still be heard.
Synonyms: intermittent, occasional, scattered, isolated More Synonyms of sporadic

Question 62

abstruse

Answer 62

ADJECTIVE
You can describe something as abstruse if you find it difficult to understand, especially when you think it could be explained more simply.
[formal, disapproval]
…fruitless discussions about abstruse resolutions.
Synonyms: obscure, complex, confusing, puzzling

Question 63

doomed

Answer 63

1. ADJECTIVE [verb-link ADJECTIVE, ADJECTIVE to-infinitive]
   If something is doomed to happen, or if you are doomed to a particular state, something unpleasant is certain to happen, and you can do nothing to prevent it.
   Their plans seemed doomed to failure. [+ to]
   He knew that if he lived, he would be doomed to spend the war as a prisoner.
2. ADJECTIVE
   Someone or something that is doomed is certain to fail or be destroyed.
   Fireman battled through the smoke in a doomed attempt to rescue the children.
   I used to pour time and energy into projects that were doomed from the start.
   Synonyms: hopeless, condemned, ill-fated, fated

adjective
likely to have an unfortunate and inescapable outcome; ill-fated.
“the moving story of their doomed love affair”

Question 64

quagmire

noun [ C ]

Answer 64

an area of soft, wet ground that you sink into if you try to walk on it:
At the end of the game, the pitch was a real quagmire.

a difficult and dangerous situation:
Since the coup, the country has sunk deeper into a quagmire of violence and lawlessness.

Question 65

onerous

adjective formal

Answer 65

difficult to do or needing a lot of effort:
the onerous task of finding a peaceful solution
She found the duties of motherhood onerous.

Question 66

sequestration

noun [ U ]

Answer 66

the act of taking temporary possession of someone’s property until they have paid money that is owed or obeyed a court order:
This would do nothing to halt the sequestration of property in the former colony.
The union was ordered to to withdraw the instruction or face the sequestration of its funds and assets.

Question 67

remuneration

noun [ S or U ] formal

Answer 67

payment for work or services:
They demanded adequate remuneration for their work.
In return for some caretaking duties, we are offering a free apartment and a small remuneration.
a remuneration package

Question 68

regimen

noun [ C ] formal

Answer 68

any set of rules about food and exercise that someone follows, especially in order to improve their health:
After his heart attack the doctor put him on a strict regimen.

Question 69

nebulous

Answer 69

ADJECTIVE
If you describe something as nebulous, you mean that it is vague and not clearly defined or not easy to describe.
The notions we children were able to form of the great world beyond were exceedingly nebulous.
Music is such a nebulous thing.

Question 70

dichotomy

noun [ C usually singular ] formal

Answer 70

a difference between two completely opposite ideas or things:
There is often a dichotomy between what politicians say and what they do.

Question 71

antics

noun [ plural ]

Answer 71

funny, silly, or strange behaviour:
But the rock star, whose stage antics used to include smashing guitars, is older and wiser now.
The crowds were once again entertained by the number-one tennis player’s antics on and off the court.

Question 72

accustomed

adjective

Answer 72

familiar with something:
She quickly became accustomed to his messy ways.
I’m not accustomed to being treated like this.

Question 73

scalable

adjective BUSINESS specialized (also scaleable)

Answer 73

used to describe a business or system that is able to grow or to be made larger:
To receive funding they will have to demonstrate that their idea is scalable from school level to state level.

able to be made larger in size:
There are 13 scaleable fonts built into the printer.

Question 74

register

verb

Answer 74

to put information, especially your name, into an official list or record:
I registered the car in my name.
Within two weeks of arrival all foreigners had to register with the local police.
Students have to register for the new course by the end of April.

to record, show, or express something:
The Geiger counter registered a dangerous level of radioactivity.
The earthquake was too small to register on the Richter scale.
formal His face registered extreme disapproval of what he had witnessed.

If you register a letter or parcel, you send it using a special postal service, so that it will be dealt with in a special way and not be lost:
a registered letter

If something registers, someone realizes it and if someone registers something, they realize it:
I did mention the address but I’m not sure that it registered (with him).
I scarcely registered the fact that he was there.

Question 75

mendacity

Answer 75

UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
Mendacity is lying, rather than telling the truth.
[formal]
…an astonishing display of cowardice and mendacity.
Synonyms: lying, lie, perjury, deceit

Question 76

case in point

Answer 76

a specific, appropriate, or relevant instance or example

Question 77

raillery

Answer 77

NOUN
Word forms: plural -leries
1. light-hearted satire or ridicule; banter
2. an example of this, esp a bantering remark

Question 78

unwavering

Answer 78

ADJECTIVE
If you describe a feeling or attitude as unwavering, you mean that it is strong and firm and does not weaken.
She has been encouraged by the unwavering support of her family.
…his unwavering commitment to public education.
His attitude was unwavering.
Synonyms: steady, consistent, staunch, determined

Question 79

inveterate

Answer 79

ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
If you describe someone as, for example, an inveterate liar or smoker, you mean that they have lied or smoked for a long time and are not likely to stop doing it.
…an inveterate gambler.
…the inveterate laziness of these boys.
Synonyms: deep-rooted, entrenched, ingrained, deep-seated

Question 80

impertinent

Answer 80

ADJECTIVE
If someone talks or behaves in a rather impolite and disrespectful way, you can say that they are being impertinent.
Would it be impertinent to ask where exactly you were?
I don’t like strangers who ask impertinent questions.
Synonyms: rude, forward, cheeky [informal], saucy [informal]

Question 81

afflict

verb [ T ]

Answer 81

If a problem or illness afflicts a person or thing, they suffer from it:
It is an illness that afflicts women more than men.
a country afflicted by civil war

Question 82

proliferate

Answer 82

VERB
If things proliferate, they increase in number very quickly.
[formal]
Computerized data bases are proliferating fast. [VERB]
In recent years commercial, cultural, travel and other contacts have proliferated between Europe and China. [VERB]
Synonyms: increase, expand, breed, mushroom

Question 83

proprietary

Answer 83

1. ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
   Proprietary substances or products are sold under a trade name.
   [formal]
   …some proprietary brands of dog food.
   We had to take action to protect the proprietary technology.
2. ADJECTIVE [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
   If someone has a proprietary attitude towards something, they act as though they own it.
   [formal]
   Directors weren’t allowed any proprietary airs about the product they made.

Question 84

fiscal

Answer 84

1. ADJECTIVE [ADJECTIVE noun]
   Fiscal is used to describe something that relates to government money or public money, especially taxes.
   …last year, when the government tightened fiscal policy.
   Synonyms: financial, money, economic, monetary More Synonyms of fiscal
   fiscally ADVERB [usually ADVERB adjective, oft ADVERB after verb]
   The scheme would be fiscally dangerous.
   Many members are determined to prove that they are fiscally responsible.

Question 85

stagnation

Answer 85

VERB
If something such as a business or society stagnates, it stops changing or progressing.
[disapproval]
Industrial production is stagnating. [VERB]
His career had stagnated. [VERB]
Synonyms: vegetate, decline, deteriorate, rot More Synonyms of stagnate
stagnation (stægneɪʃən ) UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
…the stagnation of the steel industry.

Question 86

propriety

Answer 86

correct moral behaviour or actions:
The director insisted that there was no question as to the propriety of how the funds were raised.
She was careful always to behave with propriety.
proprieties [ plural ] formal

the rules of polite social behaviour:
They’d invited us to dinner so we thought we’d better observe the proprieties and invite them back.

Question 87

proprietor

Answer 87

COUNTABLE NOUN
The proprietor of a hotel, shop, newspaper, or other business is the person who owns it.
[formal]
…the proprietor of a local restaurant. [+ of]
He was the sole proprietor with total management control.
Synonyms: owner, landowner, freeholder, possessor