Q

Question 1

quack

Answer 1

charlatan; impostor

Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he cannot cure you.

Question 2

quadruped

Answer 2

four-footed animal

Most mammals are quadrupeds.

Question 3

quaff

Answer 3

drink with relish

As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the gay songs of the students in the tavern.

Question 4

quagmire

Answer 4

soft, wet, boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself

Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself from this quagmire.

Question 5

quail

Answer 5

cower; lose heart

He was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

Question 6

quaint

Answer 6

odd; old-fashioned; picturesque

Her quaint clothes and old-fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

Question 7

qualified

Answer 7

limited; restricted

Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor gave him only a qualified endorsement.

Question 8

qualms

Answer 8

misgivings

His qualms of conscience had become so great that he decided to abandon his plans.

Question 9

quandary

Answer 9

dilemma

When the two colleges to which he had applied accepted him, he was in a quandary as to which one he should attend.

Question 10

quarry

Answer 10

*

victim; object of a hunt

The police closed in on their quarry.

**

dig into

They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside.

Question 11

quash

Answer 11

subdue; crush; squash

The authorities acted quickly to quash the student rebellion, sending in tanks to cow the demonstrators.

Question 12

quay

Answer 12

dock; landing place

Because of the captain’s carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

Question 13

queasy

Answer 13

easily nauseated; squeamish

As the ship left the harbor, he became queasy and thought that he was going to suffer from seasickness.

Question 14

quell

Answer 14

put down; quiet

The police used fire hoses and teat gas to quell the rioters.

Question 15

querulous

Answer 15

fretful; whining

His classmates were repelled by his querulous and complaining statements.

Question 16

queue

Answer 16

line

They stood patiently in the queue outside the movie theatre.

Question 17

quibble

Answer 17

equivocate; play on words

Do not quibble; I want a straightforward and definite answer.

Question 18

quiescent

Answer 18

at rest; dormant

After this geyser erupts, it will remain quiescent for twenty-four hours.

Question 19

quietude

Answer 19

tranquillity

He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.

Question 20

quintessence

Answer 20

purest and highest embodiment

Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

Question 21

quip

Answer 21

taunt

You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic comments.

Question 22

quirk

Answer 22

startling twise; caprice

By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.

Question 23

quisling

Answer 23

traitor who aids invaders

In his conquest of Europe, Hitler was aided by the quislings who betrayed their own people and served in the puppet governments established by the Nazis.

Question 24

quiver

Answer 24

case for arrows

Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver.

Question 25

quixotic

Answer 25

idealistic but impractical

His head is in the clouds; he is constantly presenting these quixotic schemes.

Question 26

quizzical

Answer 26

bantering; comical; humorously serious

Will Rogers’ quizzical remarks endeared him to his audiences.

Question 27

quorum

Answer 27

number of members necessary to conduct a meeting

The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a quorum was present.