Q Words

Question 1

quagmire (n)

Answer 1

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 2

qualified (adj)

Answer 2

made fit (by training, experience) to do a specific job

Was the candidate for tax collector a qualified accountant?

Question 3

quell (v)

Answer 3

put an end to; quiet or sooth

Miss Minchin’s demeanor was so stern and forbidding that she could quell any unrest among her students with on intimidating glance.

Question 4

querulous (adj)

Answer 4

habitually fussy and full of complaints

Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if they miss their nap.

Question 5

quiescent (adj)

Answer 5

temporarily inactive; at rest

After the great eruption, fear of Mount Etna was great; people did not return to cultivate its rich hillside lands until the volcano had been quiescent for a full two years.

Question 6

quixotic (adj)

Answer 6

idealistic but impractical

Simon’s head is in the clouds; he constantly comes up with quixotic, unworkable schemes.

Question 7

quotidian (adj)

Answer 7

occurring every day

To Dawson, each new day of his pediatric internship was filled with excitement; he could not dismiss his rounds as merely quotidian routine.