SAT Vocabulary Part 2 Flashcards

Question 1

Q

SAT Vocabulary

gourmand

Answer

A

(n.) someone fond of eating and drinking (My parents; who used to eat little more than crackers and salad; have become real gourmands in their old age.)

Question 2

Q

SAT Vocabulary

grandiloquence

Answer

A

(n.) lofty; pompous language (The student thought her grandiloquence would make her sound smart; but neither the class nor the teacher bought it.)

Question 3

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SAT Vocabulary

grandiose

Answer

A

(adj.) on a magnificent or exaggerated scale (Margaret planned a grandiose party; replete with elephants; trapeze artists; and clowns.)

Question 4

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SAT Vocabulary

gratuitous

Answer

A

(adj.) uncalled for; unwarranted (Every morning the guy at the donut shop gives me a gratuitous helping of ketchup packets.)

Question 5

Q

SAT Vocabulary

gregarious

Answer

A

(adj.) drawn to the company of others; sociable (Well; if you’re not gregarious; I don’t know why you would want to go to a singles party!)

Question 6

Q

SAT Vocabulary

grievous

Answer

A

(adj.) injurious; hurtful; serious or grave in nature (Electrocuting the inmate without being sure of his guilt would be a truly grievous mistake.)

Question 7

Q

SAT Vocabulary

guile

Answer

A

(n.) deceitful; cunning; sly behavior (Because of his great guile; the politician was able to survive scandal after scandal.)

Question 8

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SAT Vocabulary

hackneyed

Answer

A

(adj.) unoriginal; trite (A girl can only hear “I love you” so many times before it begins to sound hackneyed and meaningless.)

Question 9

Q

SAT Vocabulary

hallowed

Answer

A

(adj.) revered; consecrated (In the hallowed corridors of the cathedral; the disturbed professor felt himself to be at peace.)

Question 10

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SAT Vocabulary

hapless

Answer

A

(adj.) unlucky (My poor; hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on vacation.)

Question 11

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SAT Vocabulary

harangue

Answer

A

(n.) a ranting speech (Everyone had heard the teacher’s harangue about gum chewing in class before.) 2. (v.) to give such a speech (But this time the teacher harangued the class about the importance of brushing your teeth after chewing gum.)

Question 12

Q

SAT Vocabulary

hardy

Answer

A

(adj.) robust; capable of surviving through adverse conditions (I too would have expected the plants to be dead by mid-November; but apparently they’re very hardy.)

Question 13

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SAT Vocabulary

harrowing

Answer

A

(adj.) greatly distressing; vexing (The car crash was a harrowing experience; but I have a feeling that the increase in my insurance premiums will be even more upsetting.)

Question 14

Q

SAT Vocabulary

haughty

Answer

A

(adj.) disdainfully proud (The superstar’s haughty dismissal of her costars will backfire on her someday.)

Question 15

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SAT Vocabulary

hedonist

Answer

A

(n.) one who believes pleasure should be the primary pursuit of humans (Because he’s such a hedonist; I knew Murray would appreciate the 11 cases of wine I bought him for his birthday.)

Question 16

Q

SAT Vocabulary

hegemony

Answer

A

(n.) domination over others (Britain’s hegemony over its colonies was threatened once nationalist sentiment began to spread around the world.)

Question 17

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SAT Vocabulary

heinous

Answer

A

(adj.) shockingly wicked; repugnant (The killings were made all the more heinous by the fact that the murderer first tortured his victims for three days.)

Question 18

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SAT Vocabulary

heterogeneous

Answer

A

(adj.) varied; diverse in character (I hate having only one flavor so I always buy the swirled; or should I say heterogeneous; type of ice cream.)

Question 19

Q

SAT Vocabulary

hiatus

Answer

A

(n.) a break or gap in duration or continuity (The hiatus in service should last two or three monthsâ€”until the cable lines are repaired .)

Question 20

Q

SAT Vocabulary

hierarchy

Answer

A

(n.) a system with ranked groups; usually according to social; economic; or professional class (Women found it very difficult to break into the upper ranks of the department’s hierarchy.)

Question 21

Q

SAT Vocabulary

hypocrisy

Answer

A

(n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises; his hypocrisy became apparent.)

Question 22

Q

SAT Vocabulary

hypothetical

Answer

A

(adj.) supposed or assumed true; but unproven (Even though it has been celebrated by seven major newspapers; that the drug will be a success when tested in humans is still hypothetical.)

Question 23

Q

SAT Vocabulary

iconoclast

Answer

A

(n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions (Jane goes to one protest after another; but she seems to be an iconoclast rather than an activist with a progressive agenda.)

Question 24

Q

SAT Vocabulary

idiosyncratic

Answer

A

(adj.) peculiar to one person; highly individualized (I know you had trouble with the last test; but because your mistakes were highly idiosyncratic; I’m going to deny your request that the class be given a new test.)

Question 25

Q

SAT Vocabulary

idolatrous

Answer

A

(adj.) excessively worshipping one object or person (Xena’s idolatrous fawning over the bandâ€”following them on tour; starting their fan club; filming their documentaryâ€”is really beginning to get on my nerves.)

Question 26

Q

SAT Vocabulary

ignominious

Answer

A

(adj.) humiliating; disgracing (It was really ignominious to be kicked out of the dorm for having an illegal gas stove in my room.)

Question 27

Q

SAT Vocabulary

illicit

Answer

A

(adj.) forbidden; not permitted (The fourth-grader learned many illicit words from a pamphlet that was being passed around school.)

Question 28

Q

SAT Vocabulary

immerse

Answer

A

(v.) to absorb; deeply involve; engross (After breaking up with her boyfriend; Nancy decided to immerse herself in her work in order to avoid crying.)

Question 29

Q

SAT Vocabulary

immutable

Answer

A

(adj.) not changeable (The laws of physics are immutable and constant.)

Question 30

Q

SAT Vocabulary

impassive

Answer

A

(adj.) stoic; not susceptible to suffering (Stop being so impassive; it’s healthy to cry every now and then.)

Question 31

Q

SAT Vocabulary

impeccable

Answer

A

(adj.) exemplary; flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your sister’s; then you too would receive a car for a graduation present.)

Question 32

Q

SAT Vocabulary

impecunious

Answer

A

(adj.) poor (“I fear he’s too impecunious to take me out tonight;” the bratty girl whined.)

Question 33

Q

SAT Vocabulary

imperative

Answer

A

(adj.) necessary; pressing (It is imperative that you have these folders organized by midday.) 2. (n.) a rule; command; or order (Her imperative to have the folders organized by midday was perceived as ridiculous by the others.)

Question 34

Q

SAT Vocabulary

imperious

Answer

A

(adj.) commanding; domineering (The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you at once.)

Question 35

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SAT Vocabulary

impertinent

Answer

A

(adj.) rude; insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)

Question 36

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SAT Vocabulary

impervious

Answer

A

(adj.) impenetrable; incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur; many seals are almost impervious to the cold.)

Question 37

Q

SAT Vocabulary

impetuous

Answer

A

(adj.) rash; hastily done (Hilda’s hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous; thoughtless action.)

Question 38

Q

SAT Vocabulary

impinge

Answer

A

(v.) to impact; affect; make an impression (The hail impinged the roof; leaving large dents.) 2. (v.) to encroach; infringe (I apologize for impinging upon you like this; but I really need to use your bathroom. Now.)

Question 39

Q

SAT Vocabulary

implacable

Answer

A

(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun Grandma’s cooking; she is totally implacable.)

Question 40

Q

SAT Vocabulary

implement

Answer

A

(n.) an instrument; utensil; tool (Do you have a knife or some other sort of implement that I could use to pry the lid off of this jar?) 2. (v.) to put into effect; to institute (After the first town curfew failed to stop the graffiti problem; the mayor implemented a new policy to use security cameras to catch perpetrators in the act.)

Question 41

Q

SAT Vocabulary

implicate

Answer

A

(v.) to involve in an incriminating way; incriminate (Even though Tom wasn’t present at the time of the shooting; he was implicated by the evidence suggesting that he had supplied the shooters with guns.)

Question 42

Q

SAT Vocabulary

implicit

Answer

A

(adj.) understood but not outwardly obvious; implied (I know Professor Smith didn’t actually say not to write from personal experience; but I think such a message was implicit in her instruction to use scholarly sources.)

Question 43

Q

SAT Vocabulary

impregnable

Answer

A

(adj.) resistant to capture or penetration (Though the invaders used battering rams; catapults; and rain dances; the fortress proved impregnable and resisted all attacks.)

Question 44

Q

SAT Vocabulary

impudent

Answer

A

(adj.) casually rude; insolent; impertinent (The impudent young man looked the princess up and down and told her she was hot even though she hadn’t asked him.)

Question 45

Q

SAT Vocabulary

impute

Answer

A

(v.) to ascribe; blame (The CEO imputed the many typos in the letter to his lazy secretary.)

Question 46

Q

SAT Vocabulary

inane

Answer

A

(adj.) silly and meaningless (Some films are so inane that the psychology of the characters makes absolutely no sense.)

Question 47

Q

SAT Vocabulary

inarticulate

Answer

A

(adj.) incapable of expressing oneself clearly through speech (Though he spoke for over an hour; the lecturer was completely inarticulate and the students had no idea what he was talking about.)

Question 48

Q

SAT Vocabulary

incarnate

Answer

A

(adj.) existing in the flesh; embodied (In the church pageant; I play the role of greed incarnate.) 2. (v.) to give human form to (The alien evaded detection by incarnating himself in a human form.)

Question 49

Q

SAT Vocabulary

incendiary

Answer

A

(n.) a person who agitates (If we catch the incendiary who screamed “bomb” in the middle of the soccer match; we’re going to put him in jail.) 2. (adj.) inflammatory; causing combustion (Gas and lighter fluid are incendiary materials that should be kept out of hot storage areas.)

Question 50

Q

SAT Vocabulary

incessant

Answer

A

(adj.) unending (We wanted to go outside and play; but the incessant rain kept us indoors for two days.)

Question 51

Q

SAT Vocabulary

inchoate

Answer

A

(adj.) unformed or formless; in a beginning stage (The country’s government is still inchoate and; because it has no great tradition; quite unstable.)

Question 52

Q

SAT Vocabulary

incisive

Answer

A

(adj.) clear; sharp; direct (The discussion wasn’t going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)

Question 53

Q

SAT Vocabulary

inclination

Answer

A

(n.) a tendency; propensity (Sarah has an inclination to see every foreign film she hears about; even when she’s sure that she won’t like it.)

Question 54

Q

SAT Vocabulary

incontrovertible

Answer

A

(adj.) indisputable (Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics.)

Question 55

Q

SAT Vocabulary

incorrigible

Answer

A

(adj.) incapable of correction; delinquent (You can buy Grandma nicotine gum all you want; but I think that after sixty-five years of smoking she’s incorrigible.)

Question 56

Q

SAT Vocabulary

increment

Answer

A

(n.) an enlargement; the process of increasing(The workmen made the wall longer; increment by increment.)

Question 57

Q

SAT Vocabulary

incumbent

Answer

A

(n.) one who holds an office (The incumbent senator is already serving his fifth term.) 2. (adj.) obligatory (It is incumbent upon this organization to offer aid to all who seek it.)

Question 58

Q

SAT Vocabulary

indefatigable

Answer

A

(adj.) incapable of defeat; failure; decay (Even after traveling 62 miles; the indefatigable runner kept on moving.)

Question 59

Q

SAT Vocabulary

indigenous

Answer

A

(adj.) originating in a region (Some fear that these plants; which are not indigenous to the region; may choke out the vegetation that is native to the area.)

Question 60

Q

SAT Vocabulary

indigent

Answer

A

(adj.) very poor; impoverished (I would rather donate money to help the indigent population than to the park sculpture fund.)

Question 61

Q

SAT Vocabulary

indignation

Answer

A

(n.) anger sparked by something unjust or unfair (I resigned from the sorority because of my indignation at its hazing of new members.)

Question 62

Q

SAT Vocabulary

indolent

Answer

A

(adj.) lazy (Why should my indolent children; who can’t even pick themselves up off the couch to pour their own juice; be rewarded with a trip to the mall?)

Question 63

Q

SAT Vocabulary

indomitable

Answer

A

(adj.) not capable of being conquered (To be honest; Jim; my indomitable nature means I could never take orders from anyone; and especially not from a jerk like you.)

Question 64

Q

SAT Vocabulary

induce

Answer

A

(v.) to bring about; stimulate (Who knew that our decision to boycott school lunch would induce a huge riot?)

Answer 65

A

(adj.) unspeakable; incapable of being expressed through words (It is said that the experience of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.)

Answer 66

A

(adj.) not suitable or capable; unqualified (She proved how inept she was when she forgot three orders and spilled a beer in a customer’s lap.)

Answer 67

A

(adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated (Although I begged for hours; Mom was inexorable and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom.)

Answer 68

A

(adj.) hopelessly tangled or entangled (Unless I look at the solution manual; I have no way of solving this inextricable problem.)

Answer 69

A

(n.) notoriety; extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the decades pass.)

Answer 70

A

(n.) an injection of one substance into another; the permeation of one substance by another (The infusion of Eastern religion into Western philosophy created interesting new schools of thought.)

Answer 71

A

(adj.) clever; resourceful (Her ingenious use of walnuts instead of the peanuts called for by the recipe was lauded by the other garden club members who found her cake delicious.)

Answer 72

A

(adj.) not devious; innocent and candid (He must have writers; but his speeches seem so ingenuous it’s hard to believe he’s not speaking from his own heart.)

Answer 73

A

(v.) to prevent; restrain; stop (When I told you I needed the car last night; I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.)

Answer 74

A

(adj.) hostile; enemylike (I don’t see how I could ever work for a company that was so cold and inimical to me during my interviews.)

Answer 75

A

(n.) wickedness or sin (“Your iniquity;” said the priest to the practical jokester; “will be forgiven.”)

Answer 76

A

(n.) an order of official warning (After his house was toilet-papered for the fifth time; the mayor issued an injunction against anyone younger than 21 buying toilet paper.)

Answer 77

A

(adj.) inborn; native; inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate; he never trains; lifts weights; or practices.)

Answer 78

A

(adj.) harmless; inoffensive (In spite of their innocuous appearance; these mushrooms are actually quite poisonous.)

Answer 79

A

(v.) to do something in an unprecedented way (Because of the stiff competition; the company knew it needed to pour a lot of energy into innovating new and better products.)

Answer 80

A

(n.) an insinuation (During the debate; the politician made several innuendos about the sexual activities of his opponent.)

Answer 81

A

(v.) to introduce a microorganism; serum; or vaccine into an organism in order to increase immunity to illness; to vaccinate (I’ve feared needles ever since I was inoculated against 37 diseases at age one; but I have also never been sick.)

Answer 82

A

(n.) one who inquires; especially in a hostile manner (The inquisitor was instructed to knock on every door in town in order to find the fugitive.)

Answer 83

A

(adj.) incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for melons can be a real problem in the winter.)

Answer 84

A

(adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful; seductive (Lisa’s insidious chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on!)

Answer 85

A

(v.) to suggest indirectly or subtly (I wish Luke and Spencer would stop insinuating that my perfect report card is the result of anything other than my superior intelligence and good work habits.)

Answer 86

A

(adj.) dull; boring (The play was so insipid; I fell asleep halfway through.)

Answer 87

A

(adj.) rude; arrogant; overbearing (That celebrity is so insolent; making fun of his fans right to their faces.)

Answer 88

A

(v.) to urge; goad (The demagogue instigated the crowd into a fury by telling them that they had been cheated by the federal government.)

Answer 89

A

(adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit; closed off (Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs; those who work for the CIA must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other.)

Answer 90

A

(n.) one who rebels (The insurgent snuck into and defaced a different classroom each night until the administration agreed to meet his demands.)

Answer 91

A

(adj.) necessary for completeness (Without the integral ingredient of flour; you wouldn’t be able to make bread.)

Answer 92

A

(v.) to insert between other things (During our conversation; the cab driver occasionally interjected his opinion.)

Answer 93

A

(n.) someone who participates in a dialogue or conversation (When the officials could not come to an agreement over the correct cover of the flags; the prime minister acted as an interlocutor.)

Answer 94

A

(adj.) without possibility of end (The fact that biology lectures came just before lunch made them seem interminable.)

Answer 95

A

(n.) an indirect suggestion (Mr. Brinford’s intimation that he would soon pass away occurred when he began to discuss how to distribute his belongings among his children.)

Answer 96

A

(adj.) difficult to manipulate; unmanageable (There was no end in sight to the intractable conflict between the warring countries.)

Answer 97

A

(adj.) refusing to compromise; often on an extreme opinion (The intransigent child said he would have 12 scoops of ice cream; or he would bang his head against the wall until his mother fainted from fear.)

Answer 98

A

(adj.) brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption; the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)

Answer 99

A

(v.) to flood with abundance (Because I am the star of a new sitcom; my fans are sure to inundate me with fan mail and praise.)

Answer 100

A

(v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation (Twenty years in the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt and grime.)

Answer 101

A

(n.) an angry verbal attack (My mother’s irrational invective against the way I dress only made me decide to dye my hair green.)

Answer 102

A

(adj.) stubbornly established by habit (I’m the first to admit that I’m an inveterate coffee drinkerâ€”I drink four cups a day.)

Answer 103

A

(adj.) secure from assault (Nobody was ever able to break into Batman’s inviolable Batcave.)

Answer 104

A

(adj.) easily angered (At the smallest provocation; my irascible cat will begin scratching and clawing.)

Answer 105

A

(adj.) showing rainbow colors (The bride’s large diamond ring was iridescent in the afternoon sun.)

Answer 106

A

(n.) disrespect (The irreverence displayed by the band that marched through the chapel disturbed many churchgoers.)

Answer 107

A

(adj.) incapable of being taken back (The Bill of Rights is an irrevocable part of American law.)

Answer 108

A

(adj.) extremely joyful; happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.)

Answer 109

A

(adj.) having or exercising sound judgment (When the judicious king decided to compromise rather than send his army to its certain death; he was applauded.)

Answer 110

A

(n.) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison (The interior designer admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table.)

Answer 111

A

(n.) the solemn sound of a bell; often indicating a death (Echoing throughout our village; the funeral knell made the stormy day even more grim.)

Answer 112

A

(n.) praise for an achievement (After the performance; the reviewers gave the opera singer kudos for a job well done.)

Answer 113

A

(n.) a cut; tear (Because he fell off his bike into a rosebush; the paperboy’s skin was covered with lacerations.)

Answer 114

A

(adj.) terse in speech or writing (The author’s laconic style has won him many followers who dislike wordiness.)

Answer 115

A

(adj.) sluggish from fatigue or weakness (In the summer months; the great heat makes people languid and lazy.)

Answer 116

A

(n.) obtaining another’s property by theft or trickery (When my car was not where I had left it; I realized that I was a victim of larceny.)

Answer 117

A

(n.) the generous giving of lavish gifts (My boss demonstrated great largess by giving me a new car.)

Answer 118

A

(adj.) hidden; but capable of being exposed (Sigmund’s dream represented his latent paranoid obsession with other people’s shoes.)

Answer 119

A

(adj.) expressing admiration or praise (Such laudatory comments are unusual from someone who is usually so reserved in his opinions.)

Answer 120

A

(adj.) given without limits (Because they had worked very hard; the performers appreciated the critic’s lavish praise.) 2. (v.) to give without limits (Because the performers had worked hard; they deserved the praise that the critic lavished on them.)

Answer 121

A

(n.) deception; slight-of-hand (Smuggling the French plants through customs by claiming that they were fake was a remarkable bit of legerdemain.)

Answer 122

A

(adj.) demonstrating tolerance or gentleness (Because Professor Oglethorpe allowed his students to choose their final grades; the other teachers believed that he was excessively lenient.)

Answer 123

A

(adj.) in a state of sluggishness or apathy (When Jean Claude explained to his boss that he was lethargic and didn’t feel like working that day; the boss fired him.)

Answer 124

A

(n.) something for which one is legally responsible; usually involving a disadvantage or risk (The bungee-jumping tower was a great liability for the owners of the carnival.) 2. (n.) a handicap; burden (Because she often lost her concentration and didn’t play defense; Marcy was a liability to the team.)

Answer 125

A

(adj.) advocating principles of liberty and free will (The dissatisfied subjects overthrew the monarch and replaced him with a libertarian ruler who respected their democratic principles.)

Answer 126

A

(adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints (Marilee has always been fascinated by the licentious private lives of politicians.)

Answer 127

A

(adj.) clear; transparent (Mr. Johnson’s limpid writing style greatly pleased readers who disliked complicated novels.)

Answer 128

A

(n.) something that holds separate parts together (The linchpin in the prosecution’s case was the hair from the defendant’s head; which was found at the scene of the crime.)

Answer 129

A

(adj.) graceful; flexible; supple (Although the dancers were all outstanding; Jae Sun’s control of her lithe body was particularly impressive.)

Answer 130

A

(n.) someone engaged in a lawsuit (When the litigants began screaming at each other; Judge Koch ordered them to be silent.)

Answer 131

A

(adj.) clear; easily understandable (Because Guenevere’s essay was so lucid; I only had to read it once to understand her reasoning.)

Answer 132

A

(adj.) brightly shining (The light of the luminous moon graced the shoulders of the beautiful maiden.)

Answer 133

A

(adj.) ghastly; sensational (Gideon’s story; in which he described a character torturing his sister’s dolls; was judged too lurid to be printed in the school’s literary magazine.)

Answer 134

A

(n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects (Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.)

Answer 135

A

(adj.) noble; generous (Although I had already broken most of her dishes; Jacqueline was magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them.)

Answer 136

A

(n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding; I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.)

Answer 137

A

(adj.) wanting harm to befall others (The malevolent old man sat in the park all day; tripping unsuspecting passersby with his cane.)

Answer 138

A

(adj.) capable of being shaped or transformed (Maximillian’s political opinions were so malleable that anyone he talked to was able to change his mind instantly.)

Answer 139

A

(n.) an authoritative command (In the Old Testament; God mandates that no one should steal.)

Answer 140

A

(adj.) easily understandable; obvious (When I wrote the wrong sum on the chalkboard; my mistake was so manifest that the entire class burst into laughter.) 2. (v.) to show plainly (His illness first manifested itself with particularly violent hiccups.)

Answer 141

A

(adj.) diverse; varied (The popularity of Dante’s Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifold interpretations.)

Answer 142

A

(adj.) weakly sentimental (Although many people enjoy romantic comedies; I usually find them maudlin and shallow.)

Answer 143

A

(n.) an independent; nonconformist person (Andreas is a real maverick and always does things his own way.)

Answer 144

A

(adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality (Although some nineteenth- century critics viewed Dickens’s writing as mawkish; contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works.)

Answer 145

A

(n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Miss Manners’s etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional.)

Answer 146

A

(adj.) deficient in size or quality (My meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy my appetite.)

Answer 147

A

(n.) a mixture of differing things (Susannah’s wardrobe contained an astonishing medley of colors; from olive green to fluorescent pink.)

Answer 148

A

(adj.) having a lying; false character (The mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining.)

Answer 149

A

(adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was widely respected for his mathematical proofs; the mercurial genius was impossible to live with.)

Answer 150

A

(adj.) worthy of esteem or reward (Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for his meritorious actions.)

Answer 151

A

(n.) the change of form; shape; substance (Winnifred went to the gym every day for a year and underwent a metamorphosis from a waiflike girl to an athletic woman.)

Answer 152

A

(adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the bride’s gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.)

Answer 153

A

(v.) to make less violent; alleviate (When I had an awful sore throat; only warm tea would mitigate the pain.)

Answer 154

A

(adj.) not extreme (Luckily; the restaurant we chose had moderate prices; none of us have any money.) 2. (n.) one who expresses moderate opinions (Because he found both the liberal and conservative proposals too excessive; Mr. Park sided with the moderates.)

Answer 155

A

(n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity; Henrietta announced her boss’s affair in front of the entire office.)

Answer 156

A

(v.) to pass from one state to another; especially in music (The composer wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys.)

Answer 157

A

(v.) to soften in temper (The police officer mollified the angry woman by giving her a warning instead of a ticket.)

Answer 158

A

(n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively; something that traps and confuses (When Theresa lost her job; she could not get out of her financial morass.)

Answer 159

A

(n.) the moral attitudes and fixed customs of a group of people. (Mores change over time; many things that were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as being socially acceptable.)

Answer 160

A

(adj.) gloomy or sullen (Jason’s morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.)

Answer 161

A

(adj.) having great diversity or variety (This Swiss Army knife has multifarious functions and capabilities. Among other things; it can act as a knife; a saw; a toothpick; and a slingshot.)

Answer 162

A

(adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven; commonplace (He is more concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.)

Answer 163

A

(n.) generosity in giving (The royal family’s munificence made everyone else in their country rich.)

Answer 164

A

(adj.) able to change (Because fashion is so mutable; what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.)

Answer 165

A

(adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)

Answer 166

A

(n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring; but the nadir came when I accidentally spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head.)

Answer 167

A

(adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence (Unfortunately; my brilliant paper was only in its nascent form on the morning that it was due.)

Answer 168

A

(adj.) vaguely defined; cloudy (The transition between governments meant that who was actually in charge was a nebulous matter.)

Answer 169

A

(adj.) heinously villainous (Although Dr. Meanman’s nefarious plot to melt the polar icecaps was terrifying; it was so impractical that nobody really worried about it.)

Answer 170

A

(adj.) habitually careless; neglectful (Jessie’s grandfather called me a negligent fool after I left the door to his apartment unlocked even though there had been a recent string of robberies.)

Answer 171

A

(n.) someone who is young or inexperienced (As a neophyte in the literary world; Malik had trouble finding a publisher for his first novel.)

Answer 172

A

(adj.) relating to or occurring during the night (Jackie was a nocturnal person; she would study until dawn and sleep until the evening.)

Answer 173

A

(adj.) unpleasant; offensive; especially to the sense of smell (Nobody would enter the stalls until the horse’s noisome leavings were taken away.)

Answer 174

A

(adj.) wandering from place to place (In the first six months after college; Jose led a nomadic life; living in New York; California; and Idaho.)

Answer 175

A

(adj.) trifling; insignificant (Because he was moving the following week and needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money; Jordan sold everything for a nominal fee.)

Answer 176

A

(adj.) having a lack of concern; indifference (Although deep down she was very angry; Marsha acted in a nonchalant manner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing without asking.)

Answer 177

A

(adj.) lacking a distinctive character (I was surprised when I saw the movie star in person because she looked nondescript.)

Answer 178

A

(adj.) widely and unfavorably known (Jacob was notorious for always arriving late at parties.)

Answer 179

A

(n.) a beginner; someone without training or experience (Because we were all novices at yoga; our instructor decided to begin with the basics.)

Answer 180

A

(adj.) harmful; unwholesome (Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds were destroying the insects’ natural habitats.)

Answer 181

A

(n.) a slight variation in meaning; tone; expression (The nuances of the poem were not obvious to the casual reader; but the professor was able to point them out.)

Answer 182

A

(v.) to assist the development of (Although Serena had never watered the plant; which was about to die; Javier was able to nurture it back to life.)

Answer 183

A

(adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences (The obdurate old man refused to take pity on the kittens.)

Answer 184

A

(v.) to render incomprehensible (The detective did want to answer the newspaperman’s questions; so he obfuscated the truth.)

Answer 185

A

(adj.) diverging from a straight line or course; not straightforward (Martin’s oblique language confused those who listened to him.)

Answer 186

A

(adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something (Oblivious to the burning smell emanating from the kitchen; my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven were burned until much too late.)

Answer 187

A

(adj.) unclear; partially hidden (Because he was standing in the shadows; his features were obscure.)

Answer 188

A

(adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Mark acted like Janet’s servant; obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.)

Answer 189

A

(adj.) no longer used; out of date (With the inventions of tape decks and CDs; which both have better sound and are easier to use; eight-track players are now entirely obsolete.)

Answer 190

A

(adj.) not yielding easily; stubborn (The obstinate child refused to leave the store until his mother bought him a candy bar.)

Answer 191

A

(adj.) noisy; unruly (Billy’s obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian to ask him to leave the reading room.)

Answer 192

A

(adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)

Answer 193

A

(adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure (Mark was assigned the odious task of cleaning the cat’s litter box.)

Answer 194

A

(adj.) offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed (Brenda resented Allan’s officious behavior when he selected colors that might best improve her artwork.)

Answer 195

A

(adj.) foreboding or foreshadowing evil (The fortuneteller’s ominous words flashed through my mind as the hooded figure approached me in the alley.)

Answer 196

A

(adj.) burdensome (My parents lamented that the pleasures of living in a beautiful country estate no longer outweighed the onerous mortgage payments.)

Answer 197

A

(adj.) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation (The opulent furnishings of the dictator’s private compound contrasted harshly with the meager accommodations of her subjects.)

Answer 198

A

(n.) a speech delivered in a formal or ceremonious manner (The prime minister was visibly shaken when the unruly parliament interrupted his oration about failed domestic policies.)

Answer 199

A

(adj.) highly elaborate; excessively decorated (The ornate styling of the new model of luxury car could not compensate for the poor quality of its motor.)

Answer 200

A

(adj.) conventional; conforming to established protocol (The company’s profits dwindled because the management pursued orthodox business policies that were incompatible with new industrial trends.)

Answer 201

A

(v.) to sway from one side to the other (My uncle oscillated between buying a station wagon to transport his family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood fantasies.)

Answer 202

A

(adj.) appearing as such; seemingly (Jack’s ostensible reason for driving was that airfare was too expensive; but in reality; he was afraid of flying.)

Answer 203

A

(adj.) excessively showy; glitzy (On the palace tour; the guide focused on the ostentatious decorations and spoke little of the royal family’s history.)

Answer 204

A

(n.) exclusion from a group (Beth risked ostracism if her roommates discovered her flatulence.)

Answer 205

A

(adj.) soothing (The chemistry professor’s pacific demeanor helped the class remain calm after the experiment exploded.)

Answer 206

A

(adj.) agreeable to the taste or sensibilities (Despite the unpleasant smell; the exotic cheese was quite palatable.)

Answer 207

A

(adj.) a range of colors or qualities (The palette of colors utilized in the painting was equaled only by the range of intense emotions the piece evoked.)

Answer 208

A

(v.) to reduce the severity of (The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her patient’s discomfort.)

Answer 209

A

(adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of blood.)

Answer 210

A

(n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every disease; but sadly there is not.)

Answer 211

A

(n.) an example that is a perfect pattern or model (Because the new SUV was so popular; it became the paradigm upon which all others were modeled.)

Answer 212

A

(n.) an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true (The diplomat refused to acknowledge the paradox that negotiating a peace treaty would demand more resources than waging war.)

Answer 213

A

(n.) a model of excellence or perfection (The mythical Helen of Troy was considered a paragon of female beauty.)

Answer 214

A

(adj.) greatest in importance; rank; character (It was paramount that the bomb squad disconnect the blue wire before removing the fuse.)

Answer 215

A

(n.) an outcast (Following the discovery of his plagiarism; Professor Hurley was made a pariah in all academic circles.)

Answer 216

A

(n.) a satirical imitation (A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to find Deborah acting out a parody of his teaching style.)

Answer 217

A

(n.) frugality; stinginess (Many relatives believed that my aunt’s wealth resulted from her parsimony.)

Answer 218

A

(n.) a follower; adherent (The king did not believe that his rival could round up enough partisans to overthrow the monarchy.)

Answer 219

A

(adj.) readily seen or understood; clear (The reason for Jim’s abdominal pain was made patent after the doctor performed a sonogram.)

Answer 220

A

(n.) a deviation from the normal (Dr. Hastings had difficulty identifying the precise nature of Brian’s pathology.)

Answer 221

A

(n.) an emotion of sympathy (Martha filled with pathos upon discovering the scrawny; shivering kitten at her door.)

Answer 222

A

(adj.) small in quantity (Gilbert lamented the paucity of twentieth century literature courses available at the college.)

Answer 223

A

(adj.) derogatory; uncomplimentary (The evening’s headline news covered an international scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had made in reference to a foreign leader.)

Answer 224

A

(adj.) easily intelligible; clear (Wishing his book to be pellucid to the common man; Albert Camus avoided using complicated grammar when composing The Stranger.)

Answer 225

A

(n.) a tendency; partiality; preference (Jill’s dinner parties quickly became monotonous on account of her penchant for Mexican dishes.)

Answer 226

A

(adj.) remorseful; regretful (The jury’s verdict may have been more lenient if the criminal had appeared penitent for his gruesome crimes.)

Answer 227

A

(adj.) next to last (Having smoked the penultimate cigarette remaining in the pack; Cybil discarded the last cigarette and resolved to quit smoking.)

Answer 228

A

(adj.) miserly; stingy (Stella complained that her husband’s penurious ways made it impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved.)

Answer 229

A

(adj.) disloyal; unfaithful (After the official was caught selling government secrets to enemy agents; he was executed for his perfidious ways.)

Answer 230

A

(adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm (The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner.)

Answer 231

A

(v.) to spread throughout; saturate (Mrs. Huxtable was annoyed that the wet dog’s odor had permeated the furniture’s upholstery.)

Answer 232

A

(adj.) extremely destructive or harmful (The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation’s stability.)

Answer 233

A

(v.) to confuse (Brad was perplexed by his girlfriend’s suddenly distant manner.)

Answer 234

A

(adj.) shrewdness; perceptiveness (The detective was too humble to acknowledge that his perspicacity was the reason for his professional success.)

Answer 235

A

(adj.) flippant; bold (My parents forgave Sandra’s pert humor at the dinner table because it had been so long since they had last seen her.)

Answer 236

A

(adj.) stubbornly persistent (Harry’s parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the closet door and were eaten.)

Answer 237

A

(n.) a careful examination; review (The actor agreed to accept the role after a two-month perusal of the movie script.)

Answer 238

A

(adj.) having the tendency to spread throughout (Stepping off the plane in Havana; I recognized the pervasive odor of sugar cane fields on fire.)

Answer 239

A

(n.) rudeness; irritability (The Nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance.)

Answer 240

A

(adj.) charitable; giving (Many people felt that the billionaire’s decision to donate her fortune to house the homeless was the ultimate philanthropic act.)

Answer 241

A

(adj.) uninterested; unresponsive (Monique feared her dog was ill after the animal’s phlegmatic response to his favorite chew toy.)

Answer 242

A

(v.) to seize or plunder; especially in war (Invading enemy soldiers pillaged the homes scattered along the country’s border.)

Answer 243

A

(n.) the highest point (Book reviewers declared that the author’s new novel was extraordinary and probably the pinnacle of Western literature.)

Answer 244

A

(adj.) concisely meaningful (My father’s long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements.)

Answer 245

A

(n.) a very small amount; especially relating to money (Josh complained that he was paid a pittance for the great amount of work he did at the firm.)

Answer 246

A

(v.) to ease the anger of; soothe (The man purchased a lollipop to placate his irritable son.)

Answer 247

A

(adj.) calm; peaceful (The placid lake surface was as smooth as glass.)

Answer 248

A

(n.) an uninspired remark; clichÃ© (After reading over her paper; Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.)

Answer 249

A

(n.) enthusiastic approval; applause (The controversial new film received plaudits from even the harshest critics.)

Answer 250

A

(adj.) believable; reasonable (He studied all the data and then came up with a plausible theory that took all factors into account.)

Answer 251

A

(n.) an abundance (My grandmother was overwhelmed by the plenitude of tomatoes her garden yielded this season.)

Answer 252

A

(n.) an abundance; excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.)

Answer 253

A

(adj.) flexible (Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not break in heavy turbulence.)

Answer 254

A

(adj.) deeply affecting; moving (My teacher actually cried after reading to us the poignant final chapter of the novel.)

Answer 255

A

(n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion (My brother launched into a polemic against my arguments that capitalism was an unjust economic system.)

Answer 256

A

(n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister’s path while she was walking to school; she took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test.)

Answer 257

A

(adj.) suitable for drinking (During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a supply of potable water because salty ocean water makes anyone who drinks it sick.)

Answer 258

A

(n.) one who has great power; a ruler (All the villagers stood along the town’s main road to observe as the potentate’s procession headed towards the capital.)

Answer 259

A

(adj.) practical (The politician argued that while increased security measures might not fit with the lofty ideals of the nation; they were a pragmatic necessity to ensure everyone’s safety.)

Answer 260

A

(n.) the face of a cliff; a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung from a precipice before finding a handhold and pulling himself up.)

Answer 261

A

(v.) to prevent (My grandfather’s large and vicious guard dog precluded anyone from entering the yard.)

Answer 262

A

(adj.) advanced; developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old; he was already in the ninth grade.)

Answer 263

A

(n.) a preference or inclination for something (Francois has a predilection for eating scrambled eggs with ketchup; though I prefer to eat eggs without any condiments.)

Answer 264

A

(adj.) superiority in importance or quantity (Britain’s preponderance of naval might secured the nation’s role as a military power.)

Answer 265

A

(adj.) occupying the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts or feelings (His prepossessing appearance made it impossible for me to think of anything else.)

Answer 266

A

(n.) an omen (When my uncle’s old war injury ached; he interpreted it as a presage of bad weather approaching.)

Answer 267

A

(adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (Questioning the fortune cookie’s prediction; Ray went in search of the old hermit who was rumored to be prescient.)

Answer 268

A

(v.) to lay down a rule (The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the peasants living on his lands would have to pay higher taxes.)

Answer 269

A

(adj.) disrespectfully bold (The princess grew angry after the presumptuous noble tried to kiss her; even though he was far below her in social status.)

Answer 270

A

(n.)an appearance or action intended to deceive (Though he actually wanted to use his parents’ car to go on a date; Nick borrowed his parents’ car under the pretense of attending a group study session.)

Answer 271

A

(adj.) original; ancient (The first primates to walk on two legs; called Australopithecus; were the primeval descendants of modern man.)

Answer 272

A

(n.) lacking basic necessities (After decades of rule by an oppressive government that saw nothing wrong with stealing from its citizens; the recent drought only increased the people’s privation.)

Answer 273

A

(n.) virtue; integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity; no one was surprised by Mr. Samson’s immoral behavior.)

Answer 274

A

(n.) a strong inclination toward something (In a sick twist of fate; Harold’s childhood proclivity for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon.)

Answer 275

A

(v.) to obtain; acquire (The FBI was unable to procure sufficient evidence to charge the gangster with racketeering.)

Answer 276

A

(adj.) lewd; indecent (Jacob’s profane act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the chapel at his boarding school resulted in his dismissal.)

Answer 277

A

(adj.) dissolute; extravagant (The profligate gambler loved to drink; spend money; steal; cheat; and hang out with prostitutes.)

Answer 278

A

(adj.) plentiful; abundant (The fans were profuse in their cheers for the star basketball player.)

Answer 279

A

(v.) to proclaim; make known (The film professor promulgated that both in terms of sex appeal and political intrigue; Sean Connery’s James Bond was superior to Roger Moore’s.)

Answer 280

A

(v.) to multiply; spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney’s demise propagated like wildfire throughout the world.)

Answer 281

A

(n.) an inclination; preference (Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping.)

Answer 282

A

(adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be propitious for sailing.)

Answer 283

A

(n.) the quality or state of being proper; decent (Erma’s old-fashioned parents believed that her mini-skirt lacked the propriety expected of a “nice” girl.)

Answer 284

A

(adj.) plain; lacking liveliness (Heather’s prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience.)

Answer 285

A

(v.) to condemn; outlaw (The town council voted to proscribe the sale of alcohol on weekends.)

Answer 286

A

(adj.)able to change shape; displaying great variety (Among Nigel’s protean talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue.)

Answer 287

A

(n.) extraordinary ability (The musician had never taken a guitar lesson in his life; making his prowess with the instrument even more incredible.)

Answer 288

A

(n.) cautious; circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash; my father vowed to practice greater prudence in future investments.)

Answer 289

A

(adj.) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex (David’s mother was shocked by the discovery of prurient reading material hidden beneath her son’s mattress.)

Answer 290

A

(adj.) juvenile; immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer’s puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.)

Answer 291

A

(adj.) quarrelsome; combative (Aaron’s pugnacious nature led him to start several barroom brawls each month.)

Answer 292

A

(n.) physical beauty (Several of Shakespeare’s sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man.)

Answer 293

A

(adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (Punctilious Bobby; hall monitor extraordinaire; insisted that his peers follow the rules.)

Answer 294

A

(adj.) having a pointed; sharp qualityâ€”often used to describe smells (The pungent odor in the classroom made Joseph lose his concentration during the test.)

Answer 295

A

(adj.) involving punishment (If caught smoking in the boys’ room; the punitive result is immediate expulsion from school.)

Answer 296

A

(adj.) rotten; foul (Those rotten eggs smell putrid.) Q

Answer 297

A

(n.) a difficult situation (We’d all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War.)

Answer 298

A

(adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Hilda was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw in Amish country.)

Answer 299

A

(n.) a perplexed; unresolvable state (Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he choose mint chocolate chip or cookie dough?)

Answer 300

A

(v.) to control or diffuse a potentially explosive situation (The skilled leader deftly quelled the rebellion.)

Answer 301

A

(adj.) whiny; complaining (If deprived of his pacifier; young Brendan becomes querulous.)

Answer 302

A

(adj.) idealistic; impractical (Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.)

Answer 303

A

(adj.) daily (Ambika’s quotidian routines include drinking two cups of coffee in the morning.)

Answer 304

A

(v.) to scold; protest (The professor railed against the injustice of the college’s tenure policy.)

Answer 305

A

(adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad sandwich.)

Answer 306

A

(n.) deep; bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight; I could see the rancor in her eyes.)

Answer 307

A

(n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour; they felt an instant rapport.)

Answer 308

A

(adj.) hasty; incautious (It’s best to think things over calmly and thoroughly; rather than make rash decisions.)

Answer 309

A

(adj.) loud; boisterous (Sarah’s neighbors called the cops when her house party got too raucous.)

Answer 310

A

(v.) to demolish; level (The old tenement house was razed to make room for the large chain store.)

Answer 311

A

(v.) to scold; criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah’s party; they rebuked her for disturbing the peace.)

Answer 312

A

(adj.) defiant; unapologetic (Even when scolded; the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.)

Answer 313

A

(v.) to sum up; repeat (Before the final exam; the teacher recapitulated the semester’s material.)

Answer 314

A

(v.) to give in return (When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas; she reciprocated by giving him a kiss.)

Answer 315

A

(adj.) solitary; shunning society (Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and sometimes even enjoy holing up in remote cabins in the woods.)

Answer 316

A

(v.) to return to harmony (The feuding neighbors finally reconciled when one brought the other a delicious tuna noodle casserole.) 2. (v.) to make consistent with existing ideas (Alou had to reconcile his skepticism about the existence of aliens with the fact that he was looking at a flying saucer.)

Answer 317

A

(n.) uprightness; extreme morality (The priest’s rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.)

Answer 318

A

(adj.) formidable (The fortress looked redoubtable set against a stormy sky.) 2. (adj.) commanding respect (The audience greeted the redoubtable speaker with a standing ovation.)

Answer 319

A

(v.) to distort; change (The light was refracted as it passed through the prism.)

Answer 320

A

(v.) to restore; clean up (The dingy old chair; after being refurbished; commanded the handsome price of $200.)

Answer 321

A

(v.) to prove wrong (Maria refuted the president’s argument as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV.)

Answer 322

A

(v.) to vomit (Feeling sick; Chuck regurgitated his dinner.) 2. (v.) to throw back exactly (Margaret rushed through the test; regurgitating all of the facts she’d memorized an hour earlier.)

Answer 323

A

(v.) to assign to the proper place (At the astrology conference; Simon was relegated to the Scorpio room.) 2. (v.) to assign to an inferior place (After spilling a drink on a customer’s shirt; the waiter found himself relegated to the least lucrative shift.)

Answer 324

A

(v.) to enjoy (Pete always relished his bedtime snack.)

Answer 325

A

(adj.) intended to repair gaps in students’ basic knowledge (After his teacher discovered he couldn’t read; Alex was forced to enroll in remedial English.)

Answer 326

A

(adj.) negligent; failing to take care (The burglar gained entrance because the security guard; remiss in his duties; forgot to lock the door.)

Answer 327

A

(v.) restore; return to original state (The renovated antique candelabra looked as good as new.) 2. (v.) to enlarge and make prettier; especially a house (After getting renovated; the house was twice as big and much more attractive.)

Answer 328

A

(n.) honor; acclaim (The young writer earned international renown by winning the Pulitzer Prize.)

Answer 329

A

(n.) to reject (Fiona’s renunciation of red meat resulted in weight loss; but confused those people who thought she’d been a vegetarian for years.)

Answer 330

A

(adj.) penitent; sorry (The repentant Dennis apologized profusely for breaking his mother’s vase.)

Answer 331

A

(adj.) full; abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words.)

Answer 332

A

(v.) to rest; lie down (The cat; after eating an entire can of tuna fish; reposed in the sun and took a long nap.)

Answer 333

A

(adj.) deserving rebuke (Jean’s cruel and reprehensible attempt to dump her boyfriend on his birthday led to tears and recriminations.)

Answer 334

A

(n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particularly good mood; he granted hundreds of reprieves to prisoners.)

Answer 335

A

(v.) to scold; disapprove (Brian reproached the customer for failing to rewind the video he had rented.)

Answer 336

A

(adj.) evil; unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.)

Answer 337

A

(v.) to scold; rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.)

Answer 338

A

(v.) to reject; refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew; but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.)

Answer 339

A

(v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush her teeth.) 2. (v.) to push back (With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to the stomach; Lacy repulsed Jack’s attempt to kiss her.)

Answer 340

A

(adj.) of good reputation (After the most reputable critic in the industry gave the novel a glowing review; sales took off.)

Answer 341

A

(n.) a demand for goods; usually made by an authority (During the war; the government made a requisition of supplies.)

Answer 342

A

(v.) to take back; repeal (The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering that Jane’s resume was full of lies.)

Answer 343

A

(n.) reserves; large supply (Igor the Indomitable had quite a reservoir of strengh and could lift ten tons; even after running 700 miles; jumping over three mountains; and swimming across an ocean.) 2. (n.) a body of water used for storing water (After graduation; the more rebellious members of the senior class jumped into the town reservoir used for drinking water.)

Answer 344

A

(adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The resilient ballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury.)

Answer 345

A

(adj.) firm; determined (With a resolute glint in her eye; Catherine announced that she was set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings.)

Answer 346

A

(v.) to find a solution (Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook hands.) 2. (v.) to firmly decide (Lady Macbeth resolved to whip her husband into shape.)

Answer 347

A

(n.) a break; rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the smoke and noise.)

Answer 348

A

(adj.) shiny; glowing (The partygoers were resplendent in diamonds and fancy dress.)

Answer 349

A

(n.) restoration to the rightful owner (Many people feel that descendants of slaves should receive restitution for the sufferings of their ancestors.)

Answer 350

A

(adj.) resistant; stubborn; impatient (The restive audience pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty comments.)

Answer 351

A

(v.) withdraw (As the media worked itself into a frenzy; the publicist hurriedly retracted his client’s sexist statement.)

Answer 352

A

(v.) to enjoy intensely (Theodore reveled in his new status as Big Man on Campus.)

Answer 353

A

(v.) to esteem; show deference; venerate (The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally revered.)

Answer 354

A

(v.) to take back (After missing the curfew set by the court for eight nights in a row; Marcel’s freedom of movement was revoked.)

Answer 355

A

(v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic rhapsodized about the movie; calling it an instant classic.)

Answer 356

A

(adj.) coarsely; crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson’s daughter; most sighed and rolled their eyes.)

Answer 357

A

(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly; the famous novelist’s writing was rife with spelling errors.)

Answer 358

A

(v.) to contemplate; reflect (Terry liked to ruminate while sitting on the banks of the river; staring pensively into the water.)

Answer 359

A

(n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.)

Answer 360

A

(adj.) sickeningly sweet (Tom’s saccharine manner; although intended to make him popular; actually repelled his classmates.)

Answer 361

A

(adj.) holy; something that should not be criticized (In the United States; the Constitution is often thought of as a sacrosanct document.)

Answer 362

A

(n.) shrewdness; soundness of perspective (With remarkable sagacity; the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children’s plan to ship him off to a nursing home.)

Answer 363

A

(adj.) significant; conspicuous (One of the salient differences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot taller.)

Answer 364

A

(n.) a greeting (Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation “Ahoy ahoy.”)

Answer 365

A

(n.) a soothing balm (After Tony applied a salve to his brilliant red sunburn; he soon felt a little better.)

Answer 366

A

(adj.) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety (The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered stern lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen; but thought nothing of stealing cars to make some cash on the side.)

Answer 367

A

(adj.) optimistic; cheery (Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the chirpy cry; “When life hands you lemons; make lemonade!”)

Answer 368

A

(v.) to satisfy excessively (Satiated after eating far too much turkey and stuffing; Liza lay on the couch watching football and suffering from stomach pains.)

Answer 369

A

(adj.) sharp; critical; hurtful (Two hours after breaking up with Russell; Suzanne thought of the perfect scathing retort to his accusations.)

Answer 370

A

(adj.) sparkling (The ice skater’s scintillating rhinestone costume nearly blinded the judges.)

Answer 371

A

(adj.) painstaking; careful (With scrupulous care; Sam cut a snowflake out of white paper.)

Answer 372

A

(adj.) vulgar; coarse (When Bruno heard the scurrilous accusation being made about him; he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone.)

Answer 373

A

(adj.) sitting; settled (The sedentary cat did little but loll in the sun.)

Answer 374

A

(n.) a visual signal (Anne and Diana communicated with a semaphore involving candles and window shades.)

Answer 375

A

(adj.) original; important; creating a field (Stephen Greenblatt’s essays on Shakespeare proved to be seminal; because they initiated the critical school of New Historicism.)

Answer 376

A

(adj.) involving sensory gratification; usually related to sex (With a coy smile; the guest on the blind-date show announced that he considered himself a very sensual person.)

Answer 377

A

(adj.) involving sensory gratification (Paul found drinking Coke; with all the little bubbles bursting on his tongue; a very sensuous experience.)

Answer 378

A

(n.) luck; finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit of serendipity; penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.)

Answer 379

A

(adj.) calm; untroubled (Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa; puzzling over the famous woman’s serene smile.)

Answer 380

A

(adj.) subservient (The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby; bowing and quaking before the guests.)

Answer 381

A

(adj.) lithe; serpentine (With the sinuous movements of her arms; the dancer mimicked the motion of a snake.)

Answer 382

A

(n.) sedate; calm (Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis was the key to success in life.)

Answer 383

A

(adj.) concerned; attentive (Jim; laid up in bed with a nasty virus; enjoyed the solicitous attentions of his mother; who brought him soup and extra blankets.)

Answer 384

A

(adj.) believing that oneself is all that exists (Colette’s solipsistic attitude completely ignored the plight of the homeless people on the street.)

Answer 385

A

(adj.) able to dissolve (The plot of the spy film revolved around an untraceable and water-soluble poison.)

Answer 386

A

(n.) a substance that can dissolve other substances (Water is sometimes called the universal solvent because almost all other substances can dissolve into it.) 2. (adj.) able to pay debts (Upon receiving an unexpected check from her aunt; Annabelle found herself suddenly solvent.)

Answer 387

A

(adj.) sleepy; drowsy (The somnolent student kept falling asleep and waking up with a jerk.)

Answer 388

A

(adj.) immature; uninformed (The mature senior rolled her eyes at the sophomoric gross-out humor of the underclassman.)

Answer 389

A

(adj.) having absolute authority in a certain realm (The sovereign queen; with steely resolve; ordered that the traitorous nobleman be killed.)

Answer 390

A

(adj.) not based in fact (Sadly; Tessa was convicted on merely speculative evidence.)

Answer 391

A

(adj.) false but designed to seem plausible (Using a spurious argument; John convinced the others that he had won the board game on a technicality.)

Answer 392

A

(v.) to become or remain inactive; not develop; not flow (With no room for advancement; the waiter’s career stagnated.)

Answer 393

A

(adj.) sedate; serious; self-restrained (The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.)

Answer 394

A

(adj.) not generous; not inclined to spend or give (Scrooge’s stingy habits did not fit with the generous; giving spirit of Christmas.)

Answer 395

A

(adj.) unaffected by passion or feeling (Penelope’s faithfulness to Odysseus required that she be stoic and put off her many suitors.)

Answer 396

A

(adj.) expressing little sensibility; unemotional (Charles’s stolid reaction to his wife’s funeral differed from the passion he showed at the time of her death.)

Answer 397

A

(adj.) requiring tremendous energy or stamina (Running a marathon is quite a strenuous task. So is watching an entire Star Trek marathon.)

Answer 398

A

(adj.) harsh; loud (A strident man; Captain Von Trapp yelled at his daughter and made her cry.)

Answer 399

A

(v.) to astonish; make insensible (Veronica’s audacity and ungratefulness stupefied her best friend; Heather.)

Answer 400

A

(v.) to bring under control; subdue (The invading force captured and subjugated the natives of that place.)

Answer 401

A

(adj.) lofty; grand; exalted (The homeless man sadly pondered his former wealth and once sublime existence.)

Answer 402

A

(adj.) easily yielding to authority (In some cultures; wives are supposed to be submissive and support their husbands in all matters.)

Answer 403

A

(adj.) marked by compact precision (The governor’s succinct speech energized the crowd while the mayor’s rambled on and on.)

Answer 404

A

(adj.) exceeding what is necessary (Tracy had already won the campaign so her constant flattery of others was superfluous.)

Answer 405

A

(n.) an overabundant supply or indulgence (After partaking of the surfeit of tacos and tamales at the All-You-Can-Eat Taco Tamale Lunch Special; Beth felt rather sick.)

Answer 406

A

(v.) to infer with little evidence (After speaking to only one of the students; the teacher was able to surmise what had caused the fight.)

Answer 407

A

(adj.) stealthy (The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the house without anyone noticing.)

Answer 408

A

(n.) one acting in place of another (The surrogate carried the child to term for its biological parents.)

Answer 409

A

(adj.) of dark color or complexion (When he got drunk; Robinson’s white skin became rather swarthy.)

Answer 410

A

(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the president’s closest advisors; but others see them as sycophants.)

Answer 411

A

(adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents’ refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.)

Answer 412

A

(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking; her brother is quite taciturn.)

Answer 413

A

(adj.) incidental; peripheral; divergent (I tried to discuss my salary; but the boss kept veering off into tangential topics.)

Answer 414

A

(adj.) equivalent in value or significance (When it comes to sports; fearing your opponent is tantamount to losing.)

Answer 415

A

(adj.) dull; boring (As time passed and the history professor continued to drone on and on; the lecture became increasingly tedious.)

Answer 416

A

(n.) audacity; recklessness (Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own temerity.)

Answer 417

A

(n.) moderation in action or thought (Maintaining temperance will ensure that you are able to think rationally and objectively.)

Answer 418

A

(adj.) able to be defended or maintained (The department heads tore down the arguments in other people’s theses; but Johari’s work proved to be quite tenable.)

Answer 419

A

(adj.) having little substance or strength (Your argument is very tenuous; since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.)

Answer 420

A

(adj.) relating to the land (Elephants are terrestrial animals.)

Answer 421

A

(adj.) timid; fearful (When dealing with the unknown; timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears.)

Answer 422

A

(n.) a long speech marked by harsh or biting language (Every time Jessica was late; her boyfriend went into a long tirade about punctuality.)

Answer 423

A

(n.) one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors (The other kids referred to the teacher’s pet as the Tenth Grade Toady.)

Answer 424

A

(n.) a large book (In college; I used to carry around an anatomy book that was the heaviest tome in my bag.)

Answer 425

A

(adj.) lethargic; dormant; lacking motion (The torpid whale floated; wallowing in the water for hours.)

Answer 426

A

(adj.) giving off intense heat; passionate (I didn’t want to witness the neighbor’s torrid affair through the window.)

Answer 427

A

(adj.) winding (The scary thing about driving in mountains are the narrow; tortuous roads.)

Answer 428

A

(adj.) easily controlled (The horse was so tractable; Myra didn’t even need a bridle.)

Answer 429

A

(adj.) calm (There is a time of night when nothing moves and everything is tranquil.)

Answer 430

A

(v.) to violate; go over a limit (The criminal’s actions transgressed morality and human decency.)

Answer 431

A

(adj.) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence (Because virtually everyone in Palm Beach is a tourist; the population of the town is quite transient.)

Answer 432

A

(v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.)

Answer 433

A

(n.) a grossly inferior imitation (According to the school newspaper’s merciless theater critic; Pacific Coast High’s rendition of the musical Oklahoma was a travesty of the original.)

Answer 434

A

(adj.) fearful (I always feel a trifle tremulous when walking through a graveyard.)

Answer 435

A

(adj.) effective; articulate; clear-cut (The directions that accompanied my new cell phone were trenchant and easy to follow.)

Answer 436

A

(n.) fear; apprehension (Feeling great trepidation; Anya refused to jump into the pool because she thought she saw a shark in it.)

Answer 437

A

(adj.) not original; overused (Keith thought of himself as being very learned; but everyone else thought he was trite because his observations about the world were always the same as David Letterman’s.)

Answer 438

A

(adj.) ready to fight; cruel (This club doesn’t really attract the dangerous types; so why was that bouncer being so truculent?)

Answer 439

A

(v.) to shorten by cutting off (After winning the derby; the jockey truncated the long speech he had planned and thanked only his mom and his horse.)

Answer 440

A

(adj.) swollen; excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer did not realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose.)

Answer 441

A

(n.) depravity; moral corruption (Sir Marcus’s chivalry often contrasted with the turpitude he exhibited with the ladies at the tavern.)

Answer 442

A

(adj.) existing everywhere; widespread (It seems that everyone in the United States has a television. The technology is ubiquitous here.)

Answer 443

A

(n.) resentment; offense (He called me a lily-livered coward; and I took umbrage at the insult.)

Answer 444

A

(adj.) of supernatural character or origin (Luka had an uncanny ability to know exactly what other people were thinking. She also had an uncanny ability to shoot fireballs from her hands.)

Answer 445

A

(adj.) smooth or greasy in texture; appearance; manner (The unctuous receptionist seemed untrustworthy; as if she was only being helpful because she thought we might give her a big tip.)

Answer 446

A

(v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew; the placid ocean began to undulate to an increasing degree.)

Answer 447

A

(v.) to criticize or scold severely (The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her again about missing the rent payment.)

Answer 448

A

(v.) to seize by force; take possession of without right (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government; but he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president.)

Answer 449

A

(adj.) relating to or aiming at usefulness (The beautiful; fragile vase couldn’t hold flowers or serve any other utilitarian purpose.)

Answer 450

A

(n.) an imaginary and remote place of perfection (Everyone in the world wants to live in a utopia; but no one can agree how to go about building one.)

Answer 451

A

(v.) to fluctuate; hesitate (I prefer a definite answer; but my boss kept vacillating between the distinct options available to us.)

Answer 452

A

(adj.) lack of content or ideas; stupid (Beyonce realized that the lyrics she had just penned were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance.)

Answer 453

A

(v.) to confirm; support; corroborate (Yoko’s chemistry lab partner was asleep during the experiment and could not validate the accuracy of her methods.)

Answer 454

A

(adj.) lacking liveliness; dull (The professor’s comments about the poem were surprisingly vapid and dull.)

Answer 455

A

(adj.) diversified; distinctly marked (Each wire in the engineering exam was variegated by color so that the students could figure out which one was which.)

Answer 456

A

(adv.) marked by intense force or emotion (The candidate vehemently opposed cutting back on Social Security funding.)

Answer 457

A

(n.) a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance; faÃ§ade (Thanks to her Chanel makeup; Shannen was able to maintain a veneer of perfection that hid the flaws underneath.)

Answer 458

A

(adj.) deserving of respect because of age or achievement (The venerable Supreme Court justice had made several key rulings in landmark cases throughout the years.)

Answer 459

A

(v.) to regard with respect or to honor (The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his music; his words; and his legend.)

Answer 460

A

(n.) truthfulness; accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports; it was difficult for Latifah to argue against its veracity.)

Answer 461

A

(adj.) wordy; impaired by wordiness (It took the verbose teacher two hours to explain the topic; while it should have taken only fifteen minutes.)

Answer 462

A

(adj.) green in tint or color (The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look emerald.)

Answer 463

A

(n.) a mark or trace of something lost or vanished (Do you know if the Mexican tortilla is a vestige of some form of Aztec corn-based flat bread?)

Answer 464

A

(v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end.)

Answer 465

A

(adj.) experiencing through another (All of my lame friends learned to be social through vicarious involvement in my amazing experiences.)

Answer 466

A

(n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next.)

Answer 467

A

(adj.) watchful; alert (The guards remained vigilant throughout the night; but the enemy never launched the expected attack.)

Answer 468

A

(v.) to lower in importance; defame (After the Watergate scandal; almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior.)

Answer 469

A

(v.) to avenge; to free from allegation; to set free (The attorney had no chance of vindicating the defendant with all of the strong evidence presented by the state.)

Answer 470

A

(adj.) vengeful (The vindictive madman seeks to exact vengeance for any insult that he perceives is directed at him; no matter how small.)

Answer 471

A

(n.) one who excels in an art; a highly skilled musical performer (Even though Lydia has studied piano for many years; she’s only average at it. She’s no virtuoso; that’s for sure.)

Answer 472

A

(adj.) not free flowing; syrupy (The viscous syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.)

Answer 473

A

(adj.) having a caustic quality (When angry; the woman would spew vitriolic insults.)

Answer 474

A

(v.) to berate (Jack ran away as soon as his father found out; knowing he would be vituperated for his unseemly behavior.)

Answer 475

A

(adj.) lively; sprightly (The vivacious clown makes all of the children laugh and giggle with his friendly antics.)

Answer 476

A

(n.) the work in which someone is employed; profession (After growing tired of the superficial world of high-fashion; Edwina decided to devote herself to a new vocation: social work.)

Answer 477

A

(adj.) loud; boisterous (I’m tired of his vociferous whining so I’m breaking up with him.)

Answer 478

A

(v.) to roll oneself indolently; to become or remain helpless (My roommate can’t get over her breakup with her boyfriend and now just wallows in self-pity.)

Answer 479

A

(v.) to decrease in size; dwindle (Don’t be so afraid of his wrath because his influence with the president is already beginning to wane.)

Answer 480

A

(adj.) undisciplined; lewd; lustful (Vicky’s wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very excited.)

Answer 481

A

(adj.) fanciful; full of whims (The whimsical little girl liked to pretend that she was an elvin princess.)

Answer 482

A

(adj.) crafty; sly (Though they were not the strongest of the Thundercats; wily Kit and Kat were definitely the most clever and full of tricks.)

Answer 483

A

(adj.) charming; pleasing (After such a long; frustrating day; I was grateful for Chris’s winsome attitude and childish naivete.)

Answer 484

A

(adj.) full of yearning; musingly sad (Since her pet rabbit died; Edda missed it terribly and sat around wistful all day long.)

Answer 485

A

(adj.) dry; shrunken; wrinkled (Agatha’s grandmother; Stephanie; had the most wizened countenance; full of leathery wrinkles.)

Answer 486

A

(n.) vengeful anger; punishment (Did you really want to incur her wrath when she is known for inflicting the worst punishments legally possible?)

Answer 487

A

(v.) to join; link (We yoked together the logs by tying a string around them.) Z

Answer 488

A

(adj.) fervent; filled with eagerness in pursuit of something (If he were any more zealous about getting his promotion; he’d practically live at the office.)

Answer 489

A

(n.) the highest point; culminating point (I was too nice to tell Nelly that she had reached the absolute zenith of her career with that one hit of hers.)

Answer 490

A

(n.) a gentle breeze (If not for the zephyrs that were blowing and cooling us; our room would’ve been unbearably hot.)