Session #05

Question 1

Creep up

Answer 1

(v) : to gradually increase in amount, price, etc.

e. g. house prices are creeping up again.

Question 2

Rhetoric

Answer 2

(n) : 1. (formal) speech or writing that is intended to influence people, but that is not completely honest or sincere
2. (formal) the skill of using language in speech or writing in a special way that influences or entertains people

e.g. the rhetoric of political slogans

Question 3

Dole

Answer 3

(n): (informal) money paid by the state to unemployed people

e. g. 1. He’s been on the dole (= without a job)
2. We could all be in the dole queue on Monday (= have lost our jobs)

Question 4

Intensive

Answer 4

(adj) : 1. involving a lot of work or activity done in a short time
2. extremely thorough; done with a lot of care

e. g. 1. an intensive language course
2. his disappearance has been the subject of intensive investigation

Question 5

Despair

Answer 5

(v) : to stop having any hope that a situation will change or improve
e. g. Don’t despair! We’ll think of a way out of his body

Question 6

Falter

Answer 6

(v) : to become weaker or less effective = waver

e. g. The economy shows no sign of faltering

Question 7

Grapple

Answer 7

(v) : to try hard to find a solution to a problem

e. g. The new government has to yet grapple with the problem of air pollution

Question 8

Allocate

Answer 8

(v) : to give sth officially to sb/sth for a particular purpose
e. g. A large sum has been allocated for buying new books for the library

Question 9

Eligible

Answer 9

(adj) : a person who is eligible for sth or to do sth, is able to have or to do it because they have the right qualifications, are the right age, etc. != ineligible
e. g. Only those over 70 are eligible for the special payment

Question 10

Worthwhile

Answer 10

(adj) : important, enjoyable, interesting, etc. worth spending time, money or afford on
e. g. The smile on her face made it all worthwhile

Question 11

Perplexed

Answer 11

(adj) : confused and anxious because you are unable to understand sth
e. g. She looked perplexed

Question 12

Undeterred

Answer 12

(adj): if sb is undeterred by sth, they do not allow it to stop them from doing sth

Question 13

Piazza

Answer 13

(n): a public square, especially in an Italian town

Question 14

Scanning

Answer 14

reading rapidly in order to find specific facts

Question 15

Literature

Answer 15

(n): written works including novels, poetry and plays which are considered to have artistic value

Question 16

Hemisphere

Answer 16

half of a sphere, usually the Earth or the brain

Question 17

Stimulus

Answer 17

Something that encourages activity in people or things

Question 18

Relief

Answer 18

(n): the feeling of happiness that you have when sth unpleasant stops or does not happen

e. g. 1. It was a relief to be able to talk to someone about it.
2. We all breathed a sigh of relief when he left.

Question 19

Scheme

Answer 19

(n) : a plan or system for doing or organizing sth

e. g. a local scheme for recycling newspaper.

Question 20

Tackle

Answer 20

(v) : 1. to make a determinded effort to deal with a diffucult problem or situation
2. to speak to sb about a problem or difficult situation = confront

e. g. 1. The government is determinded to tackle inflation.
2. I tackled him about the money he owed me.

Question 21

Micromanage

Answer 21

control everything, down to the smallest things.

Question 22

Bossy

Answer 22

you’re always telling the people what to do

Question 23

Procrastinate

Answer 23

(v): (formal) to delay doing sth that you should do, usually
because you don’t want to do it — procrastination (n)
e.g. I know I’ve got to deal with the problem at some point - I’m just
procrastinating. — When it comes to housework, I tend to procrastinate.

Question 24

Civil

Answer 24

(adj) : polite in formal way but possibly not friendly ≠ uncivil
e. g. She greeted him civilly but with no sign of affection.

Question 25

Thesis

Answer 25

(n): a long piece of writing completed by a student as part of a
university degree, based on their own research.

Question 26

Revise

Answer 26

(v): 1. to change your opinions or plans, for example because of sth you
have learned — 2. to change sth, such as a book or an estimate, in order to
correct or improve it — Revision (n)
e.g. I can see I will have to revise my opinions of his abilities now. — a revised
edition of the textbook.

Question 27

All-nighter

Answer 27

(n): (informal) an event or activity that continues throughout the
night
e.g. he would do an all-nighter, the way he used to in school

Question 28

Sprint

Answer 28

(v) : to run or swim a short distance very fast

e. g. I sprinted the last few metres.

Question 29

Hypothesis

Answer 29

(n): an idea or explanation of sth that is based on a few known
facts but that has not yet been proved to be true or correct = theory
e.g. A hypothesis about the function of dreams.

Question 30

Gratification

Answer 30

(n): (formal) the state of feeling pleasure when sth goes well for
you or when your desires are satisfied; sth that gives you pleasure =
satisfaction
e.g. A feed will usually provide instant gratification to a crying baby

Question 31

Spiral

Answer 31

(n): a continuous harmful increase or decrease in sth, that gradually goes
faster and faster
e.g. The destructive spiral of violence in the inner cities.

Question 32

Propagate

Answer 32

(v): (formal) to spread an idea, a belief or a piece of information
among many people
e.g. Television advertising propagates a false image of the ideal family.

Question 33

Leisure

Answer 33

(n): time that is spent doing what you enjoy when you are not working
or studying
e.g. These days we have more money and more leisure to enjoy.

Question 34

Dread

Answer 34

(n): a feeling of great fear about sth that moght or will happen in the
future; a thing that causes this feeling
e.g. the prospect of growing old fills me with dread.

Question 35

Dormant

Answer 35

(adj): not active or growing now but able to become active or to grow
in the future = inactive
e.g. A dormant volcano — During the winter the seeds lie dormant in the soil.

Question 36

Mayhem

Answer 36

(n): confusion and fear, unusually caused by violent behaviour or by
some sudden shocking eventTED Talk: Procrastinators 9
e.g. There was absolute mayhem when everyone tried to get out at once.

Question 37

Epiphany

Answer 37

(n): a moment of sudden and great revelation or realization

Question 38

Sneaky

Answer 38

(adj): (informal) behaving in a secret and sometimes dishonest on
unpleasant way = crafty
e.g. That was a sneaky trick!