Set 2

Question 1

adulterate

Answer 1

render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance
e.g. The food has been adulterated to increase its weight

Question 2

advocate

Answer 2

a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy
e.g. Mr. Williams is a conservative who advocates fewer government controls on business

Question 3

aggrandize

Answer 3

increase in power status or wealth of
e.g. At the dinner table, my father would go on and on, showing off, aggrandizing himself

Question 4

alacrity

Answer 4

brisk and cheerful readiness
e.g. As you can imagine, I accepted with alacrity

Question 5

ambivalent

Answer 5

having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone
e.g. He maintained an ambivalent attitude to the Church throughout his long life

Question 6

ameliorate

Answer 6

make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better
e.g. He expected me to do something to ameliorate his depression

Question 7

amenable

Answer 7

open and responsive to suggestion;
e.g. Sleyman seemed to be more amenable than his father

easily persuaded or controlled
e.g. My cat was half-grown black and white female, guaranteed to be clean and amenable

Question 8

anachronistic

Answer 8

belonging to a period other than being portrayed
e.g. In an increasing secular society, the religious aspects of monarchy may seem anachronistic

Question 9

audacious

Answer 9

showing willingness to take surprisingly bold risks
e.g. An audacious plan to win the presidency

showing an impudent lack of respect
e.g. .. he made an audacious remark

Question 10

avaricious

Answer 10

having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain
e.g. He sacrificed his own career so that his avaricious brother could succeed

Question 11

banal

Answer 11

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring
e.g. Bland, banal music tinkled discreetly from the hidden loudspeakers

Question 12

benign

Answer 12

gentle and kind; not harmful to the environment
e.g. They are normally a more benign audience

Question 13

brazen

Answer 13

bold and without shame
e.g. They’re quite brazen about their sexuality, it doesn’t wrong them

Question 14

calumny

Answer 14

the making of false and defamatory statements about someone in order to damage their reputation
e.g. He was a victim of calumny

Question 15

candid

Answer 15

truthful and straightforward; frank
e.g. Nat is candid about the problems she is having with Steve

Question 16

castigate

Answer 16

reprimand (someone) severely
e.g. Marx never lost an opportunity to castigate colonialism

Question 17

caustic

Answer 17

sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way
e.g. His abrasive wit and caustic comments were an interviewer’s nightmare

able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action
e.g. Remember that this is caustic; use gloves or a spoon

Question 18

construe

Answer 18

interpret (a word or action) in a particular way
e.g. What may seem helpful behavior to you can be construed as interference by others

Question 19

contrite

Answer 19

feeling or expressing remorse at the recognition that one has done wrong
e.g. She’d have to placate him, to be properly remorseful and contrite if that was what it took to heal her marriage

Question 20

convoluted

Answer 20

(especially of an argument, story or sentence) extremely complex and difficult to follow
e.g. Despite its length and convoluted plot, this is a rich and rewarding read

intricately folded, twisted or coiled
e.g. Walnuts come in hard and convoluted shells

Question 21

covet

Answer 21

yearn to possess (something, especially something belonging to another)
e.g. She coveted his job so openly that conversations between them were tense

Question 22

craven

Answer 22

contemptibly lack of courage; cowardly
e.g. They condemned the deal as a craven surrender

Question 23

decorum

Answer 23

behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety
e.g. I was treated with decorum and respect throughout the investigation

Question 24

deft

Answer 24

neatly skillful and quick in one’s movements
e.g. With a deft flick of his foot, Mr. Worth tripped one of the raiders up

Question 25

demur

Answer 25

raise objections or show reluctance
e.g. Once again she accepted without demur, with the proviso that he stop first at her place or a pre-dinner drink

Question 26

derivative

Answer 26

something which is based on another source;
e.g. The makers are already planning two cheaper derivatives of the bike

imitative of the work of another artist, writer, etc. and usually disapproved of for that reason
e.g. A lot of what you see in stand-up comedy today is very derivative

Question 27

desiccate

Answer 27

remove the moisture from (something); cause to become completely dry
e.g. The grapes are taken to special drying rooms where they are allowed to desiccate, concentrating the sugars inside the grape

Question 28

diatribe

Answer 28

a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something
e.g. The book is a diatribe against the academic left

Question 29

incredulous

Answer 29

(of a person or manner) unwilling or unable to believe something
e.g. ‘He made you do it?’ Her voice was incredulous

Question 30

ingenuous

Answer 30

(of a person or action) innocent and unsuspecting
e.g. With ingenuous sincerity, he captivated his audience