Set 5

Question 1

aloof

Answer 1

not friendly or forthcoming, cool and distant
e.g. He seemed aloof and detached

Question 2

clangor

Answer 2

a continuous loud banging or ringing sound
e.g. Suddenly, the clangor and shouting ceased

Question 3

conventional

Answer 3

based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed
e.g. .. a respectable married woman with conventional opinions

(of a bid) intended to convey a particular meaning according to an agreed convention

Question 4

debunk

Answer 4

expose the falseness or hollowness of (an idea or belief)
e.g. Historian Michael Beschloss debunks a few myths

Question 5

diminutive

Answer 5

extremely or unusually small
e.g. She noticed a diminutive figure standing at the entrance

(of a word, name or suffix) implying smallness, either actual, or imputed to convey affection, scorn, etc

Question 6

discernible

Answer 6

able to be discerned; perceptible
e.g. Far away the outline of the island is just discernible

Question 7

enigmatic

Answer 7

difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious
e.g. Haley studied her, an enigmatic smile on his face

Question 8

estranged

Answer 8

(of a person) no longer close or affectionate to someone, alienated
e.g. Harriet felt more estranged from her daughter than ever

Question 9

extravagant

Answer 9

lacking restraint in spending money or using resources
e.g. Jeff had shopped extravagantly for presents for the whole family

Question 10

fanciful

Answer 10

over-imaginative and unrealistic
highly ornamental or imaginative in design
e.g. Designing silicon chip to mimic human organs sounds fanciful

Question 11

frivolous

Answer 11

not having any serious purpose or value
e.g. I just decided I was a bit too frivolous to be a doctor

Question 12

heterogenous

Answer 12

diverse in character or content
e.g. .. a rather heterogenous collection of studies from diverse origins

Question 13

imperious

Answer 13

arrogant and domineering
e.g. His attitude is imperious at times

Question 14

impertinent

Answer 14

not showing proper respect; rude
e.g. Would it be impertinent to ask where exactly you were?

not pertinent to a particular matter; irrelevant
e.g. Talk of ‘rhetoric’ and ‘strategy’ is impertinent to this process

Question 15

invasive

Answer 15

tending to spread very quickly and undesirably or harmfully
e.g. They found invasive cancer during a routine examination

Question 16

irresolute

Answer 16

showing or feeling hesitancy; uncertain
e.g. The worst reason to launch an attack would be a fear of seeming irresolute

Question 17

laudable

Answer 17

(of an action, idea or aim) deserving praise and commendation
e.g. One of Emma’s less laudable characteristic was her jealousy

Question 18

lax

Answer 18

not sufficiently strict, sever or careful;
e.g. One of the problem areas is lax security for airport personnel

(of limbs or muscles) relaxed

Question 19

marginalize

Answer 19

treat (a person, group or concept) as insignificant or peripheral
e.g. The effect of this has been to increasingly marginalize the local authority sector

Question 20

panache

Answer 20

flamboyant confidence of style or manner
e.g. Her panache at dealing with the world’s media is quite astonishing

Question 21

plodding

Answer 21

slow-moving and unexciting
e.g. Crowds of French and British families plodded around in yellow macs

Question 22

prosaic

Answer 22

having or using a style or diction of prose as opposed to poetry; lacking imaginativeness or originality
e.g. His instructor offered a more prosaic explanation for the surge in interest

Question 23

remedial

Answer 23

giving or intended as a remedy or cure
e.g. He is already walking normally and doing remedial exercises

Question 24

restive

Answer 24

(of a person) unable to remain still, silent or submissive, especially because of boredom or dissatisfaction
e.g. The audience grew restive

Question 25

sporadic

Answer 25

occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated
e.g. The sound of sporadic shooting could be still heard

Question 26

stigmatize

Answer 26

describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval
e.g. Children in single-parent families must not be stigmatized

Question 27

undermine

Answer 27

lessen the effectiveness, power or ability of, especially gradually or insidiously
e.g. Offering advice on each and every problem will undermine her feeling of being adult

erode the base or foundation of (a rock formation)

Question 28

utterly

Answer 28

completely and without qualification; absolutely
e.g. Everything about the country seemed utterly different from what I’d experienced before

Question 29

weary

Answer 29

feeling or showing extreme tiredness, especially as a result of excessive exertion
e.g. I trudged wearily down Arthur Street

Question 30

zealous

Answer 30

having or showing zeal( i.e. great enthusiasm )
e.g. He was a recent Catholic convert, and very zealous