Set 9

Question 1

boorish

Answer 1

rough and bad-mannered; coarse
e.g. .. their boorish rejection of the ageing movie star

Question 2

brook

Answer 2

a small stream

Question 3

circumspect

Answer 3

wary and unwilling to take risks
e.g. The banks should have been more circumspect in their dealings

Question 4

comity

Answer 4

an association of nations for their mutual benefits

courtesy and considerate behavior towards others
e.g. .. a show of public comity in the White House

Question 5

commensurate

Answer 5

corresponding in size or degree; in proportion
e.g. Employees are paid salaries commensurate with those of teachers

Question 6

cordial

Answer 6

warm and friendly
e.g. He had never known him to be so chatty and cordial

strongly felt
e.g. .. a cordial distaste for formality

Question 7

deleterious

Answer 7

causing harm or damage
e.g. Petty crime is having a deleterious effect on community life

Question 8

dichotomy

Answer 8

a division or contrast between two things that are or are represented as being opposed or entirely different
e.g. There is a dichotomy between the academic world and the industrial world

Question 9

edify

Answer 9

instruct or improve (someone) morally and intellectually
e.g. .. religious paintings that edify the viewer

Question 10

elicit

Answer 10

evoke or draw out (a reaction, answer or fact) from someone
e.g. He spoke for a long time, trying to elicit some comment or response from Hanuman

Question 11

erudite

Answer 11

having or showing great knowledge or learning
e.g. He was never dull, always erudite and well-informed

Question 12

fecund

Answer 12

producing or capable of producing a abundance of offspring or new growth;

highly fertile
e.g. The pampas are still among the most fecund lands in the world

Question 13

feeble

Answer 13

lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness
lacking strength or character
e.g. The feeble light of a tin lamp

failing to convince or impress
e.g. He said that the government has been feeble

Question 14

felicitous

Answer 14

well chosen or suited to the circumstances
e.g. Her prose style is not always felicitous; she tends to repetition

Question 15

forbear

Answer 15

politely or patiently restrain an impulse to do something; refrain
e.g. Protesters largely forbear from stone-throwing and vandalism

Question 16

haphazard

Answer 16

lacking any obvious principle of organization

Question 17

hodgepodge

Answer 17

a confused mixture; a hotchpotch

Question 18

impede

Answer 18

delay or prevent (someone or something) by obstructing them; hinder
e.g. Fallen rock is impeding the progress of rescue workers

Question 19

impetuous

Answer 19

acting or done quickly and without thought or care
e.g. He tended to react in a heated and impetuous way

Question 20

irascible

Answer 20

having or showing tendency to be easily angered
e.g. He had an irascible temper

Question 21

mercenary

Answer 21

primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics

a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army

Question 22

meticulous

Answer 22

showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise

Question 23

mordant

Answer 23

(especially of humor) having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting
e.g. A wicked, mordant sense of humor has come to the fore in Blur’s world

Question 24

outstrip

Answer 24

move faster than and overtake (someone else) / exceed
e.g. In mid-eighteenth century the production of food far outstripped the rise in population

Question 25

precarious

Answer 25

not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse
e.g. Our financial situation has become precarious

Question 26

quirky

Answer 26

having or characterized by peculiar or unexpected traits or aspects

Question 27

repudiate

Answer 27

refuse to accept; reject
e.g. Cavour later repudiated what he regarded as his youthful follies

Question 28

tact

Answer 28

skill and sensitivity in dealing with others or with difficult issues
e.g. .. helping to smooth over the problems with great tact and efficiency

Question 29

trifling

Answer 29

unimportant or trivial
e.g. The guests had each paid 250, no trifling sum

Question 30

turbulent

Answer 30

characterized by conflict, disorder, or confusion; not stable or calm