T Words

Question 1

tacit (adj)

Answer 1

understood without being put into words; implied without being openly stated

Although the president did not explicitly speak in favor of the compromise bill, he gave it his tacit support.

Question 2

taciturn (adj)

Answer 2

disinclined to talk

The stereotypical cowboy is a taciturn soul, answering lengthy questions with a terse “Yep” or “Nope.”

Question 3

tangential (adj)

Answer 3

of little relevance; only superficially pertinent; off on a tangent

Despite Clark’s attempts to distract her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: Why couldn’t Clark come out to dinner with Superman and her?

Question 4

tantamount (adj)

Answer 4

corresponding in some respects; alike in quantity, effect, or value

Because so few Southern blacks could afford to pay the poll tax, imposing such a tax on prospective voters was tantamount to denying black voters the right to vote.

Question 5

tenacity (n)

Answer 5

stubborn determination to reach a goal, and unwillingness to admit defeat

Jean Valjean could not believe the tenacity of Inspector Javert. All Valjean had done was to steal a loaf of bread, and nonetheless the inspector had pursued him doggedly for twenty years!

Question 6

tenuous (adj)

Answer 6

not dense or thick; having little strength

Napoleon’s alliance with Russia quickly proved tenuous; it disintegrated altogether in 1812.

Question 7

terse (adj)

Answer 7

concise and to the point

There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the point and speech so abrupt that it verges on being rude.

Question 8

tirade (n)

Answer 8

extended forceful speech, generally critical in nature

The cigar smoker went into a bitter tirade, denouncing the antismoking forces that had succeeded in banning smoking from most restaurants and planes.

Question 9

torpor (n)

Answer 9

listless indifference

Throughout the winter, nothing aroused the bear from its torpor; it would not emerge from hibernation until spring.

Question 10

tortuous (adj)

Answer 10

full of twists and turns; misleadingly indirect

Because this mountain road is so tortuous, it is unwise to drive faster than twenty miles an hour on it.

Question 11

tout (v)

Answer 11

solicit support or business; praise excessively

I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds that turned out to be a bad investment.

Question 12

tractable (adj)

Answer 12

capable of being easily managed or led

Although Susan seemed a tractable young woman, she had a stubborn streak of independence that occasionally led her to defy the powers that be when she felt they were in the wrong.

Question 13

transgression (n)

Answer 13

violation of a law; exceeding of bounds

Although Widow Douglas was willing to overlook Huck’s minor transgressions, Miss Watson refused to forgive and forget.

Question 14

transient (adj)

Answer 14

staying for a short time

Youth’s beauty is transient; it quickly fades with age.

Question 15

trenchant (adj)

Answer 15

forceful and vigorous

With his trenchant wit, reviewer Frank Rich cut straight to the heart of the matter, panning a truly dreadful play.

Question 16

truculence (n)

Answer 16

brutal harshness

Kenneth Tynan’s reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and general tone of truculence.

Question 17

turgid [1] (adj)

Answer 17

swollen and puffed up

When the tourniquet is tightened slowly, the veins become turgid with blood.

Question 18

turgid [2] (adj)

Answer 18

excessively pompous in language

Brown’s novels are filled with the rigged episodes of melodrama and the pompous, turgid prose that passed for elegance among the literary circles in America before Irving and Hawthorne arrived on the scene.

Question 19

tyro (nO

Answer 19

a beginner in learning (a skill, art, profession)

Although we were mere tyros, novice writers, utterly insignificant, the Pulitzer prizewinning author was invariably as kind, considerate, and thoughtful, and as lavish in the gift of his time, as though he had nothing else to do.