TC_SE_practice_words_2

Question 1

run-of-the-mill

Answer 1

(adj) ordinary and not special or exciting in any way:

example: He gave a fairly run-of-the-mill speech.

Question 2

prolix

Answer 2

using too many words and therefore boring or difficult to read or listen to:

example: The author’s prolix style has done nothing to encourage sales of the book.

Question 3

refuge

Answer 3

(noun) (a place that gives) protection or shelter from danger, trouble, unhappiness, etc.:

example: The climbers slept in a mountain refuge.

Question 3

adroit

Answer 3

(adj) very skilful and quick in the way you think or move:

example: an adroit reaction/answer/movement of the hand

Question 3

anti-imperialist

Answer 3

(adj) opposed to the idea of one country ruling or having a lot of power or influence over another country:

example: He relied on populist anti-imperialist rhetoric.

Question 4

impetus

Answer 4

(noun) something that encourages a particular activity or makes that activity more energetic or effective:

example: The recent publicity surrounding homelessness has given (a) fresh impetus to the cause.

Question 4

concoct

Answer 4

(verb) If you concoct an excuse or explanation, you invent one that is not true.

example:Mr Ferguson said the prisoner concocted the story to get a lighter sentence.

(verb) If you concoct something, especially something unusual, you make it by mixing several things together.
example: …a specially concocted massage oil.

Question 4

lucidity

Answer 4

(adj) Lucid writing or speech is clear and easy to understand.

example: …a lucid account of the history of mankind.

(adj) If someone is lucid, they are thinking clearly again after a period of illness or confusion.

example: He wasn’t very lucid, he didn’t quite know where he was.

Question 4

murky

Answer 4

(adj) dark and dirty or difficult to see through:

example: The river was brown and murky after the storm.

Question 4

redemption

Answer 4

(noun) be beyond/past redemption
to be too bad to be improved or saved by anyone:
example: He believed passionately that no human was beyond redemption.

Question 4

debacle

Answer 4

noun: a complete failure, especially because of bad planning and organization:

example: The collapse of the company was described as the greatest financial debacle in US history.

Question 4

cloying

Answer 4

adjective: You use cloying to describe something that you find unpleasant because it is much too sweet, or too sentimental.

example: Her cheap, cloying scent enveloped him.

Question 4

hidebound

Answer 4

adjective: (disapproving) having fixed opinions and ways of doing things and not willing to change or be influenced, especially by new or modern ideas

example: The men are hidebound and reactionary.

Question 4

frown

Answer 4

verb: When someone frowns, their eyebrows become drawn together, because they are annoyed, worried, or puzzled, or because they are concentrating.

example: Nancy shook her head, frowning.

Question 4

contend

Answer 4

verb: to compete in order to win something:

example: There are three world-class tennis players contending for this title.

verb: to say that something is true or is a fact:

example: The lawyer contended (that) her client had never been near the scene of the crime.

Question 5

scuffle

Answer 5

noun: a short and sudden fight, especially one involving a small number of people:

example: Two police officers were injured in scuffles with demonstrators at Sunday’s protest.

Question 5

prudent

Answer 5

adj: careful and avoiding risks:

example: It’s always prudent to read a contract carefully before signing it.

Question 5

technocrat

Answer 5

noun: an expert in science or technology who has a lot of power in or influence with the government or industry:

example: We believe there is a danger in policy-makers blindly trusting the technocrats.

Question 5

retrospect

Answer 5

noun: (in retrospect)-> thinking now about something in the past:

example: In retrospect, I think my marriage was doomed from the beginning.

Question 5

harpsichord

Answer 5

noun: a musical instrument similar to a piano. It was played especially in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Question 5

conception

Answer 5

noun: A conception of something is an idea that you have of it in your mind.

example: My conception of a garden was based on gardens I had visited in England.

noun: Conception is the forming of an idea for something in your mind.

example: The other fundamental consideration in the conception of a plan is function.

noun: Conception is the process in which a woman ‘s egg is fertilized and she becomes pregnant.

example: Six weeks after conception your baby is the size of your little fingernail.

Question 6

locale

Answer 6

noun: an area or place, especially one where something special happens, such as the action in a book or film:

example: The book’s locale is a coastal town in the summer of 1958.

Question 6

record executive

Answer 6

A record executive is a high-ranking professional in the music industry who oversees the business aspects of a record label. They are responsible for signing artists, managing music production, marketing, and ensuring profitability.

Question 6

sacrosanct

Answer 6

adj: If you describe something as sacrosanct, you consider it to be special and are unwilling to see it criticized or change

example: Freedom of the press is sacrosanct

Question 7

virtuous

Answer 7

adj: having good moral qualities and behaviour: example: He described them as virtuous and hard-working people.

Question 8

condescension

Answer 8

noun: (disapproving) behaviour that shows you think you are more important or more intelligent than other people: example: She answered him with such haughty condescension that his face went white.

Question 9

precursor

Answer 9

noun: something that happened or existed before another thing, especially if it either developed into it or had an influence on it: example: Sulphur dioxide is the main precursor of acid rain.

Question 10

virtuosity

Answer 10

noun: the quality of being extremely skilled at something: example: The technical virtuosity of the paintings is such that you can almost smell the flowers.

Question 11

cowardice

Answer 11

noun: the behaviour of someone who is not at all brave and tries to avoid danger: example: You can accuse me of cowardice, but I still wouldn't fight in a war.

Question 12

impaired

Answer 12

adj: Something that is impaired is less effective than it should be, or is damaged: example: She suffers from impaired vision/hearing.

Question 13

dismissal

Answer 13

noun: When an employee is dismissed from their job, you can refer to their dismissal. example: ...Mr Low's dismissal from his post at the head of the commission. noun: Dismissal of something means deciding or saying that it is not important. example: ...their high-handed dismissal of public opinion.

Question 13

approbation

Answer 13

noun: approval or agreement, often given by an official group: example: The council has finally indicated its approbation of the plans.

Question 14

draftsmanship

Answer 14

noun: the ability to draw well

Question 15

ascertain

Answer 15

verb: to discover something: example: The police have so far been unable to ascertain the cause of the explosion. verb: to make certain of something: example: I ascertained that no one could overhear us before I told Otto the news.

Question 16

alleviate

Answer 16

verb: to make something bad such as pain or problems less severe: example: The drugs did nothing to alleviate her pain/suffering.

Question 17

ordeal

Answer 17

noun: If you describe an experience or situation as an ordeal, you think it is difficult and unpleasant. example: ...the painful ordeal of the last eight months.

Question 18

unscathed

Answer 18

adj: without injuries or damage being caused: example: Her husband died in the accident but she, amazingly, escaped unscathed.

Question 18

impugn

Answer 18

verb: to cause people to doubt someone's character, qualities, or reputation by criticizing them: example: Are you impugning my competence as a professional designer?

Question 19

sully

Answer 19

verb: to spoil something that is pure or someone's perfect reputation: example: His reputation, he said, had been unfairly sullied by half-truths and innuendos. verb: to make something dirty: example: No speck of dirt had ever sullied his hands.

Question 20

assimilate

Answer 20

verb:When people such as immigrants assimilate into a community or when that community assimilates them, they become an accepted part of it. example:There is every sign that new Asian-Americans are just as willing to assimilate. verb:If you assimilate new ideas, techniques, or information, you learn them or adopt them. example: I was speechless, still trying to assimilate the enormity of what he'd told me.

Question 20

provision(s)

Answer 20

noun: the act of providing something: example: Of course there's provision in the plan for population increase. provisions-> supplies of food and other necessary things: example: provisions for the journey

Question 21

metamorphosis

Answer 21

noun: a complete change example: Under the new editor, the magazine has undergone a metamorphosis.

Question 22

inquisitive

Answer 22

adj: wanting to discover as much as you can about things, sometimes in a way that annoys people: example: - an inquisitive child - an inquisitive mind

Question 22

intelligibility

Answer 22

noun: (of speech and writing) the quality of being possible to understand: example: Foreign accented speech may affect intelligibility.

Question 22

censorious

Answer 22

adj: often criticizing other people: example: his censorious attitude to those who do not share his opinions

Question 23

discredit

Answer 23

verb: to cause people to stop respecting someone or believing in an idea or person: example: - Evidence of links with drug dealers has discredited the mayor. - discredited theories

Question 24

venture

Answer 24

noun: a new activity, usually in business, that involves risk or uncertainty: example: She advised us to look abroad for more lucrative business ventures. verb: to risk going somewhere or doing something that might be dangerous or unpleasant, or to risk saying something that might be criticized: example: She rarely ventured outside, except when she went to stock up on groceries.

Question 25

undercut

Answer 25

verb: to charge less than a competitor: example: Big supermarkets can undercut all rivals, especially small family-owned shops. verb: to damage something or to make it fail: example: He suspected it was an attempt to undercut his authority.

Question 26

relegate

Answer 26

verb: to put someone or something into a lower or less important rank or position: example: She resigned when she was relegated to a desk job.

Question 27

reform

Answer 27

verb: to make an improvement, especially by changing a person's behaviour or the structure of something: example: Who will reform our unfair electoral system? noun: an improvement, especially in a person's behaviour or in the structure of something: example: Some reforms of/to the system will be necessary.