To Kill a Mockingbird

Question 1

Malevolent

Answer 1

Having an evil or harmful influence or will.

(Adj) Malevolent (N) Malevolence

Question 2

Mal

Answer 2

Harmful

(Prefix)

Question 3

Erratic

Answer 3

Def: Lacking consistency and or uniformity

Synonym - irregular or unpredictable

Ex: The dog’s erratic way of walking led the animal control officer to believe it had rabies.

(Adjective) Erratic

Question 4

Benevolence

Answer 4

Def: Good will or intention

Synonym - Generosity

Ex: The charity benefited from the millionaire’s benevolence.

(Adj.) Benevolent (N). Benevolence

Question 5

Bene

Answer 5

Helpful or positive

Prefix

Question 6

Melancholy

Answer 6

Def: Persistent sadness; gloom

Synonym: Sorrow

Ex: The melancholy teenager spent hours each day in his room and didn’t want to spend time with his friends.

Ex: A deep melancholy spread through the community when its members heard that their beloved mayor had died.

(Adj. and N) Meloncholy

Question 7

Contentious

Answer 7

Def/Syn. - Argumentative
Ex: The contentious girl was told frequently that she’d make a good attorney.

(V) To Contend (Adj.) Contentious (N) Contention

Question 8

Con

Answer 8

Against

Prefix

Question 9

Nebulous

Answer 9

Def./Syn - Vague, hazy, unclear
Ex: I had a nebulous suspicion that my friend was angry with me because she was acting strangely.

Adjective

Question 10

Articulate

Answer 10

Def: able to express oneself clearly and effectively
Ex: He made a great candidate for senator because he was articulate and could field reporters’ questions in a clear and understandable way.

Adjective

Question 11

Oppressive

Answer 11

Def: Difficult to bear;weighing heavily on the senses or spirit
Syn: Burdnesome
Ex:The dictator’s laws that limited what citizens could read, write, or talk about were oppressive.

(v. = to oppress; n. = oppression; adj. = opressive)

Question 12

Ascertain

Answer 12

Def: to make certain or precise through examination or investigation
Syn: Discover
Ex: In order to ascertain who was vandalizing his property at night, the store owner installed surveillance cameras in his parking lot.

(Verb = Ascertain)

Question 13

Gravitate

Answer 13

Def: to be attracted by, or as if by, an irresistible force
Syn: Drawn Toward
Ex: People who live in foreign countries tend to gravitate toward things that remind them of home.

Verb

Question 14

Inordinate

Answer 14

Def: exceeding reasonable or normal limits;out of the ordinary
Syn: immoderate
Ex: The man had spent an inordinate amount of time in the sun when he worked as a lifeguard in his youth, so his skin was wrinkled and damaged.

Adjective

Question 15

In

Answer 15

Not

Prefix

Question 16

Perplexity

Answer 16

Def: the state of being confused
Syn: Bewildered
Ex: As she struggled through the math problem, her perplexity was revealed by her furrowed brow and protracted sighs.

(Adjective - Perplexed Noun - Perplexity)

Question 17

Unsullied

Unsullied - Adjective

Answer 17

Def/Syn: Unsoiled/Unstained
Ex: His academic record was unsullied by grades lower than A’s, and as a result, he was accepted to the college of his choice.

Unsullied - Adjective

Question 18

Un

Prefix

Answer 18

Not

Prefix

Question 19

Piety

Noun - Piety

Adjective - Pious

Answer 19

Def: Religous devotion to a god
Syn: Faith
Ex: She demonstrated piety at a very young age, so her family wasn’t surprised when she became a nun.

Noun - Piety

Adjective - Pious

Question 20

Taciturn

Adjective - Taciturn

Answer 20

Def: Reluctant to speak

Syn: Silent

Ex: The teacher wished that the taciturn student would raise her hand and answer more questions because she was very smart and always had insightful answers.

Adjective - Taciturn

Question 21

Imprudent

Adjective - Imprudent

Noun - Imprudence

Answer 21

Def/Syn: Unwise
Ex: It’s imprudent to ride a bike without a helmet because of the risk of serious brain trauma.

Adjective - Imprudent

Noun - Imprudence

Question 22

Im

Prefix

Answer 22

Not

Prefix

Question 23

Vapid

Vapid - Adjective

Vapidity - Noun

Answer 23

Def: Lacking liveliness or interest in terms of personality or intellect
Syn: Dull-witted
Ex: Anne was disappointed to find that her new next-door neighbor, who happened to be her age, was vapid and entirely uninteresting.

Vapid - Adjective

Vapidity - Noun

Question 24

Predilection

Noun - Predilection

Answer 24

Def/Syn: A preference
Ex: John has a predilection for sweets, but his sister loves fried foods.

Question 25

Eccentric

Adj. - Eccentric

Noun - Eccentricity

Answer 25

Def/Syn: Unusual; unconventional

Ex: Our eccentric neighbor likes to dress in traditional Scottish attire and wear a kilt when he goes out.

Question 26

Concession

Noun - Concession

Verb - Concede

Answer 26

Def: An act of conceding; an acknowledgement or admission of something
Syn: Allowance
Ex: His mother made the concession that perhaps she was being too strict with her son when she grounded him for coming home five minutes late.

Question 27

Foray

Noun - Foray

Answer 27

Def: A venture outside of someone’s familiar or usual surroundings
Syn: Out of the comfort zone
Ex: Our foray into the jungle on our guided tour of Costa Rica was the adventure of a lifetime.

Noun - Foray

Question 28

Profound

Adj - Profound

Answer 28

Def: deep and meaningful; beyond the obvious
Syn: Heartfelt
Ex: Her favorite historical figure is Martin Luther King, Jr. because when she first heard his speech “I Have a Dream,” she thought his ideas were profound for the time period in which King lived.

Question 29

Tyrannical

Noun - Tyranny/Tyrant

Adjective - Tyrannical

Answer 29

Def: Cruel exercise of power
Syn: Unjust
Ex: The employees all celebrated when their tyrannical boss retired and was replaced by a more reasonable leader.

Noun - Tyranny/Tyrant

Adjective - Tyrannical