Two

Question 1

trenchant

the creator of a trenchant tale entitled “A Wretched Figure” that had earned him the gratitude of the younger generation by showing it a path to moral fortitude existing even beyond the depths of knowledge;

Answer 1

You can use trenchant to describe something such as a criticism or comment that is very clear, effective, and forceful.

Question 2

judiciary

Gustav Aschenbach was born in L., a county town in the province of Silesia, the son of a senior official in the judiciary.

Answer 2

The judiciary is the branch of authority in a country which is concerned with law and the legal system.

Question 3

cardinal

But his motto was Durchhalten, “Persevere,” and he regarded his Frederick-the-Great novel as nothing short of the apotheosis of this command, which he considered the essence of a cardinal virtue: action in the face of suffering.

Answer 3

A cardinal rule or quality is the one that is considered to be the most important.

Question 4

vouchsafe

Then, too, he ardently desired to live to old age, for he had always believed that the only artistic gift that can be called truly great, all-encompassing, and, yes, truly praiseworthy is one that has been vouchsafed productivity at all stages of human existence.

Answer 4

If you are vouchsafed something or it is vouchsafed to you, you are given or granted it.

Question 5

equanimity

Because composure in the face of destiny and equanimity in the face of torture are not mere matters of endurance; they are an active achievement, a positive triumph,

Answer 5

Equanimity is a calm state of mind and attitude to life, so that you never lose your temper or become upset.

Question 6

supercilious

pallid impotence probing the incandescent depths of the mind for the strength to cast an entire supercilious people at the foot of the Cross, at their feet;

Answer 6

If you say that someone is supercilious, you disapprove of them because they behave in a way that shows they think they are better than other people.

Question 7

jettison

One might even say that his entire development consisted in jettisoning the constraints of doubt and irony and making the conscious, defiant ascent to dignity.

Answer 7

If you jettison something, for example an idea or a plan, you deliberately reject it or decide not to use it.

To jettison something that is not needed or wanted means to throw it away or get rid of it.