Unit 1

Question 1

acquisitive

Answer 1

(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property
Synonyms: greedy, grasping, avaricious, retentive
Antonyms: altruistic, unretentive

Question 2

arrogate

Answer 2

(v.) to claim or take without right
Synonyms: expropriate, usurp, commandeer
Antonyms: relinquish, renounce, abdicate, abandon

Question 3

banal

Answer 3

(adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace
Synonyms: stale, insipid
Antonyms: fresh, novel, original, new

Question 4

belabor

Answer 4

(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

Synonym: overwork

Question 5

carping

Answer 5

(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n.) petty, nagging criticism
Synonyms: (adj.) nit-picking, caviling
Antonyms: (adj.) approving, uncritical

Question 6

coherent

Answer 6

(adj.) holding on or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful
Synonyms: connected, unified, consistent, cohesive
Antonyms: muddled, chaotic, disjointed

Question 7

congeal

Answer 7

(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid
Synonyms: harden, jell, coagulate, solidify
Antonyms: melt, liquefy

Question 8

emulate

Answer 8

(v.) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model
Synonyms: copy, mimic, rival, match, measure up to

Question 9

encomium

Answer 9

(n.) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute
Synonyms: panegyric, eulogy, commendation
Antonyms: condemnation, castigation, criticism

Question 10

eschew

Answer 10

(v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from
Synonyms: abstain from, steer clear of, forgo
Antonyms: embrace, adopt

Question 11

germane

Answer 11

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting
Synonym: pertinent
Antonyms: irrelevant, extraneous, inappropriate

Question 12

insatiable

Answer 12

(adj.) so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

Synonyms: unquenchable, ravenous, voracious

Question 13

intransigent

Answer 13

(adj.) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable
Synonyms: uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate
Antonyms: lukewarm, halfhearted, yielding

Question 14

invidious

Answer 14

(adj.) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment
Synonyms: malicious, spiteful, prejudicial, pejorative
Antonyms: complimentary, flattering, ameliorative

Question 15

largesse

Answer 15

(n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions
Synonyms: liberality, munificence, bounty
Antonyms: stinginess, miserliness, niggardliness

Question 16

reconnaissance

Answer 16

(n.) a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination
Synonym: scouting expedition

Question 17

substantiate

Answer 17

(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to
Synonyms: verify, confirm, validate, authenticate
Antonyms: refute, disprove, invalidate

Question 18

taciturn

Answer 18

(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
Synonyms: tight-lipped, uncommunicative, laconic
Antonyms: garrulous, loquacious, prolix, verbose

Question 19

temporize

Answer 19

(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise
Synonyms: hedge, dillydally, procrastinate

Question 20

tenable

Answer 20

(adj.) capable of being held or defended
Synonyms: defensible, justifiable, maintainable
Antonyms: indefensible, unjustifiable