Unit 12

Question 1

cant

Answer 1

n. insincere talk; language of a particular group

Many of the beat artists of the 1950s reacted against what they regarded as the cant of bourgeois society.

Question 2

cantankerous

Answer 2

adj. irritable; ill-humored

Many of us have in our mind the stereotype of the cantankerous old man who is constantly complaining about something or other.

Question 3

capricious

Answer 3

adj. fickle

The rule of law is regarded by many historians as one of humanity’s great achievements because since its inception citizens are no longer subject to capricious decisions and penalties of rulers.

Question 4

captious

Answer 4

adj. faultfinding; intended to entrap, as in an argument

The pedantic and captious critic seems incapable of appreciating the merits of even the most highly regarded books.

Question 5

cardinal

Answer 5

adj. of foremost importance

The cardinal rule of any weight-loss diet must be limiting the intake of calories.

Question 6

carnal

Answer 6

adj. of the flesh or body; related to physical appetites

The yogi’s goal is to achieve nirvana through, among other things, the overcoming of carnal desires.

Question 7

carping

Answer 7

v. to find fault; complain

Cost-benefit analysis owes much of its origin to utilitarian thought; despite the carping of critics that such analysis is based on faulty premises, the technique has proved useful in many areas.

Question 8

cartography

Answer 8

n. science of making maps

Satellites in Earth orbit take pictures of topography that have greatly aided cartography.

Question 9

caste

Answer 9

n. any of the hereditary social classes of Hindu society; social stratification

The dalits, formerly known as untouchables, are at the bottom of the thousands of castes that make up Indian society.

Question 10

castigation

Answer 10

n. punishment; chastisement; criticism

Many British writers recall with loathing the castigation they received at school.