Unit 2

Question 0

Magnanimous

Answer 0

Adj. Noble in spirit; generous

*the boxer was magnanimous in defeat, telling the sports reporters that his opponent had simply been too talented for him to beat

Question 1

Machination

Answer 1

N. Scheming activity for an evil purpose

*the machinations of the conspirators were aimed at nothing less than the overthrow of the government

Question 2

Magnate

Answer 2

N. A rich or very successful business- person

*john D. Rockefeller was a magnate who was never too cheap to give a shoeshine boy a dime for his troubles

Question 3

Malaise

Answer 3

N. A feeling of depression

*malaise descended on the calculus class when the teacher announced a quiz

Question 4

Malfeasance

Answer 4

N. An illegal act, especially by a public official

*president ford officially pardoned former president Nixon before the latter could be convicted of any malfeasance

Question 5

Malignant

Answer 5

Adj. Causing harm

*lina has had recurring tumors since the operation; were just glad that none of them have proved malignant

Question 6

Malinger

Answer 6

V. To pretend to be sick to avoid doing work

*indolent Leon always malingerer when it was his turn to clean up the house

Question 7

Malleable

Answer 7

Adj. Easy to shape or bend

*modeling clay is very malleable. So is Stuart. We can make him do whatever we want him to do

Question 8

Mandate

Answer 8

N. A command or authorization to do something

*our mandate from the executive committee was to find the answer to the problem as quickly as possible

Question 9

Manifest

Answer 9

Adj. Visible; evident

*daryl’s anger at us was manifest: you could see it in his expression and hear it in his voice

Question 10

Manifesto

Answer 10

N. A public declaration of beliefs

*jim’s article about the election was less a piece of reporting than a manifesto of his political views

Question 11

Marshal

Answer 11

V. To gather together for the purpose of doing something

*the general marshaled his troops in anticipation of making an attack on the enemy fortress

Question 12

Martial

Answer 12

Adj. Warlike; having to do with combat

*the parade of soldiers was martial in tone; the soldiers carried rifles and were followed by a formation of tanks

Question 13

martyr

Answer 13

N. Someone who gives up his or her life in pursuit of a cause; one who suffers for a cause

*eloise played the martyr during hay fever season, trudging wearily from room to room with a jumbo box of Kleenex in each hand

Question 14

Matriculate

Answer 14

V. To enroll, especially at a college

*benny told everyone he was going to Harvard, but he actually matriculated to the local junior college

Question 15

Maudlin

Answer 15

Adj. Overly sentimental

*the high school reunion grew more and more maudlin as the participants shared more and more memories

Question 16

Maverick

Answer 16

N. Nonconformist; a rebel

*the political scientist was an intellectual maverick; most of his theories had no followers except himself

Question 17

Maxim

Answer 17

N. An old saying

*we always tried to live our lives according to the maxim that it is better to give than to receive

Question 18

Mediate

Answer 18

V. To help settle differences

*joe carried messages back and forth between the divorcing wife and husband in hope of mediating their differences

Question 19

Mellifluous

Answer 19

Adj. Sweetly flowing; pleasant sounding

*melanie’s clarinet playing was mellifluous; the notes flowed smoothly and beautifully

Question 20

Mendacious

Answer 20

Adj. Lying; dishonest

*the jury saw through the mendacious witness and convicted the defendant

Question 21

Mendicant

Answer 21

N. A beggar

*the presence of thousands of mendicants in every urban area is a sad commentary on our nations priorities

Question 22

Mentor

Answer 22

N. A teacher, tutor, counselor, or coach; an experienced person who shows an inexperienced person the ropes

*chris’s mentor in the pole vault was a former track star who used to hang out by the gym and give the students pointers

Question 23

Mercenary

Answer 23

N. Someone who will do anything for money

*our business contains a few dedicated workers and many, many mercenaries, who want to make a quick buck and then get out

Question 24

Mercurial

Answer 24

Adj. Emotionally unpredictable

*mercurial Helen was crying one minute, laughing the next

Question 25

Metamorphosis

Answer 25

N. A magical change in form

*when the magician passed his wand over Eileen’s head, she underwent a bizarre metamorphosis: she turned into a hamster

Question 26

Microcosm

Answer 26

N. The world in miniature

*our community, which holds so many different communities, institutions, businesses, and types of people, is a microcosm of the larger world

Question 27

Milieu

Answer 27

N. Environment; surrounding

*a caring and involved community is the proper milieu for raising a family

Question 28

Minuscule

Answer 28

Adj. Very tiny

*hank’s salary was minuscule, but benefits were pretty good: he got to sit next to the refrigerator and eat all day long

Question 29

Misanthropic

Answer 29

Adj. Hating mankind

Question 30

Mitigate

Answer 30

V. To moderate the effect of something; to lessen

*the sense of imminent disaster were mitigated by the guides calm behavior and easy smile

Question 31

Mollify

Answer 31

V. To soften; to soothe; to pacify

*lucy mollified the angry police officer by kissing his hand

Question 32

Monolithic

Answer 32

Adj. Massive, unyielding

Question 33

Moribund

Answer 33

Adj. Dying

*the senators political ideas were moribund; no one thinks that way anymore

Question 34

Morose

Answer 34

Adj. Gloomy; sullen

*louise was always so morose about everything that she was never any fun to be with

Question 35

Mortify

Answer 35

Adj. To humiliate

*i was mortified when my father asked my girlfriend whether she thought I was a dumb, pathetic wimp

Question 36

Mundane

Answer 36

Adj. Pretty boring

*my day was filled with mundane chores: I mowed the lawn, did the laundry, and fed the dog

Question 37

Munificent

Answer 37

Adj. Very generous

*the munificent millionaire have lots of money to any charity that came to him with a request

Question 38

Myopia

Answer 38

N. Lack of foresight

*the president suffered from economic myopia; he was unable to see the consequences of his fiscal policies

Question 39

Myriad

Answer 39

N. A huge number

*a country sky on a clear night is filled with a myriad of stars

Question 40

Narcissism

Answer 40

N. Excessive love of ones body or oneself

Question 41

Nebulous

Answer 41

Adj. Vague

*oscar’s views are so nebulous that no one can figure out what he thinks about anything

Question 42

Nefarious

Answer 42

Adj. Evil

*the convicted murder had committed a myriad of nefarious acts

Question 43

Neologism

Answer 43

N. A new word or phrase

Question 44

Nepotism

Answer 44

N. Showing favoritism to friends or family in business or politics

*clarence had no business acumen, so he was counting on nepotism when he married the boss’s daughter

Question 45

Nihilism

Answer 45

N. The belief that there are no values or morals in the universe

*a nihilist does not believe in any objective standards of right or wrong

Question 46

Nominal

Answer 46

Adj. In name only; insignificant

*bert was the nominal chair of the committee, but she was the one who ran things

Question 47

Nostalgia

Answer 47

N. Sentimental longing for the past

*a wave of nostalgia overcame me when the old biggie smalls song came on the radio; hearing it took me right back to 1997

Question 48

Notorious

Answer 48

Adj. Famous for something bad

*no one wanted to play poker with Jeremy because he was a notorious cheater

Question 49

Novel

Answer 49

Adj. New; original

*ray had a novel approach to homework: he did the work before the teacher assigned it

Question 50

Noxious

Answer 50

Adj. Harmful; offensive

*smoking is a noxious habit in every sense

Question 51

Nuance

Answer 51

N. A subtle difference

*the artists best work explored the nuance between darkness and deep shadow