unit 2 vocab

Question 1

a’droit

Answer 1

adjective; skillful, or expert.
A speaker’s adroit replies to a group of hecklers may soon have an audience convulsed of laughter.

Question 2

belligerent

Answer 2

adjective; combative, or aggressive
drivers stuck in heavy traffic can sometimes become belligerent.

noun; one engaged in war
germany, france, and britain, were one of the principal belligerants in world war I.

Question 3

duplicity

Answer 3

noun; treachery or deceitfulness
audiences still wonder why they never saw through Fuego’s duplicity.

Question 4

‘gri’mace

Answer 4

noun; a distorted facial expression
The faces of the gargoyles on many medieval cathedrals are contorted into hideous grimaces.
verb; to make a wry face
I always grimace whenever my doctor reaches for a hypoderma needle.

Question 5

‘impetus

Answer 5

noun; a moving force, impulse, or stimulus
A new art complex may give enormous impetus to the cultural life of a city or town.

Question 6

no’stalgia

Answer 6

noun; a longing for something past

A traveler may experience a feeling of nostalgia while driving through the part of the country where he or she grew up.

Question 7

‘scrutinize

Answer 7

verb; to examine closely
security officers may scrutinize a person’s credentials before allowing her or him to enter a building

Question 8

amicable

Answer 8

adjective; peaceful, or friendly.
the lawyers in a divorce case may strive hard to achieve an amicable division of common property

Question 9

be’nevolent

Answer 9

adjective; kindly or charitable
a group of benevolent alumni may donate the money to build a new school gym.

Question 10

extol

Answer 10

verb; to praise extravagantly
Mark Anthony insists that he will neither extol or blame his fallen hero.

Question 11

‘holocaust

Answer 11

noun; vast slaughter, or large-scale destruction
More than 100 people lost their lives in the holocaust that consumed our town last summer.

Question 12

jeopardy

Answer 12

noun; danger
The driver of a car must take every precaution against putting his or her passengers in jeopardy.

Question 13

quintessence

Answer 13

noun; the purest form of something, or the most typical example of it
Many people consider the legendary Paul Bunion to embody the quintessence of rugged American individualism.

Question 14

tepid

Answer 14

adjective; lukewarm, or marked by lack of interest.
Tepid baths are very refreshing on a hot day.

Question 15

averse

Answer 15

adjective; having a deep-seated distates for, or opposed or unwilling to.
George Washington was averse to foreign entanglements of any kind.

Question 16

‘cursory

Answer 16

adjective; hasty, or not thorough.
Your mom and dad might not have the time to give the morning newspaper more than a cursory inspection.

Question 17

feasible

Answer 17

adjective; possible, or able to be done
The most feasible solution to a problem may not prove to be the most ethical.

Question 18

impervious

Answer 18

adjective; not affected, or hurt by, or admitting no passage or entrance
The daring performer seemed impervious to pain as she walked across the hot coals.

Question 19

meticulous

Answer 19

adjective; extremely careful or particular about details
A certain lawyer may be famous for the meticulous presentation of evidence at a trial.

Question 20

retrogress

Answer 20

Verb; to move backward, or to return to an earlier condition.
You may be able to tell when a child is tired when their behavior begins to retrogress.