Unit 23

Question 1

Discrete

Answer 1

(adj) constituting separate things; distinct
e. g. Like the physicist, the abstract artist strives to identify the discrete elements of reality and to understand how they interact.

Question 2

Discretion

Answer 2

(n) quality of showing self-restraint in speech or actions; circumspection; freedom to act on one’s own
e. g. in nineteenth-century Britain gentlemen were expected to behave with discretion.

Question 3

Disingenuous

Answer 3

(adj) not candid; crafty

e. g. He was being somewhat disingenuous as well as cynical.

Question 4

Disinterested

Answer 4

(adj) unprejudiced; objective

e. g. A banker is under an obligation to give disinterested advice.

Question 5

Disjointed

Answer 5

(adj) lacking order or coherence; dislocated

e. g. Piecing together disjointed fragments of information.

Question 6

Dismiss

Answer 6

(v) put away from consideration; reject

e. g. She dismissed the taxi at the corner of the road.

Question 7

Disparage

Answer 7

(v) to belittle

e. g. He never missed an opportunity to disparage his competitors.

Question 8

Disparate

Answer 8

(adj) dissimilar
- Disparity (n): the condition of being unequal or unlike

e.g. Many technological projects are interdisciplinary, requiring a knowledge of fields as disparate as physics and biology.

Question 9

Dissemble

Answer 9

(v) to pretend; disguise one’s motives
e. g. “Miss.” the prosecutor said, “I believe you are dissembling. I want you to tell me the whole truth about what happened that night.”

Question 10

Disseminate

Answer 10

(v) to spread; scatter; disperse

e. g. Health authorities should foster good practice by disseminating information.