Unit 39

Question 1

Hyperbole

Answer 1

(n) purposeful exaggeration for effect

e. g. He vowed revenge with oaths and hyperboles.

Question 2

Iconoclastic

Answer 2

(adj) attacking cherished traditions

e. g. An iconoclastic filmmaker who has pushed the boundaries with every film he’s made.

Question 3

Idolatry

Answer 3

(n) idol worship; blind or excessive devotion
e. g. During the Protestant Reformation images in churches were felt to be a form of idolatry and were banned and destroyed.

Question 4

Igneous

Answer 4

(adj) produced by fire; volcanic
e. g. The presence of igneous rocks on the beach suggests that there was a volcanic eruption in the area millions of years ago.

Question 5

Imbroglio

Answer 5

(n) complicated situation; an entanglement
e. g. The plot of many of Somerset Maugham’s stories consist of an unraveling of an imbroglio in which the main character finds himself.

Question 6

Immutable

Answer 6

(adj) unchangeable
- Immutability (n)

e.g. An immutable fact.

Question 7

Impair

Answer 7

(v) to damage; injure

e. g. Alcohol has been shown to seriously impair the functioning of the brain.

Question 8

Impassive

Answer 8

(adj) showing no emotion

e. g. The judge sat, impassive, listening to the man’s emotional account of the crime.

Question 9

Impecunious

Answer 9

(adj) poor; having no money

e. g. A titled but impecunious family.

Question 10

Impede

Answer 10

(v) to hinder; block

e. g. The development of the western region of China has been impeded by a lack of trained workers.