Unit 51

Question 1

Miscellany

Answer 1

(n) mixture of writings on various subjects

e. g. The book is a fascinating miscellany collected from the writer’s life work.

Question 2

Miscreant

Answer 2

(n) villain; criminal

e. g. The public execution of miscreants was common in Great Britain in the eighteenth century.

Question 3

Misogynist

Answer 3

(n) one who hates women
e. g. Some people have called the philosopher Freidrich Nietzsche a misogynist because of the numerous negative comments he made about women.

Question 4

Mitigate

Answer 4

(v) to cause to become less harsh, severe, or painful; alleviate
- Mitigation (n)

e.g. Drainage schemes have helped to mitigate this problem.

Question 5

Mnemonic

Answer 5

(adj) related to memory; assisting memory
(n) a system that develops and improves the memory

e.g. To distinguish “principal” from “principle” use the mnemonic aid “the principal is your pal.

Question 6

Modicum

Answer 6

(n) limited quantity
e. g. The scientist Carl Sagan wrote about astronomy and other scientific subjects in a way that enabled a reader with even a modicum of knowledge of science to understand what he was saying.

Question 7

Mollify

Answer 7

(v) soothe
e. g. The prime minister tried to mollify people protesting the tax increase with a promise that she would order a study of other means to raise revenue.

Question 8

monolithic

Answer 8

(adj) solid and uniform; constituting a single, unified whole

Question 9

Morose

Answer 9

(adj) ill-humored; sullen
e. g. The assessment of some skeptical critics of existentialism is that it is generally a view of life created by a group of thinkers whose distinguishing characteristic is that they are morose.

Question 10

Motley

Answer 10

(adj) many colored; made up of many parts

e. g. The new political party is made up of a motley group of people who are unhappy with the existing parties.