Unit 7

Question 1

CONVOLUTED

Answer 1

(in reference to an argument, story, etc.) extremely complex and difficult to follow

Question 2

MICROBE

Answer 2

a minute life form; a microorganism, especially a bacterium causing disease or fermentation

Synonyms: microorganism, bacillus, bacterium, virus, germ

Question 3

REPLICATE

Answer 3

to reproduce or make an exact copy of

Synonyms: copy, reproduce, duplicate, recreate, clone

Question 4

QUAGMIRE

Answer 4

a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot; an awkward, complex, or hazardous situation

Synonyms: swamp, morass, bog, marsh

Question 5

PUTREFACTION

Answer 5

the process of decay or rotting in a body or other organic matter caused by bacterial or fungal action

Question 6

SPATE

Answer 6

a sudden forceful flow in a river, especially caused by heavy rains or melting snow; a large number of similar things or events appearing or occurring in quick succession

Synonyms: deluge, torrent, epidemic, outbreak, wave

Question 7

OVERT

Answer 7

open and observable; not secret or hidden; plainly or readily apparent

Synonyms: undisguised, unconcealed, clear, conspicuous, manifest, blatant

Question 8

EMULATE

Answer 8

to strive to equal or match, especially by imitating

Synonyms: copy, mirror, imitate, echo

Question 9

MONSTROSITY

Answer 9

a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed; something, especially a building, that is very large and unsightly

Synonyms: horror, eyesore, excrescence

Question 10

ALTRUISM

Answer 10

the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others

Synonyms: compassion, selflessness, charity

Question 11

EVANESCENT

Answer 11

tending to vanish like vapor; soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence, quickly fading or disappearing.

Synonyms: vanishing, fading, evaporating, melting away, disappearing

Question 12

INFUSION

Answer 12

the act of introducing a modifying element or quality; a drink, remedy, or extract prepared by soaking leaves of a plant or herb in liquid

Synonyms: injection, introduction, dose, insertion

Question 13

RUDIMENTARY

Answer 13

being in the earliest stages of development

Synonyms: basic, elementary, primary, fundamental, essential

Question 14

REPRESSED

Answer 14

characterized by the suppression of impulses or emotions; kept suppressed and unconscious in one’s mind

Synonyms: subjugated, tyrannized, oppressed, stifled, pent up, restrained

Question 15

ABYSMAL

Answer 15

extremely bad; appalling

Synonyms: dreadful, awful, terrible, atrocious, deplorable, shameful, hopeless

Question 16

AMBIVALENCE

Answer 16

the state of being uncertain or stuck between two or more options.

Synonyms: conflicted, unequivocal, vacillating, irresolute, unsure

Question 17

BREVITY

Answer 17

the quality of being brief or terse; concise or exact and effective word choice in the writing of prose.

Synonyms: shortness, briefness, transience, ephemerality, impermanence

Question 18

DIMINISH

Answer 18

to become smaller in scope or degree; to make less impressive or valuable

Synonyms: abate, dwindle, fade, ebb, wane; belittle, disparage, denigrate, deprecate

Question 19

ELOQUENT

Answer 19

having refined or expressive communication skills (in speaking or writing)

Synonyms: fluent, articulate, expressive, meaningful, indicative

Question 20

ERRATIC

Answer 20

having no fixed course; deviating from the norm; not even or regular in pattern or movement

Synonyms: variable, turbulent, fluctuating, irregular, unpredictable