Unit One

Question 1

posit

Answer 1

(v.) assume as a fact; put forward as a basis of argument; to put in position, place; (n.) a statement which is made on the assumption that it will prove to be true

Question 2

expunge

Answer 2

(v.) erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant)

Question 3

virtuoso

Answer 3

(n.) a person highly skilled in music or another artistic pursuit

Question 4

precocious

Answer 4

(adj.) exceptionally early in development or occurrence; exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age

Question 5

litany

Answer 5

(n.) a tedious recital or repetitive series; a series of petitions for use in church services or processions, usually recited by the clergy and responded to in a recurring formula by the people

Question 6

immaculate

Answer 6

(adj.) (especially of a person or their clothes) perfectly clean, neat, or tidy; free from flaws or mistakes; perfect

Question 7

moniker

Answer 7

(n.) a name

Question 8

prescient

Answer 8

(adj.) having or showing knowledge of events before they take place

Question 9

prudent

Answer 9

(adj.) acting with or showing care and thought for the future

Question 10

didactic

Answer 10

(adj.) intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive; in the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to treat someone in a patronizing way

Question 11

philology

Answer 11

(n.) the branch of knowledge that deals with the structure, historical development, and relationships of a language or languages

Question 12

polemic

Answer 12

(n.) a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something

Question 13

polemical

Answer 13

(adj.) relating to or involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech

Question 14

nosology

Answer 14

(n.) the branch of medical science dealing with the classification of diseases

Question 15

psephology

Answer 15

(n.) the statistical study of elections and trends in voting

Question 16

erg

Answer 16

(n.) a unit of work or energy, equal to the work done by a force of one dyne when its point of application moves one centimeter in the direction of action of the force

Question 17

aphelion

Answer 17

(n.) the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is furthest from the sun

Question 18

perihelion

Answer 18

(n.) the point in the orbit of a planet, asteroid, or comet at which it is closest to the sun

Question 19

apogee

Answer 19

(n.) the highest point in the development of something; a climax or culmination; the point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth

Question 20

ecdysiast

Answer 20

(n.) a striptease performer

Question 21

eclectic

Answer 21

(adj.) deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources, denoting or belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to or found any recognized school of thought but selected doctrines from various schools of thought; (n.) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources

Question 22

encaustic

Answer 22

(adj.) using pigments mixed with hot wax that are burned in as an inlay; (n.) the art or process of encaustic painting

Question 23

ellipsis

Answer 23

(n.) the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues; a set of dots indicating an ellipsis

Question 24

isagogics

Answer 24

(n.) a branch of theology that is preliminary to actual exegesis and deals with the literary and external history of the Bible

Question 25

poignant

Answer 25

(adj.) evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret

Question 26

deign

Answer 26

(v.) do something that one considers to be beneath one’s dignity

Question 27

artifice

Answer 27

(n.) clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others

Question 28

ascetic

Answer 28

(n.) a person who practices severe self-discipline and abstention

Question 29

abstention

Answer 29

(n.) the fact or practice of restraining oneself from indulging in something; abstinence; an instance of declining to vote for or against a proposal or motion