Unit23

Question 1

textual

Answer 1

Having to do with or based on a text.

eg. A textual analysis of 1,700 lipstick names, including Hot Mama and Raisin Hell, suggested to the author that the women buying them lack a healthy sense of self-worth.

Question 2

context

Answer 2

(1) The surrounding spoken or written material in which a word or remark occurs.
(2) The conditions or circumstances in which an event occurs; environment or setting.

eg. The governor claimed that his remarks were taken out of context and that anyone looking at the whole speech would get a different impression

Question 3

hypertext

Answer 3

A database format in which information related to that on a display screen can be accessed directly from the screen (as by a mouse click).

eg. Three days ago my mother was asking me why some of the words are underlined in blue, but by yesterday she was already an expert in hypertext.

Question 4

subtext

Answer 4

The underlying meaning of a spoken or written passage.

eg. The tough and cynical tone of the story is contradicted by its romantic subtext.

Question 5

placate

Answer 5

To calm the anger or bitterness of someone.

eg. The Romans had a number of ways of placating the gods, which occasionally included burying slaves alive.

Question 6

placebo

Answer 6

A harmless substance given to a patient in place of genuine medication, either for experimental purposes or to soothe the patient.

eg. The placebo worked miraculously: his skin rash cleared up, his sleep improved, and he even ceased to hear voices.

Question 7

placidity

Answer 7

Serene freedom from interruption or disturbance; calmness.

eg. Her placidity seemed eerie in view of the destruction she had witnessed and the huge loss she had suffered.

Question 8

automaton

Answer 8

(1) An automatic machine, especially a robot.
(2) An individual who acts mechanically.

eg. The work he used to do as a welder in the assembly plant has been taken over by a sophisticated automaton designed overseas.

Question 8

implacable

Answer 8

Not capable of being pleased, satisfied, or changed.

eg. Attempts to negotiate a peace settlement between such implacable enemies seem doomed to failure.

Question 9

autoimmune

Answer 9

Of, relating to, or caused by antibodies that attack molecules, cells, or tissues of the organism producing them.

eg. His doctors suspected that the strange combination of symptoms might be those of an autoimmune disease.

Question 10

autonomy

Answer 10

(1) The power or right of self-government.
(2) Self-directing freedom, especially moral independence.

eg. Though normally respectful of their son’s autonomy, the Slocums drew the line at his request to take a cross-country motorcycle trip.

Question 11

autism

Answer 11

A condition that begins in childhood and causes problems in forming social relationships and in communicating with others and includes behavior in which certain activities are constantly repeated.

eg. She was beginning to think that her four-year-old’s strange behavior and complete lack of interest in his playmates might be due to autism.

Question 12

gratify

Answer 12

(1) To be a source of pleasure or satisfaction; give pleasure or satisfaction to.
(2) To give in to; indulge or satisfy.

eg. It gratified him immensely to see his daughter bloom so beautifully in high school.

Question 13

gratuity

Answer 13

Something, especially a tip, given freely.

eg. After sitting for three hours over a six-course meal at Le Passage, we always leave the waiter a very generous gratuity.

Question 14

gratuitous

Answer 14

Not called for by the circumstances.

eg. Members of the committee were objecting to what they considered gratuitous violence on television.

Question 15

ingratiate

Answer 15

To gain favor or acceptance by making a deliberate effort.

eg. None of her attempts to ingratiate herself with the professor seemed to improve her grades.

Question 16

clamor

Answer 16

(1) Noisy shouting; loud, continuous noise.
(2) Strong and active protest or demand.

eg. The clamor in the hallways between classes was particularly loud that morning as news of the state championship swept through the student body.

Question 17

acclamation

Answer 17

(1) A loud, eager indication of approval, praise, or agreement.
(2) An overwhelming yes vote by cheers, shouts, or applause.

eg. To the principal’s suggestion that Friday be a holiday to honor the victors in the national math olympics, the students yelled their approval in a long and loud acclamation.

Question 18

declaim

Answer 18

To speak in the formal manner of someone delivering a speech.

eg. Almost any opinion can sound convincing if it’s declaimed loudly and with conviction.

Question 19

proclaim

Answer 19

To declare or announce publicly, officially, or definitely.

eg. He burst into the dorm room, jumped onto his bed, and proclaimed that he had just aced the sociology exam.

Question 20

aristocrat

Answer 20

The highest social class in a country, usually because of birth and wealth.

eg. A wealthy aristocrat from a famous European family, she surprised everyone by becoming a supporter of little-known jazz musicians.

Question 21

autocratic

Answer 21

(1) Having to do with a form of government in which one person rules.
(2) Resembling the ruler of such a government.

eg. It’s hard to believe that a guy who seems so nice to his friends is an autocratic boss who sometimes fires people just because he’s in a bad mood.

Question 22

bureaucrat

Answer 22

(1) An appointed government official.
(2) An official of a government or system that is marked by fixed and complex rules that often result in long delays.

eg. To settle his insurance claim he had to make his way through four or five bureaucrats, every one of them with a new form to fill out.

Question 23

plutocracy

Answer 23

(1) Government by the wealthy.
(2) A controlling class of wealthy people.

eg. Theodore Roosevelt sought to limit the power held by the plutocracy of wealthy industrialists.

Question 24

punctilious

Answer 24

Very careful about the details of codes or conventions.

eg. A proofreader has to be punctilious about spelling and punctuation.

Question 25

punctual

Answer 25

Being on time; prompt.

eg. The company had become much more punctual under the new president, and every meeting started precisely on time.

Question 26

compunction

Answer 26

(1) Anxiety caused by guilt.
(2) A slight misgiving.

eg. Speeding is something many people seem to do without compunction, their only concern being whether they’ll get caught.

Question 27

acupuncture

Answer 27

A method of relieving pain or curing illness by inserting fine needles through the skin at specific points.

eg. As a last resort he agreed to try acupuncture treatment with Dr. Lu, and his pain vanished like magic.

Question 28

potential

Answer 28

(1) The possibility that something will happen in the future.
(2) A cause for hope.

eg. If the plan works we’ll be millionaires, but the potential for disaster is high.

Question 29

impotent

Answer 29

Lacking power or strength.

eg. The government now knows it’s utterly impotent to stop the violence raging in the countryside, and has basically retreated to the capital city.

Question 30

plenipotentiary

Answer 30

A person, such as a diplomat, who has complete power to do business for a government.

eg. In the Great Hall, in the presence of the Empress, the plenipotentiaries of four European nations put their signatures on the treaty.

Question 31

potentate

Answer 31

A powerful ruler.

eg. After 18 years as president of the college, he wielded power like a medieval potentate, and no one on the faculty or staff dared to challenge him.

Question 32

ambrosia

Answer 32

(1) The food of the Greek and Roman gods.
(2) Something extremely pleasant to taste or smell.

eg. After two days lost in the woods, the simple stew tasted like ambrosia to them.

Question 33

dogma

Answer 33

(1) Something treated as established and accepted opinion.
(2) A principle or set of principles taught by a religious organization.

eg. New findings about how animals communicate are challenging the current dogma in the field.

Question 34

gratis

Answer 34

Without charge; free.

eg. The service is gratis, since it comes as part of a package deal.

Question 35

eureka

Answer 35

An exclamation used to express triumph and delight on a discovery.

eg. The mountain town of Eureka, California, was named for the cries of delight by prospectors when they discovered gold in them thar hills.

Question 36

per se

Answer 36

By, of, or in itself; as such.

eg. He claims that the reason for the invasion wasn’t oil per se, but rather the country’s dangerous military power, which had been made possible by its oil.

Question 37

opus

Answer 37

A creative work, especially a musical composition or set of compositions numbered in order of publication.

eg. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is also known as Opus (Op.) 125.

Question 38

impetus

Answer 38

(1) A driving force or impulse; something that makes a person try or work hard; incentive.
(2) Momentum.

eg. The promise of a nice bonus gave us all an added impetus for finishing the project on time.

Question 39

thesis

Answer 39

(1) An opinion or proposition that a person presents and tries to prove by argument.
(2) An extended paper that contains the results of original research, especially one written by a candidate for an academic degree.

eg. She’s done all the coursework needed for her master’s degree but hasn’t yet completed her thesis.