Verbal Diagnostic Test Chapter 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

despots

A

a ruler with absolute power and authority

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2
Q

malign

A

adj. evil or harmful

v. to speak negatively about someone or something

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3
Q

indignant

A

feeling or showing anger because of something unjust or unworthy : filled with or marked by indignation

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4
Q

munificent

A

adj. very generous

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5
Q

mendacious

A

given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or divergence from absolute truth

lying

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6
Q

nugatory

A

of little or no consequence : TRIFLING, INCONSEQUENTIAL

no value-useless

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7
Q

ersatz

A

being a usually artificial and inferior substitute or imitation

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8
Q

clandestine

A

marked by, held in, or conducted with secrecy : SURREPTITIOUS

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9
Q

solipsism

A

a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications and that the self is the only existent thing
also : extreme egocentrism

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10
Q

quixotic

A

exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.

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11
Q

cogent

A

(of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing.

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12
Q

ponderous

A

1: of very great weight
2: unwieldy or clumsy because of weight and size
3: oppressively or unpleasantly dull

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13
Q

cabal

A

1: the contrived schemes of a group of persons secretly united in a plot (as to overturn a government)
also : a group engaged in such schemes
2: CLUB, GROUP
a cabal of artists

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14
Q

literati

A
1: the educated class
also : INTELLIGENTSIA
2: persons interested in literature or the arts
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15
Q

hoi-polloi

A

1: the general populace : MASSES

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16
Q

parochial

A

If an issue or a matter is parochial, it is trivial or only concerns a local area. Likewise, a person with a parochial mentality is narrow-minded, or not open to new ideas. You may feel that there is no room in your life for the parochial attitudes of the older generation.

17
Q

dulcet

A

1: sweet to the taste
2: pleasing to the ear
dulcet tones
3: generally pleasing or agreeable
a dulcet smile

18
Q

facile

A
1a(1): easily accomplished or attained
a facile victory
(2): SHALLOW, SIMPLISTIC
I am not concerned … with offering any facile solution for so complex a problem
— T. S. Eliot
b: used or comprehended with ease
c: readily manifested and often lacking sincerity or depth
facile tears
19
Q

urbane

A

notably polite or polished in manner

20
Q

predilection

A

an established preference for something

21
Q

noxious

A

harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant.

22
Q

stolid

A

(of a person) calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation.

23
Q

officious

A

volunteering one’s services where they are neither asked nor needed

assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters.
“the security people were very officious”

offensively intrusive or interfering

24
Q

equivocal

A

subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or confuse

not clear or certain

25
Q

paean

A

a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or triumph

26
Q

poultice

A

a soft usually heated and sometimes medicated mass spread on cloth and applied to sores or other lesions

27
Q

foibles

A

a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior

28
Q

mores

A

1: the fixed morally binding customs of a particular group
have tended to withdraw and develop a self-sufficient society of their own, with distinct and rigid mores
— James Stirling
2: moral attitudes
the evershifting mores of the moment
— Havelock Ellis
3: HABITS, MANNERS
organized dancing developed a whole set of mores and practices of its own
— R. L. Taylor

29
Q

peccadilloes

A

slight offense

30
Q

innocuous

A

1: producing no injury : HARMLESS
2: not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility : INOFFENSIVE, INSIPID

31
Q

arresting

A

striking; eye-catching-dramatic

32
Q

ape

A

imitate

33
Q

ran the gamut

A

idiom, A to Z

34
Q

ran the gauntlet

A

withstood an attack from all sides