voc "Islamic History"

Question 1

withstand

Answer 1

If something or someone withstands a force or action, they survive it or do not give in to it.
[formal]
…armoured vehicles designed to withstand chemical attack.
Exercise really can help you withstand stresses and strains more easily.

Question 2

rugged

Answer 2

A rugged area of land is uneven and covered with rocks, with few trees or plants.
[literary]
…rugged mountainous terrain.
If you describe a man as rugged, you mean that he has strong, masculine features.
[literary, approval]
A look of pure disbelief crossed Shankly’s rugged face.
If you describe someone’s character as rugged, you mean that they are strong and determined, and have the ability to cope with difficult situations.
[approval]
Rugged individualism forged America’s frontier society.

Question 3

uncouth

Answer 3

If you describe a person as uncouth, you mean that their behaviour is rude, noisy, and unpleasant.
[disapproval]
…that oafish, uncouth person.

Question 4

to sour

Answer 4

If a friendship, situation, or attitude sours or if something sours it, it becomes less friendly, enjoyable, or hopeful.
If anything sours the relationship, it is likely to be real differences in their world-views.

Question 5

to rebuke

Answer 5

If you rebuke someone, you speak severely to them because they have said or done something that you do not approve of.
[formal]
The company has been publicly rebuked by one of its largest shareholders over its executive pay levels.

Question 6

momentous

Answer 6

If you refer to a decision, event, or change as momentous, you mean that it is very important, often because of the effects that it will have in the future.
…the momentous decision to send in the troops.

Question 7

apostate

Answer 7

An apostate is someone who has abandoned their religious faith, political loyalties, or principles.
[formal]

Question 8

to harness

Answer 8

If you harness something such as an emotion or natural source of energy, you bring it under your control and use it.
We need to find new ways of harnessing that enthusiasm and commitment. [VERB noun]
Turkey plans to harness the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers for big hydro-electric power projects

Question 9

stalemate

Answer 9

Stalemate is a situation in which neither side in an argument or contest can win or in which no progress is possible.

Question 10

howsoever

Answer 10

a less common word for however

Question 11

to breed

Answer 11

If you breed animals or plants, you keep them for the purpose of producing more animals or plants with particular qualities, in a controlled way.
He lived alone, breeding horses and dogs. [VERB noun]
He used to breed dogs for the police.

Question 12

Fully fledged

Answer 12

Fully fledged means complete or fully developed.

The students will become fully-fledged chartered accountants after five years.

Question 13

realm

Answer 13

You can use realm to refer to any area of activity, interest, or thought.
[formal]
…the realm of politics. [+ of]
Students’ interests are mostly limited to the academic realm.

Question 14

kinsman

Answer 14

Someone’s kinsman is their male relative.
[literary, or written]
= un parent

Question 15

to impel

Answer 15

When something such as an emotion impels you to do something, it affects you so strongly that you feel forced to do it.
…the courage and competitiveness which impels him to take risks.

Question 16

strife

Answer 16

Strife is strong disagreement or fighting.
[formal]
Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.

Question 17

malign

Answer 17

If you malign someone, you say unpleasant and untrue things about them.
[formal]
We maligned him dreadfully when you come to think of it. [VERB noun]
Either the managers have been maligned or they are not telling the truth.
= diffamer, calomnier

Question 18

grudging

Answer 18

A grudging feeling or action is felt or done very unwillingly.
He even earned his opponents’ grudging respect.
There seems to be a grudging acceptance of the situation.

Question 19

to infer

inferred

Answer 19

If you infer that something is the case, you decide that it is true on the basis of information that you already have.
I inferred from what she said that you have not been well. [VERB that]
By measuring the motion of the galaxies in a cluster, astronomers can infer the cluster’s mass.

Question 20

to ply a route

Answer 20

If a ship, aircraft, or vehicle plies a route, it makes regular journeys along that route.
Eighteen boats plied the 1,000 miles of river along a trading route. [VERB noun]
The brightly-coloured boats ply between the islands.

Question 21

to sprawl

Answer 21

If you say that a place sprawls, you mean that it covers a large area of land.
The State Recreation Area sprawls over 900 acres. [VERB preposition]
If we continue to sprawl across the land, we’re in for a terrible future.

Question 22

to sprawl

Answer 22

If you say that a place sprawls, you mean that it covers a large area of land.
The State Recreation Area sprawls over 900 acres. [VERB preposition]
If we continue to sprawl across the land, we’re in for a terrible future.
= s’étendre, s’affaler

Question 23

pack animal

Answer 23

A pack animal is an animal such as a horse or donkey that is used to carry things on journeys.

Question 24

whereby

Answer 24

A system or action whereby something happens is one that makes that thing happen.
[formal]
…the system whereby Britons choose their family doctors and the government pays those doctors

Question 25

readership

Answer 25

The readership of a book, newspaper, or magazine is the number or type of people who read it.
Its readership has grown to over 15,000 subscribers.

Question 26

literacy

Answer 26

Literacy is the ability to read and write.

Many adults have some problems with literacy and numeracy.

Question 27

commensurate

Answer 27

If the level of one thing is commensurate with another, the first level is in proportion to the second.
[formal]
Employees are paid salaries commensurate with those of teachers. [+ with]
Managers saw a commensurate fall in their revenues.

Question 28

by

Answer 28

If something happens by a particular time, it happens at or before that time.
By eight o’clock he had arrived at my hotel.
We all knew by then that the affair was practically over.

Question 29

travelogue

Answer 29

A travelogue is a talk or film about travel or about a particular person’s travels.

Question 30

far-flung

Answer 30

Far-flung places are a very long distance away from where you are or from important places.
Ferries are a lifeline to the far-flung corners of Scotland.
…one of the farthest-flung outposts of the old Roman Empire.

Question 31

remit

Answer 31

Someone’s remit is the area of activity which they are expected to deal with, or which they have authority to deal with.
[British]
That issue is not within the remit of the working group. [+ of]
The centre has a remit to advise Asian businesses and entrepreneurs.

Question 32

kudos

Answer 32

Kudos is admiration or recognition that someone or something gets as a result of a particular action or achievement.
…a new hotel chain that has won kudos for the way it treats guests.

Question 33

to wage (a war)

Answer 33

If a person, group, or country wages a campaign or a war, they start it and continue it over a period of time.
…the three factions that had been waging a civil war. [VERB noun]
They waged a price war.

Question 34

to stifle

Answer 34

If someone stifles something you consider to be a good thing, they prevent it from continuing.
[disapproval]
Regulations on children stifled creativity. [VERB noun]
Critics have accused the U.S. of trying to stifle debate.

Question 35

to derive

Answer 35

If you derive something such as pleasure or benefit from a person or from something, you get it from them.
[formal]
Mr Ying is one of those happy people who derive pleasure from helping others.

Question 36

poll tax

Answer 36

a tax levied per head of adult population

Question 37

fritter away

Answer 37

If someone fritters away time or money, they waste it on unimportant or unnecessary things.
The firm soon started frittering away the cash it was generating. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
I seem to fritter my time away at coffee mornings.

Question 38

spendthrift

Answer 38

If you call someone a spendthrift, you mean that they spend too much money.
[disapproval]
Spendthrift is also an adjective.
…his father’s spendthrift ways.

Question 39

manumitted slave

Answer 39

esclave liberé

Question 40

to wrest

Answer 40

If you wrest something from someone else, you take it from them, especially when this is difficult or illegal.
[journalism, literary]
For the past year he has been trying to wrest control from the central government. [VERB noun + from]
The men had returned to wrest back power.

Question 41

to sap

Answer 41

If something saps your strength or confidence, it gradually weakens or destroys it.
I was afraid the sickness had sapped my strength. [VERB noun]
Analysts say the recession has sapped investor confidence.

Question 42

disgruntled

Answer 42

If you are disgruntled, you are cross and dissatisfied because things have not happened the way that you wanted them to happen.

Question 43

paradigmatic

Answer 43

You can describe something as paradigmatic if it acts as a model or example for something.
[formal]
Their great academic success was paraded as paradigmatic.

Question 44

inroad

Answer 44

1. an invasion or hostile attack; raid or incursion

2. an encroachment or intrusion

Question 45

to soften up

Answer 45

If you soften someone up, you put them into a good mood before asking them to do something.
[informal]
If they’d treated you well it was just to soften you up.

Question 46

to chisel

Answer 46

If you chisel wood or stone, you cut and shape it using a chisel.
They sit and chisel the stone to size.

Question 47

to square

Answer 47

If you square two different ideas or actions with each other or if they square with each other, they fit or match each other.
That explanation squares with the facts, doesn’t it? [VERB + with]
He set out to square his dreams with reality.

Question 48

to pick off

Answer 48

PHRASAL VERB
If someone picks off people or aircraft, they shoot them down one by one, aiming carefully at them from a distance.
Both groups on either side are just picking off innocent bystanders. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
Any decent shot with telescopic sights could pick us off at random. [VERB noun PARTICLE]