Vocab list 7

Question 1

cavort

Answer 1

jump or dance excitedly
The monkeys cavorted through the trees

Question 2

draconian

Answer 2

excessively harsh or severe
Draconian punishments should be eliminated

Question 3

gratuitous

Answer 3

uncalled for, unwarranted
The movie had gratuitous violence, and was therefore rated R.

Question 4

paleontologist

Answer 4

scientist who studies fossils
The ammatur paleontologist thought he had discovered dinosaur fossils in his own backyard; they were chicken bones

Question 5

labyrinth

Answer 5

a complicated irregular network of passages; a maze
Theseus escaped the Minotaur’s labyrinth

Question 6

enigmatic

Answer 6

difficult to understand or interpret; mysterious
He had an enigmatic expression

Question 7

baroque

Answer 7

relating to a style of European architecture, music, or art in the 17th century
The orchestra played a baroque piece.

Question 8

exigency

Answer 8

urgent need or demand
Women worked in factories when the exigencies of war demanded more civilian workers.

Question 9

sanguine

Answer 9

optimistic in a bad situation
Abby is always sanguine

Question 10

bibelot

Answer 10

a small, decorative ornament
The house was filled with bibelot

Question 11

concierge

Answer 11

an employee whose job it is to assist guests
The concierge helped the family make reservations at a resturant

Question 12

asperity

Answer 12

harshness of tone or manner
He pointed out the mistake with asperity

Question 13

eclipse

Answer 13

to outshine or overshadow
The success of the player eclipsed the team’s loss.

Question 14

effervescence

Answer 14

vivacity or enthusiasm
She was filled with the effervescence of youth

Question 15

eschew

Answer 15

deliberately avoid using
MLK Jr. told the Civil Rights movement to eschew violence

Question 16

repudiate

Answer 16

refuse to accept or be associated with
She repudiated the policies of her party

Question 17

mien

Answer 17

a person’s look or manner, especially one of a particular kind indicating their character
He has an academic mien

Question 18

venerable

Answer 18

given a great deal of respect because of age, wisdom, or character
George Washington was a venerable president

Question 19

swine

Answer 19

a pig, literally or figuratively
You ungrateful swine!

Question 20

arcane

Answer 20

understood by few
the code was arcane and could not be decoded

Question 21

alchemy

Answer 21

the study of turning metals into gold
The alchemist tried to turn his spoon into gold

Question 22

mitigate

Answer 22

to make less severe
he tried to mitigate the issue but failed

Question 23

posit

Answer 23

assume as a fact
the lawyer posited the defendant’s whereabouts

Question 24

guileless

Answer 24

devoid of guile
the guileless defendant pled his case in court

Question 25

banal

Answer 25

lacking in originality; obvious and boring It was painful to sit through the banal conversation

Question 26

miscreant

Answer 26

someone who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law the defendant was accused of being a miscreant

Question 27

gleaned

Answer 27

extract information from various sources she gleaned the information from various news sources

Question 28

implacable

Answer 28

stubborn, unmoveable the enemy was implaceable

Question 29

wastrel

Answer 29

a wasteful, good-for-nothing person The executive is a wastrel, tasting fossil fuels and company resources