Vocabulary 3

Question 1

ambivalent

Answer 1

having or showing simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings toward something or someone : characterized by ambivalence
… people whose relationship to their job is ambivalent, conflicted.

Question 2

aura

Answer 2

a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source
The place had an aura of mystery.

Question 3

indulge

Answer 3

to give free rein to

Question 4

turmoil

Answer 4

a state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation, or commotion

Question 5

perish

Answer 5

to become destroyed or ruined : cease to exist
recollection of a past already long since perished

Question 6

morose

Answer 6

having a sullen and gloomy disposition

Question 7

slouch

Answer 7

one that is unimpressive
especially : a lazy or incompetent person —used in negative constructions
was no slouch at cooking

Question 8

fare

Answer 8

material provided for use, consumption, or enjoyment

Question 9

smack of

Answer 9

to seem to contain or involve (something unpleasant)
That suggestion smacks of hypocrisy.

Question 10

dazzle

Answer 10

to impress deeply, overpower, or confound with brilliance
dazzled us with her wit

Question 11

passable

Answer 11

good enough : ADEQUATE

Question 12

conjure

Answer 12

IMAGINE, CONTRIVE —often used with up
We conjure up our own metaphors for our own needs …
—R. J. Kaufmann
conjured up a clever plan to raise the money

Question 13

ream

Answer 13

a great amount —usually used in plural
reams of information

Question 14

exacerbate

Answer 14

to make more violent, bitter, or severe
The new law only exacerbates the problem.

Question 15

dexterous

Answer 15

mentally adroit and skillful : CLEVER
her dexterous handling of the crisis

Question 16

tumble

Answer 16

to decline suddenly and sharply (as in price) : DROP
the stock market tumbled

Question 17

expenditure

Answer 17

something expended : DISBURSEMENT, EXPENSE
income should exceed expenditures

Question 18

tot up

Answer 18

to add numbers together to find out the total
He totted up the bill.

Question 19

shell out

Answer 19

pay
shell out on it consultants

Question 20

thicket

Answer 20

something resembling a thicket in density or impenetrability : TANGLE
a political thicket
a thicket of reporters

Question 21

menial

Answer 21

of or relating to servants : LOWLY
a menial worker

Question 22

whizz

Answer 22

to fly or move swiftly especially with a whiz
cars whizzing by

Question 23

tentatively

Answer 23

with hesitancy or uncertainty : in a tentative manner
He tentatively agreed to the deal.

Question 24

consternation

Answer 24

amazement or dismay that hinders or throws into confusion
the two … stared at each other in consternation, and neither knew what to do

Question 25

underpin

Answer 25

to form part of, strengthen, or replace the foundation of
underpin a structure

Question 26

revered

Answer 26

regarded with reverence : regarded as worthy of great honor and respect. ex. revered composer

Question 27

craniotomy

Answer 27

surgical opening of the skull

Question 28

vain

Answer 28

marked by futility or ineffectualness : UNSUCCESSFUL, USELESS
vain efforts to escape

Question 29

upend

Answer 29

to set or stand on end.
ex. upended long held beliefs

Question 30

debilitating

Answer 30

causing serious impairment of strength or ability to function
debilitating pain

Question 31

ailment

Answer 31

a bodily disorder or chronic disease
a stomach ailment

Question 32

ardent

Answer 32

characterized by warmth of feeling typically expressed in eager zealous support or activity
ardent fans

Question 33

acolyte

Answer 33

one who attends or assists a leader : FOLLOWER
The mayor dined with a few of his acolytes.

Question 34

inadvertent

Answer 34

UNINTENTIONAL
an inadvertent omission

Question 35

provenance

Answer 35

ORIGIN, SOURCE

Question 36

bona fide

Answer 36

AUTHENTIC, GENUINE, BONA FIDE mean being actually and exactly what is claimed.

Question 37

predispose

Answer 37

to make susceptible
malnutrition predisposes one to disease

Question 38

nonagenarian

Answer 38

a person whose age is in the nineties

Question 39

spry

Answer 39

able to move quickly, easily, and lightly : NIMBLE sense 1 —used especially to describe an older person
a spry 75-year-old

Question 40

brunt

Answer 40

the principal force, shock, or stress (as of an attack)
bear the brunt of the storm

Question 41

relic

Answer 41

a trace of some past or outmoded practice, custom, or belief

Question 42

precarious

Answer 42

characterized by a lack of security or stability that threatens with danger
older people are still in a precarious position

Question 43

tune out

Answer 43

to become unresponsive to : IGNORE

Question 44

fend off

Answer 44

to defend oneself against (someone or something)
They succeeded in fending off the attack/attackers.

Question 45

Compound

Answer 45

to add to : AUGMENT
had several other medical complications that compounded his condition.

Question 46

encompass

Answer 46

INCLUDE, COMPREHEND
a plan that encompasses a number of aims

Question 47

comorbidity

Answer 47

existing simultaneously with and usually independently of another medical condition

Question 48

precarity

Answer 48

the state or condition of being precarious : PRECARIOUSNESS
The older brother—Dave—raises the younger one, a responsibility that gives him a perpetual sense of life’s urgency and precarity.

Question 49

precursor

Answer 49

one that precedes and indicates the approach of another

Question 50

conundrum

Answer 50

an intricate and difficult problem
He is faced with the conundrum of trying to find a job without having experience.