vocabulary

Question 1

aberration

Answer 1

something that differs from the norm (In 1974, Poland won the World Cup, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and Poland have not won a World Cup since).

Question 2

abhor

Answer 2

to hate, detest (Because he always wound up getting hit in the head when he tried to play cricket, Marcin began to abhor the sport).

Question 3

amiable

Answer 3

friendly (An amiable fellow, Neil got along with just about everyone.

Question 4

appease

Answer 4

to calm, satisfy (When Jerry cries, his mother gives him chocolate to appease him.)

Question 5

arcane

Answer 5

obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane Kashubian literature.)

Question 6

avarice

Answer 6

excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass an enormous personal fortune.)

Question 7

brusque

Answer 7

short, abrupt, dismissive (Simon’s brusque manner sometimes offends his colleagues.)

Question 8

candor

Answer 8

honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the politician’s speech because she is usually rather evasive.)

Question 9

coerce

Answer 9

to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that David Beckham did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it.)

Question 10

coherent

Answer 10

logically consistent, intelligible (William could not figure out what Harold had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)

Question 11

demure

Answer 11

quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.)

Question 12

deride

Answer 12

to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The native speaker often derided the other teacher’s accent.)

Question 13

elated

Answer 13

overjoyed, thrilled (When he found out he had won the lottery, the postman was elated.)

Question 14

enmity

Answer 14

ill will, hatred, hostility (John and Scott have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.)

Question 15

flabbergasted

Answer 15

astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)

Question 16

gratuitous

Answer 16

uncalled for, unwarranted (Every evening the guy at the fish and chip shop gives me a gratuitous helping of vinegar.)

Question 17

intrepid

Answer 17

brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)

Question 18

jubilant

Answer 18

extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.)

Question 19

nadir

Answer 19

the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadir came when my new car was stolen.)

Question 20

cantankerous

Answer 20

bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative.

Question 21

deceitful

Answer 21

guilty of or involving deceit; deceiving or misleading others