Vocabulary List 1

Question 1

not easily understood, mysterious, incapable of being investigated

Answer 1

inscrutable

Question 2

sad or gloomy, esp in an exaggerated way

Answer 2

lugubrious

Question 3

a crafty scheme (often sinister), plot

Answer 3

machination

Question 4

a violent, disordered state of affairs; a large powerful whirlpool

Answer 4

mealstrom

Question 5

changing suddenly and unpredictably; fluctuating; going up and down

Answer 5

mercurial

Question 6

a small amount of something

Answer 6

modicum

Question 7

very generous

Answer 7

munificent

Question 8

lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair

Answer 8

nadir

Question 9

harmful to health, poisonous, morally harmful

Answer 9

noxious

Question 10

obedient or attentive in a servile way, making oneself subordinate to another’s wishes out of fear or hope of gain

Answer 10

obsequious

Question 11

very evident, obvious, capable of being touched

Answer 11

palpable

Question 12

devoted to, in favor of, loyal

Answer 12

staunch

Question 13

expressed in a few words, brief in words, to the point

Answer 13

succinct

Question 14

boredom

Answer 14

tedium

Question 15

a long, angry speech or denunciation, a prolonged public condemnation

Answer 15

tirade

Question 16

a remedy for all diseases or problems

Answer 16

panacea

Question 17

a strong and continued taste or inclination for something

Answer 17

penchant

Question 18

wise, exercising good judgment

Answer 18

prudent

Question 19

soft, wet ground; a difficult or dangerous situation from which it is hard to free oneself

Answer 19

quagmire

Question 20

inclined to be silent, reserved in speech

Answer 20

reticent

Question 21

partying, noisy merrymaking

Answer 21

revelry

Question 22

conscientious, careful, rigorously precise, carefully observing what is morally right

Answer 22

scrupulous

Question 23

tending to cause sleep

Answer 23

soporific

Question 24

foul from lack of movement; not flowing; not developing or growing

Answer 24

stagnant

Question 25

bold in assuming something, forward, impertinent, taking something for granted in the absence of proof

Answer 25

presumptuous