Week #5

Question 1

Define

Rampant

(ramˊpənt)

Answer 1

Going unchecked, widespread

When the plague was rampant on the island, Dr.
Arrowsmith’s wife died.

Question 2

Define

Inane

(in ānˊ)

Answer 2

Foolish

Orville Wright was criticized for his inane desire to fly.

Question 3

Define

Ethics

(ethˊiks)

Answer 3

Code of principles

A special management committee was asked to investigate business ethics.

Question 4

Define

Concur

(kən kėrˊ)

Answer 4

Agree

If I can get my parents to concur, I’ll join the Peace Corps.

Question 5

Define

Clandestine

(klan desˊtən)

Answer 5

Secret, undercover

The spies thought their meeting was a clandestine one
but a throng of F.B.I. agents gathered outside the
building.

Question 6

Define

Stock In Trade

Answer 6

The goods, tools and other requisites of a
profession

A quit wit and a warm smile was the saleman’s stock in
trade.

Question 7

Define

Flagrant

(flāˊgrənt)

Answer 7

Outrageous, glaringly bad

Parking in front of a hydrant is a flagrant violation of the city’s law.

Question 8

Define

Admonish

(ad monˊish)

Answer 8

To warn, to reprove

I suspect that my father will admonish me for coming home late.

Question 9

Define

Duress

(dü resˊ or dūā resˊ)

Answer 9

Compulsion, force

The confession was signed under duress, the attorney claimed.

Question 10

Define

Culprit

(kulˊprit)

Answer 10

The guilty person

The culprit was caught with his fingers in the cookie jar.

Question 11

Define

Inexorable

(in ekˊ sə rə bəl)

Answer 11

Inflexible, unrelenting

I suspect that my father will admonish me for coming
home late.

Question 12

Define

To Take Down A Peg

Answer 12

To take the conceit out of a braggart

The alumni thought they had a great basketball team, but our varsity took them down a peg.

Question 13

Define

Egregious

(i grəˊjəs)

Answer 13

Remarkably bad

The bank teller’s egregious error was difficult to correct.

Question 14

Define

Distraught

(dis trôtˊ)

Answer 14

Mentally confused, crazed

The soldiers were distraught to learn that their
furloughs had been canceled.

Question 15

Define

Duplicity

(dü plisˊə ti)

Answer 15

Cunning, trickery

Duplicity is the stock in trade of all adroit counterspies.

Question 16

Define

Acrimonious

(akˊrə mōˊni əs)

Answer 16

Bitter

We tried to ignore her acrimonious comments, but that took considerble restraint.

Question 17

Define

Paucity

(pôˊsə ti)

Answer 17

Scarcity

Although it was a creative writing class, the teacher
complained about the paucity of talent there.

Question 18

Define

To Pass The Buck

Answer 18

To evade responsibility

He always gives me a straight answer and never tries to pass the buck.

Question 19

Define

Elicit

(i lisˊit)

Answer 19

To draw forth

He hoped that we would not elicit his decision to run for office as a thirst for power.

Question 20

Define

Pernicious

(pər nishˊəs)

Answer 20

Harmful, causing injury

The dictator’s pernicious rules failed to intimidate the leaders of the underground.

Question 21

Define

Tolerate

(tolˊ ər āt)

Answer 21

To put with, to bear

Dentists appreciate patients who can tolerate pain.

Question 22

Define

Construe

(kən strüˊ)

Answer 22

To make a deduction, to infer

It isn’t easy to construe answers from a sleepy class on
Monday morning.

Question 23

Define

Impunity

(im pūˊnə ti)

Answer 23

Freedom from punishment

The border guards allowed the doctor to cross the
frontier with impunity.

Question 24

Define

To Lionize A Person

Answer 24

To make a big fuss over someone

When the famous poet Dylan Thomas visited the United States, he was lionized wherever he lectured.