Word List 35

Question 1

Penury (n)

Answer 1

severe poverty; stinginess

When his pension funding failed, George feared he would end his days in penury

Question 2

Peon (n)

Answer 2

landless agricultural worker; bond servant
The reformers sought to liberate the peons and establish them as independent farmers
(peonage n)

Question 3

Perdition (n)

Answer 3

damnation; complete ruin

Praying for salvation, young Daedalus feared he was damned to eternal perdition

Question 4

Peregrination (n)

Answer 4

journey

Aunty Jane was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from Tijuana to Timbuktu

Question 5

Peremptory (adj)

Answer 5

demanding; and leaving no choice

From Jack’s peremptory knock on the door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in

Question 6

Perennial (n)

Answer 6

something long-lasting

Question 7

Perfidious (adj)

Answer 7

treacherous; disloyal

When Caesar realised that Brutus had betrayed him, he reproached his perfidious friend

Question 8

Perfunctory (adj)

Answer 8

superficial; not thorough; lacking interest

The auditor’s perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors

Question 9

Peripatetic (adj)

Answer 9

traveling about; ,moving from place to place

To scrape together a living, many musicians lead a peripatetic life

Question 10

Perjury (n)

Answer 10

false testimony while under oath

Question 11

Pernicious (adj)

Answer 11

very destructive
The Athenians argued that Socrates teaching had a pernicious effect on young and susceptible minds; therefore; they condemned him to death

Question 12

Perquisite (n)

Answer 12

any gains above stipulated salary

The perquisites attached to this job make it even more attractive than the salary indicates

Question 13

Personable (adj)

Answer 13

attractive

The individual I am seeking to fill this position must be personable

Question 14

Perspicacious (adj)

Answer 14

having insight; penetrating; astute;

The brilliant lawyer was known for his perspicacious deductions

Question 15

Perspicuity (n)

Answer 15

clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity

One of the outstanding features of this book is the perspicuity of its author

Question 16

Perspicuous (adj)

Answer 16

plainly expressed

Her perspicuous comments eliminated all possibility of misinterpretation

Question 17

Pert (adj)

Answer 17

impertinent; forward

I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an apology

Question 18

Pertinacious (adj)

Answer 18

stubborn; persistent

Question 19

Pertinent (adj)

Answer 19

suitable to the point

Question 20

Peruse (v)

Answer 20

read with care

Question 21

Perverse (adj)

Answer 21

stubbornly wrongheaded, wicked and unacceptable

Question 22

Pestilential (adj)

Answer 22

causing plague; baneful

People were afraid to explore the pestilential swamp

Question 23

Petulant (adj)

Answer 23

touchy; peevish

If everyone had annoyed you for three days, you’d sound petulant too

Question 24

Pharisaical (adj)

Answer 24

pertaining to the Pharisees, who had paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical

Question 25

Philistine (n)

Answer 25

narrow-minded person, uncultured and possibly only interested in material gain

Question 26

Phlegmatic (adj)

Answer 26

calm, not easily disturbed

The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic person

Question 27

Piecemeal (adv)

Answer 27

one part at a time; gradually

Question 28

Pine (v)

Answer 28

languish; decline; long for; yearn

Heidi pined for the mountains

Question 29

Piquant (adj)

Answer 29

pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating

The piquant sauce added to our enjoyment of the meal

Question 30

Pique (n)

Answer 30

irritation; resentment

Question 31

Pique (v)

Answer 31

provoke or arouse; annoy

Question 32

Pith (n)

Answer 32

core or marrow; essence; substance

Saying the debate team arguments lacked pith, the judges awarded the troops to their opponents

Question 33

Pithy (adj)

Answer 33

concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty

He summed it up in one pithy remark: “He’s bogus!”

Question 34

Placate (v)

Answer 34

pacify; conciliate
The store manager tried to placate the angry customer, offering to replace the damaged merchandise or to give back her money

Question 35

Placid (adj)

Answer 35

peaceful; calm

Question 36

Plaintive (adj)

Answer 36

mournful

The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call