WW12 Lesson 6 (Fifi)

Question 1

actuate

Answer 1

(v)

1. To cause to put into mechanical motion.
   * A thermostat is _actuated_ by changes of temperature.
2. To cause to take action.
   * Telecasts of the grievances of Native American women _actuated_ Wilma Olaya, a Cherokee, to return to Oklahoma where she became the tribe’s first female chief.

Question 2

brackish

Answer 2

(adj)

1. Made up of a mixture of fresh water and seawater.
   * Crabs thrive in the _brackish_ waters of the estuary,
2. Having an unpleasant taste.
   * The coffee had been brewed hours before and was now so _brackish_ that it was undrinkable.

Question 3

cognitive

Answer 3

(adj)

Relating to mental processes such as awareness, remembering, and reasoning.

• A person’s _cognitive_ skills can be evaluated using psychological tests.

Question 4

dissertation

Answer 4

(n)

A lengthy, usually written discussion of a topic, often for a college or university degree.

• On completion of her _dissertation_ oh phosphoarginine functions in invertebrates, Perry received her M.S. degree.

Question 5

dolorous

Answer 5

(adj)

Causing or marked by pain, misery, or sorrow.

• Mexican artist Frida Kahlo used graphic imagery to express grief in her _dolorous_ self-portraits.

Question 6

endemic

Answer 6

(adj)

Widepsread or peculiar to a certain place or among a certain people.

• Malaria is _endemic_ to the tropics.

Question 7

fecund

Answer 7

(adj)

1. Producing or capable of producing many offspring.
   * Johann Sebastian Bach and his wife Anna were a _fecund_ couple who had twenty children.
2. Intellectually or artistically productive; creative.
   * Bach was a _fecund_ composer, and among his many works are some 300 sacred cantatas.

Question 8

genealogy

Answer 8

(n)

The history of a family and how its members are related to one another; also the study of such family histories.

• Martha can trace her family’s _genealogy_ all the way back to pilgrims on the Mayflower in 1620.

Question 9

inebriated

Answer 9

(adj)

Deprived of good sense and judgment, especially as the result of imbibing alcohol.

• SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) make clear the horrors resulting from _inebriated_ persons at the wheel.

Question 10

insidious

Answer 10

(adj)

1. Seemingly harmless while actually being dangerous; treacherous or deceptive.
   * The rogue’s pose of rectitude was an _insidious_ attempt to win our trust.
2. Spreading harmfully in a subtle or gradual way.
   * Watching too much television has an _insidious_ effect on the minds of young children.

Question 11

interloper

Answer 11

(n)

One who intrudes on or interferes in the affairs of others.

• The tribe considered the tourists _interlopers_ and resented their stares.

Question 12

precursor

Answer 12

(n)

A person or thing that comes before and indicates the approach of another; a forerunner.

• Aching muscles can be the _precursor_ of a bout of the flu.

Question 13

presentiment

Answer 13

(n)

A feeling that something is about to occur.

• When the telephone rang, I had a _presentiment_ that Uncle Jack’s condition had worsened.

Question 14

ramification

Answer 14

(n)

An outgrowth of a simple idea or plan; a resulting development of consequence.

• Eliminating the position of Department Chair has _ramifications_ for all students in social studies courses.

Question 15

torpor

Answer 15

(n)

A state of mental or physical sluggishness or inactivity.

• Extreme heat often induces _torpor_ in those unused to the tropics.

(adj)

torpid