Address (v.) (uh-DRES)
To address is to:#
A. Deal with
B. Put clothes on
C. Watch
D. Attach significance to
E. Delve into#
A*.) To address something is to deal with it, or to draw attention to it.
Upon being elected chairman, he immediately addressed the group's financial problems.
To address also is to give a speech or formal talk:
"Whenever Bob has to address the whole student body, he gets very nervous," the dean's wife confided.
To address also is to direct speech toward:
He addressed the king directly.$
Abysmal (adj.) (uh-BIZ-mul)
Abysmal means:#
A. Beyond reach
B. Abnormal
C. Rural
D. Infinitely deep
E. Full of ups and downs#
D*.) Abysmal means infinitely or immeasurably deep, limitless.
Her abysmal sadness sapped her energy for many months.
Abysmal also means hopelessly bad, wretched.
"It's an abysmal day and I'm not going to cheer up," declared Aunt Ida defiantly.$
Complement (n.) (KAHM-pluh-munt)
A complement is:#
A. Something that flatters
B. Something that organizes
C. Something that completes
D. Something that doesn't cost anything
E. Something that enfolds#
C*.) A complement is something that completes, perfects, or goes really well with something else; Garlic bread is a complement to spaghetti, popcorn is a complement to a good movie; A good book may be the perfect complement to a rainy Sunday afternoon, a DVD player complements a stereo system.
"Does red wine or white wine best complement fish?" asked Sheila.$
Clique (n.) (kleek)
A clique is:#
A. A nautical design
B. A distinctive pin
C. An exclusive group
D. A harem
E. A hair style#
C*.) A clique is a tight group from which others are excluded.
"Who wants to belong to that clique of snooty girls anyway?" exclaimed Naomi.$
Ascendancy (n.) (uh-SEN-dun-see)
Ascendancy refers to:#
A. A period of dominance
B. A great height
C. A phase of popularity
D. An increase
E. A Hierarchy#
A*.) Ascendancy is a controlling influence, a time of dominance.
Thankfully, the fascism that had risen to ascendancy in Europe in the 1930s faded after World War II.$
Bourgeois (adj.) (boor-ZHWAH)
Bourgeois would describe:#
A. Wealthy people
B. Royalty
C. Poor people
D. The Parisian working class
E. The middle class#
E*.) Bourgeois means middle class. Bourgeois is a term first used in France to describe a city dweller who was neither a farmer nor a noble. Today it is used to describe anyone with middle class values of materialism and respectability. The person who uses the term "bourgeois" usually feels that he is more "hip" than the person he is describing.
Philip's brother has a cell phone and season tickets to the opera. He is just so bourgeois.
Bourgeois is pronounced boor-ZHWAH$
Ambivalent (adj.) (am-BIV-uh-lunt)
If you are ambivalent you:#
A. Are hesitant
B. Have mixed feelings
C. Are passionately involved
D. Can do things with either hand
E. Are judgmental#
B*.) Ambivalent means having mixed feelings, holding attitudes that contradict one another leading to uncertainty. If you sometimes love the city where you live and sometimes hate it, you can be said to be ambivalent. If you think Jacob is extremely good looking, but also is selfish and conceited, you might be ambivalent about dating him.
When he brought up going to the shore on Robin's birthday, I felt ambivalent, but Robin assured me we could celebrate another time.$
Austere (adj.) (aw-STEER)
Austere means:#
A. Graceful
B. Depressed
C. Silent
D. Stark
E. Poverty stricken#
D*.) Austere means stark, without frills, stripped down, extremely simple
The monk's room was austere, without so much as a picture or a book, other than the Bible.
Austere also has the meaning of stern, cold, solemn and unemotional.
His austere personality made people both respect and fear him.
As a noun, austerity refers to stark simplicity, self-denial. Times of austerity are lean times:
In the course of his life, the Buddha experienced both opulence and austerity.$
Capricious (adj.) (kuh-PRISH-us)
Capricious means:#
A. Fun-filled
B. Extravagant
C. Open-minded
D. Delicate
E. Unpredictable#
E*.) Capricious means unpredictable, impulsive, erratic, arbitrary, subject to whims, prone to change without warning.
The Bill of Rights is a guarantee that the government will never act capriciously against any American citizen just because of appearance, ideas or beliefs.$
Ameliorate (v.) (uh-MEEL-yuh-rayt)
To ameliorate is to:#
A. Improve
B. Eradicate
C. Wish for
D. Worsen
E. Release from#
A*.) Ameliorate is to improve, to make better, to make tolerable.
Dr. Burns hoped that allowing young patients to watch M-TV would ameliorate their attitudes about visiting the dentist.$
Appreciate (v.) (uh-PREE-shee-ayt)
Appreciate means:#
A. To smile
B. To embrace
C. To value
D. To uplift
E. To love#
C*.) To appreciate something means to be conscious that it is valuable, to feel gratitude for it, to not take it for granted.
"I so much appreciate the help she gives me with algebra," said Ian with a meaningful smile.
To appreciate also means to increase in value.
Her stock portfolio has appreciated substantially over the years.
To appreciate also means to have an understanding of, or to acknowledge:
"I certainly can appreciate your dilemma," said Emily, "but I am not willing to lie for you."$
Ardent (adj.) (AHR-dent)
Ardent means:#
A. Strenuous
B. Impassioned
C. Stubborn
D. Difficult
E. Willful#
B*.) Ardent means impassioned, fervent, strongly enthusiastic.
He is an ardent Grateful Dead fan and has traveled all over the country to attend their concerts.$
Concise (adj.) (kun-CYSE)
Concise means:#
A. Long-winded
B. Tidy
C. Narrow
D. To the point
E. Messy#
D*.) Concise means to the point. Something that is concise is both brief and precise.
Her concise explanation told us all we needed to know within ten minutes.$
Arcane (adj.) (ahr-KAYN)
Arcane means:#
A. Ancient
B. Spooky
C. Secret
D. Unfashionable
E. Mountainous#
C*.) Arcane means secret in the sense of known to or understood by only an enlightened few. The secret teachings of a cult would be said to be arcane knowledge. The ability to create fire by rubbing sticks together could be called an arcane skill.$
Catalyst (n.) (KAT-uh-list)
A catalyst is:#
A. A harsh chemical
B. An incentive
C. A cat doctor
D. An activator
E. A symbol#
D*.) A catalyst is an activator, something that causes something else to happen.
"Add the right catalyst to this mixture and it will blow sky high," said Nick as he held up the test tube.$
Benevolent (adj.) (buh-NEV-uh-lunt)
Benevolent means:#
A. Kindly
B. Well-behaved
C. Nonviolent
D. Violent
E. Nontoxic#
A*.) Benevolent means kindly, generous, prone to good deeds, having good intentions.
His benevolent nature made it really hard for him to turn away anyone in need.$
Augment (v.) (awg-MENT)
To augment means:#
A. To debate
B. To repair
C. To substitute for
D. To argue against
E. To add to#
E*.) Augment means to add to, to make bigger or more intense.
He augmented the information he found in the encyclopedia with interviews of people who had fought in the war.$
Castigate (v.) (KAS-tuh-gayt)
Castigate means:#
A. To remove
B. To harshly criticize
C. To put down
D. To order around
E. To question#
B*.) To castigate is to reprimand, to harshly criticize for a perceived wrong.
When Jake showed up fifteen minutes late and without a tie, Marla castigated him mercilessly. She really chewed him out.$
Burgeon (v.) (BUR-jun)
To burgeon means:#
A. To grow
B. To plant
C. To explode
D. To club
E. To carry#
A*.) To burgeon is to grow, to flourish, to blossom forth.
"There has been a burgeoning interest in physics since he came to the department," admitted Mr. Manning.$
Cajole (v.) ( kuh-JOHL)
To cajole means:#
A. To enliven
B. To coax
C. To spice up
D. To wear out
E. To massage#
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