Sentence Completion questions of GRE
Although great care is ---- in the investigation of a crime scene, the rapid deterioration of some forms of evidence demands ----.
A desirable..haste
B unnecessary..swiftness
C required..thoroughness
D assumed..attention
E common..speed
Faced with a barrage of ---- advice about infant sleep patterns, nutritional requirements, and emotional needs, new mothers are frequently confused.
A useful
B scholarly
C important
D traditional
E conflicting
When Australian cane toads are ----, they release a venom from glands on the back of their heads that has proven to have hallucinogenic effects on potential predators.
A retractable
B curious
C antagonized
D satiated
E somnolent
In order to survive the challenges they found in ---- environments, human ancestors had to be ---- changing circumstances.
A dynamic .. adaptable to
B hospitable .. impervious to
C improving .. resistant to
D stagnant .. untroubled by
E dangerous .. cynical about
At the turn of the eighteenth century, ---- by increased consumption of tea, coffee and sugar worldwide, sugar overtook tobacco as America's most ---- export.
A driven . . dangerous
B influenced . . overlooked
C propelled . . expensive
D spurred . . lucrative
E hindered . . desired
Edgar's ---- writings won fame more for their eccentricity than their message.
A idiosyncratic
B prophetic
C political
D arcane
E esoteric
The problem of world hunger is ---- in sub-Saharan Africa, where one-third of the population is ---- undernourished.
A most palatable . . perpetually
B bleakest . .chronically
C most tangible . . barely
D most serious . . never
E hardiest . . slightly
Despite his ---- of formal training, members of the industry sought out the designer because he offered solutions based on practical ---- rather than textbooks.
A abundance . . formulae
B absence . . theory
C battery . . hearsay
D lack . . experience
E want . . academics
Claiming that they talk ---- of trivial matters, the girls in the outdoors club accuse the school's cheerleaders of being ----.
A candidly . . vacuous
B insightfully . . irritating
C infrequently . . predictable
D profoundly . . cerebral
E incessantly . . vapid
Though the counting method used by the federal census is a seemingly ---- issue, because of its importance in determining funding it is also a politically ---- one.
A innocuous . . viable
B ineluctable . . volatile
C vital . . insignificant
D arcane . . sensitive
E obscure . . uninteresting
One of the most ---- consequences of the Industrial Revolution was that it wiped out the ---- division of society into church, aristocracy, and commoners.
A dramatic . . arcane
B innocuous . . ancient
C radical . . endemic
D enduring . . esoteric
E significant . . tripartite
Some view the French Revolution not as a single uprising but as a collection of ---- revolutions; peasants, bourgeoisie, and artisans expressed their discontent in simultaneous ----.
A concomitant . . excursions
B concurrent . . uprisings
C divergent . . predilections
D successive . . rebellions
E manorial . . demonstrations
If the current movement favoring the use of pharmaceuticals in psychiatric medicine ----, there won't be a single ---- without a drug to prescribe for its treatment.
A continues . . doctor
B persists . . condition
C ceases . . illness
D attenuates . . malady
E intensifies . . cure
The effort to meet the world's growing ---- for energy has led corporations to exploit new technologies and look for alternate sources of energy in ---- places.
A disingenuous . . unexploited
B thirst . . untoward
C need . . desultory
D demand . . unexpected
E desire . . amorous
Though in agreement with most of the ---- of rationalist philosophy, Sigmund Freud had less confidence in the power of reason than some thinkers before him, and unlike them he believed humans were not ---- rational creatures.
A lessons . . immutably
B precepts . . fundamentally
C idioms . . essentially
D innovations . . irreducibly
E versions . . especially
Malcolm's library was both ---- and ----; he had shelf after shelf of titles on every subject.
A monotonous .. exhaustive
B immutable .. extensive
C varied .. voluminous
D heterogeneous .. limited
E diverse .. meager
The explosion of the British art scene in recent years has resulted in a dispersion of galleries in London, as the older ones downtown ---- for attention with newer ones on the ---- of the city.
A vie . . subalterns
B strive . . bottom
C struggle . . inside
D clamor . . outskirts
E compete . . periphery
The paleontologist seemed ---- the punishing heat; she could walk all day intently scanning the ground for fossils.
A cognizant of
B reluctant about
C mournful about
D disappointed by
E oblivious to
Because opium and morphine are ---- the poppy plant, people who have eaten poppy seed bagels or cakes occasionally receive false positives in drug tests.
A hybrids of
B derived from
C prescriptive to
D corollaries of
E antithetical to
Transportation problems are ----; reduced public transit service leads to increased use of automobiles, which results in greater traffic congestion.
A ambiguous
B spontaneous
C interrelated
D superficial
E objective
To test his theory that prehistoric men used frozen lakes as refrigerators for their mammoth meat, the ---- ate horse meat he had left in a local pond for several months.
A immunologist
B abolitionist
C paleontologist
D archivist
E chemist
Because various methods of birth control are more prevalent in affluent nations, population growth is generally much ---- in rich nations than in poor ones.
A more rapid
B more restrained
C more enduring
D less slow
E more steady
Over the years, the apprentice has ---- been gaining ----.
A quickly . . dexterity
B certainly . . wealth
C slowly . . mastery
D steadily . . currency
E inexplicably . . ability
When criticized for his ---- performance, the athlete responded with an angry ---- directed at his coach and his teammates.
A disloyal . . speech
B disastrous . . panegyric
C eccentric . . diatribe
D lackluster . . harangue
E immutable . . invective
From slapstick to satire, tragedy to farce, the theater in early modern Europe took ---- forms.
A bifurcated
B multifarious
C dissipated
D dissonant
E comedic
After years of rapid ----, Atlanta has the longest commutes in the nation and air so polluted that the federal government has threatened to ---- highway funds.
A expansion . . withhold
B deterioration . . cut
C growth . . supplement
D decline . . double
E development . . augment
Irregularities in the orbits of some planets have allowed astronomers to ---- the existence of other, as of yet undiscovered, planets.
A adumbrate
B collate
C infer
D derive
E forestall
Fearful that the matter would ---- into a ----, the company chose to settle the controversy as quickly as possible.
A deteriorate .. obligation
B escalate .. scandal
C ripen .. conspiracy
D improve..annoyance
E blossom..contradiction
Because he enjoyed only ---- support in Congress, the president was forced to ---- the views of his detractors when making his decisions.
A ephemeral . . uphold
B marginal . . consider
C partial . . denigrate
D inconsistent . . formulate
E cosmetic . . evaluate
The frantic expansion of William Randolph Hearst's publishing empire, and the debts New York bankers carried for him, serve as a perfect metaphor for the ---- of the 1920s.
A frugality
B frivolity
C recklessness
D entertainment
E carousing
Attention deficit disorder is so ---- that ---- about its recognition and treatment persists among physicians as well as the public.
A complex .. confusion
B prevalent .. antagonism
C severe .. indifference
D unique .. contempt
E oversimplified .. impatience
Punishment should be ----, when the criminal act is still fresh in the mind of the perpetrators.
A harsh
B appropriate
C carefully considered
D immediate
E thorough
Contrary to popular expectations, the underdog gymnastics team ---- the competition.
A lost
B withdrew from
C entered
D welcomed
E won
Unlike her ---- sister, Maria would boldly join the conversation at any gathering.
A brash
B obstinate
C apathetic
D timid
E humorless
The emperor was responsible for reestablishing friendly relations with the West, forging ---- ties by sending an ambassador to every important city in Europe.
A economic
B political
C social
D religious
E diplomatic
Despite his reputation as a renowned journalist, he wrote an article ---- factual errors and glaring omissions.
A containing
B refuting
C correcting
D inciting
E dismissing
Beginning in 1347, the plague ---- Europe periodically for 150 years, ---- the population in some areas by as much as a third.
A visited . . augmenting
B infected . . lionizing
C ravaged . . reducing
D indoctrinated . . decreasing
E bypassed . . slashing
Although he was ordinarily ----, Mr. Wendell would talk at length about his hobbies.
A reticent
B insistent
C satisfied
D wordy
E persuasive
The young reporter took the ---- assignment, thinking of it as a way station until something better came along.
A career
B interim
C notorious
D prestigious
E sinister
Due to its ---- topography and setting, Gibraltar has an unparalleled variety of flora and fauna.
A commonplace
B useful
C serene
D uncommon
E standard
# The fact that the- of confrontation is no longer as popular as it once was - progress in race relations.
1. insidiousness - reiterates
2. practice - inculcates
3. glimmer - foreshadows
4. technique - presages
5. reticence - indicates
# A child should not be - as being either very shy or over - aggressive.
1. categorized
2. instructed
3. intoned
4. distracted
5. refrained
# President Anwar el - Sadat of Egypt, disregarding - criticism in the Alab world and in his own Government, - accepted prime minister Menahem Begin's invitation to visit Israel in order to address the Israeli parliament.
1. acrimonious - formally
2. blemished - stiffly
3. categorical - previously
4. malignant - plaintively
5. charismatic - meticulously
# In his usual - manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.
1. pensive
2. providential
3. indifferent
4. circumspect
5. caustic
# We never believed that he would resort to - in order to achieve his goal; we always regarded him as a - man.
1. charm - insincere
2. necromancy - pietistic
3. logic - honorable
4. prestidigitation - articulate
5. subterfuge - honest
# The Sociologist responded to the charge that her new theory was - by pointing out that it did not in fact contradict accepted sociological principles.
1. unproven
2. banal
3. superficial
4. complex
5. heretical
# Despite assorted effusion to the contrary, there is no necessary link between scientific skill and humanism, and quite possibly, there may be something of a - between them.
1. dichotomy
2. congruity
3. reciprocity
4. fusion
5. generosity
# The most technologically advanced societies have been responsible for the greatest - indeed savagery seems to be indirect proposition to -
1. inventions - know-how
2. wars - viciousness
3. triumphs - civilizations
4. atrocities - development
5. catastrophes - ill-will
# Ironically, the party leaders encountered no greater - their efforts to build as Progressive Party than the - of the progressive already elected to the legislature.
1. obstacle to - resistance
2. support for - advocacy
3. praise for - reputation
4. threat to - promise
5. benefit - success
# The simplicity of the theory - its main attraction - is also its - for only by - the assumptions of the theory is it possible to explain the most recent observations made by researchers.
1. glory - rejecting
2. liability - accepting
3. undoing - supplementing
4. downfall - considering
5. virtue - qualifying
# That the Third Battalion's fifty percent casually rate transformed its assault on Hill 306 from a brilliant stratagem into a debacle does not - eyewitness reports of its commander's extra-ordinary - in deploying his forces.
1. invalidate - brutality
2. gainsay - cleverness
3. underscore - ineptitude
4. justify - rapidity
5. corroborate -determination
# No longer - by the belief that the world around us was expressly designed for humanity, many people try to find intellectual - for that lost certainty in astrology and in mysticism.
1. satisfied - reasons
2. reassured - justifications
3. restricted - parallels
4. sustained - substitutes
5. hampered - equivalents
# In eighth-century Japan, people who - wasteland were rewarded with official ranks as part of an effort to overcome the shortage of - fields.
1. cultivated - domestic
2. located - desirable
3. conserved - forested
4. reclaimed - arable
5. irrigated - accessible.
# Clearly refuting sceptics, researchers have - not only that gravitational radiation exists but that it also does exactly what the theory- it should do.
1. assumed - deducted
2. estimated - accepted
3. supposed - asserted
4. doubted - warranted
5. demonstrated - predicted.
# Melodramas, which presented stark oppositions between innocence and criminality, virtue and corruption, good and evil, were popular precisely because they offered the audience a world - of -
1. deprived - polarity
2. full - circumstantiality
3. bereft - theatricality
4. devoid - neutrality
5. composed - adversity.
# Sponsors of the bill were-because there was no opposition to it within the legislative, until after the measure had been signed into law.
1. well-intentioned
2. persistent
3. detained
4. unreliable
5. relieved.
# Ecology, like economics, concerns itself with the movement of valuable - through a complex network of producers and consumers.
1. nutrients
2. dividends
3. communications
4. artifacts
5. commodities.
# Having fully embraced the belief that government by persuasion is preferable to government by - the leaders of the movement have recently - most of their previous statements supporting totalitarianism.
1. proclamation - codified
2. coercion - repudiated
3. participation - moderated
4. intimidation - issued
5. demonstration - deliberated.
# It would be difficult for one so - to be led to believe that all men are equal and that we must disregard race, color and creed.
1. tolerant
2. democratic
3. broadminded
4. emotional
5. intolerant.
# Many philosophers agree that the verbal aggression of profanity in certain redical newspapers is not - or childish, but an assault on - essential to the revolutionary's purpose.
1. insolent - sociability
2. trivial - decorum
3. belligerent - fallibility
4. serious - propriety
5. deliberate - affectation.
21. The - tones of the flute succeeded in - his tense nerves.
1. rhapsodic - minimising
2. blatant - enhancing
3. hovendous - calming
4. vibrant - portraying
5. mellifluous - soothing.
22. Without the psychiatrist's promise of confidentiality, trust is - and the patient's communication limited; even though confidentiality can thus be seen to be precious in thercopy, moral responsibility sometimes requires a willingness to - it.
1. lost - forget
2. implicit - extend
3. impaired - sacrifise
4. ambiguous - apply
5. assumed - examine.
23. Parts of seventeenth-century Chinese pleasure gardens were not necessarily intended to look -they were designed expressly to evoke the agreeable melancholy resulting from a sense of the - of natural beauty and human glory.
1. great - immutability
2. joyful - mortality
3. conventional - wildness
4. cheerful - transitoriness
5. colorful - abstractness.
24. Despite the - of many of their colleagues, some scholars have begun to emphasize ''pop culture'' as a key for - the myths, hopes, and fears of contemporary society.
1. pedantry - reinstating
2. enthusiasm - symbolizing
3. skepticism - deciphering
4. antipathy - involving
5. discernment - evaluating.
25. If duty is the natural - of one's the course of future events, then people who are powerful have duty placed on them whether they like it or not.
1. outgrowth - control over
2. arbiter - responsibility for
3. correlate - understanding of
4. determinant - involvement in
5. mitigant - preoccupation with .
26. Clearly refuting sceptics, researches have - not only that gravitational radiation exists but that it also does exactly what the theory - it should do.
1. supposed - asserted
2. voubted -warranted
3. assumed - deduced
4. demonstrated - predicted
5. estimated - accepted
27. The Neolatonists' conception of a deity, in which perfection was measured by abundant fecundity, was contradicted by that of the Aristotelians, in which perfection was displayed in the - of creation.
1. variety
2. economy
3. profusion
4. clarity
5. precision.
28. It is a great - to be able to transfer useful genes with as little extra gene material as possible, because the donor's genome may contain, in addition to desirable genes, many genes with - effects.
1. Disappointment - superfluous
2. Convenience - exquisite
3. Advantage - deleterious
4. Accomplishment - profound
5. Misfortune - unpredictable.
29. While admitting that the risks incurred by use of the insecticide were not - the manufacturer's spokesperson argued that effective - were simply not available.
1. indeterminable - safeguards
2. unusual - alternatives
3. inconsequential - substitutes
4. proven - antidotes
5. increasing - procedures.
30. Human reaction to the realm of though is often as strong as that to sensible presences; our higher moral life is based on the fact that - sensations actually present may have a weaker influence on our action than do ideas of - facts.
1. emotional - impersonal
2. familiar : symbolic
3. disturbing - ordinary
4. material - remote
5. defenitive - controvoisial.
# Some scientists argue that carbon compounds play such a central role in life on earth because of the possibility of - resulting from the carbon atom's ability to form an unending series of different molecules.
1. variety
2. stability
3. deviations
4. invigorations
5. reproduction.
# It would be difficult for one so - to be led to believe that all men are equal and that we must disregard race, color and creed.
1. intolerant
2. democratic
3. emotional
4. patient
5. broadminded.
# An occasional - remark spoiled the - that made the paper memorable.
1. colloquial
2. trite - cliches
3. urbane - sophisticated
4. hackneyed - originality
5. jovial - fun.
# Broadway audiences have become inured to - and so - to be pleased as to make their ready ovations meaningless as an indicator of the quality of the production before them.
1. cleverness : eager
2. condescension : disinclined
3. sentimentality : reluctant
4. mediocrity : desperate
5. histrionics : unlikely
# Nineteenth - century scholars, by examining earlier geometric Greek art, found that classical Greek art was not a magical - or a brilliant - blending Egyptian and Assyruin art, but was independently evolved by Greeks in Greece.
1. conversion - annexation
2. apparition - amalgam
3. stratagem - appropriation
4. paradigm - construct
5. example - synthesis
# The struggle of the generations is one of the obvious constants of human affairs; therefore, it may be presumptuous to suggest that the rivalry between young and old in western society during the current decade is - critical.
1. archetypally
2. perennially
3. disturbingly
4. uniquely
5. cautiously
# Even though in today's Soviet union the - Muslim clergy have been accorded power and privileges, the Muslim laity and the rank - and - file clergy still. Have little - to practice their religion.
1. adversaries of - inclination
2. traditionalists among - incentive
3. practitioners among - opportunity
4. leaders of - latitude
5. dissidents within -obligation
# Unlike the Shakespearean plays, The ''closet dramas'' of the nineteenth century were meant to be - rather than -
1. seen - acted
2. read - acted
3. produced - acted
4. quiet - loud
5. sophisticated - urbane
# The little - known but rapidly expanding use of computers in mapmaking is technologically similar to the more - uses in designing everything from bolts to satellites.
1. ingenuous
2. recent
3. secure
4. publicized
5. successful
# Although his out numbered troops fought bravely, the general felt he had no choice but to - defeat and - a retreat.
1. oversee - reject
2. acknowledge - order
3. hasten - suggest
4. seek - try
5. overcome - request
GRE important words
GRE important words
Aberration - deviation
Usage: survivors of a major catastrophe are likely to exhibit aberrations of behavior
Access - to approach
Acclivity - an upward slope
Usage: car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.
Acronym –abbreviation
Acumen -exactness, mental keenness
Usage: Her business acumen helped her to succeed.
Adage -proverb, wise saying
Usage: There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.
Adherence - stick
Adhesive - bonding agent, glue, gum
Admonish - usurp (reprove),warn
Usage: He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.
Adversary - opposition, enemy
Usage: batman struggled to save the city from the villain’s wicked adversary.
Affable - lovable, approachable
Affinity - strong liking
Agrarian - related to agriculture
Alacrity - Eagerness, Readiness
Usage: they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.
Alienate - estrange (isolate), make hostile
Usage: her attempts to alienate the two friends failed.
Aloofness – unfriendliness, remoteness, apart, reserved
Usage: She remained aloof when all the rest conversed.
Ambiguity - unknown
Amiable - friendly
Annihilate - to destroy
Aplomb - Self-confidence, composure, poise
Usage: Owens’ aplomb in handling embarrassing moments was legendary
Apparatus - appliance
Asperity – roughness, severity, brusqueness, sharpness.
Usage: These remarks spoken with asperity stung the boys
Assess - determine the amount or value
Augury - prediction, prophecy.
Usage: he interpreted the departure of the birds as an augury of evil.
Avid - keen, eager
Usage: he was avid for learning everything he could get.
Awry – skewed, crooked, wrong, twisted, distorted
Usage: he held his head awry giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck.
Baffle - Frustrate, perplex
Baleful – threatening, deadly, menacing
Balmy – mild, clement, pleasant, fragrant
Usage: a balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast .
Banal - Stale, Common place, Usual
Baneful - Destructive, Harmful, cause of ruin
Usage: Lucy’s little brother was the bane of her existence
Behest - request
Belated - too late
Usage: belated birthday wishes
Belief - conviction
Bilk - baffle, cheat, elude*seek, inquire
Usage: Jim bilked his father in a property issue.
Boisterous - energetic, animated, violent, rough, noisy
Usage: the unruly crowd became more boisterous when he tried to quiet them
Brackish - salty, briny
Usage: he found that only wells in the area were brackish.
Brazen - bold, shameless, insolent
Usage: her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.
Cacophony –discordance,*melodiousness
Usage: there was a great Cacophony after the ambush.
Cajole - coax (wheedle – sweet talk)
Usage: she wanted to cajole her father
Callow – inexperienced, immature, youthful
Usage: he made fun of freshers as callow youths
Candid –frank, open,*guarded
Usage: Jamie is basically candid
Caprice - whim (impulse)
Usage: she was an unpredictable creature acting on caprice.
Cargo - freight (load)
Cavil – quibble, complain, niggled, split hairs, carp, make frivolous objections
Usage: I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant details.
Celibacy - Chastity, State of not being married
Usage: he was celibate throughout his life
Chaste - Pure, Modest, virginal
Usage: he was chaste in doing the work.
Chide - Scold
Usage: the principal chided the student.
Choleric - Hot Tempered, Irritate
Usage: his angry face indicated her choleric nature.
Churlish - Boorish, Cruel, Rude
Usage: she dismayed her friends by her churlish manners at the party
Circuitous - Indirect in action or language, round about
Usage: he had a circuitous approach towards the problem
Claustrophobia - fear
Cleft - split, crack
Usage: mountaineer grasps the edge of a cleft
Cliché - Commonplace, Truism, and phrase dulled in meaning due to repetition
Usage: school compositions are often marred by such clichés
Clutch –grasp, hold,*let go, volatile
Usage: he clutched the concept momentarily.
Coerce – force, compel, making someone to obey
Cognizance - knowledge
Usage: Sita had full Cognizance about politics
Cohere - hold together
Coincident - incidentally
Compensation - salary
Compunction - remorse (regret)
Usage: the criminal had shown no compunction for his crime
Conciliation -To make less angry or friendlier
Usage: she was still angry despite his conciliatory words.
Concur -acquiesce (accept)
Usage: did u concur with the court’s decision?
Confiscate - appropriate (to take charge), seize, commandeer
Usage: the army confiscated all the Uranium
Conglomeration - group, mass of material sticking together
Usage: in a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was difficult to analyze a single area
Connotation -Suggest in addition to the fundamental meaning
Usage: foreigners are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.
Console - to show sympathy
Constituent - accompanying
Contraband – illegal trade
Usage: the coast guard tries to prevent contraband in US waters.
Corpulent – fat, pump
Usage: The corpulent man resolved to reduce.
Covet - crave (desire)
Credibility - ability to common belief, quality of being credible .
Dangle – hang down,*stick up
Usage: Kate’s dangling was pretty.
Debacle - disaster, catastrophe;*success
Usage: September 11 attack was a greatest debacle
Décolleté – low necked, revealing
Usage: Fashion decrees that evening gowns be Décolleté this season;bare shoulders are again the vogue.
Decomposable - rotten
Defection - desertion
Usage: The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.
Degrade -damage, humiliate;*upgrade, exalt
Deprecate - Feel and express disapproval of
Depreciation - Deflation, Depression, Devaluation, fall, slump in value
Usage: If u neglect this property, it will depreciate.
Deprecate - feel and express disapproval
Usage: A firm believer in old fashioned courtesy, Miss post deprecated the modern tendencies to address new acquaintances by their first names..
Despondent -hopeless, dejected;*cheerful
Usage: Lampard looked despondent after he missed the goal
Detrimental -Harmful
Usage: The candidate’s acception of major financial contributions from a well-known racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign.
Diatribe – attack, criticism
Usage: During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent, he remained calm.
Differential - having or showing or making use of
Discretion - Prudence
Usage: Because we trusted our architect’s judgment, we left many decisions about the renovation to his discretion.
Dispel - dissipate (dismiss): Scatter
Usage: The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.
Distention - act out, stretching out, swelling out
Divulge –reveal, make known;*conceal
Usage: Jane divulged the truth before the highness.
Dwindle –decline, decrease,*incline, increase, and boom.
Usage: the IT industry dwindled in the early 21st century
Echelon - Level of authority or responsibility
Efface –wipeout, obliterate; *protect
Usage: the poachers effaced the fauna.
Eliminate - to reduce
Emancipate - liberate
Usage: At first, the attempts of the abolitionists to emancipate the slaves were unpopular.
Embrace - hug (hold-cuddle)
Usage: Robin Hood embraced him lovingly.
Ensue - follow
Usage: What a holler would ensue if the people had to pay the minister as much to marry them, as they have to pay a lawyer to get them a divorce.
Equanimity – composure, poise, calmness, self-control
Usage: Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother do not disturb Bea’s equanimity.
Erudite - wise, profound
Usage: Unlike much Scholarly writing, Huizinga’s prose was entertaining as well as erudite.
Equivocate - tallying on both sides
Usage: No matter how bad the news is, give it to us straight, above all Equivocate.
Expedite - hasten
Usage: The more expeditious your response is, the happier we will be.
Expedient - fitting proper, desirable
Usage: A pragmatic politician, she was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical.
Extraneous – irrelevant, unrelated
Usage: No wonder Ted can’t think straight! His mind is so cluttered up with extraneous trivia.
Fallible -Liable to err
Usage: Although I am fallible, I feel confident that I am right this time.
Felicitous – fortunate, luck
Usage: He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master of ceremonies.
Florid - Ornate, Showy
Usage: If u go to Florida and get sunburn, your complexion will look florid.
Fluctuate - wavering
Foil – frustrate, halt
Usage: In the end Skywalker was able to foil Vader’s diabolical schemes.
Furtive - stealthy (secret)
Usage: Noticing the furtive glance the customer gave the diamond bracelet on the counter.
Fuse -combine
Gambol - skip
Usage: Watching the children gambol in the park,Betty marvelled at their youthful energy.
Gauche - clumsy, vulgar
Usage: Compared to the sophisticated young ladies, tomboyish jo felt gauche and out of place.
Gaudy – garish, flashy, extravagant, loud, showy, colorful
Usage: The newest Trump skyscraper was typically gaudy, covered in glided panels.
Genuflect – kneel, bow
Usage: A proud democrat, he refused to genuflect to any man.
Gist – general idea, substance, essence
Guile – cunningness, deviousness, slyness, cleverness, wiliness
Usage: Lago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into believing that Desdimona has been unfaithful.
Hamper -basket, hinder, *facilitate
Usage: growth in cognizance should not be hampered
Harbinger -fore runner, herald
Usage: Christ was a perfect harbinger.
Heap - to pile (collect)
Heterogeneous - non-similar things
Usage: This year’s entering class is a heterogeneous body.
Hidebound - narrow-minded, *broadminded
High handed – dominant, imperious
Hover - linger (stay close)
Usage: The police helicopter hovered above the accident.
Icon – image, idol, emblem, symbol
Ignorance - blindness or inexperience
Illustrious –distinguished, famous;*obscure
Usage: Billy G is a very illustrious person.
Impugn -question, doubt, dispute *reply, trust
Usage: the committee impugned my work’s accuracy.
Incentive - spur, thing that encourages a person to do something
Inconsistent – conflicting, contradictory, unreliable, incompatible, incoherent
Incontinent -self-restraint, willpower; *abandon
Usage: his incontinence is his strength.
Incorrigible - habitual, persistent, inveterate, hopeless
Usage: Though widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible.
Indignity –native, inborn; *alien, accrued
Usage: he was endogenously gifted with poetic thoughts.
Indubitably – undoubtedly, certainly
Usage: Auditioning for the chorus lines, Molly was an indubitable hit.
Indulgent - Obliging
Usage: jay’s mom was excessively indulgent; she bought him every computer game in the market.
Inept –incompetent, inexpert; *competent
Usage; it was an inept combat that ever took place.
Inert - passive
Infirmity –illness, frailty, *health, supple;
Usage: it was his infirmity, which caused his failure.
Innovation -To make changes or introduce new things
Instigate - incite
Usage: Sir Toby sets out to instigate a quarrel between Sir Andrew and Cesario.
Interdict – prohibit, veto, injunction, bar, embargo
Usage: Civilized nations must interdict the use of nuclear weapons.
Intermittent -Externally stopping and then starting
Usage: The outdoor wedding reception had to be moved indoor to avoid the intermittent showers.
Intrinsic - essential
Usage: Although my Grandmother’s china has little intrinsic value, I will cherish it.
Inundate - flood, overwhelm;*starve
Usage: Clara was inundated with joy
Irksome –annoying, irritating:*pleasant
Usage: Bert is an irksome creature
Jaunty -carefree, cheerful;*troubled
Usage: Tery is a jaunty chap.
Lackluster - lack of vitality, dull;*bright
Usage: Don’t be a lackluster
Latent - potential
Latitude -scope
Usage: I think you have permitted too much latitude to your son in this matter.
Lethargy -stupor (lazy)
Litigation - engaging in a law suite
Usage: Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to start any litigation.
Manifestation -clear or obvious
Mawkish - Over emotional, weepy
Usage: Whenever Gigi and her boy friend would sigh and get all lovey-dovey, her little brother would shout protesting their mawkish behavior.
Meager -Scanty
Usage: Still hungry after a meager serving of porridge, Oliver Twist asked for more.
Melee -Fight, Combat
Usage: The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members.
Menial – unskilled, boring
Merry - gay
Metamorphosis - transform
Usage: The Metamorphosis of Caterpillar to butterfly is typical of any such changes in animal life.
Misanthrope - pessimist, cynic;*philanthropist.
Usage: His misanthropism is killing him.
Misapprehension –misunderstanding, delusion;*comprehend
Usage: that was the best way to avoid misapprehension.
Misery - distress
Mitigate - Appease, conciliate, make less intense, greater leniency*
Usage: Joshua is good at mitigating circumstances
Mollify – placate, pacify, calm, appease, soothe
Usage: The Airline customer service representative tried to mollify the angry passenger by offering her seat in first class.
Momentary - Transient
Moribund -declining, dying;*thriving, well;
Usage: the father revealed the will in his moribund.
Mulch -covering, protection, insulation*unprotected
Usage: there was excellent mulch over the clandestine resources
Mundane – ordinary, dull, monotonous, dreary
Usage: Tom talked only of mundane matters such as daily weather forecast
Musty – mildewed, moldy, stale, rank, fusty, stuffy
Usage: The attic was dark and musty.
Naive -innocent, rustic
Nebulous – vague, hazy, unformulated, tenuous
Usage: Sam and Paul tried to come up with a clear, intelligible business plan, and not some lazy, nebulous proposal
Negotiate - discuss or bargain
Nettle - annoy, bother* to please
Usage: he was nettling me for a long time.
Obese –fat, over weight;*under weight;
Usage: obesity is fatal
Obloquy –censure, disgrace,*praise
Usage: that was a worst political obloquy.
Omniscience – knowing all
Usage: I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.
Orthodox -. Conventional or superstitious
Usage: I belong to an orthodox family.
Ovation -applause
Usage: Dravid received a standing ovation for his match-saving knock.
Overt - obvious
Usage: According to a U.S constituition a person must commit an overt act before being tried.
Paradox - inconsistency, contradiction, absurdity;*correspondence
Usage: terry& john got tangled in a paradox.
Penitence - to repeat
Physiognomy - art of judging characters from facial characteristics
Usage: Hendry is good at Physiognomy.
Pillage – steal, loot, and plunder
Usage: The enemy pillages the quiet village and left it in ruins.
Pithy - Strong
Ponderous – heavy, tedious, cumbersome
Usage: His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.
Postulate -frame a theory
Precipitate - Quicken.
Usage: The removal of American political support appeared to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos regime.
Preparation -act of preparing
Preponderant -superiority of power or quality
Usage: The rebels sought to overcome the preponderance of strength of government forces by engaging in guerrilla tactics.
Pretentious -ostentatious (affected)
Usage: The other prize winner isn’t wearing her medal ; isn’t it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours ?
Profound – deep, intense, thoughtful, reflective, philosophical, weighty,
Usage: Frued’s remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honour him as a profound thinker.
Quixotic – idealistic, romantic, dreamy, unrealistic, impracticable
Usage: Constantly coming up with a quixotic, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head is somewhere off.
Recalcitrant – unruly, disobedient, obstinate, stubborn
Usage: Which animal do you think as more recalcitrant, a pig or a mule?
Reciprocal -Reverse, Opposite
Relevance - quality of being relevant
Relish – enjoy, savor
Usage: I thought “now there is a man who relishes the good dinner!”
Remiss – careless, negligent
Usage: When the prisoner escaped, the guard was accused of being remiss in the duty.
Renounce - reject
Usage: Lord Rama renounced his title and went to exilation.
Repartee – banter, joking, word play
Reprobate - Degenerate
Usage: I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.
Repudiate - Disown, reject; * approve, accept.
Usage: Britain repudiated the treaty with the allied powers.
Restiveness –fidgety, restless;*calm, casual
Usage: restiveness proves one to be impotent.
Retrograde - backward, regressive;*forward, improving
Usage: teachers must not retrograde students.
Scrutiny -close examination
Seedy – sleazy, seamy
Servility -Surrender
Usage: Constantly frowning on his employer, humble Uriah Heep was a servile creature.
Simulate - produce artificially resembling an existing one
Usage: She simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for her crime.
Slack - loose, relaxed
Usage: As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.
Sobriety - abstemiousness, clear-handedness, seriousness:* flippancy
Usage: his sobriety is his inherent strength.
Solicit - beseech (seek), urge, to request
Usage: Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass the mayor telephoned all the members of the city council to solicit their votes.
Spurious – false, fake
Usage: The hero of Jonathan gash’s mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell spurious antique from the real.
Stifle - suffocate, suppress, and choke
Usage: Halfway through the boring lecture,Lara gave up trying to stifle her yawns
Subside -wane (drop)
Usage: The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.
Surplus - excessive
Usage: There are surplus amount of water in North than in South.
Tantamount - Equivalent
Tarry - remain, linger; *stay, stop
Usage: The debacle tarried in the hearts of every American
Tenacity - persistence, stubbornness;* irresolution
Usage: tom has a tenacious character
Tranquilly - serene (calm)
Translucent -Semi transparent; * opaque.
Usage: We would not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.
Ungainly – clumsy, awkward, ungraceful, miserly, mean, inelegant, gawky
Usage: If you want to know whether Nick’s an ungainly dancer, check out my bruised feet.
Vacillate - undecided or dilemma
Usage: Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry , the princess vacillated, saying now one,now the other.
Veer - diverge
Usage: After what seemed at eternity ,the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.
Virulent -Poisonous, Dangerous
Usage: King cobra is very virulent.
Volatile -Ever changing
Usage: The political scenario today is extremely volatile.
Volume - Quantity
Usage: A caftan is a voluminous garment.
Voracious – avid, hunger, greedy
Usage: The wolf is a voracious animal; its hunger is never satisfied.
Waif - stray, orphan*lawful
Usage: he is a waif (lawbreaker)
Whet -sharpen
Usage: The odours from the kitchen are whetting my appetite.
Whimsical -fanciful, unusual, quirky, capricious
Usage: In Mrs.Doubtfire, the hero is a playful, whimsical man who takes notion to dress up as women so that he can look after his children.
Although great care is ---- in the investigation of a crime scene, the rapid deterioration of some forms of evidence demands ----.
A desirable..haste
B unnecessary..swiftness
C required..thoroughness
D assumed..attention
E common..speed
Faced with a barrage of ---- advice about infant sleep patterns, nutritional requirements, and emotional needs, new mothers are frequently confused.
A useful
B scholarly
C important
D traditional
E conflicting
When Australian cane toads are ----, they release a venom from glands on the back of their heads that has proven to have hallucinogenic effects on potential predators.
A retractable
B curious
C antagonized
D satiated
E somnolent
In order to survive the challenges they found in ---- environments, human ancestors had to be ---- changing circumstances.
A dynamic .. adaptable to
B hospitable .. impervious to
C improving .. resistant to
D stagnant .. untroubled by
E dangerous .. cynical about
At the turn of the eighteenth century, ---- by increased consumption of tea, coffee and sugar worldwide, sugar overtook tobacco as America's most ---- export.
A driven . . dangerous
B influenced . . overlooked
C propelled . . expensive
D spurred . . lucrative
E hindered . . desired
Edgar's ---- writings won fame more for their eccentricity than their message.
A idiosyncratic
B prophetic
C political
D arcane
E esoteric
The problem of world hunger is ---- in sub-Saharan Africa, where one-third of the population is ---- undernourished.
A most palatable . . perpetually
B bleakest . .chronically
C most tangible . . barely
D most serious . . never
E hardiest . . slightly
Despite his ---- of formal training, members of the industry sought out the designer because he offered solutions based on practical ---- rather than textbooks.
A abundance . . formulae
B absence . . theory
C battery . . hearsay
D lack . . experience
E want . . academics
Claiming that they talk ---- of trivial matters, the girls in the outdoors club accuse the school's cheerleaders of being ----.
A candidly . . vacuous
B insightfully . . irritating
C infrequently . . predictable
D profoundly . . cerebral
E incessantly . . vapid
Though the counting method used by the federal census is a seemingly ---- issue, because of its importance in determining funding it is also a politically ---- one.
A innocuous . . viable
B ineluctable . . volatile
C vital . . insignificant
D arcane . . sensitive
E obscure . . uninteresting
One of the most ---- consequences of the Industrial Revolution was that it wiped out the ---- division of society into church, aristocracy, and commoners.
A dramatic . . arcane
B innocuous . . ancient
C radical . . endemic
D enduring . . esoteric
E significant . . tripartite
Some view the French Revolution not as a single uprising but as a collection of ---- revolutions; peasants, bourgeoisie, and artisans expressed their discontent in simultaneous ----.
A concomitant . . excursions
B concurrent . . uprisings
C divergent . . predilections
D successive . . rebellions
E manorial . . demonstrations
If the current movement favoring the use of pharmaceuticals in psychiatric medicine ----, there won't be a single ---- without a drug to prescribe for its treatment.
A continues . . doctor
B persists . . condition
C ceases . . illness
D attenuates . . malady
E intensifies . . cure
The effort to meet the world's growing ---- for energy has led corporations to exploit new technologies and look for alternate sources of energy in ---- places.
A disingenuous . . unexploited
B thirst . . untoward
C need . . desultory
D demand . . unexpected
E desire . . amorous
Though in agreement with most of the ---- of rationalist philosophy, Sigmund Freud had less confidence in the power of reason than some thinkers before him, and unlike them he believed humans were not ---- rational creatures.
A lessons . . immutably
B precepts . . fundamentally
C idioms . . essentially
D innovations . . irreducibly
E versions . . especially
Malcolm's library was both ---- and ----; he had shelf after shelf of titles on every subject.
A monotonous .. exhaustive
B immutable .. extensive
C varied .. voluminous
D heterogeneous .. limited
E diverse .. meager
The explosion of the British art scene in recent years has resulted in a dispersion of galleries in London, as the older ones downtown ---- for attention with newer ones on the ---- of the city.
A vie . . subalterns
B strive . . bottom
C struggle . . inside
D clamor . . outskirts
E compete . . periphery
The paleontologist seemed ---- the punishing heat; she could walk all day intently scanning the ground for fossils.
A cognizant of
B reluctant about
C mournful about
D disappointed by
E oblivious to
Because opium and morphine are ---- the poppy plant, people who have eaten poppy seed bagels or cakes occasionally receive false positives in drug tests.
A hybrids of
B derived from
C prescriptive to
D corollaries of
E antithetical to
Transportation problems are ----; reduced public transit service leads to increased use of automobiles, which results in greater traffic congestion.
A ambiguous
B spontaneous
C interrelated
D superficial
E objective
To test his theory that prehistoric men used frozen lakes as refrigerators for their mammoth meat, the ---- ate horse meat he had left in a local pond for several months.
A immunologist
B abolitionist
C paleontologist
D archivist
E chemist
Because various methods of birth control are more prevalent in affluent nations, population growth is generally much ---- in rich nations than in poor ones.
A more rapid
B more restrained
C more enduring
D less slow
E more steady
Over the years, the apprentice has ---- been gaining ----.
A quickly . . dexterity
B certainly . . wealth
C slowly . . mastery
D steadily . . currency
E inexplicably . . ability
When criticized for his ---- performance, the athlete responded with an angry ---- directed at his coach and his teammates.
A disloyal . . speech
B disastrous . . panegyric
C eccentric . . diatribe
D lackluster . . harangue
E immutable . . invective
From slapstick to satire, tragedy to farce, the theater in early modern Europe took ---- forms.
A bifurcated
B multifarious
C dissipated
D dissonant
E comedic
After years of rapid ----, Atlanta has the longest commutes in the nation and air so polluted that the federal government has threatened to ---- highway funds.
A expansion . . withhold
B deterioration . . cut
C growth . . supplement
D decline . . double
E development . . augment
Irregularities in the orbits of some planets have allowed astronomers to ---- the existence of other, as of yet undiscovered, planets.
A adumbrate
B collate
C infer
D derive
E forestall
Fearful that the matter would ---- into a ----, the company chose to settle the controversy as quickly as possible.
A deteriorate .. obligation
B escalate .. scandal
C ripen .. conspiracy
D improve..annoyance
E blossom..contradiction
Because he enjoyed only ---- support in Congress, the president was forced to ---- the views of his detractors when making his decisions.
A ephemeral . . uphold
B marginal . . consider
C partial . . denigrate
D inconsistent . . formulate
E cosmetic . . evaluate
The frantic expansion of William Randolph Hearst's publishing empire, and the debts New York bankers carried for him, serve as a perfect metaphor for the ---- of the 1920s.
A frugality
B frivolity
C recklessness
D entertainment
E carousing
Attention deficit disorder is so ---- that ---- about its recognition and treatment persists among physicians as well as the public.
A complex .. confusion
B prevalent .. antagonism
C severe .. indifference
D unique .. contempt
E oversimplified .. impatience
Punishment should be ----, when the criminal act is still fresh in the mind of the perpetrators.
A harsh
B appropriate
C carefully considered
D immediate
E thorough
Contrary to popular expectations, the underdog gymnastics team ---- the competition.
A lost
B withdrew from
C entered
D welcomed
E won
Unlike her ---- sister, Maria would boldly join the conversation at any gathering.
A brash
B obstinate
C apathetic
D timid
E humorless
The emperor was responsible for reestablishing friendly relations with the West, forging ---- ties by sending an ambassador to every important city in Europe.
A economic
B political
C social
D religious
E diplomatic
Despite his reputation as a renowned journalist, he wrote an article ---- factual errors and glaring omissions.
A containing
B refuting
C correcting
D inciting
E dismissing
Beginning in 1347, the plague ---- Europe periodically for 150 years, ---- the population in some areas by as much as a third.
A visited . . augmenting
B infected . . lionizing
C ravaged . . reducing
D indoctrinated . . decreasing
E bypassed . . slashing
Although he was ordinarily ----, Mr. Wendell would talk at length about his hobbies.
A reticent
B insistent
C satisfied
D wordy
E persuasive
The young reporter took the ---- assignment, thinking of it as a way station until something better came along.
A career
B interim
C notorious
D prestigious
E sinister
Due to its ---- topography and setting, Gibraltar has an unparalleled variety of flora and fauna.
A commonplace
B useful
C serene
D uncommon
E standard
# The fact that the- of confrontation is no longer as popular as it once was - progress in race relations.
1. insidiousness - reiterates
2. practice - inculcates
3. glimmer - foreshadows
4. technique - presages
5. reticence - indicates
# A child should not be - as being either very shy or over - aggressive.
1. categorized
2. instructed
3. intoned
4. distracted
5. refrained
# President Anwar el - Sadat of Egypt, disregarding - criticism in the Alab world and in his own Government, - accepted prime minister Menahem Begin's invitation to visit Israel in order to address the Israeli parliament.
1. acrimonious - formally
2. blemished - stiffly
3. categorical - previously
4. malignant - plaintively
5. charismatic - meticulously
# In his usual - manner, he had insured himself against this type of loss.
1. pensive
2. providential
3. indifferent
4. circumspect
5. caustic
# We never believed that he would resort to - in order to achieve his goal; we always regarded him as a - man.
1. charm - insincere
2. necromancy - pietistic
3. logic - honorable
4. prestidigitation - articulate
5. subterfuge - honest
# The Sociologist responded to the charge that her new theory was - by pointing out that it did not in fact contradict accepted sociological principles.
1. unproven
2. banal
3. superficial
4. complex
5. heretical
# Despite assorted effusion to the contrary, there is no necessary link between scientific skill and humanism, and quite possibly, there may be something of a - between them.
1. dichotomy
2. congruity
3. reciprocity
4. fusion
5. generosity
# The most technologically advanced societies have been responsible for the greatest - indeed savagery seems to be indirect proposition to -
1. inventions - know-how
2. wars - viciousness
3. triumphs - civilizations
4. atrocities - development
5. catastrophes - ill-will
# Ironically, the party leaders encountered no greater - their efforts to build as Progressive Party than the - of the progressive already elected to the legislature.
1. obstacle to - resistance
2. support for - advocacy
3. praise for - reputation
4. threat to - promise
5. benefit - success
# The simplicity of the theory - its main attraction - is also its - for only by - the assumptions of the theory is it possible to explain the most recent observations made by researchers.
1. glory - rejecting
2. liability - accepting
3. undoing - supplementing
4. downfall - considering
5. virtue - qualifying
# That the Third Battalion's fifty percent casually rate transformed its assault on Hill 306 from a brilliant stratagem into a debacle does not - eyewitness reports of its commander's extra-ordinary - in deploying his forces.
1. invalidate - brutality
2. gainsay - cleverness
3. underscore - ineptitude
4. justify - rapidity
5. corroborate -determination
# No longer - by the belief that the world around us was expressly designed for humanity, many people try to find intellectual - for that lost certainty in astrology and in mysticism.
1. satisfied - reasons
2. reassured - justifications
3. restricted - parallels
4. sustained - substitutes
5. hampered - equivalents
# In eighth-century Japan, people who - wasteland were rewarded with official ranks as part of an effort to overcome the shortage of - fields.
1. cultivated - domestic
2. located - desirable
3. conserved - forested
4. reclaimed - arable
5. irrigated - accessible.
# Clearly refuting sceptics, researchers have - not only that gravitational radiation exists but that it also does exactly what the theory- it should do.
1. assumed - deducted
2. estimated - accepted
3. supposed - asserted
4. doubted - warranted
5. demonstrated - predicted.
# Melodramas, which presented stark oppositions between innocence and criminality, virtue and corruption, good and evil, were popular precisely because they offered the audience a world - of -
1. deprived - polarity
2. full - circumstantiality
3. bereft - theatricality
4. devoid - neutrality
5. composed - adversity.
# Sponsors of the bill were-because there was no opposition to it within the legislative, until after the measure had been signed into law.
1. well-intentioned
2. persistent
3. detained
4. unreliable
5. relieved.
# Ecology, like economics, concerns itself with the movement of valuable - through a complex network of producers and consumers.
1. nutrients
2. dividends
3. communications
4. artifacts
5. commodities.
# Having fully embraced the belief that government by persuasion is preferable to government by - the leaders of the movement have recently - most of their previous statements supporting totalitarianism.
1. proclamation - codified
2. coercion - repudiated
3. participation - moderated
4. intimidation - issued
5. demonstration - deliberated.
# It would be difficult for one so - to be led to believe that all men are equal and that we must disregard race, color and creed.
1. tolerant
2. democratic
3. broadminded
4. emotional
5. intolerant.
# Many philosophers agree that the verbal aggression of profanity in certain redical newspapers is not - or childish, but an assault on - essential to the revolutionary's purpose.
1. insolent - sociability
2. trivial - decorum
3. belligerent - fallibility
4. serious - propriety
5. deliberate - affectation.
21. The - tones of the flute succeeded in - his tense nerves.
1. rhapsodic - minimising
2. blatant - enhancing
3. hovendous - calming
4. vibrant - portraying
5. mellifluous - soothing.
22. Without the psychiatrist's promise of confidentiality, trust is - and the patient's communication limited; even though confidentiality can thus be seen to be precious in thercopy, moral responsibility sometimes requires a willingness to - it.
1. lost - forget
2. implicit - extend
3. impaired - sacrifise
4. ambiguous - apply
5. assumed - examine.
23. Parts of seventeenth-century Chinese pleasure gardens were not necessarily intended to look -they were designed expressly to evoke the agreeable melancholy resulting from a sense of the - of natural beauty and human glory.
1. great - immutability
2. joyful - mortality
3. conventional - wildness
4. cheerful - transitoriness
5. colorful - abstractness.
24. Despite the - of many of their colleagues, some scholars have begun to emphasize ''pop culture'' as a key for - the myths, hopes, and fears of contemporary society.
1. pedantry - reinstating
2. enthusiasm - symbolizing
3. skepticism - deciphering
4. antipathy - involving
5. discernment - evaluating.
25. If duty is the natural - of one's the course of future events, then people who are powerful have duty placed on them whether they like it or not.
1. outgrowth - control over
2. arbiter - responsibility for
3. correlate - understanding of
4. determinant - involvement in
5. mitigant - preoccupation with .
26. Clearly refuting sceptics, researches have - not only that gravitational radiation exists but that it also does exactly what the theory - it should do.
1. supposed - asserted
2. voubted -warranted
3. assumed - deduced
4. demonstrated - predicted
5. estimated - accepted
27. The Neolatonists' conception of a deity, in which perfection was measured by abundant fecundity, was contradicted by that of the Aristotelians, in which perfection was displayed in the - of creation.
1. variety
2. economy
3. profusion
4. clarity
5. precision.
28. It is a great - to be able to transfer useful genes with as little extra gene material as possible, because the donor's genome may contain, in addition to desirable genes, many genes with - effects.
1. Disappointment - superfluous
2. Convenience - exquisite
3. Advantage - deleterious
4. Accomplishment - profound
5. Misfortune - unpredictable.
29. While admitting that the risks incurred by use of the insecticide were not - the manufacturer's spokesperson argued that effective - were simply not available.
1. indeterminable - safeguards
2. unusual - alternatives
3. inconsequential - substitutes
4. proven - antidotes
5. increasing - procedures.
30. Human reaction to the realm of though is often as strong as that to sensible presences; our higher moral life is based on the fact that - sensations actually present may have a weaker influence on our action than do ideas of - facts.
1. emotional - impersonal
2. familiar : symbolic
3. disturbing - ordinary
4. material - remote
5. defenitive - controvoisial.
# Some scientists argue that carbon compounds play such a central role in life on earth because of the possibility of - resulting from the carbon atom's ability to form an unending series of different molecules.
1. variety
2. stability
3. deviations
4. invigorations
5. reproduction.
# It would be difficult for one so - to be led to believe that all men are equal and that we must disregard race, color and creed.
1. intolerant
2. democratic
3. emotional
4. patient
5. broadminded.
# An occasional - remark spoiled the - that made the paper memorable.
1. colloquial
2. trite - cliches
3. urbane - sophisticated
4. hackneyed - originality
5. jovial - fun.
# Broadway audiences have become inured to - and so - to be pleased as to make their ready ovations meaningless as an indicator of the quality of the production before them.
1. cleverness : eager
2. condescension : disinclined
3. sentimentality : reluctant
4. mediocrity : desperate
5. histrionics : unlikely
# Nineteenth - century scholars, by examining earlier geometric Greek art, found that classical Greek art was not a magical - or a brilliant - blending Egyptian and Assyruin art, but was independently evolved by Greeks in Greece.
1. conversion - annexation
2. apparition - amalgam
3. stratagem - appropriation
4. paradigm - construct
5. example - synthesis
# The struggle of the generations is one of the obvious constants of human affairs; therefore, it may be presumptuous to suggest that the rivalry between young and old in western society during the current decade is - critical.
1. archetypally
2. perennially
3. disturbingly
4. uniquely
5. cautiously
# Even though in today's Soviet union the - Muslim clergy have been accorded power and privileges, the Muslim laity and the rank - and - file clergy still. Have little - to practice their religion.
1. adversaries of - inclination
2. traditionalists among - incentive
3. practitioners among - opportunity
4. leaders of - latitude
5. dissidents within -obligation
# Unlike the Shakespearean plays, The ''closet dramas'' of the nineteenth century were meant to be - rather than -
1. seen - acted
2. read - acted
3. produced - acted
4. quiet - loud
5. sophisticated - urbane
# The little - known but rapidly expanding use of computers in mapmaking is technologically similar to the more - uses in designing everything from bolts to satellites.
1. ingenuous
2. recent
3. secure
4. publicized
5. successful
# Although his out numbered troops fought bravely, the general felt he had no choice but to - defeat and - a retreat.
1. oversee - reject
2. acknowledge - order
3. hasten - suggest
4. seek - try
5. overcome - request
GRE important words
GRE important words
Aberration - deviation
Usage: survivors of a major catastrophe are likely to exhibit aberrations of behavior
Access - to approach
Acclivity - an upward slope
Usage: car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.
Acronym –abbreviation
Acumen -exactness, mental keenness
Usage: Her business acumen helped her to succeed.
Adage -proverb, wise saying
Usage: There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.
Adherence - stick
Adhesive - bonding agent, glue, gum
Admonish - usurp (reprove),warn
Usage: He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.
Adversary - opposition, enemy
Usage: batman struggled to save the city from the villain’s wicked adversary.
Affable - lovable, approachable
Affinity - strong liking
Agrarian - related to agriculture
Alacrity - Eagerness, Readiness
Usage: they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.
Alienate - estrange (isolate), make hostile
Usage: her attempts to alienate the two friends failed.
Aloofness – unfriendliness, remoteness, apart, reserved
Usage: She remained aloof when all the rest conversed.
Ambiguity - unknown
Amiable - friendly
Annihilate - to destroy
Aplomb - Self-confidence, composure, poise
Usage: Owens’ aplomb in handling embarrassing moments was legendary
Apparatus - appliance
Asperity – roughness, severity, brusqueness, sharpness.
Usage: These remarks spoken with asperity stung the boys
Assess - determine the amount or value
Augury - prediction, prophecy.
Usage: he interpreted the departure of the birds as an augury of evil.
Avid - keen, eager
Usage: he was avid for learning everything he could get.
Awry – skewed, crooked, wrong, twisted, distorted
Usage: he held his head awry giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck.
Baffle - Frustrate, perplex
Baleful – threatening, deadly, menacing
Balmy – mild, clement, pleasant, fragrant
Usage: a balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast .
Banal - Stale, Common place, Usual
Baneful - Destructive, Harmful, cause of ruin
Usage: Lucy’s little brother was the bane of her existence
Behest - request
Belated - too late
Usage: belated birthday wishes
Belief - conviction
Bilk - baffle, cheat, elude*seek, inquire
Usage: Jim bilked his father in a property issue.
Boisterous - energetic, animated, violent, rough, noisy
Usage: the unruly crowd became more boisterous when he tried to quiet them
Brackish - salty, briny
Usage: he found that only wells in the area were brackish.
Brazen - bold, shameless, insolent
Usage: her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.
Cacophony –discordance,*melodiousness
Usage: there was a great Cacophony after the ambush.
Cajole - coax (wheedle – sweet talk)
Usage: she wanted to cajole her father
Callow – inexperienced, immature, youthful
Usage: he made fun of freshers as callow youths
Candid –frank, open,*guarded
Usage: Jamie is basically candid
Caprice - whim (impulse)
Usage: she was an unpredictable creature acting on caprice.
Cargo - freight (load)
Cavil – quibble, complain, niggled, split hairs, carp, make frivolous objections
Usage: I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant details.
Celibacy - Chastity, State of not being married
Usage: he was celibate throughout his life
Chaste - Pure, Modest, virginal
Usage: he was chaste in doing the work.
Chide - Scold
Usage: the principal chided the student.
Choleric - Hot Tempered, Irritate
Usage: his angry face indicated her choleric nature.
Churlish - Boorish, Cruel, Rude
Usage: she dismayed her friends by her churlish manners at the party
Circuitous - Indirect in action or language, round about
Usage: he had a circuitous approach towards the problem
Claustrophobia - fear
Cleft - split, crack
Usage: mountaineer grasps the edge of a cleft
Cliché - Commonplace, Truism, and phrase dulled in meaning due to repetition
Usage: school compositions are often marred by such clichés
Clutch –grasp, hold,*let go, volatile
Usage: he clutched the concept momentarily.
Coerce – force, compel, making someone to obey
Cognizance - knowledge
Usage: Sita had full Cognizance about politics
Cohere - hold together
Coincident - incidentally
Compensation - salary
Compunction - remorse (regret)
Usage: the criminal had shown no compunction for his crime
Conciliation -To make less angry or friendlier
Usage: she was still angry despite his conciliatory words.
Concur -acquiesce (accept)
Usage: did u concur with the court’s decision?
Confiscate - appropriate (to take charge), seize, commandeer
Usage: the army confiscated all the Uranium
Conglomeration - group, mass of material sticking together
Usage: in a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was difficult to analyze a single area
Connotation -Suggest in addition to the fundamental meaning
Usage: foreigners are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.
Console - to show sympathy
Constituent - accompanying
Contraband – illegal trade
Usage: the coast guard tries to prevent contraband in US waters.
Corpulent – fat, pump
Usage: The corpulent man resolved to reduce.
Covet - crave (desire)
Credibility - ability to common belief, quality of being credible .
Dangle – hang down,*stick up
Usage: Kate’s dangling was pretty.
Debacle - disaster, catastrophe;*success
Usage: September 11 attack was a greatest debacle
Décolleté – low necked, revealing
Usage: Fashion decrees that evening gowns be Décolleté this season;bare shoulders are again the vogue.
Decomposable - rotten
Defection - desertion
Usage: The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.
Degrade -damage, humiliate;*upgrade, exalt
Deprecate - Feel and express disapproval of
Depreciation - Deflation, Depression, Devaluation, fall, slump in value
Usage: If u neglect this property, it will depreciate.
Deprecate - feel and express disapproval
Usage: A firm believer in old fashioned courtesy, Miss post deprecated the modern tendencies to address new acquaintances by their first names..
Despondent -hopeless, dejected;*cheerful
Usage: Lampard looked despondent after he missed the goal
Detrimental -Harmful
Usage: The candidate’s acception of major financial contributions from a well-known racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign.
Diatribe – attack, criticism
Usage: During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent, he remained calm.
Differential - having or showing or making use of
Discretion - Prudence
Usage: Because we trusted our architect’s judgment, we left many decisions about the renovation to his discretion.
Dispel - dissipate (dismiss): Scatter
Usage: The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.
Distention - act out, stretching out, swelling out
Divulge –reveal, make known;*conceal
Usage: Jane divulged the truth before the highness.
Dwindle –decline, decrease,*incline, increase, and boom.
Usage: the IT industry dwindled in the early 21st century
Echelon - Level of authority or responsibility
Efface –wipeout, obliterate; *protect
Usage: the poachers effaced the fauna.
Eliminate - to reduce
Emancipate - liberate
Usage: At first, the attempts of the abolitionists to emancipate the slaves were unpopular.
Embrace - hug (hold-cuddle)
Usage: Robin Hood embraced him lovingly.
Ensue - follow
Usage: What a holler would ensue if the people had to pay the minister as much to marry them, as they have to pay a lawyer to get them a divorce.
Equanimity – composure, poise, calmness, self-control
Usage: Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother do not disturb Bea’s equanimity.
Erudite - wise, profound
Usage: Unlike much Scholarly writing, Huizinga’s prose was entertaining as well as erudite.
Equivocate - tallying on both sides
Usage: No matter how bad the news is, give it to us straight, above all Equivocate.
Expedite - hasten
Usage: The more expeditious your response is, the happier we will be.
Expedient - fitting proper, desirable
Usage: A pragmatic politician, she was guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical.
Extraneous – irrelevant, unrelated
Usage: No wonder Ted can’t think straight! His mind is so cluttered up with extraneous trivia.
Fallible -Liable to err
Usage: Although I am fallible, I feel confident that I am right this time.
Felicitous – fortunate, luck
Usage: He was famous for his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master of ceremonies.
Florid - Ornate, Showy
Usage: If u go to Florida and get sunburn, your complexion will look florid.
Fluctuate - wavering
Foil – frustrate, halt
Usage: In the end Skywalker was able to foil Vader’s diabolical schemes.
Furtive - stealthy (secret)
Usage: Noticing the furtive glance the customer gave the diamond bracelet on the counter.
Fuse -combine
Gambol - skip
Usage: Watching the children gambol in the park,Betty marvelled at their youthful energy.
Gauche - clumsy, vulgar
Usage: Compared to the sophisticated young ladies, tomboyish jo felt gauche and out of place.
Gaudy – garish, flashy, extravagant, loud, showy, colorful
Usage: The newest Trump skyscraper was typically gaudy, covered in glided panels.
Genuflect – kneel, bow
Usage: A proud democrat, he refused to genuflect to any man.
Gist – general idea, substance, essence
Guile – cunningness, deviousness, slyness, cleverness, wiliness
Usage: Lago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into believing that Desdimona has been unfaithful.
Hamper -basket, hinder, *facilitate
Usage: growth in cognizance should not be hampered
Harbinger -fore runner, herald
Usage: Christ was a perfect harbinger.
Heap - to pile (collect)
Heterogeneous - non-similar things
Usage: This year’s entering class is a heterogeneous body.
Hidebound - narrow-minded, *broadminded
High handed – dominant, imperious
Hover - linger (stay close)
Usage: The police helicopter hovered above the accident.
Icon – image, idol, emblem, symbol
Ignorance - blindness or inexperience
Illustrious –distinguished, famous;*obscure
Usage: Billy G is a very illustrious person.
Impugn -question, doubt, dispute *reply, trust
Usage: the committee impugned my work’s accuracy.
Incentive - spur, thing that encourages a person to do something
Inconsistent – conflicting, contradictory, unreliable, incompatible, incoherent
Incontinent -self-restraint, willpower; *abandon
Usage: his incontinence is his strength.
Incorrigible - habitual, persistent, inveterate, hopeless
Usage: Though widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson pronounced him incorrigible.
Indignity –native, inborn; *alien, accrued
Usage: he was endogenously gifted with poetic thoughts.
Indubitably – undoubtedly, certainly
Usage: Auditioning for the chorus lines, Molly was an indubitable hit.
Indulgent - Obliging
Usage: jay’s mom was excessively indulgent; she bought him every computer game in the market.
Inept –incompetent, inexpert; *competent
Usage; it was an inept combat that ever took place.
Inert - passive
Infirmity –illness, frailty, *health, supple;
Usage: it was his infirmity, which caused his failure.
Innovation -To make changes or introduce new things
Instigate - incite
Usage: Sir Toby sets out to instigate a quarrel between Sir Andrew and Cesario.
Interdict – prohibit, veto, injunction, bar, embargo
Usage: Civilized nations must interdict the use of nuclear weapons.
Intermittent -Externally stopping and then starting
Usage: The outdoor wedding reception had to be moved indoor to avoid the intermittent showers.
Intrinsic - essential
Usage: Although my Grandmother’s china has little intrinsic value, I will cherish it.
Inundate - flood, overwhelm;*starve
Usage: Clara was inundated with joy
Irksome –annoying, irritating:*pleasant
Usage: Bert is an irksome creature
Jaunty -carefree, cheerful;*troubled
Usage: Tery is a jaunty chap.
Lackluster - lack of vitality, dull;*bright
Usage: Don’t be a lackluster
Latent - potential
Latitude -scope
Usage: I think you have permitted too much latitude to your son in this matter.
Lethargy -stupor (lazy)
Litigation - engaging in a law suite
Usage: Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to start any litigation.
Manifestation -clear or obvious
Mawkish - Over emotional, weepy
Usage: Whenever Gigi and her boy friend would sigh and get all lovey-dovey, her little brother would shout protesting their mawkish behavior.
Meager -Scanty
Usage: Still hungry after a meager serving of porridge, Oliver Twist asked for more.
Melee -Fight, Combat
Usage: The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members.
Menial – unskilled, boring
Merry - gay
Metamorphosis - transform
Usage: The Metamorphosis of Caterpillar to butterfly is typical of any such changes in animal life.
Misanthrope - pessimist, cynic;*philanthropist.
Usage: His misanthropism is killing him.
Misapprehension –misunderstanding, delusion;*comprehend
Usage: that was the best way to avoid misapprehension.
Misery - distress
Mitigate - Appease, conciliate, make less intense, greater leniency*
Usage: Joshua is good at mitigating circumstances
Mollify – placate, pacify, calm, appease, soothe
Usage: The Airline customer service representative tried to mollify the angry passenger by offering her seat in first class.
Momentary - Transient
Moribund -declining, dying;*thriving, well;
Usage: the father revealed the will in his moribund.
Mulch -covering, protection, insulation*unprotected
Usage: there was excellent mulch over the clandestine resources
Mundane – ordinary, dull, monotonous, dreary
Usage: Tom talked only of mundane matters such as daily weather forecast
Musty – mildewed, moldy, stale, rank, fusty, stuffy
Usage: The attic was dark and musty.
Naive -innocent, rustic
Nebulous – vague, hazy, unformulated, tenuous
Usage: Sam and Paul tried to come up with a clear, intelligible business plan, and not some lazy, nebulous proposal
Negotiate - discuss or bargain
Nettle - annoy, bother* to please
Usage: he was nettling me for a long time.
Obese –fat, over weight;*under weight;
Usage: obesity is fatal
Obloquy –censure, disgrace,*praise
Usage: that was a worst political obloquy.
Omniscience – knowing all
Usage: I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.
Orthodox -. Conventional or superstitious
Usage: I belong to an orthodox family.
Ovation -applause
Usage: Dravid received a standing ovation for his match-saving knock.
Overt - obvious
Usage: According to a U.S constituition a person must commit an overt act before being tried.
Paradox - inconsistency, contradiction, absurdity;*correspondence
Usage: terry& john got tangled in a paradox.
Penitence - to repeat
Physiognomy - art of judging characters from facial characteristics
Usage: Hendry is good at Physiognomy.
Pillage – steal, loot, and plunder
Usage: The enemy pillages the quiet village and left it in ruins.
Pithy - Strong
Ponderous – heavy, tedious, cumbersome
Usage: His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.
Postulate -frame a theory
Precipitate - Quicken.
Usage: The removal of American political support appeared to have precipitated the downfall of the Marcos regime.
Preparation -act of preparing
Preponderant -superiority of power or quality
Usage: The rebels sought to overcome the preponderance of strength of government forces by engaging in guerrilla tactics.
Pretentious -ostentatious (affected)
Usage: The other prize winner isn’t wearing her medal ; isn’t it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours ?
Profound – deep, intense, thoughtful, reflective, philosophical, weighty,
Usage: Frued’s remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honour him as a profound thinker.
Quixotic – idealistic, romantic, dreamy, unrealistic, impracticable
Usage: Constantly coming up with a quixotic, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head is somewhere off.
Recalcitrant – unruly, disobedient, obstinate, stubborn
Usage: Which animal do you think as more recalcitrant, a pig or a mule?
Reciprocal -Reverse, Opposite
Relevance - quality of being relevant
Relish – enjoy, savor
Usage: I thought “now there is a man who relishes the good dinner!”
Remiss – careless, negligent
Usage: When the prisoner escaped, the guard was accused of being remiss in the duty.
Renounce - reject
Usage: Lord Rama renounced his title and went to exilation.
Repartee – banter, joking, word play
Reprobate - Degenerate
Usage: I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.
Repudiate - Disown, reject; * approve, accept.
Usage: Britain repudiated the treaty with the allied powers.
Restiveness –fidgety, restless;*calm, casual
Usage: restiveness proves one to be impotent.
Retrograde - backward, regressive;*forward, improving
Usage: teachers must not retrograde students.
Scrutiny -close examination
Seedy – sleazy, seamy
Servility -Surrender
Usage: Constantly frowning on his employer, humble Uriah Heep was a servile creature.
Simulate - produce artificially resembling an existing one
Usage: She simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for her crime.
Slack - loose, relaxed
Usage: As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.
Sobriety - abstemiousness, clear-handedness, seriousness:* flippancy
Usage: his sobriety is his inherent strength.
Solicit - beseech (seek), urge, to request
Usage: Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass the mayor telephoned all the members of the city council to solicit their votes.
Spurious – false, fake
Usage: The hero of Jonathan gash’s mystery novels is an antique dealer who gives the reader advice on how to tell spurious antique from the real.
Stifle - suffocate, suppress, and choke
Usage: Halfway through the boring lecture,Lara gave up trying to stifle her yawns
Subside -wane (drop)
Usage: The doctor assured us that the fever would eventually subside.
Surplus - excessive
Usage: There are surplus amount of water in North than in South.
Tantamount - Equivalent
Tarry - remain, linger; *stay, stop
Usage: The debacle tarried in the hearts of every American
Tenacity - persistence, stubbornness;* irresolution
Usage: tom has a tenacious character
Tranquilly - serene (calm)
Translucent -Semi transparent; * opaque.
Usage: We would not recognize the people in the next room because of the translucent curtains that separated us.
Ungainly – clumsy, awkward, ungraceful, miserly, mean, inelegant, gawky
Usage: If you want to know whether Nick’s an ungainly dancer, check out my bruised feet.
Vacillate - undecided or dilemma
Usage: Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry , the princess vacillated, saying now one,now the other.
Veer - diverge
Usage: After what seemed at eternity ,the wind veered to the east and the storm abated.
Virulent -Poisonous, Dangerous
Usage: King cobra is very virulent.
Volatile -Ever changing
Usage: The political scenario today is extremely volatile.
Volume - Quantity
Usage: A caftan is a voluminous garment.
Voracious – avid, hunger, greedy
Usage: The wolf is a voracious animal; its hunger is never satisfied.
Waif - stray, orphan*lawful
Usage: he is a waif (lawbreaker)
Whet -sharpen
Usage: The odours from the kitchen are whetting my appetite.
Whimsical -fanciful, unusual, quirky, capricious
Usage: In Mrs.Doubtfire, the hero is a playful, whimsical man who takes notion to dress up as women so that he can look after his children.