L00-39g

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Question English Answer English
aberration
(In 1974, Poland won the World Cup, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and Poland have not won a World Cup since).
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(n.) something that differs from the norm
abhor
(Because he always wound up getting hit in the head when he tried to play cricket, Marcin began to abhor the sport).
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(v.) to hate, detest
acquiesce
(Though Mr. Pospiesznywanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands.)
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(v.) to agree without protesting
alacrity
(For some reason, Simon loved to help his girlfriend whenever he could, so when his girlfriend asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)
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(n.) eagerness, speed
amiable
(An amiable fellow, Neil got along with just about everyone.)
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(adj.) friendly
appease
(When Jerry cries, his mother gives him chocolate toappease him.)
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(v.) to calm, satisfy
arcane
(The professor is an expert inarcane Kashubian literature.)
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(adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few
avarice
(The banker’s avarice led him to amass an enormous personal fortune.)
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(n.) excessive greed
brazen
(Critics condemned the writer’sbrazen attempt to plagiarise Frankow-Czerwonko’s work.)
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(adj.) excessively bold, brash, clear and obvious
brusque
(Simon’s brusque manner sometimes offends his colleagues.)
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(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive
cajole
(Magda's friends cajoled her into drinking too much.)
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(v.) to urge, coax
callous
(The murderer’s callous lack of remorse shocked the jury.)
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(adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling
candor
(We were surprised by the candor of the politician’s speech because she is usually rather evasive.)
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(n.) honesty, frankness
chide
(Hania chided Gregory for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance.)
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(v.) to voice disapproval
circumspect
(Though I promised Marta’s father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.)
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(adj.) cautious
clandestine
(Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the library, Maria actually went to meet George for a clandestine liaison.)
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(adj.) secret
coerce
(The court decided that David Beckham did not have to honor the contract because he had been coercedinto signing it.)
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(v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat
coherent
(William could not figure out what Harold had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)
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(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible
complacency
Simon tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them. / We’re finally making a profit, but there is no reason for complacency.
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(n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger, a feeling of calm satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder
confidant
(Shortly after we met, he became my chiefconfidant.)
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(n.) a person entrusted with secrets
connive
(She connived to get me to give up my plans to start up a new business.)
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(v.) to plot, scheme
cumulative
(The cumulative effect of hours spent using the World English website was a vast improvement in his vocabulary and general level of English.)
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(adj.) increasing, building upon itself, adding
debase
(The large raise that he gave himself debased his motives for running the charity.)
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(v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something
decry
(Andrzej Lepper, the leader of the Polish Self Defence party decried the appaling state of Polish roads.)
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(v.) to criticize openly
deferential
(Donata is always excessively deferential to any kind of authority figure.)
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(adj.) showing respect for another’s authority
demure
(Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.)
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(adj.) quiet, modest, reserved
deride
(The native speaker often derided the other teacher’s accent.)
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(v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn
despot
(The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws.)
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(n.) one who has total power and rules brutally
diligent
(The diligent researcher made sure to double check her measurements.)
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(adj.) showing care in doing one’s work, being precise
elated
(When he found out he had won the lottery, the postman was elated.)
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(adj.) overjoyed, thrilled
eloquent
(The best man gave such an eloquent speech that most guests were crying.)
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(adj.) expressive, articulate, moving (ex. speech)
embezzle
(The accountant was fired for embezzling €10,000 of the company’s funds.)
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(v.) to steal money by falsifying records
empathy
(I feel such empathy for my dog when she’s upset so am I!)
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(n.) sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own
enmity
(John and Scott have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.)
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(n.) ill will, hatred, hostility
erudite
(My English teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the most difficult and abstruse Old English poetry.)
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(adj.) learned
extol
(Kamila extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving boyfriend.)
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(v.) to praise, revere
fabricate
(When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to work.)
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(v.) to make up, invent (ex... evidence)
feral
(That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)
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(adj.) wild, savage
flabbergasted
(Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)
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(adj.) astounded
forsake
(I won't forsake my conservative principles.)
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(v.) to give up, renounce
fractious
(Although the child insisted he wasn’t tired, his fractious behaviour - especially his decision to crush his jam sandwiches all over the floor - convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.)
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(adj.) troublesome or irritable
furtive
(Claudia’s placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not as furtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the first place most parents look.)
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(adj.) secretive, sly
gluttony
(Helen’s fried chicken tastes so divine, I don’t know how anyone can call gluttony a sin.)
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(n.) overindulgence in food or drink
gratuitous
(Every evening the guy at the fish and chip shop gives me a gratuitous helping of vinegar.)
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(adj.) uncalled for, unwarranted
haughty
(The superstar’s haughty dismissal of her co-stars will backfire on her someday.)
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(adj.) disdainfully proud
hypocrisy
(Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.)
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(n.) pretending to believe what one does not
impeccable
(If your grades were as impeccable as your brother’s, then you too would receive a car for a graduation present.)
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(adj.) exemplary, flawless
impertinent
(Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)
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(adj.) rude, insolent (children)
implacable
(Watch out: once you shun Grandmother’s cooking, she is totally implacable.)
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(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated
impudent
(The impudent young woman looked her teacher up and down and told him he was hot.)
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(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent
incisive
(The discussion wasn’t going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)
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(adj.) clear, sharp, direct
indolent
(Why should my indolent children, who can’t even pick themselves up off the sofa to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to Burger King?)
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(adj.) lazy
inept
(She proved how inept she was when she forgot two orders and spilled a pint of cider in a customer’s lap.)
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(adj.) not suitable or capable, unqualified
infamy
(The infamy of his crime will not lessen as time passes.)
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(n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute, disgrace, shame
inhibit
(When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.)
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(v.) to prevent, restrain, stop
innate
(His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or practices.)
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(adj.) inborn, native, inherent
insatiable
(My insatiable appetite for blondes was a real problem on my recent holiday in Japan!)
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(adj.) incapable of being satisfied
insular
(Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs, those who work for MI5 must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other.)
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(adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off
intrepid
(After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)
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(adj.) brave in the face of danger
inveterate
(I’m the first to admit that I’m an inveterate cider drinker—I drink four pints a day.)
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(adj.) stubbornly established by habit
jubilant
(The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.)
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(adj.) extremely joyful, happy
knell
(Echoing throughout our village, the funeral knell made the grey day even more grim.)
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(n.) the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death
lithe
(Although the dancers were all outstanding, Joanna’s control of her lithe body was particularly impressive.)
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(adj.) graceful, flexible, supple
lurid
(Barry’s story, in which he described a character torturing his neighbour's tortoise, was judged too lurid to be published on the English Library's website.)
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(adj.) ghastly, sensational
maverick
(John is a real maverick and always does things his own way.)
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(n.) an independent, nonconformist person
maxim
(Ms. Stone’s etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional.)
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(n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct
meticulous
(The ornate needlework in the bride’s gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.)
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(adj.) extremely careful with details
modicum
(Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity, Magda announced her boss’s affair to the entire office.)
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(n.) a small amount of something
morose
(David’s morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.)
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(adj.) gloomy or sullen
myriad
(It was difficult to decide what to do on Saturday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)
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(adj.) consisting of a very great number
nadir
(My day was boring, but the nadir came when my new car was stolen.)
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(n.) the lowest point of something
nominal
(Because he was moving the following week and needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money, Kim sold everything for a nominal price.)
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(adj.) trifling, insignificant
novice
(Because we were all novices at archery, our instructor decided to begin with the basics
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(n.) a beginner, someone without training or experience
nuance
(The nuances of the poem were not obvious to the casual reader, but the teacher was able to point them out.)
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(n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression
oblivious
(Oblivious to the burning smell emanating from the kitchen, my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven were burned until much too late.)
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(adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something
obsequious
(Donald acted like Susan’s servant, obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.)
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(adj.) excessively compliant or submissive
obtuse
(Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.)
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(adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect
panacea
(Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every disease, but sadly there is not.)
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(n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties
parody
(A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to find Magdalena acting out a parody of his teaching style.)
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(n.) a satirical imitation
penchant
(Fiona’s dinner parties quickly became monotonous on account of her penchant for Indian dishes.)
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(n.) a tendency, partiality, preference
perusal
(The actor agreed to accept the role after a three-month perusal of the movie script.)
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(n.) a careful examination, review
plethora
(The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.)
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(n.) an abundance, excess
predilection
(James has a predilection for eating toad in the whole with tomato ketchup.)
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(n.) a preference or inclination for something
quaint
(Mary was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw in Romania.)
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(adj.) charmingly old-fashioned
rash
(It’s best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make rash decisions.)
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(adj.) hasty, incautious, in-hurry
refurbish
(After being refurbished the old Triumph motorcycle commanded the handsome price of $6000.)
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(v.) to restore, clean up
repudiate
(Tom made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.)
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(v.) to reject, refuse to accept
rife
(Surprisingly, the teacher’s writing was rife with spelling errors.)
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(adj.) abundant
salient
(One of the salient differences between Alison and Helen is that Alison is a couple of kilos heavier.)
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(adj.) significant, conspicuous
serendipity
(In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Mark found a $50 bill on the back seat of the bus.)
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(n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them

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