Vocabulary

Q 1) While far from the bane that some scholars have declared them to be, _________ versions of novels and essay do indeed excise essential elements; students would have to supplement their reading with ________sources to fully understand the intent of the original.

A) Annotated A) Complementary

B) Abridged B) Complimentary

C) Antedated C) Compelling

Q 2) Far too ________ to consider a career in the political limelight, the unassuming aide contented herself with a career behind the scenes, ________ supporting the political heavyweights of her day.

A) Diffident A) Implicitly

B) Apathetic B) Quietly

C) Ideological C) Skeptically

Q 3) Despite his longtime advocacy for campaign finance reform, the career politician was, in fact, far more ________ corporate interests than his rival, whose relatively recent entry into the political arena meant that he had far fewer ______ to make good on.

A) leery of A) affiliations

B) beholden to B) dilemmas

C) apathetic about C) obligations

Q 4) Two years after the legislature’ s ________ approval of the community arts center, construction came to an equally public standstill, largely due to the unforeseen hemorrhaging of the _______ funds at the hands of spendthrift leaders.

A) Scorned A) Stolen

B) Heralded B) Exacerbated

C) Ratified C) Appropriated

Q 5) The relation between the two leaders has gone from positively ______ to chilly at best, not least because the recent arms scandal threatens to _________ the mutual trust that has been held on both sides for years.

A) Peaceful A) Bolster

B) Reverent B) Erode

C) Congenial C) Fester

Q 6) The author was far from _________ the novel. While most of the book was already written, he knew that it would take innumerable hours to review and edit. This was going to be _________, not only because of the book’ s length, but also because of the convoluted plot.

A) Finishing A) Hardy

B) Inscribing B) Trying

C) Rejecting C) Redundant

Q 7) Incensed, and perhaps spooked, by the implications of the bureau’ s purportedly __________ inquisition, the Hollywood film director shuttered his studios, suspended production of numerous projects, and ______ with his wife to Europe.

A) Suspicious A) Immigrated

B) Benign B) Decamped

C) Risqué’ C) Pandered

Q 8) The club had been all male up until 1963, when it began to admit women, who now make up more of the membership; hence, the female club president was both annoyed and amused at an elderly male member’ s _________ suggestion that women be shuffled off to ________ organization where they could play bridge and drink tea without having to worry about serious issues.

A) Regressive A) An incendiary

B) Rustic B) An auxiliary

C) Prudish C) A hierarchical

Q 9) The film was __________ _________ by critics; rightfully, not a single reviewer had any positive thing to say about it.

A) Warily A) Lauded

B) Mendaciously B) Panned

C) Roundly C) Venerated

Q 10) Jeremy was not one to _________ his success, let alone talk much at all, so his family was shocked when they finally discovered that their __________ son was a Rhodes Scholar.

A) Demarcate A) improvident

B) Whitewash B) Taciturn

C) Trumpet C) Dissolute

Q 11) The fact that the average life expectancy ten thousand years ago was so much shorter than it is now is often ________ as evidence supporting the notion that the world always improves with time. However, if you _______ for the fact that most children in that epoch died in childbirth, life expectancy for those who survived birth was nearly the same then as it is now.

A) Cited A) Prepare

B) Disregarded B) Read

C) Embodied C) Correct

Q 12) Crane Brinton argued that the middle phases of revolutions are especially __________ because the unleashed force of social momentum transfers power inexorably from more stable (if oppressive) forces to less temperate ones. Yet, he then goes on to say that the excesses ______ and a more peaceful period ensues.

A) Brusque A) Metastasize

B) Berserk B) Grow

C) Pacific C) Recede

Q 13) The virtual ______ of John F. Kennedy focuses on his presidential achievements, legend, and assassination; similarly, during his candidacy, verbal and written ________ were laid at the altar of his wartime exploits.

A) Deification A) Calumnies

B) Excoriation B) Garlands

C) Praise C) Obloquies

Q 14) Frederick the Great of Prussia was known for his ________ under fire during his military victories; however, when confronting issues of domestic policy, this equilibrium sometimes failed him. He was often _________ with his ministers, who never knew when they might be subjected to one of his tirades.

A) Intrepidity A) Fascist

B) Cruelty B) Mercurial

C) Sangfroid C) Vainglorious

Q 15) He has such a pleasingly ________ personality that it is hard to be bothered by the __________ in his past.

A) Sanguine A) Peccadilloes

B) High-handed B) Incendiaries

C) Evanescent C) Achievements

Q 16) Unable to eschew her well-known tendency toward ________, the speaker effectively turned a five-minute policy brief into an hour-long ________ on the history of the region.

A) Terseness A) Distension

B) precision B) Expatiation

C) elaboration C) Repertory

Q 17) The _________ child approached the diving board; _________ water in the first place, he found the prospect of jumping into it from some height even more frightening.

A) Tremulous A) Beguiled by

B) Coltish B) Chary of

C) Cumbersome C) Repulsed by

Q 18) The actress was desperate to ________ the part in the new Michel Gundry film. It was ______ role, with lots of onscreen time and a number of long scenes that would allow the actress, usually cast as a vapid ingénue or bombshell, to truly show her dramatic range.

A) Land A) A grave

B) Ascertain B) A plum

C) Ensure C) A theatrical

Q 19) Although its desolate landscapes and small population may make South Dakota seem a __________ locale, it is actually one of the best places to start a business. High taxes in eastern states like New York and New Jersey can _______ even well-planned ventures. In contrast, South Dakota has some of the lowest taxes in the country.

A) Morbid A) Foil

B) Inhospitable B) Obviate

C) Germane C) Lampoon

Q 20) Women, though not ________ genetic disorders generally, are far less likely than men to display symptoms of an X-linked hereditary disease such as hemophilia. In the case of hemophilia, for example, the woman’ s second, X chromosome acts as a kind of buffer, the normal gene is typically able to produce enough clotting factors to __________ any life-threatening bleeds.

A) Inclined to A) Mollify

B) Intransigent towards B) Forestall

C) Impervious to C) Engender

Q 21) Although it no doubt seems ________ to profit from the misfortune of others, it is for precisely this reason that thrift shops are one of the more lucrative businesses to start during a recession. In times of financial distress, those who would normally consider shopping at thrift stores to be beneath them may be more _________ the idea, while others may rush to get rid of their old possessions in exchange for cash.

A) Fallacious A) Discomfited by

B) Benign B) Inured to

C) Gauche C) Amenable to

Q 22) Invasive species constitute a serious threat to __________ plants and animals, whether by preying on them directly or competing with them for resources. The emerald ash borer has had a particularly _______ effect on the environment; as it name implies, it attacks and kills all varieties of ash trees, and it is spreading throughout the United states at an alarming rate.

A) Inveterate A) Deleterious

B) Pugnacious B) Covert

C) Indigenous C) Perfidious

Q 23) His _______ fear of heights was at times a crippling disability; the mere thought of boarding an airplane was enough to send him into a cold sweat, so long-distance trips were an ordeal. And yet it was ultimately his fear of humiliation that proved most taxing. A naturally ______ man, he did his best to avoid being noticed and was deeply pained by the commotion, his panic attacks often produced among bystanders.

A) Corporeal A) Prudish

B) Visceral B) Taciturn

C) Craven C) Diffident

Q 24) Although folklore regards a green sky as a _______ of tornadoes, the belief is not backed by scientific evidence. In fact, tornadoes are one of the more unpredictable forms of severe weather; although radar can detect signs indicating a possible tornado, such data generally requires eyewitness _____.

A) Propagation A) Reciprocity

B) Incursion B) Approbation

C) Harbinger C) Corroboration

Q 25) The most successful companies can have humble-even ___________ beginnings; that Sony’ s first product was an ineffective rice cooker surely proves that ________ is nearly as important as vision when trying to get a business off the ground.

A) Mundane A) Tenacity

B) Frugal B) Presumption

C) Bogus C) Sophistry

Q 26) Though we were charmed by the __________ waters of the Mediterranean, the highlight of our trip to Greece was undoubtedly the chance to visit the Parthenon. Photos cannot adequately capture the grandeur of this ________ relic from ancient times, so we found ourselves stunned into silence when confronted by its stately columns and imposing pediments.

A) Pellucid A) Portentous

B) Turbid B) August

C) Quiescent C) Irrevocable

Q 27) In order to appreciate Byzantine art, one must first accept that its goal is not _______ but something more like expressiveness. Particularly noteworthy are the large and luminous eyes that lend an almost _______ expression to the figures that populate Byzantine paintings.

A) Dexterity A) facetious

B) Palpability B) Plaintive

C) Verisimilitude C) Impassive

Q 28) While the study of viruses is important in and of itself, it must be noted that it also has potential _______ for other areas of medicine. For example, a handful of otherwise innocuous viruses may ______ the development of certain forms of cancer; the Epstein-Barr virus has so far been linked to Hodgkin’ s lymphoma, Burkitt’ s lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and central nervous system lymphomas associated with HIV.

A) Proscriptions A) Precipitate

B) exigencies B) Attenuate

C) Ramifications C) truncate

Q 29) While most people are aware of the existence of vestigial structures like the appendix, far fewer realize that humans also retain some reflexes and behaviors that, though ________ now, would have proven valuable to the organisms from which we evolved. Goose bumps, for example, cause whatever fur an animal has to stand on end, thereby making it appear larger and a more _________ opponent when faced with a potential predator.

A) Superfluous A) Impassive

B) Apocryphal B) formidable

C) exiguous C) obsequious

Q 30) The governor signed the bill into law despite widespread and _____ objections, leading some to question whether he truly had the people’ s best interest at heart. In response to such criticisms, the governor merely stated that the new laws, however ______ in the short term, were ultimately necessary.

A) Bombastic A) Unpalatable

B) Moribund B) Imminent

C) Vociferous C) Execrable

Q 31) As the ________ of salt water and fresh water, estuaries fulfill an important environmental role. Their _______ waters provide a safe place for primarily sea-going fish like salmon to spawn, while conversely consulting the more permanent home for eels and other inland fish that breed in the ocean.

A) Quagmire A) Brackish

B) Nexus B) Noisome

C) Melee C) Viscous

Q 32) Although we tend to think of our judgements of others as ___________ observations, the reality is that a variety of unconscious beliefs and biases affect our opinions. For example, we so expect a person’ s physical appearance to _______ his overall intelligence and morality that attractive people ae more likely to receive good grades in school and land a well-paying job.

A) dispassionate A) Ascribe to

B) Chary B) Purport to

C) Momentous C) Jibe with

Q 33) Although the _________ against murder is universal, the definition of the crime is highly ________. A strict adherence to Buddhist teachings, for example, would most likely lead one to condemn even killing in self-defense, which is generally tolerated in modern society.

A) litigation A) Contentious

B) Vituperation B) fallacious

C) Proscription C) Inclusive

Q 34) Those unfamiliar with her _________ sense of humor tended to take her words at face value, and were sometimes repelled by her apparent inability to speak seriously of any subject. For those in the know, however, her _______ remarks were endlessly entertaining.

A) Flippant A) Jocular

B) Raucous B) Iconoclastic

C) Erudite C) Equivocal

Q 35) Cyrano de Bergerac, as he is portrayed in Rostand’ s play, is something of a _________. For all his swagger and ______ words, he remains a deeply sympathetic character, no doubt because at heart he is simply an insecure man tormented by unrequited love.

A) Archetype A) Licentious

B) Paradox B) Iconoclastic

C) Cliché C) Bombastic

Q 36) Although the differences are no doubt _________ to the casual listener, various studies have that men and women do not use language in precisely the same way. Men, for example, are far more likely to compliment women that vice versa, perhaps due to deeply ingrained cultural attitudes that condemn as ________ any romantically assertive woman.

A) Pertinent A) Garish

B) Blatant B) Brazen

C) Indiscernible C) Capricious

Q 37) Gazelles are known to be fast as well as ___________; this often leads people to __________ dance and ballet performers with these graceful creatures of the Savanna.

A) erratic A) Associates

B) Lithe B) Trivialize

C) Diaphanous C) Defer

Q 38) Good financial ________ is required to run a small business, and if you are not ______ in the ways of accounting, you should consider hiring a professional.

A) Vitiate A) Pliant

B) Acumen B) Learned

C) Credence C) frenetic

Q 39) The study of metallurgy involves the mining and processing of metal ________, as well as the mixing of different types of metals to form _______.

A) Magma A) Composites

B) Ore B) deposits

C) Treacle C) Striates

Q 40) Monarch butterflies have a very long and often _____ migration route that can often take them several months depending on their _______ in North America.

A) Vicarious A) Volition

B) Fractious B) Origin

C) Precarious C) Polarity

Q 41) “Shooting stars” are meteors, hunks of rocks that _________ through space, that burn up in the Earth’ s atmosphere in a streak that can often be seen by the naked eye; meteorites are pieces of meteors that are not completely _________ and fall all the way to the ground.

A) Hurtle A) Collated

B) Waft B) Extirpated

C) Droll C) Serrated

Q 42) The people’ s ________ toward their repressive government increased when they heard that a series of long-promised reforms were _________. The parliament had been suspended indefinitely, meaning that no changes would be made for the foreseeable future.

A) Revulsion A) Saprophagous

B) Fidelity B) Moribund

C) Rancor C) Nascent

Q 43) The former dictator’ s ________ was legendary, although it was only after he was deposed, the full extent of his wealth became now – huge mansions spread across the country, and a ________ of luxury goods.

A) Prowess A) Paucity

B) Cupidity B) Surfeit

C) Prudishness C) Postulate

Q 44) Medieval European rulers often tried to legitimize their rule by _______ ties to the ancient Roman Empire. Although actual ties were tenuous, this strategy engendered the German emperor adopting the ______ title of “Holy Roman Emperor”.

A) Rending A) Ludicrous

B) Alleviating B) Grandiose

C) Espousing C) Gregarious