Week 5

Question 1

Rampant

Answer 1

Going unchecked, widespread

When the plague was rampant on the island, Dr. Arrowsmith’s wife died.

Question 2

Inane

Answer 2

Foolish

Orville Wright was criticized for his inane desire to fly

Question 3

Ethics

Answer 3

Code of principles

A special management committee was asked to investigate business ethics.

Question 4

Concur

Answer 4

Agree

If I can get my parents to concur, I’ll joint the Peace Corps.

Question 5

Clandestine

Answer 5

Secret, undercover

The spies thought their meeting was a clandestine one, but a throng* of F.B.I. agents gathered outside the building.

Question 6

Flagrant

Answer 6

Outrageous, glaringly bad

Parking in front of a hydrant is a flagnant violation of the city’s law.

Question 7

Admonish

Answer 7

To warn, to reprove

I suspect that my father will admonish me for coming home late/

Question 8

Duress

Answer 8

Compulsion, force

The confession was signed under duress, the attorney claimed.

Question 9

Culprit

Answer 9

The guilty person

The culprit was caught with his fingers in the cookie jar.

Question 10

Inexorable

Answer 10

Inflexible, unrelenting

Television sleuths are inexorable in their pursuit of lawbreakers.

Question 11

Egregious

Answer 11

Remarkably bad

The bank teller’s egregious error was difficult to correct.

Question 12

Distraught

Answer 12

Mentally confused, crazed

The soldiers were distraught to learn that their furloughs had been canceled.

Question 13

Duplicity

Answer 13

Cunning, trickery

Duplicity is the stock in trade of all adroit* counterspies.

Question 14

Acrimonious

Answer 14

Bitter

We tried to ignore her acrimonious comments, but that took considerable restraint.

Question 15

Paucity

Answer 15

Scarcity

Although it was a creative writing class, the teacher complained about the paucity of talent there.

Question 16

Elicit

Answer 16

To draw forth

It isn’t easy to elicit answers from a sleepy class on Monday morning.

Question 17

Pernicious

Answer 17

Harmful, causing infury

The dictator’s pernicious rules failed to intimidate* the leaders of the underground.

Question 18

Tolerate

Answer 18

To put up with, to bear

Dentists appreciate patients who can tolerate pain.

Question 19

Construe

Answer 19

To make a deduction, to infer

She hoped that we would not construe her decision to run for office as a thirst for power.

Question 20

Impunity

Answer 20

Freedom from punishment

The border guards allowed the doctor to cross the frontier with impunity.