English Quiz 2

Circumspect

adjective

careful; prudent; discreet

Perspicacious

adjective

shrewd; clear-sighted

Pragmatic

adjective

practical

Didactic

adjective

instructive

Gaffe

noun

a clumsy social error; a faux pas

Castigate

verb

to scold, rebuke, or harshly criticize

Vituperative

adjective

marked by harshly abusive condemnation

Incontrovertible

adjective

indisputable; not open to question

Extrapolate

verb

to infer / estimate by extending known information

Abstruse

adjective

difficult to understand

Parity

noun

equality, as in amount, status, or value

Pedantic

adjective

excessively concerned with formal rules and knowledge

Substantiate

verb

to support with proof or evidence; to verify

Obsequious

adjective

fawning and servile

Conjecture

noun

inference; guesswork

Eminent

adjective

distinguished; prominent

Extripate

verb

to destroy

Disseminate

verb

to scatter wildly, as in sowing seed

Precocious

adjective

exhibiting unusually early maturity or aptitude

Pejorative

adjective

disparaging, belittling, insulting

Acumen

noun

quickness, accuracy; keenness of judgment or insight

Reticent

adjective

inclined to keep silent; reserved

Magnanimous

adjective

courageously or generously noble in mind and heart

Adroit

adjective

nimble, deft; skillful or resourceful

Mendacious

adjective

lying; untruthful

metaphor

A comparison without using like or as

simile

A comparison using "like" or "as"

personification

A figure of speech in which non-living things are given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes

allusion

A reference to another work of literature, person, or event

tone

The attitudes toward the subject and/or the audience implied in a text

verbal irony

The opposite of what is intended is stat

dramatic irony

when the audience has essential information the characters do not.

situational irony

The opposite of what is expected to happen happens

synecdoche

a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa

metonymy

A figure of speech in which something is referred to by using the name of something that is associated with it

fastidious

carefully attentive to detail; difficult to please

debunk

to expose untruths or exaggerated claims

dilatory

habitually late

averse

strongly disinclined

modicum

a small moderate, or token amount

mar

to damage or disfigure

ameliorate

to make something better, or improve

fallacy

a false notion; an illogical argument

Proliferate

to grow or increase rapidly

Assimilate

to absorb or become absorbed ; to make or become similar

Banal

predictable; trite; drearily commonplace

Vacillate

to sway from one side to another; to oscillate

Nefarious

extremely wicked; villainous

Extraneous

irrelevant; inessential

Inundate

to overwhelm as if with a flood; to swamp

Docile

submissive to instruction; willing to be taught

Impetuous

impulsive and passionate

Soporific

inducing sleep

Specious

plausible or believable but actually false

Augment

to make greater in size or quantity; to supplement

Insolent

insulting in manner or speech

Obstinate

stubbornly attached to an opinion; difficult

Copious

plentiful; having a large quantity

Belie

to misrepresent or disguise

Scintillating

brilliant

malapropism

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one

Illiterate him quite from your memory (illiterate instead of obliterate)

anaphora

The repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses

chiasmus

Chiasmus is a two-part sentence or phrase, where the second part is a reversal of the first.

When the going gets tough, the tough get going

allegory

A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

Book: animal farm

foreshadowing

A way that later events are hinted at or prepared for

To act as a warning or sign of a future event

Her early interest in airplanes foreshadowed her later career as a pilot.

denouement

"Unraveling" or "unknotting," final unveiling of the plot, the solution to a mystery, an explanation or outcome

flat character

One dimensional; built around a single idea or quality

karen smith

round character

a deep and layered character in the story

walter white from breaking bad