vocab list #2

  1. assimilate – 1: to be or become absorbed; to conform 2: to absorb; to bring into conformity

  2. arid – describing a dry, rainless climate

  3. brusque – rudely abrupt

  4. candor – sincerity; openness

  5. conflagration – a widespread fire

  6. deleterious – having a harmful effect; injurious

  7. dilettante – one with an amateurish or superficial understanding of a field of knowledge

  8. distractor – a possible answer that seems correct but is either wrong or not as good as the other answers

  9. enumerate – 1: to name one by one, as in a list 2: to ascertain the amount of; to count

  10. erudite – characterized by great knowledge; scholarly

  11. fractious – quarrelsome; unruly

  12. gesticulating – making gestures while speaking

  13. hackneyed – worn out through overuse; trite

  14. harbinger – something that indicates what is to come; a forerunner

  15. heinous – hatefully evil; abominable

  16. malapropism – a form of word play in which one word is mistakenly substituted for another that sounds similar Ex: When problems arise, it’s best to nip them in the butt.

  17. mundane – commonplace; ordinary

  18. nomenclature –names or terms used in a certain system

  19. non sequitur – (literally means “does not follow”) a statement that doesn’t logically follow what was just said

  20. omnipotent – all powerful

  21. onomatopoeia – figure of speech in which the word imitates the sound being described Ex: Boom

  22. permeated – spread or flowing throughout

  23. pragmatic – practical

  24. prodigious – impressively great in extent, size, or degree

  25. prudent – exercising good judgment; wise

  26. pugnacious – combative; belligerent

  27. replete – abundantly supplied; filled to capacity

  28. sardonic – disdainfully or ironically humorous; harsh, bitter, or caustic

  29. sonorous – producing a deep or full sound

  30. trepidation – uncertainty; apprehension

Multiple Choice Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

  1. To truly understand a culture, one must first __________ the behaviors and values of its people. a) deleteriousb) brusquec) assimilated) mundane

  2. The desert was characterized by its __________ conditions, receiving little to no rainfall each year. a) aridb) pugnaciousc) prodigiousd) histrionic

  3. His __________ response caught everyone off guard, as he usually spoke with more warmth. a) conflagrationb) brusquec) erudited) harbinger

  4. The __________ spread rapidly, engulfing several buildings in a matter of minutes. a) conflagrationb) non sequiturc) nomenclatured) trepidation

  5. Smoking has __________ effects on health, potentially leading to severe diseases. a) deleteriousb) mundanec) pugnaciousd) sardonic

  6. Despite being a __________, she enjoyed discussing art and literature at social gatherings. a) dilettanteb) eruditec) hackneyedd) omnipotent

  7. During the test, one answer turned out to be a __________, misleading many students. a) enumeratorb) distractorc) profoundd) replete

  8. The professor was highly __________, imparting vast knowledge to her students. a) eruditeb) hackneyedc) brusqued) mundane

  9. The __________ crowd erupted in arguments over the proposed changes. a) fractiousb) prudentc) ubiquitousd) harbinger

  10. The aroma of fresh bread __________ the air, making everyone hungry. a) permeatedb) repletec) gesticulatedd) sibilant