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Basic II

Terms in this set (49)

extenuating
making less guilty or more forgivable

The jury was hardly moved by the man's plea that his loneliness was an ___________ factor in his crime of dognapping a prized pooch.
badger
to pester

___________ by his parents to find a job, the 30-year-old loafer instead joined a gang of itinerant musicians.
start
to suddenly move in a particular direction

All alone in the mansion, Henrietta ___________ when she heard a sound.
catalyst
something that speeds up an event

Rosa Parks's refusal to give up her bus seat acted as a ___________ for the Civil Rights Movement, setting into motion historic changes for African-Americans.
cadaverous
emaciated; gaunt

Some actors take challenging roles in which they have to lose so much weight that they appear ___________.
errant
to be wandering; not sticking to a circumscribed path

Unlike his peers, who spent their hours studying in the library, Matthew preferred _________ walks through the university campus.
virago
an ill-tempered or violent woman

Poor Billy was the victim of the __________ invective—she railed at him for a good 30-minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.
pugnacious
eager to fight or argue; verbally combative

The comedian told one flat joke after another, and when the audience started booing, he ___________ spat back at them, "Hey, you think this is easy - why don't you buffoons give it a shot?"
moment
significant and important value

Despite the initial hullabaloo, the play was of no great __________ in Hampton's writing career, and within a few years the public quickly forgot his foray into theater arts.
amok
in a frenzied or uncontrolled state

Wherever the bowl haircut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets __________, hoping for a glance at his boyish face.
fleece
to deceive

Many people have been __________ by Internet scams and never received their money back.
wax
to gradually increase in size or intensity

Her enthusiasm for the diva's new album only __________ with each song; by the end of the album, it was her favorite CD yet.
disparate
two things are fundamentally different

With the advent of machines capable of looking inside the brain, fields as __________ as religion and biology have been brought together by scientists trying to understand what happens in the brain when people have a religious experience.
beatific
blissfully happy

Often we imagine all monks to wear the ___________ smile of the Buddha, but, like any of us, a monk can have a bad day and not look very happy.
melee
a wild, confusing fight or struggle

After enduring daily taunts about my name, I became enraged and pummeled the schoolyard bully and his sycophantic friends in a brutal ___________.
apex
the highest point

The Ivy League is considered the _________ of the higher education system.
heyday
the pinnacle or top of a time period or career

During the __________ of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.
corroborate
to confirm or lend support to (usually an idea or claim)

Her claim that frog populations were falling precipitously in Central America was __________ by locals, who reported that many species of frogs had seemingly vanished overnight.
flush
to be in abundance

The exam's passage is _________ with difficult words, words that you may have learned only yesterday.
cardinal
of primary importance; fundamental

Most cultures consider gambling a _________ sin and thus have outlawed its practice.
imponderable
impossible to estimate or figure out

According to many lawmakers, the huge variety of factors affecting society make devising an efficient healthcare system an _________ task.
preemptive
done before someone else can do it

Just as Martha was about to take the only cookie left on the table, Noah __________ swiped it.
hodgepodge
a confusing mixture or jumble

Those in attendance represented a __________ of the city's denizens: chimney sweepers could be seen sitting elbow to elbow with stockbrokers.
cogent
clear and persuasive

A __________ argument will change the minds of even the most skeptical audience.
scintillating
describes someone who is brilliant and lively

Richard Feynman was renowned for his __________ lectures—the arcana of quantum physics was made lucid as he wrote animatedly on the chalkboard.
ferret
to search for something persistently

Ever the resourceful lexicographer, Fenton was able to __________ out the word origin of highly obscure words.
stem
to hold back or limit the flow or growth of something

To _________ the tide of applications, the prestigious Ivy requires that each applicant score at least 330 on the Revised GRE.
unconscionable
unreasonable; unscrupulous; excessive

The lawyer's demands were so ___________ that rather than pay an exorbitant sum or submit himself to any other inconveniences, the defendant decided to find a new lawyer.
pittance
a small amount (of money)

Vinny's uncle beamed smugly about how he'd offered his nephew fifty dollars for his Harvard tuition; even twice the amount would have been a mere __________.
bellicose
warlike; inclined to quarrel

Known for their _________ ways, the Spartans were once the most feared people from Peloponnesus to Persia.
exhort
to strongly urge on; encourage

Nelson's parents ___________ him to study medicine, urging him to choose a respectable profession; intransigent, Nelson left home to become a graffiti artist.
raft
a large number of something

Despite a __________ of city ordinances passed by an overzealous council, noise pollution continued unabated in the megalopolis.
check
to limit (usually modifying the growth of something)

Deserted for six months, the property began to look more like a jungle and less like a residence—weeds grew __________ in the front yard

the condition of being held back or limited

When government abuses are not kept in __________, that government is likely to become autocratic.
vicarious
felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another

The advent of twitter is a celebrity stalker's dream, as he or she can—through hundreds of intimate "tweets"— ___________ live the life of a famous person.
immaterial
not relevant

The judge found the defendant's comments ___________ to the trial, and summarily dismissed him from the witness stand.
aboveboard
open and honest

The mayor, despite his avuncular face plastered about the city, was hardly ___________ - some concluded that it was his ingratiating smile that allowed him to engage in corrupt behavior and get away with it.
paucity
a lack of something

There is a _________ of jobs hiring today that require menial skills, since most such jobs have either been automated or outsourced.
misanthrope
a hater of mankind

Kevin is such a ___________ that he refused to attend the Christmas party, claiming that everyone's happiness was "fake" and "annoying."
chauvinist
a person who believes in the superiority of their group

The __________ lives on both sides of the political spectrum, outright shunning anybody whose ideas are not consistent with his own.
checkered
marked by disreputable or unfortunate happenings

One by one, the presidential candidates dropped out of the race, their respective __________ pasts— from embezzlement to infidelity—sabotaging their campaigns.
junta
an aggressive takeover by a group (usually military); the group that executes such a takeover

As dangerous of a threat as North Korea is, some analysts believe that were a _________ suddenly to gain power, it could be even more unpredictable and bellicose than the current leadership
desecrate
to willfully violate or destroy a sacred place

After ___________ the pharaoh's tomb, the archaeologist soon fell victim to a horrible illness.
contrite
to be remorseful

Though he stole his little sister's licorice stick with malevolent glee, Chucky soon became __________ when his sister wouldn't stop crying.
sanguine
cheerful; optimistic

With the prospect of having to learn 3,000 words during the course of the summer, Paul was anything but ___________.
avarice
greed (one of the seven deadly sins)

The Spanish conquistadors were known for their ___________, plundering Incan land and stealing Incan gold.
becoming
appropriate, and matches nicely

Her dress was __________ and made her look even more beautiful.
sanctimonious
making a show of being pious; holier-than-thou

Even during the quiet sanctity of evening prayer, she held her chin high, a __________ sneer forming on her face as she eyed those who were attending church for the first time.
animosity
intense hostility

The governor's __________ toward his rival was only inflamed when the latter spread false lies regarding the governor's first term.
replete
completely stocked or furnished with something

Only weeks after the hurricane made landfall, the local supermarket shelves were _________ with goods, so quick was the disaster relief response.
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