Test: 07 - Saturday, May 1997
Accentuated emphasized
Alacrity speed and eagerness
Amiable friendly
Blueprints plans for a building
Cartographer map-maker
Censures blames; criticizes
Clairvoyant able to see into the future
Conciliatory tending to bring opposing sides together; ending argument
Crass crude
Deliberation careful thought
Delineates outlines
Demagogue a leader who appeals to the emotions of the mob
Disconcert make someone feel uncomfortable
Distort twist out of shape
Embittered made to feel bitter; resentful
Emend edit
Exacerbates makes worse
Exasperation frustration and annoyance
Exorbitant very expensive
Fickle changeable
Foolhardy reckless
Frugal very economical
Glacial icy cold, unfriendly
Gourmand epicure, food lover
Heckler someone who tries to put a speaker off
Hedonist pleasure-seeker
Inconsequential unimportant
Indiscernible cannot be seen easily
Jaded tired, worn out
Juxtaposition placing two things next to each other
Lithe flexible
Litigant claimant in a law case
Lobbyist someone who tries to persuade someone
Malinger deliberately avoid work
Miffed annoyed
Modicum very small amount
Negate cancel; deny
Nondescript having no special features
Ostracism shunning
Pallid pale
Parched dry
Pariah outcast
Penurious poor, having no money
Phlegmatic calm, imperturbable
Pretentious putting on an act; immodest
Protagonist main character in a book, play, film etc.
Proximity closeness
Prudent wise, cautious
Quart a measure of volume (two pints)
Razing knocking down
Recrimination blame
Resilient able to spring back after trouble
Reveler merrymaker
Salvageable can be saved from destruction
Scapegoat someone who takes the blame
Serene peaceful
Squelch suppress
Stifling suppressing
Surfeit an excess
Tangential not directly relevant
Temperance moderation
Tranquility peacefulness
Tremulous hesitant
Venerable should be respected
Vigilant watchful
Test: 10 - Sunday, May 2000
Adept skilful
Ambiguous vague
Amorphous having no definite shape
Amphibian able to live on land and in water
Arbitration mediation; deciding between two opposing sides
Avian concerned with birds
Belligerent aggressive; ready to fight
Blueprint plans for a building etc.
Calumny slander
Catastrophic disastrous
Catnap short sleep
Caustic burning; strongly attacking
Compliant flexible; not stubborn
Confounds confuses
Decibel unit to measure noise
Delineated outlined
Didactic intending to preach or teach
Disseminates spreads (esp. ideas)
Elucidate make clear; explain
Elude avoid
Empathetic able to sympathize with
Encompassed surrounded
Enduring lasting
Erasure wiping out
Ethos system of values
Evenhanded fair; unbiased
Expurgated censored; removed offensive parts
Exterminated wiped out
Feign pretend
Flaunting showing off
Foreshadows suggests something that will happen
Formidable inspiring fear or awe
Franchise license
Illegible cannot be read
Impassioned passionate; strongly felt
Incinerator device to burn waste
Intransigent stubborn
Irony quirk of fate; sarcasm
Irrational not logical
Malign to say evil things about someone; slander
Matriarchal governed by women
Momentous very important
Muffle suppress (esp. sound)
Myriad many
Narcissism vanity; excessive concern with one’s own appearance
Odometer devise to measure distance travelled
Paradox apparently contradictory situation
Pathos sadness
Plaudits praise
Precludes prevents
Predetermined fixed beforehand; fated
Railed complained strongly
Rancorous full of bitterness and bad feeling
Refracted bent (esp. of light)
Refurbished redecorated; renewed
Remiss failing to do one’s duty
Requisitioned ordered something
Score written form of music
Sermonized preached; lectured about morality
Shroud cover
Skirted avoided by going round the edges
Solicitude care
Stoic able to withstand; brave; indifferent to pain or joy
Substantiates gives supporting evidence
Tenacity firmness of purpose
Testimony evidence given by a witness
Torpid inactive
Transcribed copied in writing
Undermining attacking; attempting to overthrow
Vacillated wavered; hesitated
Verification proving right; confirmation