31. Arthur Conan Doyle's upstanding hero Sherlock Holmes engages in just as much clever deception as his nemesis,
Professor Moriarty, proving that ___________ is not inherently evil.
immorality
brilliance
cunning
subterfuge
wrongdoing
judgment
32. The etymologies of the words alpha and omega couldn't be more different; the former is obscure—the original
symbol for alpha was an ox's head, and an ox is 'alp in Phoenician — while the latter is ________, as omega
simply means "big O."
transparent
complicated
overt
erudite
abstruse
scholarly
33. While the muted colors do suggest a certain sobriety, the overall effect is undeniably _________.
vivacious
poignant
dull
lackluster
mirthful
benign
34. Although the system's _________ is not currently in dispute at the national level, increasing local allegations of
preferential treatment are threatening to change the situation.
unfairness
solemnity
probity
equity
partiality
solicitousness
35. Aghast at the indiscretion, the politician took a symbolic vow of _________, hoping that public attention to the
matter would quickly wane.
silence
chastity
openness
transparency
quietus
revenge
36. A petty man obsessed with—but in perpetual doubt about—his own power, he surrounded himself with
subordinates who could best be described as _________.
sages
myrmidons
sycophants
quacks
ascetics
sirens
37. While traveling to the spa's remote location could be hectic, visitors to the spa more than made up for the stress
by unwinding in a supremely _________ environment.
effusive
pacific
duplicitous
censorious
placid
blithe
38. The man looked much older than his 70 years, his _________ frame looking as though it had endured at least 40
years in the desert; although the casting director had initially pictured a more physically robust Moses, the actor
was, in the end, perfect for the role.
fetid
incendiary
desiccated
wizened
arid
hale
39. The children's attempt at a Mother's Day brunch was _________; soggy French toast, lukewarm coffee, and a
syrup fight in the kitchen that would inevitably end up being cleaned up by the very recipient of the brunch.
convivial
amiable
risible
satirical
farcical
labile
40. In a place rife with both poverty and crime, some cautioned the young student that to _________ about with his
fancy phone and designer clothing was only to invite trouble.
sprint
gallivant
tergiversate
traipse
digress
equivocate
41. Though the subject of the museum exhibit had been an astute politician and strategist in his day, not even his most
vociferous apologists could drum up interest among a modern public for a retrospective of a career so marked
by _________ views on social issues.
erudite
erroneous
sere
scholarly
passé
archaic
42. Just months from retirement, the disgraced executive was forced to make _________ exit from the company.
a peppery
a triumphant
a boorish
an ignominious
a defiled
an unseemly
43. _________ in scandal, the company could regain favor with customers only through mass firings of guilty
executives.
Wallowing
Stoic
Bogged down
Resplendent
Mired
Besotted
44. From the battle's opening volleys to its bloody conclusion, the forces of destruction razed a path through the city,
ultimately leaving behind an eerie stillness where there once had been streets and squares _________ with life.
flouting
assaying
teeming
stewing
abounding
vaunting
45. By framing the new law as a question of urgent safety rather than of privacy, the government obviated the need to
pass through the standard channels of legislation, effectively _________ all formal dissent and relegating any
would-be naysayer from a position of engaged activist to that of powerless bystander.
curtailing
undermining
targeting
lobbying
instigating
facilitating
46. Exactly which bird species fell victim first to the deadly virus is the subject of ongoing controversy; what is
known, however, is that it took but a slight mutation in the pathogen's genetic constitution to render it lethal to
_________ of related species.
a contraband
a surplus
an aurora
a myriad
a pantheon
a plethora
47. The coastline of the region plays home predominantly to a community of cosseted elites; aside from the tolerated
presence of a smattering of _________ abodes, the area is practically inundated with opulent estates, which
boast a variety of architectural styles from the neo-classical to the Gilded Age.
ramshackle
contiguous
archaic
garlanded
underestimated
dilapidated
48. An antiquated rifle and a revolutionary spirit were the only things in the possession of the young _________ as he
forded the perilous canyon stream and wended his way up the opposite bank in hopes of joining forces with the
insurgent militia.
myrmidon
rapscallion
defector
quisling
deity
devotee
49. After many hours of debate, things seemed to have reached ___________, as neither side was willing to give so
much as an inch, and no one had anything new to offer.
an impasse
a pause
a timeout
a confrontation
an engagement
a stalemate
50. While kidney stones are known to produce a truly ___________ sensation, often compared to the agony of
childbirth, they are almost never fatal.
anodyne
inoffensive
painstaking
tortuous
excruciating
torturous
51. Chris Anderson, editor of Wired magazine, has always been a huge ___________ of the philosophy that all
information "wants to be free"; interesting, then, that his latest book retailed for $29.99, and Wired still charges
for subscriptions.
detractor
champion
gadfly
chump
critic
proponent
52. The director of the musical admitted that while he was very good with characterization, scenery, lighting, and
music, choreography was not at all his __________.
strong suit
weakness
forte
hobby
deficiency
pastime
53. Though most technology used in the manufacture of bicycles is either decades old or adapted from other
industries, the advent of carbon fiber frames brought with it genuine _________.
innovation
antiquity
flexibility
venerability
novelty
seriousness
54. The long history of such _________ Western religious traditions as Kaballah and theosophy suggest that it is
wrong to associate mysticism only with the East.
foreign
devout
exotic
esoteric
eccentric
arcane
55. Sometimes _________ comes at a price; research suggests that among first-generation Chinese Americans, those
who embrace the traditional Confucian values of their homeland are more likely to succeed academically than
are those who do not.
acculturation
assimilation
investiture
alienation
indebtedness
estrangement
56. Many Enlightenment philosophers viewed Machiavelli's book as a satire meant to expose and caricature the
_________ claims to power of the very figures Machiavelli pretended to endorse.
sarcastic
specious
spurious
squalid
stolid
stoic
57. The defendant impressed the jurors as _________; they did not believe that a woman of her education and
experience could possibly be as naïve as she acted.
disingenuous
guileless
innocent
accomplished
artful
culpable
58. Crucial to fostering a realistic understanding of the potential boons—and perils—of the new drug will be a
concerted effort to _______ the specific contexts and symptoms that render its use appropriate.
furnish
delineate
outlaw
transmute
stipulate
proscribe
59. Two months after the first shots of the American Revolution were fired, the British offered a pardon to any rebels
willing to lay down arms, excepting only Samuel Adams and John Hancock, whose offenses the commanding
British officer considered too _________ to forgive.
effectual
fruitful
flagitious
boorish
heinous
martial
60. Robert Gottlieb, who otherwise found much to admire in John Steinbeck, argued that he was politically
_________, offering an adolescent disaffection in place of settled judgment.
naïve
perspicacious
contemptible
keen
callow
disinterested
No comments:
Post a Comment