Verbal Advantage – Level 09 Word 1 – Word 10 MCQ Test

Word List

• Word 1: Prolix [PROH-liks]

Wordy and tiresome, long-winded and boring, verbose, using far too many and a great deal more words than are necessary and essential to get the point, such as the point may be, across, despite the fact that…

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All right, already! Now that was a prolix definition if you ever saw one—not to mention redundant.

Challenging synonyms of prolix include circumlocutory (SURkum-LAHK-yuh-tor-ee), tautological (TAW-tuh-LAHJ-i-kul), and pleonastic (PLEE-uh-NAS-tik).

Antonyms of prolix include concise, terse, pithy, succinct (suhkSINGKT, not suh-SINGKT), and sententious (sen-TEN-shus).

Prolix comes from the Latin prolixus, widely extended. Prolix applies to longwinded speech or writing that is tediously discursive, desultory, or protracted. If someone in a meeting talks on and on in a monotonous, boring way, that person is being prolix.

• Word 2: Apocryphal [uh-PAHK-ri-ful]

Not genuine, counterfeit, illegitimate; specifically, of doubtful authenticity or authorship.

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Spurious (SPYUUR-ee-us, word 18 of Level 8) is a close synonym of apocryphal. Other synonyms include unauthorized, unauthenticated, fabricated, fraudulent, and supposititious (suhPAHZ-i-TISH-us).

Antonyms include genuine (JEN-yoo-in), authentic, valid, and bona fide (BOH-nuh FYD).

The Apocrypha (uh-PAHK-ri-fuh) are fourteen books of an early translation of the Old Testament into Greek called the Septuagint (SEP-t(y)oo-uh-jint). The authenticity of these books was called into question, and they were subsequently rejected by Judaism and considered uncanonical, or not authoritative, by Protestants. However, eleven of the fourteen Apocrypha are accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. Today, apocrypha (with a lowercase a) refers to any writings of doubtful authenticity or authorship, and the adjective apocryphal means not genuine, counterfeit, spurious: an apocryphal document, an apocryphal statement, or an apocryphal story.

• Word 3: Cupidity [kyoo-PID-i-tee]

Greed, a strong desire for wealth or material things.

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Synonyms of cupidity include avarice, acquisitiveness, covetousness, and venality (vee-NAL-i-tee).

Cupidity comes from the Latin cupidus, which meant desirous, longing, eager, and also eager for power or money, avaricious. The corresponding Latin noun cupido, which means “desire,” is the source of Cupid, the cherubic (che-ROO-bik) god of love in Roman mythology, usually represented as a baby or chubby young boy with wings and a bow and arrow. Although Cupid and the English noun cupidity are related etymologically, in modern usage cupidity does not denote love or desire but rather an excessive love of money, a strong desire for wealth or material things.

• Word 4: Vernal [VUR-nul, rhymes with journal]

Pertaining to spring, occurring in the spring; also, having the qualities of spring: fresh, warm, and mild.

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Vernal has two challenging antonyms: hibernal (hy-BUR-nul) and hiemal (HY-uh-mul). Hibernal and hiemal both mean pertaining to winter, wintry. The ancient Romans gave Ireland the name Hibernia because the Emerald Isle seemed so cold and wintry to them. The familiar verb to hibernate means to spend the winter either in a dormant state, after the manner of bears, or in a place with a milder climate.

Would you like some words for your next summer vacation? Estival (rhymes with festival) means pertaining to summer, like summer, or belonging to summer, as estival flowers or an estival holiday. The verb to estivate (ES-ti-vayt), which means to pass the summer, is the opposite of hibernate, to pass the winter. And moving right along through the year, we have autumnal (awTUHM-nul), which means pertaining to autumn, to the fall.

Our keyword, vernal, means pertaining to spring. The vernal equinox (EE-kwi-nahks), which occurs in March and marks the beginning of spring, and the autumnal equinox, which occurs in September and marks the beginning of fall, are the times during the year when the sun crosses the equator and day and night are approximately the same length.

• Word 5: Temerity [tuh-MER-i-tee]

Recklessness, rashness, foolhardiness; reckless disregard for danger, risk, or consequences.

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Synonyms of temerity include nerve, cheek, gall, audacity, heedlessness, imprudence, impetuosity, presumptuousness, and effrontery (i-FRUHN- tur-ee).

Antonyms include timidity, bashfulness, faint-heartedness, sheepishness, apprehension, diffidence (DIF-i-dints), and timorousness (TIM-ur-us-nis).

The corresponding adjective is temerarious (TEM-uh-RAIR-eeus). When George Washington led his troops across the Delaware River, at the time it must have seemed temerarious, but history has since proved it was a sagacious military maneuver.

Temerity comes from the Latin temere, rashly, blindly, heedlessly, and by derivation refers to rash or foolish boldness, a reckless bravado that underestimates the danger or consequences of an action. Do you remember the end of the movie The Graduate, when Dustin Hoffman runs into the church, bangs on the glass, stops the wedding in progress, and then jumps on a bus with Katherine Ross, the intended bride? That was an act of temerity.

• Word 6: Rapprochement [RA-prohsh-MAW(N)]

Reconciliation, a reestablishing of friendly relations: “She helped bring about a rapprochement between the hostile parties”; “In 1993, there was a historic rapprochement between Israel and the PLO, and in 1994, an equally significant rapprochement between Israel and Jordan.”

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Rapprochement comes from a French verb meaning to bring together, and means literally to approach again. The word has been used in English since the early nineteenth century, but it still retains its French flavor in pronunciation: ra- as in rap; -proche- with an sh sound as in potion; and -ment like maw with -aw stopped in the nose: RA-prohsh-MAW(N).

• Word 7: Disquisition [DIS-kw-ZISH-n]

A formal discussion of or inquiry into a subject; a discourse.

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General synonyms of disquisition include treatise, critique, and commentary. More specific synonyms include lecture, thesis, oration, homily (HAHM-i-lee), tract, monograph, and dissertation.

Discourse, dissertation, and disquisition all refer to formal discussions of or inquiries into a subject. Discourse, which may refer either to writing or speech, means a formal treatise, lecture, or conversation. Dissertation may mean any lengthy discourse in writing, such as Noah Webster’s Dissertations on the English Language, published in 1789; however, in current usage dissertation most often refers to a formal thesis written by a candidate for a doctoral degree. Disquisition applies to any formal treatment of a subject, usually but not necessarily in writing.

• Word 8: Proscribe [proh-SKRYB]

To prohibit, forbid, outlaw: “The city council passed an ordinance proscribing the sale or possession of handguns”; “In certain societies, the practice of bigamy is not proscribed.”

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Synonyms of proscribe include ban, denounce, disallow, condemn, censure, ostracize, expatriate (eks-PAY-tree-ayt), and interdict (IN-tur-DIKT). Antonyms include permit, tolerate, legalize, authorize, and sanction.

Proscribe comes from the Latin proscribere, to post or publish the name of an outlaw or a person to be banished or put to death. By derivation, that which is proscribed is outlawed, not permitted, denounced, or condemned.

Be careful to distinguish the verbs to proscribe and to prescribe, which are opposite in meaning. Proscribe begins with pro- and is pronounced proh-SKRYB. Prescribe begins with pre- and is pronounced pri-SKRYB. A doctor may prescribe a certain drug, advise you to take it, or proscribe saturated fats, advise you to eliminate them from your diet. A prescription is an order to do something. A proscription is an order not to do it, a prohibition.

• Word 9: Munificence [myoo-NIF-i-sints]

Great generosity, lavish giving.

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Synonyms of munificence include philanthropy, liberality, benevolence, bountifulness, bounteousness, beneficence (buh-NEF-isints), and largess, traditionally pronounced LAHR-jis but now more often pronounced lahr-JES. Either way, the g in largess should be said like the g in large. Do not soften or Frenchify the g and say lahr-ZHES; this particular affectation is regrettably popular today. The word is sometimes spelled largesse, after the French, but the preferred spelling is largess, without a final e.

Antonyms of munificence include stinginess, miserliness, closefistedness (KLOHS- as in close, near), penuriousness (puh-NYUURee-us-nis), and parsimony (PAHR-si-MOH-nee). We will discuss the noun parsimony and the adjective parsimonious (PAHR-si-MOH-neeus) in the next set of keywords in this level.

The noun munificence and the corresponding adjective munificent (myoo-NIF-i-sint) come through the Latin munificus, generous, liberal, bountiful, from munus, a gift, present, or favor. Munificent means characterized by great generosity, as a munificent donation. The noun munificence suggests liberal or lavish giving, and may refer to the generous giving of money, favors, or hospitality.

• Word 10: Probity [PROH-bi-tee]

Honesty, integrity; fairness, straightforwardness, and sincerity in one’s dealings with others.

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Synonyms of probity include uprightness, trustworthiness, scrupulousness, veracity (vuh-RAS-i-tee), and rectitude (REK-tit(y)ood).

Antonyms include improbity, the direct opposite of probity, and also dishonesty, deceitfulness, unscrupulousness, duplicity, malfeasance (mal-FEE-zints), and perfidy (PUR-fi-dee). Perfidy means a breach of faith, treachery.

Honesty implies truthfulness and an unwillingness to lie, deceive, or do wrong. Integrity implies trustworthiness, reliability, and moral responsibility. Probity implies unshakable honesty and integrity; the man or woman of probity has been put to the test and found to be incorruptibly honest and upright, through adherence to the highest principles of conduct.