I had a coaching center called P@ul’s Coaching Home. I used to teach students with lecture sheets. Some of those sheets still remain with me. I’m sharing them with you one by one. There might be some errors. During classes, I used to correct the mistakes in the sheets while teaching. But now, due to lack of time, I couldn’t do that. Please take the trouble to correct them yourself while reading.
Another thing. I never made solution sheets for any of the exercises. I used to solve them instantly in class. So, you’ll have to take the trouble to solve and study them on your own.
TYPE: 1
1.
stolid—adj. stubbornly rebellious ………n. one who leads a simple life of
self-denial……….n. solemn moral talk; sermon……adj. showing little
emotion
2.
encroach—n. severity……….n. acting as a dictator……..adj. having an
affable manner; carefree………v. to trespass or intrude
3. potent—v.
brag; glory over…..n. a gentle wind; breeze……..adj. having great power or
physical strength……..n. moral corruption; badness
4.
impolitic—v. separate, split…….adj. improper; unfortunate……..adj.
unwise; imprudent………v. to disagree; differ in opinion
5.
frenetic—n. unrest; agitation……….n. thrift; economical use or
expenditure………adj. frenzied………v. to grow together
6.
neologism—-v. to soak or stain; permeate……….adj. not clear;
uncertain……….n. giving a new meaning to an old word……….v. to agree
without protest
7. tepid—-adj.
having the composition of wood……….adj. unnecessary; extra………..adj.
of a strange nature; weird…………adj. lacking warmth, interest,
enthusiasm; lukewarm
8. hamper—v.
interfere with; hinder………adj. plausible, but deceptive; apparently, but
not actually, true……..adj. having to do with shepherds or the
country…….v. to make new; renovate
9.
callow—-adj. sweet-smelling; having the odor of a particular
thing……….adj. unclear or vague……..adj. solitary……….adj. being
young or immature
10.
discerning—v. to show sympathy for……….adj. having great power or
physical strength………v. to characterize or make as disgraceful…….adj.
distinguishing one thing from another; having good judgment
11. adjutant—n.
staff officer assisting the commander; assistant……….adj. showing hard
work; taking great care………n. hostile feeling or intent………n.
extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress
12.
adulation—n. narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of
land……….adj. every two years………..n. flattery;
admiration……….n. calmness; peace
13.
addendum—n. inscription in memory of a dead person…….n. harshness;
plainness………..n. addition; appendix to book…………v. hesitate
14. advent—v.
bring upon oneself………v. approach and speak first to a person……….n.
pride, haughtiness………n. arrival
15.
addle—adj. drowsy; dull………….n. deceit; duplicity………….v. hint;
imply……………v. muddle; drive crazy
16.
actuarial—n. commotion; riot…………n. soothing or softening
remedy………….adj. calculating; pertaining to insurance
statistics…………n. thrift; economy
17.
adjuration—adj. exhausting…………..adj. dirty;
neglected……………n. member of the working class………….n. solemn
urging
18.
adamant—adj. weighty; unwieldy………….v. equip…………..adj. hard,
inflexible…………adj. outstanding; superior
19.
adroit—adj. bantering; joking………………adj.
skillful……………….v. make less difficult…………….n.
descendants; future generations
20.
adverse—v. sparkle; flash………….n. brief explanation of words used in
the text………….adj. unfavorable; hostile…………..v. echo; resound
21. adorn—-v.
leave to someone by means of a will; hand down…………..n. the meat of a
deer…………….v. decorate…………..n. statement that looks false but
is actually correct; a contradictory statement
22. adjunct—n.
hermit……………adj. sleeping; lethargic………….n. something attached
to but holding an inferior position………..adj. very important
23.
adulterate—n. seriousness……………v. make impure by mixing with baser substances……………..v.
issue forth……………n. confusion; strife
24. acuity—n.
sharpness……………adj. spread throughout…………n.
kinship……………n. poverty, misfortune
25.
adherent—adj. verbose; drawn out…………..n. supporter;
follower…………..adj. conspicuously wicked………..adj. irreverent
26.
admonish—n. uprightness…………v. fret; complain………………adj.
unorthodox; unconventional…………..v. warn; reprove
27.
adventitious—n. self-control; formal but distant manner…………….v. cut
away; trim…………..adj. fleeting; vanishing…………..adj. accidental;
casual
28.
acumen—adj. spotted; stained………….n. prototype; primitive
pattern…………..n. premonition; foreboding…………….n. mental
keenness
29.
adversary—-n. opponent; enemy…………….adj. imagined;
unreal…………..n. mass of floating ice…………adj. wasted away; gaunt
30. adage—v.
wise saying; proverb………..adj. pertaining to the people……….v.
follow…………..n. accident
31.
allocate—v. set aside; designate……………..adj. natural;
inborn…………..adj. difficult to please; dainty………….adj.
unnecessary; extra
32.
predecessor—v. to turn to bone; to harden………………n. one who has
occupied an office before another…………….n. a purposely misleading
statement………….v. to influence or persuade
33.
stigmatize—n. an impossible fancy……………v. to characterize or make as
disgraceful……………adj. having lines or grooves………..n. the
rounded, upward-projecting front of a saddle
34.
servile—adj. slavish; groveling……………..adj. unimportant;
small…………..adj. damp and chilly………….adj. clever, resourceful
35. earthy—adj.
unrefined…………….adj. productive………….n. a word or phrase which
reads the same backwards and forwards………….n. vileness
36.
profound—adj. hard to catch…………..adj. deep;
knowledgeable…………….adj. being hard to deal with; unsolved
situation………….v. to enfeeble; to wear out
37.
kinship—v. to blot out; to delete……………..v. to be advantageous; to
be necessary…………..n. condition of being physically agitated;
disturbance……….n. family relationship; affinity
38. heresy—n.
very hard work; intense pain or agony…………….n. opinion contrary to
popular belief…………v. to agree without protest…………….adj.
dangerous; harmful
39.
circumlocutory—n. a rebuke……………..adj. wasteful;
lavish………………adj. being too long, as in a description or expression;
a roundabout, indirect, or ungainly way of expressing something………….n.
disaster
40.
jettison—v. to throw overboard goods to lighten a vehicle; to discard………………v.
annoy; irritate………….adj. spread out; verbose (wordy)…………v.
condescend; stoop
41.
lucent—adj. reflective; contemplative…………….adj. shining;
translucent………….n. violent or unrestrained anger; fury………….adj.
unconcerned
42.
relinquish—n. the avoiding of a duty………….v. to build or establish; to
instruct and improve the mind…………..n. violent or unrestrained anger;
fury………v. to let go; abandon
43. effigy—v.
to increase or add to; to make larger…………..adj. matter-of-fact;
practical………….n. the image or likeness of a person………….n.
appearance, being or manner
44.
universal—n. A clause stating a condition or stipulation…………..adj.
concerning everyone; existing everywhere…………..v. to
bicker………..adj. to the point; clear
45.
unequivocal—adj. assumed; uncertain……………..adj. clear and
unambiguous…………….v. to gradually become less; to grow dim……….v.
to gather up and store; to collect
46.
ostentatious—adj. various; miscellaneous…………..v. to profane; violate
the sanctity of…………n. a cleft or crack……….adj. being showy
47.
concise—adj. in few words; brief………………v. to put money into a fund
at fixed intervals………..adj. pertaining to the earth……….n. inflation
or extension
48.
impasse—adj. irrelevant; not related……………v. to give vent; to
inflict………….n. a situation that has no solution or escape………..n.
violent or unrestrained anger; fury
49.
homeostasis—n. maintenance of stability…………..v. to give great
praise…………..v. to free from confusion………….n. one who believes
that others are motivated entirely by selfishness.
50.
protocol—adj. being mournful or sad……………….n. an original draft or
record of a document……………..adj. giving generously………….v. to
free from guilt
TYPE: 2
1. adj. lacking
vitality; indifferent—palindrome………..surfeit………….cloying……………languid
2. v. to become
more and more virulent and
fixed—compromise………….arrogate…………….fester…………….derogatory
3. adj.
pertaining to a discovery or new
revelation—-mendacious…………….euphony………….batten…………….apocalyptic
4. n. lack of
facial
color—specious……………obeisance…………..gauche………..pallor
5. v. defame;
maliciously misrepresent—inured……………..surfeit………….exigent……………slander
6. v. to
denounce or condemn openly—dowdy……decry……succinct………dearth
7. v. make
easier; simplify—staid……facilitate……….slothful………..plausible
8. adj.
discouraged; depressed—skeptic…..haughty…………disheartened…………exonerate
9. adj.
honorable;
exact—optimist…………alchemist………….parity………..scrupulous
10. v. mix;
massage—comport………..obviate……..distant……….knead
11. v. to weaken;
often through subtle
means—undermine………..caustic………extol………..surpass
12. v. to be
advantageous; to be
necessary—behoove……….guise……..pessimism…………rivet
13. n. one who
believes that others are motivated entirely by
selfishness.—insinuate……….bode……….abbreviate………..cynic
14. adj.
existing independently of others; a large
quantity—incorporeal………eccentric…………substantive…………tentative
15. v. to free
from guilt—mien………exculpate………obsequious………….menagerie
16. v. to mourn
or grieve——-lament……….privy……..effrontery……….phlegmatic
17. adj.
friendly;
amiable—-affable……….objective……….covenant………debase
18. adj.
glowing through haze; shocking,
sensational—distant…………lurid………..knavery……….intangible
19. n. being
stripped—garish………sojourn…………agrarian……….divestiture
20. adj.
stingy, miserly—cacophony………….bereft……….savor…………penurious
21. adj.
shriveled;
withered—arbitrary…………curb…………symmetry………..wizened
22. n.
disapproval—despotism……….disapprobation…………hackneyed…………stipend
23. v. to build
or establish; to instruct and improve the
mind—edify………..amiable…………..fecund………….heed
24. v. to agree
without
protest—solubility……………acquiesce…………perpetual………….exemplary
25. adj.
silent; reserved—wry………..placate………….susceptible………….reticent
26. v. to
overspread—suffuse………..contusion…………subtlety………..complacent
27. n. a
binding and solemn
agreement—covenant……….phobia……….lascivious………..decadence
28. n.
difference in form, character, or
degree—-jeopardy………….inundate……….disparity…….diffuse
29. v. search
thoroughly—indigenous……….facilitate………..rummage……….splenetic
30. v. to
huddle and tremble—rudimentary………..cower………..insularity…………exigent
31. v. to put
money into a fund at fixed
intervals—soporific………..succinct………..amortize…………..repugnant
32. adj.
complying;
obeying—thwart……….compatible………..compliant……….licentious
33. v. to connect
or associate with; to accept as a
member—affiliate……….antipathy……..trivial……….notorious
34. n. the
range or limit of one’s abilities; rope or chain used to keep a boat from
drifting or an animal from wandering—ignominious………palliate……..tether………welter
35. n. the
quality of being agreeable or eager to
please—abeyance……….anoint………complaisance……..tawdry
36. n. a
constantly quarrelsome
woman—uncanny…….pessimism……….termagant……….pied
37. n. to
determine the quality of a
substance.—maverick…………assay………..rampart……….condescend
38. v. to
organize laws or rules into a systematic
collection—ostentatious………..mendacious………..codify………obtrude
39. n. art of
taking something for oneself;
seizure—appease……..edifice……….usurpation………errant
40. n.
something out of place in time (e.g., an airplane in
1492)—attenuate………….august…………salvage…………anachronism
41. n.
relatives and
acquaintances—impetuous………….arbitrary…………..kith…………..guise
42. adj.
fierce, savage,
cruel—acclaim………………truculent……………itinerary…………….effeminate
43. adj.
stubborn—glib…………..obstinate…………impassive……….sordid
44. adj.
tiresome;
ordinary—deplete…………phobia…………..prosaic…………truculent
45. v. ask for;
call
upon—undermine………….jester…………..salubrious…………..invoke
46. v. to plead
in favor
of—salvage…………..effusive……………advocate…………diverse
47. adj.
lustful;
wicked—ribald………….lewd……………raucous……………..luxuriant
48. v. to
combine—conjoin…………….apathy……………demur………….licentious
49. n. an
unworldly young
woman—cabal……………….ingénue…………..mercurial…………..innocuous
50. adj.
resisting
authority—relinquish…………contumacious………….ingenuous………….duplicity
TYPE: 3
After each
sentence, select the word which best fills in the blank left in that sentence.
1. The children
were so ____________ that the teacher had to yell to be heard. A. truculent B.
obstreperous C. morose D. discreet
2. Coach
Calhoun tried to ___________ his team to try harder in the face of overwhelming
odds. A. flout B. instigate C. emulate D. exhort
3. I don’t
think these flowers are __________ to New England. At least I’ve never seen
them. A. ingenuous B. fluent C. indigenous D. exigent
4. Roberto
pretended to know a lot about the opera, but he was really just a ___________ .
A. dilettante B. supernumerary C. chimera D. catalyst
5. The
professor became so forceful, so _________ in his expression of opinions, that
students began to leave his course. A. dormant B. credible C. dogmatic D. lucid
6. Tashonda had
read the book in a __________ fashion and couldn’t remember what she’d read. A.
truculent B. obstreperous C. cursory D. discreet
7. The older
child had a reputation for ________ trouble in high school, but he calmed down
in college. A. mortifying B. appeasing C. curtailing D. instigating
8. The
professor got in trouble for making __________ remarks about the Dean of
Faculty. A. benign B. pejorative C. pensive D. blithe
9. My uncle has
never been to an art museum; in fact, when it comes to matters of art, my uncle
is a real _________ . A. patrician B. philistine C. martyr D. hedonist
10. The jury
___________ the mayor of all wrongdoing. A. exonerated B. expatriated C.
augmented D. subjugated
11. A
__________ seemed to befall the entire community as it heard the horrid news.
A. malfeasance B. blasphemy C. largess D. malaise
12. A kind of
____________ seemed to occur when David graduated from high school. He became a
serious student all of a sudden. A. metamorphosis B. milieu C. epithet D.
accolade
13. Esmerelda’s
dissertation was on such an ___________ subject that no one could understand
it. A. equitable B. esoteric C. auspicious D. austere
14. Sherman’s
hold on his job has become so _________ that no one is sure he’ll be working
there next month. A. serendipitous B. eminent C. putative D. tenuous
15. The UConn women basketball team’s perfect season ___________ in a championship win over Tennessee. A. culminated B. fulminated C. fomented D. alleviated
16. The jury was able to see through the ___________ argument of the defense lawyers. A. stoic B. palpable C. specious D. onerous
17. Maria was so _________ that she couldn’t follow even the simple directions on the cake box. A. officious B. obtuse C. candid D. opulent
18. It’s not a good idea to take a balloon ride in _______ weather conditions. A. onerous B. affable C. malleable D. adverse
19. The ___________ reason for moving our college campus downtown is that students will find it easier to get there — but I have my doubts. A. putative B. tangible C. hermetic D. erudite
20. How my brother ever became a priest is an __________ to all of his high school friends. A. idiosyncrasy B. antipathy C. enigma D. archetype
21. Benson’s essay was ____________ with punctuation errors of all kinds. A. replete B. resolute C. opulent D. virulent
22. The prime minister bowed and scraped and behaved ___________ before the new queen. A. resolutely B. ostensibly C. sinuously D. obsequiously
23. Rhonda’s behavior only _____________ an already bad situation. A. obfuscated B. exacerbated C. preempted D. flouted
24. George had the ___________ to suggest that we hire a new coach. A. discretion B. disdain C. surfeit D. temerity
25. The philosophy lecture was so predictable, so _________, that everyone fell asleep in five minutes. A. ascetic B. banal C. astute D. ineffable
26. The Darwin couple ______________ upon their future for months before deciding to get married. A. precluded B. deferred C. ruminated D. incited
27. The ____________ of the task before them would prove a challenge to their imagination and patience. A. omen B. lethargy C. hiatus D. enormity
28. The mysterious, ____________ music floated through the trees and charmed the listeners. A. ethereal B. esoteric C. sanguine D. viable
29. The ____________ facts of the matter were obvious to most of the witnesses. A. perfunctory B. gratuitous C. salient D. bodacious
30. The first-grade teacher attempted to __________ his pupils in the virtues of playing fair. A. stipulate B. edify C. exonerate D. comprise
31. In an attempt to _______ the effects of a bad year, farmers planted a second crop. A. censure B. mitigate C. decimate D. obliterate
32. Clarence was well known for his __________, his ability to lie on the couch and watch TV all day. A. lethargy B. animosity C. futility D. reticence
33. The state accountants were ________ in their use of tax dollars for lunch. A. lucid B. servile C. obscure D. prodigal
34. With all those injuries, death was _________. A. superficial B. inevitable C. precipitous D. fulsome
35. No one really liked the attorney general, but no one could doubt her ____________ . A. anarchy B. viscosity C. veracity D. ineptitude
36. The country’s __________ economy was nearly wiped out by the late summer storms. A. agrarian B. arcane C. frugal D. culinary
37. The last years of the Roman Empire were renowned for their indulgent, ____________ society. A. fortuitous B. incongruous C. fastidious D. hedonistic
38. The ___________ water of the high Rocky Mountains was perfect for the brewer’s purposes. A. latent B. pristine C. perfidious D. acrid
39. To everyone’s horror, Rufus’s farewell speech was filled with bitter ____________ about his bosses. A. invective B. levity C. magnanimity D. transgression
40. When the Maguires moved away, their beautiful gardens began to _____________ from lack of care. A. instigate B. adulate C. languish D. persevere
41. The car salesman was overly helpful — to the point of being _____________ and rude. A. opulent B. circumspect C. reticent D. officious
42. The sculptor loved to work with bright, ____________ metals. A. malleable B. mercurial C. impervious D. ascetic
43. My mother-in-law has made some __________ judgments while investing in the stock market. A. clandestine B. astute C. dissolute D. ponderous
After each sentence, select the word which best fills in the blank left in that sentence.
1. The living room, with its ____________ curtains, was dark and depressing. A. indulgent B. anomalous C. idyllic D. funereal
2. The rock star moved into an ____________ mansion, complete with its own bowling alley and movie theater. A. ostensible B. opulent C. unmitigated D. ascetic
46. Ardenworthy’s _____________ praise of his coach was part of his plan to get onto the team. A. innocuous B. fulsome C. cognizant D. ostensible
47. Josie’s __________ experience in the convent chapel led her to choose a religious life. A. ineffable B. ingratiating C. maladroit D. petulant
48. Everything about Carlos’s financial situation seemed _________ for getting the loan he needed. A. slovenly B. bodacious C. dour D. propitious
49. In Charlie’s adolescent years, the _________ of his existence cost him his self-confidence. A. acerbity B. vagaries C. serenity D. biliousness
50. The _________ old apple seller on the street corner used to scare Sarah. A. copasetic B. pulchritudinous C. wizened D. transmogrified
51. The judge severely ____________ his clerks for telling the press about the defendant’s case. A. chastised B. obligated C. inhibited D. aggravated
52. The ___________ team seemed to suffer one unlucky defeat and injury after another. A. ineffable B. fulsome C. inevitable D. hapless
53. Aunt Clara delivered a beautiful ____________ at Grandmother’s funeral. A. solipsism B. eulogy C. ineptitude D. soubriquet
54. Tawanda gave a ___________ account of the conversation she’d had with the police. A. verbatim B. decorous C. dilatory D. munificent
55. His __________ crimes against the state were well chronicled in the daily papers. A. propitious B. querulous C. blatant D. amorous
56. Students found her ____________ lecture hard to follow. A. meticulous B. honorary C. cogent D. discursive
57. The pirates ___________ their swords and demanded that the captain split the booty evenly among them. A. bilked B. brandished C. augmented D. loathed
58. The students’ __________ attitude toward the assignment astonished the librarian. He knew they wouldn’t finish their work on time. A. dilatory B. salubrious C. ingratiating D. dogmatic
59. Carlos’s ____________ approach to his college education meant that he had many false starts and had to start over again. A. desperate B. bodacious C. droll D. desultory
60. The __________ in Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath stirs our pity for the economically oppressed and unlucky farmers. A. pertinacity B. pathos C. serenity D. prevarication
61. Nigerians seem to have a natural ____________ to excel in long-distance running; in fact, their success demands years of hard work. A. absolution B. guile C. proclivity D. atrophy
62. The English
Department was upset when the History Department offered a writing course,
which the English profs regarded as their _____________ . A. bailiwick B.
bodega C. turpitude D. oubliette
63. Geezer had
no ______________ about going into the principal to tell her what he thought.
A. juxtaposition B. lampoon C. façade D. compunction
64. The
basketball star’s ___________ gestures to give back to his community were
praised by sportswriters everywhere. A. laconic B. laudable C. salacious D.
rancid
65. Turgeweed’s
offenses against the old women in the retirement community were the most
____________ crimes the detectives could remember. A. heinous B. decorous C.
coherent D. abstruse
66. The river
continued to rise, but the sunshine breaking through the clouds ___________ our
fears. A. accrued B. bowdlerized C. allayed D. exacerbated
67. Students
got together in a/an _____________, secretly conspiring to get rid of their
instructor. A. omnibus B. honorary C. autoclave D. conclave
68. The man’s
arms were so ____________ that he could hardly wear shirts with sleeves. A.
hirsute B. antiseptic C. omnivorous D. copasetic
69. The
__________ effects of sugar on one’s teeth is especially dangerous in one’s
youth. A. pervasive B. pernicious C. raucous D. mordant
70. Dogbody’s
_____________ criticism of our government’s mishandling of funds laid the
groundwork for reform. A. odious B. infirm C. salient D. trenchant
71. Gesualdo’s
speech was nearly as ___________ as his fat little body. A. egregious B. rotund
C. dubious D. salubrious
72. The general
had to respect the ___________ spirit of his old enemies; they would not give
up. A. iniquitous B. indomitable C. stringent D. spurious
73. The coach’s
___________ voice could be heard over all the other noise in the gymnasium. A.
strident B. mellifluous C. ingratiating D. sanguine
74. The lab
technicians went through the titration process with __________ care. A. mordant
B. vestigial C. ribald D. sedulous
75. She got
really tired of looking after the ____________ affairs of the farm. A. motley
B. mundane C. irascible D. felicitous
76. When Tarzan
returned to civilization, people worried about his sometimes ___________
behavior. A. fervent B. culpable C. feral D. pedantic
77. The
diplomat’s ______________ demands caused him to be less than welcome at most
restaurants. A. peremptory B. arcane C. frugal D. pragmatic
78. The
artist’s ____________ landscapes included gentle hills and streams, shepherds
and flocks of sheep. A. ravenous B. pejorative C. odious D. pastoral
79. The jackass
is known for its stubborn, ___________ refusals to respond to commands. A.
latent B. recalcitrant C. turgid D. salubrious
80. Even the
most uptight scholar delights in the _________ , coarse jokes in Chaucer’s
“The Miller’s Tale.” A. ribald B. serendipitous C. egregious D.
gullible
81. The French
monarchy was renowned for its __________ disregard for the common people. A.
solicitous B. litigious C. egregious D. bodacious
82. Charles’s
tastes in music were __________ . He had recordings of classical, jazz,
rock-and-roll, and heavy metal performers. A. officious B. ubiquitous C.
histrionic D. eclectic
83. The
professor’s lecture was simply ________, and the students actually began to
laugh. A. inane B. ascetic C. affluent D. sedulous
84. He left his
family, and I knew that he would someday ________ the day. A. obliterate B. rue
C. ossify D. augment
85. The nerves
in our fingertips are wonderfully sensitive to __________ sensations. A.
insipid B. tacit C. idyllic D. tactile
86. Rinaldo was
an _________ smoker and could not break the habit even when he was diagnosed
with emphysema. A. indolent B. inveterate C. dubious D. brusque