21st October Gre Verbal Question

Today's Words:

1. Court(v): to try to win the favor, preference, or goodwill of; to seek the affections of; (of animals) to attempt to attract (a mate) by engaging in certain species-specific behaviors; to act in such a manner as to cause, lead to, or provoke; to seek another's love.
Synonyms: adjective, aulic, forensic, in camera, judicial, judiciary, juridical, juristic, justiciable, sub judice, substantive.


2. Conscientious(adj):careful; characterized by extreme care and great effort; controlled by or done according to conscience; guided by or in accordance with conscience or sense of right and wrong.
Synonyms: complete, diligent, exact, exacting, faithful, fastidious, fussy, hanging in, heedful, meticulous, painstaking, particular, playing safe, punctilious, punctual, reliable, tough, just, upright, honest, faithful, devoted.
Antonyms: careless, inexact, irresponsible, uncareful, unconscientious, unscrupulous.


3. Watershed(n): the region or area drained by a river, stream, etc.; drainage area. ; an important point of division or transition between two phases, conditions, etc.; an event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend.


4. Apostasy(n): a total desertion of or departure from one's religion, principles, party, cause, etc. ; the state of having rejected your religious beliefs or your political party or a cause.
Synonyms: recreance, recreancy, tergiversation.


5. Trite(adj): lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; characterized by hackneyed expressions, ideas, etc; Lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition; frayed or worn out by use; repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse.
Synonyms: ordinary
Antonyms: original.


6. Malefeasance(n): the performance by a public official of an act that is legally unjustified, harmful, or contrary to law; wrongdoing (used esp. of an act in violation of a public trust); Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official.
Synonyms: crime, delinquency, misconduct, wrongdoing.


7. Mollify(v): To calm in temper or feeling; soothe; To reduce the rigidity of; cause to be more favorably inclined; make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate; to assuage, as pain or irritation, to appease, as excited feeling or passion; to pacify; to calm.
Synonyms: abate, allay, alleviate, ameliorate, appease, assuage, blunt, calm, compose, conciliate, cool, cushion, decrease, diminish, dulcify, ease, fix up, lessen, lighten, lull, mellow, mitigate, moderate, modify, pacify, patch things up, placate, propitiate, quell, quiet, reduce, relieve, soften, sweeten, take sting out, temper, tranquilize.
Antonyms: agitate, depress, exasperate, harass, incite, provoke, trouble, upset, worry.


8. Banality(n): Something commonplace, hackneyed, or trivial; The condition or quality of being banal; triviality; Something that is trite, obvious, or predictable.
Synonyms: adage, buzzword, hokum, old chestnut, platitude, prosaicism, prosaism, trite phrase, trivia, triviality, truism
Antonyms: coinage, nuance, original saying.


9. Extol(v): to praise highly; laud; eulogize; To place on high; to lift up; to elevate; To elevate by praise; to eulogize; to praise; to magnify.
Synonyms: acclaim, applaud, bless, boost, celebrate, commend, cry up, eulogize, exalt, give a boost to, givea bouquet, glorify, hand it to, hats off to, hear it for, hymn, laud, magnify, panegyrize, pay tribute to, praise, puff up, push, rave, root.
Antonyms: blame, criticize, disparage.


10. Sapient(adj): having or showing great wisdom or sound judgment; acutely insightful and wise; Having great wisdom and discernment.
Synonyms: acute, astucious, astute, cagey*, canny, clear-sighted, clever, contemplative, discerning, discriminating, educated, enlightened, experienced, farsighted, foxy*, informed, insightful, intelligent, judicious, keen, knowing, knowledgeable, perceptive, reflective, sage, scholarly, sensible, sharp, shrewd, smart, thoughtful, wise.


11. Explicate(v): to make plain or clear; explain; interpret; to develop (a principle, theory, etc.); To make clear the meaning of; explain; make plain and comprehensible; elaborate, as of theories and hypotheses; To unfold; to expand; to lay open; To unfold the meaning or sense of; to explain; to clear of difficulties or obscurity.
Synonyms: amplify, clear up, construe, demonstrate, develop, dilate, elucidate, enlarge upon, enucleate, expatiate, explain, expound, give the big picture, illustrate, interpret, make clear, make explicit, make plain, run down, unfold, untangle, work out.
Antonyms: cloud, complicate, confuse, mystify, obscure, tangle.


12. Hackneyed(adj): made commonplace or trite; stale; banal; A coach or carriage for hire; To cause to become banal and trite through overuse; To hire out; let; Overfamiliar through overuse; repeated too often,
Synonyms: antiquated, banal, common, commonplace, conventional, everyday, familiar tune, obsolete, old, old-chestnut, old-hat, old-saw, outdated, outmoded, out-of-date, overworked, quotidian, stale, stereotyped, stock, timeworn, tripe, trite, unoriginal, well-worn.
Antonyms: fresh, new, original, uncommon



13. Exegesis(n): critical explanation or interpretation of a text or portion of a text; Critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text; Exposition.
Synonyms: analysis, critique, explanation, exposition, interpretation.


14. Pontificate(v): to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner; to express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way; talk in a dogmatic and pompous manner; the state or dignity of a high priest; specifically, the office of the pope.
Synonyms: address, admonish, dogmatize, evangelize, get on a soapbox, give sermon, harangue, lecture, minister, moralize, preach, pulpiteer, teach.



15. Gregarious(adj): fond of company; pertaining to a flock or crowd; living in flocks or herds, as animals; Seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable.
Synonyms: affable, clubby, companionable, convivial, cordial, fun, outgoing, sociable, genial, outgoing, convivial, companionable, friendly, extroverted.
Antonyms: cold, cool, introverted, unfriendly, unhospitable, unsociable.


16. Excoriate(v):to denounce or berate severely; flay verbally; to strip off or remove the skin from; to tear or wear off the skin of; abrade; express strong disapproval of.
Synonyms: abrade, chafe, flay, fret, gall, peel, rub, scarify, scratch, skin, strip.


17. Awning(n): a rooflike shelter of canvas or other material extending over a doorway, from the top of a window, over a deck, etc., in order to provide protection, as from the sun; a shelter; a rooflike structure, often made of canvas or plastic, that serves as a shelter, as over a storefront, window, door, or deck.
Synonyms: covering, door cover, marquee, protection, shade, shelter, sunshade, tent.



Analogies:

1. Awning: Sun



Issue Topic:

1. Art reveals the hidden impulses of the society



Argument Topic:

1. The following appeared in a letter to the editor of the Balmer Island Gazette.
"The population of Balmer Island increases to 100,000 duing the summer months. To reduce the number of accidents involving mopeds and pedestrians, the town council of Balmer Island should limit the number of mopeds rented by each of the island's six moped and bicycle rental companies from 50 per day to 30 per day during the summer season. By limiting the number of rentals, the town council is sure to attain the 50 percent reduction in moped accidents that was achieved last year in the neighboring island of Torseau, when Torseau's town council enforced similar limits on moped rentals."