Verbal Questions - February 2008

February 29

WORDS:

1. Maverick

2. Dispassionate

3. Teetotaler

4. Mulish

5. Palpable

6. Jocose

7. Predicament

8. Impel

9. Rebuke


ANALOGIES:

1. Tree: Branch

2. Article: Byline

3. Enervate:Strength

4. Crutch: Walk


February 28

WORDS:

1. Agape

2. Debiliate

3. Pulchritude

4. Obfuscate

5. Pallor

6. Lampoon

7. Macabre

8. Imprudent

9. Mawkish

10. Vivify

11. Abridge

12. Tenacity

13. Malevolent


ANALOGIES:

1. Mawkish: sentimental

2. Apron: prevent


ISSUE TOPIC:

1. " Why younger generations feel the problems given to them are more complex than their forefathers"

February 27

WORDS:

1.Mundane

2. Ad-lib

3.Maverick

4.Comeuppance

5.Rigidity

6.Harebrained

7.Unsubstantial

8.Clairvoyant

9.Profligate


ANALOGIES:

1.Grammar: language

2.Apron: cloth


ISSUE TOPIC:

1.The Issue Topic is “how to face more complex problems and confront problems and how to challenge the problems”.

ARGUMENT TOPIC:

1. All students should be required to take the driver's education course at Centerville High School. In the past two years several accidents in and around Centerville have involved teenage drivers. Since a number of parents in Centerville have complained that they are too busy to teach their teenagers to drive, some other instruction is necessary to ensure that these teenagers are safe drivers. Although there are two driving schools in Centerville, parents on a tight budget cannot afford to pay for driving instruction. Therefore an effective and mandatory program sponsored by the high school is the only solution to this serious problem.


February 26

WORDS:

1.Wan

2.Recusant

3.Repudiate

4.Lull

5.Artless

6.Vitriol

7.Pulchritude

8.Arboreal

9.Impervious

10.Vulnerable

11.Thaw


ANALOGIES:

1.Audit : Account

2.Arboreal: trees

3.Impervious: vulnerable


ISSUE TOPICS:

1. People choose their careers based on the economy, salary, easy way of getting a job and settling… rather than opting for the one they are interested and naturally talented.

February 25

WORDS:

1.Malevolent

2.Gauche

3.Repentant

4.Loathsome

5.Contrite

6. Suture

7. Ensue

8. Remiss

9. Chortle

10. Ineluctable

11. Reminiscence

12. Precursor


ANALOGIES:

1.Repentant: Contrite

2.President: Corporation

3.Unpleasant: Loathsome


ISSUE TOPIC:

1. Children should be socialized to determine the destiny of a country.But,we ourselves do not know how to socialize them.

2. With the growth of global networks in such areas as economics and communication, there is no doubt that every aspect of society—including education, politics, the arts, and the sciences—will benefit greatly from international influences.


ARGUMENT TOPIC:

1. A recent study indicates that Venadial, a new margarine currently produced only in the country of Alta, actually reduces cholesterol levels. Derived from the resin of pine trees, Venadial works by activating a metabolic response that is not yet well understood. However, cholesterol levels fell ten to fifteen percent among participants in the study who consumed Venadial daily, and the risk of heart attack by one-third. In addition, the new margarine is so popular that stores in Alta are unable to keep it on their shelves. Therefore, if our company obtains the exclusive right to sell Venadial internationally, our profits are sure to increase substantially within a very short time.


February 22

WORDS:

1.Deft

2. Appease

3.Laconic

4.Frugal

5.Uncanny

6.Deftness

7.Grueling

8.Reinforcement

9.Conspicuous


ANALOGIES:

1.Reinforcement : Collapse

2.Berth : Sleep

3.Spectacles : Look

4.Audit : Account

5.Thunderous : Noise

6.Conspicuous : Color

7.Brilliant : Light

February 21

WORDS:

1.Earthshaking

2.Collaboration

3.Askew

4.Deft

5.Encroach

6.Derogate

7.Raving

8.Quibble


Analogies:

1.Sycophant: flattery

2.Nimble: movement

Issue Topic:

1.It is primarily through formal education that a culture tries to perpetuate the ideas it favors and discredit the ideas it fears.

Argument Topic:

1.In a recent study, subjects who ate soybeans at least five times per week had significantly lower cholesterol levels than subjects who ate no soy products. By fortifying our Wheat-O cereal with soy protein, we can increase sales by appealing to additional consumers who are concerned about their health. This new version of Wheat-O should increase company profits and, at the same time, improve the health of our customers.

February 19

WORDS:

1. Sporific

2. Caustic

3. Inclined

4. Dauntless

5. Fervor

6. Veto

7. Bestow

8. Laconic

9. Din

10. Rancour

11. Wary

12. Reminiscence

13. Sate

14. Daft

15. Parsimony


ANALOGIES:

1. Candy:sugar

2. Convivial:gruffness

3. Malingerer:incapacity


ISSUE TOPIC:

1. Many people know how to attain success, but few know how to make the best use of it

2. The study of an academic discipline alters the way we perceive the world. After studying the discipline, we see the same world as before, but with different eyes.

February 18

WORDS:

1. Floppy

2. Insolence

3. Inclement

4. Nepotism

5. Exonerate

6. Aberrant

7. Clairvoyant


ANALOGIES:

1. Literature: Grammar

2. Aberrant: Standard


ISSUE TOPIC:

1. To truly understand your own culture—no matter how you define it—requires personal knowledge of at least one other culture, one that is distinctly different from your own.

ARGUMENT TOPIC:

1. "Last year, sales of our Fierce Fighter toy airplane declined sharply, even though the toy had been a top seller for three years. Our customer surveys show that parents are now more worried about youthful violence and are concerned about better education for their children. Therefore, to maintain profits we should discontinue all our action toys and focus exclusively on a new line of educational toys. Several other toy companies have already begun marketing educational toys and report sales increases last year of 200 percent. And since the average family income is growing, sales of new Hyper-Go toys should also increase."

February 15

WORDS:

1. Wag

2. Droll

3. Sabotage

4. Saboteur

5. Venerable

6. Subtle

7. Infirm

8. Vigorous

9. Providential

10. Fortuitous

11. Surfeit

12. Incrimination

13. Loathsome

14. Harebrained

15. Floppy

16. Insolence

17. Inclement

18. Nepotism

19.Immortalize

February 14

WORDS:

1. Awry

2. Incrimination

3. Featureless

4. Adamant

5. Aridness

6. Loathsome

7. Impertinent

8. Satiate

9. Debauched

10. Gallant

11. Mason

12. Sap

13. Crux

14. Harebrained

15. Despise

16. Surfeit

17. Intransigent

18. Fortuitous

19. Providential


ANALOGIES:

1. Wag:Droll

2. Saboteur: Disrupt

3. Venerable: Respect

4. Subtle: Awe

5. Vigorous: Infirm


Issue Topic:

1. "Although many people think that the luxuries and conveniences of contemporary life are entirely harmless, in fact, they actually prevent people from developing into truly strong and independent individuals."

2. "In this age of intensive media coverage, it is no longer possible for a society to regard any woman or man as a hero. The reputation of anyone who is subjected to media scrutiny will eventually be diminished."

3. Science is to reassure and art is to upset, there the value lies in both.


Argument Topic:

1. "Salicylates are members of the same chemical family as aspirin, a medicine used to treat headaches. Although many foods are naturally rich in salicylates, for the past several decades food-processing companies have also been adding salicylates to foods as preservatives. This rise in the commercial use of salicylates has been found to correlate with a steady decline in the average number of headaches reported by participants in our twenty-year study. Recently, food-processing companies have found that salicylates can also be used as flavor additives for foods. With this new use for salicylates, we can expect a continued steady decline in the number of headaches suffered by the average citizen of Mentia."

February 13

WORDS:

1. Floppy

2. Incapable

3. Scrutinize

4. Insolence

5. Inclement

6. Amenable

7. Plenitude

8. Blatant

9. Nepotism

10. Hodgepodge

11. Skittish

12. Circumlocution

13. Bewail

14. Bemoan

15. Blasphemous

16. Minotaur

17. Stern

18. Butcher

19. Gerontophobia

20. Mollify

21. Presbyterian

22. Zealot


ANALOGIES:

1. Venerable: respect

2. Instigate:provoke

3. Presbyterians:church

4. Cinnamon:spices

5. Gerontophobia:old

ISSUE TOPIC:

1. The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives. Any leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion will accomplish little.

2. Progress is best made through discussion among people who have contrasting points of view.


February 12

WORDS:

1.Abaft - means posterior part of ship

2.Cinnamon - an aromatic spice prepared from bark of cinnamon

3.Abattoir - a slaughter house

4.Mollify

5.Impertinent

6.Zealot

7.Stygian

8.Germ phobia

9.Sap

10.Crux

11.Gallant

12.Debauched

13.Frankness

14.Satiated


ANALOGIES:

1.Abaft: Ship

2.Abattoir: Butcher

3.Cinnamon: Spices

4.Wood: Carpenter

5.Brick: mason


ARGUMENT TOPIC:

1.Progress can be best made only by the discussion between people having contrasting view.


February 11

WORDS:

1.Quail

2.Awe

3.Intermittent

4.Laxatives

5.Lugubrious

6.Tepid

7.Unsubstantial

8.Equivocation

9.Futility

10.Dicey

11.Zest

12. Fustian

13.Thaw

14.Grueling

15.Venerate

16.Quisling

17.Repose


ISSUE TOPIC:

1.Government should put a few, if any, restriction on scientific research and development"

2.Over the past century, the most significant contribution of technology has been to make people's lives more comfortable

3.The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives. Any leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion will accomplish little.


ARGUMENT TOPIC:

1.At present, Mason City residents seldom use the nearby Mason River for any kind of recreational activity, even though surveys of the region's residents consistently rank water sports (swimming, fishing, and boating) as a favorite form of recreation. Since there have been complaints about the quality of the water in the river, residents must be avoiding the river because they think that it is not clean enough. But that situation is about to change: the agency responsible for rivers in our region has announced plans to clean up Mason River. Therefore, recreational use of the river is likely to increase, so the Mason City council will need to increase its budget for improvements to the publicly owned lands along the Mason River.

2.Your recent article on corporate downsizing* in the United States is misleading. The article gives the mistaken impression that many competent workers who lost jobs as a result of downsizing face serious economic hardship, often for years, before finding other suitable employment. But this impression is contradicted by a recent report on the United States economy, which found that since 1992 far more jobs have been created than have been eliminated. The report also demonstrates that many of those who lost their jobs have found new employment. Two-thirds of the newly created jobs have been in industries that tend to pay above-average wages, and the vast majority of these jobs are full-time."

February 8

WORDS:

1.Abate

2.Invisible

3.Voluble

4.Reify

5.Intermittent

6.Saunter

7.Unctuous

8.Modicum


ANALOGIES:

1.Fraught: placidity

2.Phlegmatic :arouse


ISSUE TOPIC:

1.Why politics and morality are taken to be as separate, why cannot one understand them to be related to one other.


ARGUMENT TOPIC:

1.Argument is about…. Downsizing in corporate field in USA.

February 7

WORDS:

1.Cavil

2.Slipshod

3.Laxative

4.Sensitive

5.Tepid

6.Unsubstantial

7.Awe

8.Lugubrious

9.Doleful

ANALOGIES:

1.Lugubrious: doleful

2.Equivocation: ambiguous

3.Mendicant: beg


ISSUE TOPIC:

1.Governments should focus more on solving the immediate problems of today rather than trying to solve the anticipated problems of the future

2.The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people

February 6

WORDS:

1.Zest

2.Repose

3.Fustian

4.Sangfroid

5.Futility

6.Dicey

7.Vitiate

8.Thaw

9.Reify


ISSUE TOPIC:

1.Laws should not be rigid or fixed. Instead, they should be flexible enough to take account of various circumstances, times, and places.

2.The study of history places too much emphasis on individuals. The most significant events and trends in history were made possible not by the famous few, but by groups of people whose identities have long been forgotten.


ARGUMENT TOPIC:

1.A recent study showed that in describing a typical day's conversation, people make an average of 23 references to watching television and only 1 reference to reading fiction. This result suggests that, compared with the television industry, the publishing and bookselling industries are likely to decline in profitability. Therefore, people who wish to have careers as writers should acquire training and experience in writing for television rather than for print media."


February 5

WORDS:

1.Riveting

2.Hone

3.Rapacious

4.Quislings

5.Voluptuous

6.Grueling

7.Altercation

8.Venerate

9.Whet


ANALOGIES:

1.Vivid: inspiration

2.Instigate: Provoke

3.Obstreperous: control

4.Mendicant: beg


February 4

WORDS:

1. Burgeon

2. Augury

3. Esoteric

4. Rapacious

5. Spurious

6. Reminiscence

7. Sacrilegious

8. Unflappable

9. Apron

10. Arboreal


ANALOGIES:

1. Apron: clothing

2. Arboreal: trees

3. Instigate: Urge or Provoke.

4. Interloper: Intruder.