10 useful high-level words and a quiz :)

1. innocuous - harmless, not bothering anyone
2. miserly - cheap, parsimonious
3. nonchalant - easy going, not in a hurry, casual, very relaxed
4. ostentatious - very flamboyant, showy, deliberately showy to draw attention
5. a quandary - a dilemma, being unable decide what to do next (to be in a quandary)
6. to repudiate something - to turn away from something, to refuse to be associated with something
7. surreptitiously - secretly, in a sneaky way
8. trite - an expression which is used too commonly, a cliche
9. to venerate - to respect highly, to worship
10. a zealot - someone who is extraordinarily passionate about something (usually a cause)

1.  I'm in a bit of a _______________. I am not sure whether to go to graduate school or take this new job. 

2.  As a young man the politician had belonged to a club that did not allow women members.  He, of course, _________________ his membership in that club and stated it was a youthful mistake.

3.  Foreigners have to realize that in Thailand they do not just respect their king, they _______________ him and a person can be thrown in jail for showing disrespect to the Thai king.

4.  The security guard threw the homeless man out of the public library because he had been sleeping.  I felt that this was wrong - the homeless guy was ____________________; he wasn't really bothering anyone.

5.  One of the reasons Americans have turned against the Tea Party is that members of that political party often seemed to act like ________________.  They were very emotional, aggressive and passionate in expressing their hatred for Obama and for liberal government policies.

6.  Bob is getting married and I want to write something meaningful on the card I am going to give him.  Can you help me think of something that won't sound ______________?  I don't want to write, "Congratulations on your marriage!" or "Best of luck in the coming years!"  Those expressions have been used too many times before.

7.  Our boss is OK but his big problem is that he seems to be a bit ________________. He tries to save money in regard to everything we do and this makes it hard to operate effectively.

8.  The American people were shocked to learn that their president, Bill Clinton, had been ___________________ seeing and having an affair with one of his interns in the 1990s.  He was married but secretly pursuing this affair.

9.  The attitude of some clerks at coffee houses really bothers me.  In the morning I am always in a hurry and need to get my cup of coffee quickly.  But the clerks are often quite ____________________ and they take their sweet time.

10.  I am getting sick of seeing all the women in New York walking around with these big __________________ Louis Vuitton bags.  Oh my God!  Whom are they trying to impress!?  I don't care whether a woman owns such a bag.

answers are below:






answers:

1. quandary
2. repudiated
3. venerate
4. innocuous
5. zealots
6. trite
7. miserly
8. surreptitiously
9. nonchalant
10. ostentatious