Archive for August, 2014

Vocabulary exercise

August 6th, 2014 in Vocabulary

1. Which of the following words can be used to refer to a man about town?

a) Viviparous

b) Vivacious

c) Bon vivant

d) Joie de vivre

e) Ascetic

7. A person who can be tricked easily

a) Gullible

b) Incredulous

c) Ingenious

d) Convivial

e) Stoic

3. A person who is lewd and lustful

a) Chauvinist

b) Sycophant

c) Dilettante

d) Iconoclast

e) Lecher

4. A beginner or novice

a) Tyro

b) Virtuoso

c) Termagant

d) Kleptomaniac

e) Dilettante

5. A person who walks in his sleep

a) Agnostic

b) Somnambulist

c) Kleptomaniac

d) Dipsomaniac

e) Incendiary

Answers

1. Bon vivant (The word viviparous is used to refer to animals that give birth to their young. Vivacious means ‘lively’. A bon vivant is a person who finds great pleasure in socializing. The expression Joie de vivre is used to refer to people who cherish every moment in their life. An ascetic is a person who does not pursue the pleasures of the flesh.)

2. Gullible (Gullible means ‘unsuspecting’ or ‘trustful’. It is easy to deceive gullible people. Incredulous means ‘unbelievable’. Ingenious means ‘clever’. Convivial means ‘gregarious’, ‘companionable’. Stoic means ‘unemotional’.)

3. Lecher (A chauvinist is an excessively patriotic person. A sycophant is a bootlicker. A dilettante is a dabbler; a person who has an amateur interest in arts. An iconoclast is one who sneers at tradition. A lecher is a lewd person.)

4. Tyro (A tyro is a beginner. A virtuoso is an accomplished musician. A termagant is a bad-tempered woman. A kleptomaniac is someone who can’t help stealing. A dilettante is a dabbler.)

5. Somnambulist (An agnostic is a skeptic. A somnambulist is a person who walks in his sleep. A kleptomaniac feels a compulsive need to steal. A dipsomaniac is an alcoholic. An incendiary is a person who commits arson.)