GRE Verbal : Antonyms Tips

Source : TSU The verbal section of your GRE will contain around 9 antonym items. If you have a big vocabulary, youll do well on antonyms. If you have a limited vocabulary, youll have trouble. Techniques can help, but the size and strength of your GRE vocabulary is the main factor in antonyms. Get to work on it. You must never mark an answer without reading all the choices. Pay attention to the question word's part of speech. Words on one side of the colon will all be the same part of speech. On the other side of the colon, they will all be the same. Across the colon, they may be different, however. Easy antonyms have easy answers. Dont fret over difficult choices on the questions you know are easy questions. But beware: hard antonyms often have easy answers, too. You may have to work backward, turning the answers into their opposites to see if they might be synonyms of the question word. If you dont know the meaning of the word in capital letters but do have some sense of whether it has positive connotations or negative connotations, you can eliminate similarly positive or negative words among the choices. Eliminate words that have no clear opposite. Beware of pseudo-roots! On questions you know are hard, if three or more choices have the same ending as the word in capital letters, you should select your answer from among those choices. Dont spin your wheels on the hard antonyms. If you run out of ideas, guess and go on. I hope you have found this site to be useful. If you have any corrections, additions or comments, please contact me at jayadevarao@gmail.com OR 0 Comments Links to this post Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook For more Go To GRE TOEFL IELTS Antonyms Synonyms Analogies

GRE Verbal : Analogies Tips

Source : TSU You will have around 7 analogy questions on the CAT. The more questions you answer correctly, the harder the questions become. In order to maximize your time, it is important that you memorize the directions for the analogies sections. They are as follows: Directions: In each of the following questions, a related pair of words or phrases is followed by five lettered pairs of words or phrases. Select the pair that best expresses a relationship that exists between a word and its dictionary definition. The only kind of relationship between words in GRE analogies is a clear and necessary one. This is a tight, solid, logical relationship based on the meaning of the words. It is the kind of relationship that exists between a word and its dictionary definition.

Many types of relationships are possible in GRE analogies. The stem words may be related by: Degree (ADMIRE:IDOLIZE) Cause and effect (DRUG:CURE) Category and example (FRUIT:ORANGE) Part and whole (CHAPTER:BOOK) Agent and action (BRAIN:THINKING) To be is not to have (POOR:MONEY) Component-product (BUTTER:CAKE) To find the relationship between the stem words (the words in capital letters), form a simple sentence that links the two words and illustrates their meaning. Then plug in the choices. Try for the shortest, most succinct sentence you can, but dont waste a lot of time honing a masterpiece. You should always plug in all the choices on GRE analogies, even if youre sure youve already found ETSs answer. You may be surprised. If more than one choice fits your sentence, go back and make your sentence more specific or look for a nuance that you missed. You can automatically eliminate any answer choice containing a triangular nonrelationship. In a triangular nonrelationship, the two words are related to a third word, but not directly to each other. For example: WEIGHT:AGE SALT:PEPPER IRRIGATIONS:FERTILIZER LEMON:ORANGE In each word pair, both are related to something, but not to each other. You can automatically eliminate any answer choice containing words that are not related in a clear and necessary way. Dont be too clever in looking for relationships between words. Youll get no points for creativity on the GRE. Never initially eliminate a choice if you are uncertain of the meaning of either word in it. You cant be positive that two words are unrelated if you have no idea what one of the words means. When you dont know the meaning of one of the words in the stem, work backwards from the choices. You can improve the effectiveness of working backward by using information in the problem to decode the unknown word in the stem. If you know both words in the stem, you can sometimes eliminate a choice even if you dont

know one of the words, by determining whether any word could create a relationship like the stem relationship. Some basic traps to avoid: Do not misread the words. Unfortunately, people tend to read the first word, then predict the second word. For example, if the first word is man many people think the second word must be woman. They play word association games, rather than reading the question. Take the time to do a careful reading. Do not choose an answer with a reversed relationship. This is perhaps the most common error in the section. If the question is BOY: MAN, the answer cannot be WOMAN: GIRL. The relationship would be one of progression; a boy grows into a man. A woman does not grow into a girl; the relationship is reversed. Do not choose answers based on the meanings of the words. If the questions are about computers, the answers may very easily be about chocolate cake. The meanings themselves are irrelevant; you are only concerned with the relationships between the pairs of words. Practice these techniques on real GREs to make them automatic. When all else fails and you know you are on a hard question, eliminate what you can and pick the choice containing the hardest words. I hope you have found this site to be useful. If you have any corrections, additions or comments, please contact me at jayadevarao@gmail.com OR 0 Comments Links to this post Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook For more Go To GRE TOEFL IELTS Antonyms Synonyms Analogies

GRE Verbal : Analogies

The Verbal section of the GRE contains approximately 6-8 analogy questions, which present two words that are related in some way. You job is to : a) discover the relationship b) find another pair of words that is related in the same way Example: WAGGISH : LAUGHS :: (A) risible: yawns (B) bilious : smiles (C) lachrymose : tears (D) ribald : moans (E) frown grin The correct answer is C. A remark that is waggish is designed to produce laughs. Likewise, something that is lachrymose (sad) will produce tears. What does the colon mean: Single colon (:) means "is related to" Double colon (::) means "in the same way that"

To answer analogy questions, use the following strategy: 1) Before looking at the answer choices, think of a short sentence that describes the relationship between the two words. Example: RACKET: TENNIS A racket is used to play tennis 2) Find the pair of words in the answers that can be substituted for the original pair. Example: RACKET: TENNIS (A) type : book (B) ball : soccer (C) glove : baseball (D) club : golf (E) board : chess In this case, our sentence "A racket is used to play tennis" eliminates only one answer choice, (A) . 3) If more than one answer choice fits your paraphrase, make your statement more specific. We must write a more specific sentence that demonstrates the relationship between the words Racket and Tennis: A racket is used to strike a ball in the game of tennis. This more specific sentence allows us to eliminate all the answer choices except D. Just as a club is used to strike a golf ball, a racket is used to strike a tennis ball. 4) Eliminate answer choices that do not have a clear and obvious relationship. Always consider the meaning of the word being used. In difficult analogy problems, rare or esoteric meanings of words are commonly used. 5) If one of the given words has more than one part of speech, determine how it is being used in the analogy. The parts of speech will be consistent in analogy problems. If the given pair of words is an adjective and a noun, then each answer pair will be an adjective and a noun, in that order. 6) Carefully scrutinize answers pairs that remind you of the original pair, but have a different relationship. The correct answer pair will have the same relationship as the original pair, but the words in the answer will usually be in an entirely different category. Example: EXCERPT : NOVEL ::

(A) critique : play (B) review : manuscript (C) swatch : cloth (D) foreward : preface (E) recital : performance The correct answer to this problem is C. An excerpt is part of a novel, just as a swatch is part of a cloth. However, many testakers are distracted by choices B and D, which contain words that ALSO relate to novels. 7) Be aware of the most common types of analogies that appear on the test: a) Synonyms provisions : supplies potent : omen diligent : assiduous b) Antonyms assist : hinder enthrall : bore incomparable : equal c) Member and class aria : song robin : bird slipper : shoe d) Degree of Intensity walk : run drizzle : rain grow : burgeon e) Part to a whole professors : faculty page : book limb : tree f) Definition (one word defines the other) shark : scavenger lion : carnivore refuge : sanctuary g) Lack of / Absence of amoral : ethics anonymous : name destitute : wealth

h) Manner or style promenade: walk prattle : speak sashay : walk i) Function or purpose pencil: writing tractor : plowing hyphen : join j) Action and significance smile : happiness frown : disappointment bow : reverence k) Pertaining to didactic : teach forensic : debate ontology : being l) Symbol and representation period : stop Trojan horse : deception brackets : enclose m) Different Connotations of words interrogate : question conspire : collaborate bias : inspire n) Cause and effect sun : sunburn overeating : indigestion debt : overspending o) Product and source curtains : cloth window : glass fireplace : brick p) Spatial order epilogue : story postscript : epistle intermission : play

q) Time order outline : essay blueprint : house crawling : walking r) Worker and tool welder : torch musician : piano artist : paintbrush s) Worker and workplace chef : kitchen judge: courtroom farmer : meadow t) Worker and creation artist : sketch architecht : blueprint composer : etude u) Action to object play : clarinet incise : knife drain : colander

The following plan of attack for defining words: a) Define the stem word. If you don't know the precise definition of the word in capital letters, an approximate definition will probably be sufficient. Most words are built or derived from other words with which you may be more familiar: Examples: a) tempestuous Related Words temper b) perturbation Related Word: perturbed c) severance Related Word: sever

b) Put the word in context. When we speak, we use words in phrases in sentences, rather than in isolation. Yet words that we understand fully in sentences may appear unfamiliar when we view them out of context. When you see a word on the GRE, put it in a familiar context to better understand its meaning. Examples:

a) savant "idiot savant" means genious b) gratuitous "gratuitous violence" means unnecessary c) requiem "requiem for a heavyweight" means a rest

c) Test the word for positive or negative connotations. i) Any word that starts with "de-", "dis-" or "anti-" is usually negative. This includes degradation, discrepancy, debase, antipathy ii) Words that include the concept of going up are usually positive, while those that include the concept of going down are usually negative. Positive examples: elevate, ascend, adulation, illustrious Negative examples: decline, suborn, derision, consecrate

d) Watch out for words that look similar, but have different meanings. Examples: ambulance/ambulatory, suffer/suffrage, friend/fiend, platitude/gratitude, inspired/insipid, vicious/viscous, noble/ignoble

e) Don't overlook rare meanings of words, as they are commonly used on the GRE. The parts of speech in an analogy problem will be consistent throughout the problem. If the given word is a verb, all of the answer choices will also be verbs. This helps you to quickly determine if the word is being used in a secondary sense, as common words have different meanings if they are used as verbs, nouns or adjectives. Words that are commonly used as both nouns and verbs: curb document table harbor rent steep flower bolt champion air bustle 10 Analogy Questions (w/ Solutions) 1. TRUSS: SUPPORT:: (A) calcium: bone (B) fence: barrier (C) tile: patio (D) wood. burn (E) tobacco: cigarette 2. REEL: TAPE :: (A) ball: string (B) turntable: record (C) tire: wheel (D) skein: yarn (E) spool: thread

3. SHINGLE: ROOF:: (A) rind: melon (B) armor: knight (C) feather: wing (D) patch: cloth (E) canopy: bed 4. RHETORIC : ORATOR:: (A) legerdemain : magician (B) baggage: immigrant (C) justice: lawyer (D) map: cartographer (E) tractor: farmer 5. INDISPUTABLE: QUESTION :: (A) unlikely: know (B) amoral: perform (C) incredible: prove (D) immutable: change (E) insoluble: submerge 6. UNSCATHED: DAMAGE :: (A) ameliorated: improvement (B) obliterated: invisibility (C) rolled: flatness (D) shaken: homogeneity (E) arid: dampness 7. PROTRACTION: DURATION:: (A) extension: length (B) retraction: instant (C) corruption: truth (D) taxation: wealth (E) altercation: shape 8. PORTRAIT : CARICATURE:: (A) serialization: novel (B) drama: musical (C) theater: vaudeville (D) saga: epic (E) characterization : parody 9. STARS: GALAXY:: (A) cells: prison (B) sand: dune (C) nuclei: atom (D) eggs : nest (E) hair: head

10. ATROPHY : INACTIVITY:: (A) resistance : timidity (B) frown : anger (C) growth : youth (D) rot : refrigeration (E) debt : overspending Solutions to Analogy Questions

1. B is correct. A truss is used as a support. Likewise, a fence is used as a barrier. 2. E is correct. A reel is an object that tape winds around. Likewise, a spool is an object that thread winds around. 3. C is correct. Many shingles make up the outer covering of a rook. Likewise, many feathers make up the outer covering of a wing. 4. A is correct. Rhetoric is a skill used by an orator. Likewise, legerdemain is a skill used by a magician. 5. D is correct. Something indisputable cannot be questioned. Likewise, something immutable cannot be changed. 6. E is correct. Somthing unscathed lacks damage. Likewise, something arid lacks dampness. 7. A is correct. A protraction is an increase in duration. Likewise, an extension is an increase in length. 8. E is correct. An exaggerated portrait is a caricature. Likewise, an exaggerated characterization is a parody. 9. B is correct. Stars make up a galaxy. Likewise, sand makes up a dune. 10. E is correct. Atrophy is caused by inactivity. Likewise, debt is caused by overspending. 0 Comments Links to this post Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook For more Go To GRE TOEFL IELTS Antonyms Synonyms Analogies

GRE Googlies
Just wanted to share a nice, funny E-mail message that I received from one of my blog readers ! GRE STUDENT Vs NORMAL PERSON

GRE STUDENT: Individuals who make their abodes in vitreous edifices would

be advised to refrain from catapulting perilous projectiles. NORMAL PERSON: People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. * GRE STUDENT: Scintillate, scintillate, asteroid minim. NORMAL PERSON: Twinkle, twinkle, little star * GRE STUDENT: All articles that coruscate with resplendence are not truly auriferous. NORMAL PERSON : All that glitters is not gold. * GRE STUDENT : Sorting on the part of mendicants must be interdicted. NORMAL PERSON : Beggars are not choosers * GRE STUDENT : Male cadavers are incapable of rendering any testimony. NORMAL PERSON : Dead men tell no tales * GRE STUDENT : Neophyte's serendipity. NORMAL PERSON : Beginner's luck * GRE STUDENT : A revolving litchi conglomerate accumulates no congeries of small, green, biophytic plant. NORMAL PERSON : A rolling stone gathers no moss * GRE STUDENT: Members of an avian species of identical plumage tend to congregate. NORMAL PERSON : Birds of a feather flock together * GRE STUDENT : Pulchritude possesses solely cutaneous profundity. NORMAL PERSON : Beauty is only skin deep *

GRE STUDENT : Freedom from incrustations of grime is contiguous to rectitude. NORMAL PERSON : Cleanliness is godliness * GRE STUDENT : It is fruitless to become lachrymose of precipitately departed lactile fluid. NORMAL PERSON : There's no use crying over spilt milk * GRE STUDENT : It is fruitless to attempt to indoctrinate a superannuated canine with innovative maneuvers. NORMAL PERSON : You can't try to teach an old dog new tricks GRE STUDENT : The person presenting the ultimate cachinnation possesses thereby the optimal cachinnation. NORMAL PERSON : He who laughs last, laughs best * GRE STUDENT : Exclusive dedication to necessitous chores without interludes of hedonistic diversion renders Jack a hebetudinous fellow. NORMAL PERSON : All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. * GRE STUDENT : Where there are visible vapors having their provenance in ignited carbonaceous materials, there is conflagration. NORMAL PERSON : Where there's smoke, there's fire! 0 Comments Links to this post Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook For more Go To GRE TOEFL IELTS Antonyms Synonyms Analogies

Friday, March 13, 2009 High Frequency Vocabulary Word List for GRE & SAT
List 1 1. Adulterate: (v) to corrupt make worse by the addition of something of lesser value. Synonyms: contaminate, pollute, sully Antonyms: purify, purge, expurgate 2. Ambidextrous: (adj.) able to use both hands equally well; very skill; deceitful, hypocritical Synonyms: versatile, facile Antonyms: clumsy, all thumbs, maladroit

3. Augment: (v) to make larger, increase Synonyms: enlarge, supplement, amplify Antonyms: decrease, diminish 4. Bereft: (adj.) deprived of: made unhappy through a loss Synonyms: bereaved Antonym: replete, well provided 5. Deploy: (v) to position or arrange; to utilize; to form up Synonym: station, organize 6. Dour: (adj.) stern, unyielding, gloomy, ill-humored Synonyms: harsh, bleak, forbidding, saturnine Antonym: cheery, inviting, genial 7. Fortitude: (n) courage in facing difficulties Synonym: resolve, steadfastness, mettle Antonym: fearfulness, timidity, faintheartedness 8. Gape: (v) to stare with open moth; to open the mouth wide; to open wide Synonym: gawk, ogle 9. Gibe: (v) to utter taunting words (n) an expression of scorn Synonym: ridicule, mock, deride, jeer Antonym: compliment, praise 10. Guise: (n) an external appearance, cover, mask Synonym: costume, semblance, pretense 11. Insidious: (adj.) intended to deceive or entrap; sly, treacherous Synonym: cunning, underhanded, perfidious Antonym: frank, ingenuous, aboveboard 12. Intimation: ((n) a hint, indirect suggestion Synonym: clue, indication, inkling 13. Opulent: (adj.) wealthy; luxurious; ample; grandiose Synonym: rich, lavish, plentiful, abundant Antonym: poverty-stricken, wretched, destitute 14. Pliable: (adj.) easily bent, flexible, easily influenced Synonym: supple, adaptable, resilient Antonym: rigid, inflexible, recalcitrant 15. Reiterate: (v) to easy again, repeat Synonym: restate, rehash, recapitulate 16. Stolid: (adj.) not easily moved mentally or emotionally; dull 17. Tentative: (adj.) experimental in nature; uncertain, hesitant Synonym: provisional, inconclusive Antonym: definite, conclusive, confirmed 18. Unkempt: (adj.) not combed; untidy; not properly maintained; unpolished; rude Synonym: disheveled, disordered, rough

Antonym: well-groomed, tidy, neat, natty 19. Verbatim: (adj., adv) word for word; exactly as written or spoken Synonym: exact, precisely Antonym: paraphrased 20. Warily: (adv) cautiously, with great care Synonym: carefully, prudently, gingerly Antonym: recklessly, heedlessly, incautiously

List 2 1. Adroit (adj.): Skillful, expert in the use if the hands or mind. Syn: Clever, deft, dexterous, slick Ant. Clumsy, inept, all thumbs 2. Amicable (adj.): Peaceful, friendly Syn: Congenial, neighborly, cordial Ant: Hostile, antagonistic 3. Averse (adj.): Having a deep seated distaste; opposed, unwilling Syn: Disinclined, loath Ant. Favorable, disposed, eager, keen 4. Belligerent (adj.): Given to fighting, warlike; combative, aggressive; (n) one at war, one engaged in war. Syn: Assertive, truculent, pugnacious Ant. Peaceful, conciliatory, placid 5. Benevolent (adj.): Kindly, Charitable Syn: Benign, well-meaning Ant: Malicious, spiteful, malevolent 6. Cursory (adj.): Hasty, not thorough Syn: Quick, superficial, perfunctory Ant. Thorough, painstaking, careful 7. Duplicity (n): treachery, deceitfulness Syn: Fraud, double-dealing, chicanery 8. Extol (v): To praise extravagantly Syn: Glorify, applaud, acclaim, hail Ant. Criticize, belittle, disparage 9. Feasible (adj.): Possible, able to be done Syn: Workable, practicable, viable Ant: Unworkable, impractical 10. Grimace (n): a wry face, facial distortion; (v) s make a wry face

Syn: Painted expression, facial contortion Ant: Smile, grin, beam 11. Holocaust (n): Large-scale destruction, especially by fire; a vast slaughter; a burnt offering. Syn: Conflagration, devastation, annihilation Ant: Deluge, inundation 12. Impervious (adj.): Not affected or hurt by; admitting of no passage or entrance. Syn: Impenetrable, resistant, proof against Ant: porous, permeable, vulnerable 13. Impetus (n): A moving force, impulse, stimulus Syn: Impulse, incentive, spur Ant. Curb, hindrance, impediment, constraint 14. Jeopardy (n): danger Syn: Risk, hazard, peril Ant: Safety, security 15. Meticulous (adj.): Extremely careful; particular about details Syn: Fastidious, painstaking, fussy Ant: Careless, negligent, sloppy 16. Nostalgia (n): A longing for something past; homesickness 17. Quintessence (n): The purest essence or form of something; the most typical example Syn: paragon, exemplar 18Retrogress (v): To move backward; to return to an earlier condition Syn: Revert, degenerate, decline Ant: Advance, evolve, progress 19. Scrutinize (v): To examine closely Syn: Inspect, pore over Ant. Skim, scan, glance at 20. Tepid (adj.): Lukewarm, unenthusiastic, marked by an absence of interest Syn: Insipid, halfhearted, wishy-washy Ant: Heated, excited, enthusiastic

List 3 1. Adversary (n): An enemy, opponent Syn: antagonist, rival, foe Ant: friend, ally, supporter, confederate 2. Alienate (v): To turn away, to make indifferent or hostile, to transfer, convey Syn: separate, drive apart, estrange Ant: befriend, attract, captivate, reconcile 3. Artifice (n): A skillful or ingenuous (honest), device, a clever trick, a clever skill, trickery Syn: ruse (trick), stratagem (ploy), contrivance (set-up) 4. Coerce (v): To compel, force

Syn: pressure, bully, intimidate, constrain Ant: persuade, cajole 5. Craven (adj.): Cowardly, (n) A coward) Syn: (adj) fearful, fainthearted (timid) Ant: (adj) brave, courageous, valiant 6. Culinary (adj): Related to cooking or the kitchen 7. Delete (v): To erase, wipe out, cut out Syn: remove, cancel, expunge Ant: insert, add, retain, include 8. Demise (n): a death, especially of a person in a lofty position Syn: decease, passing away Ant: birth, beginning, commencement 9. Exhilarate (v): to enliven, cheer, give spirit or liveliness to Syn: stimulate, excite, gladden Ant: discourage, dispirit, dishearten, inhibit 10. Fallow (adj): Plowed bit not seeded; inactive, reddish-yellow (n) land left unseeded, (v) to plow but not seeded Syn: (adj) unproductive, inert (lifeless), dormant (inactive) Ant: (adj) productive, fertile, prolific 11. Harass (v): to disturb, worry, to trouble by repeated attacks Syn: annoy, pester, bedevil, beleaguer (disturb) 12. Inclement (adj): Stormy, harsh; severe in attitude or action Syn: blustery, tempestuous, and implacable Ant: mild, gentle, balmy, tranquil 13. Muse (v): to think about in a dreamy way, ponder Syn: Meditate, contemplate, and daydream 14. Negligible (adj): So unimportant that it can be disregarded Syn: trivial, inconsequential, insignificant Ant: significant, crucuail, momentous 15. Perpetuate (v): To make permanent or long lasting Syn: continue, preserve, prolong, indefinitely Ant: discontinue, abolish, abandon 16. Precedent (n): An example that may serve as a basis for imitation or later action Syn: guide, tradition, model 17. Punitive (adj): Inflicting or aiming at punishment Syn: penalizing, retaliatory 18. Redress (v): To set right, remedy; (n) relief from wrong or injury Syn (v): rectify, correct, mitigate 19. Sojourn (n): A temporary stay; (v) to stay for a time Syn (n): visit, stopover, brief stay

20. Urbane (adj): Refined in manner or style, suave Syn: elegant Ant: crude, uncouth, boorish

List 4 1. Affiliated (adj). associated, connected Syn: attached, related, joined Ant: dissociated, unconnected 2. Ascertain (v): to find out Syn: discover, determine, establish 3. Attainment (n): an accomplishment, the act of achieving Syn: achievement, fulfillment Ant: failure, defeat, frustration 4. Bequeath (v): to give or pass on as an inheritance Syn: transmit, bestow, hand down 5. Cogent (adj): forceful, convincing; relevant, to the point Syn: persuasive, compelling Ant: weak, unconvincing, ineffective, irrelevant 6. Converge (v): to move toward one point, approach nearer together Syn: meet, unite, intersect, merge Ant: diverge, separate 7. Disperse (v): to scatter, spread far and wide Syn: break up, dispel Ant: collect, congregate, assemble, muster 8. Esteem (v): to regard highly (n) a highly favorable opinion or judgment Syn (v): respect, admire, honor, revere Ant (v): disdain, scorn; (n) contempt 9. Expunge (v): to erase, obliterate, destroy Syn: delete, efface, annihilate Ant: insert, mark, imprint, impress 10. Finite (adj): having limits; lasting for a limited time Syn: bounded, measurable Ant: unlimited, immeasurable, everlasting, eternal 11. Invulnerable (adj): not able to be wounded or hurt; shielded against attack Syn: impregnable, impervious, immune Ant: exposed, unprotected, defenseless 12. Malevolent (Adj): spiteful, showing ill will Syn: malicious, wicked, sinister, malignant Ant: Kind, benevolent, compassionate

13. Nonchalant (adj): Cool and confident, unconcerned Syn: composed, unruffled, indifferent, blas Ant: perturbed, agitated, disconcerted, abashed 14. Omniscient (adj): knowing everything; having unlimited awareness or understanding Syn: wise, all-knowing Ant: ignorant, unknowing 15. Panacea (n): a remedy for all ills; cure-all; an answer to all problems Syn: universal cure, easy solution 16. Scrupulous (adj): exact, careful, attending thoroughly to details; having high moral standards principled Syn: painstaking, meticulous, conscientious Ant: careless, negligent, remiss, dishonest 17. Skulk (v): to move about stealthily (quietly); to lie in hiding Syn: lurk, slink (creep), prowl 18. Supercilious (adj): proud and contemptuous (scornful); showing scorn because of a feeling of superiority Syn: snobbish, patronizing, overbearing Ant: humble, meek, deferential, servile 19. Uncanny (adj): strange, mysterious, weird, beyond explanation Syn: eerie, inexplicable, spooky 20. Venial (adj) easily excused, pardonable Syn: excusable, forgivable Ant: inexcusable, unforgivable, unpardonable