| Name _____________________________ | Date ___________________ |
| Multiple Choice |
| ______ | 1. | pivotal |
| a. seeming to be truthful or reasonable; credible. | ||
| b. critically important or crucial; on which something is contingent. | ||
| c. of little or no importance or consequence | ||
| d. a journey, esp. a long one, made to some sacred place as an act of religious devotion |
| ______ | 2. | perverse |
| a. pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed | ||
| b. characterized by or proceeding from such a determination or disposition | ||
| c. to divide into sharply opposing factions, political groups, etc. |
| ______ | 3. | poll |
| a. expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful | ||
| b. the casting of a ballot or the recording of votes in an election. | ||
| c. of, concerning, or connected to a subject; relevant. |
| ______ | 4. | perspicacious |
| a. willfully determined or disposed to go counter to what is expected or desired; contrary. | ||
| b. an elevated, relatively level area of land. | ||
| c. keenly perceptive or understanding; discerning. |
| ______ | 5. | plateau |
| a. a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons. | ||
| b. overabundance; excess | ||
| c. pertaining or relating directly and significantly to the matter at hand; relevant |
| ______ | 6. | peruse |
| a. to endure or continue steadfastly, stubbornly, or tenaciously. | ||
| b. the belief that events will turn out badly; tendency to expect the worst. (Cf. optimism.) | ||
| c. showing or expressing sadness or sorrow. | ||
| d. to read or examine attentively and in detail. |
| ______ | 7. | persist |
| a. to endure or continue steadfastly, stubbornly, or tenaciously. | ||
| b. to disturb the ordinary motion or equilibrium of. | ||
| c. overabundance; excess |
| ______ | 8. | pertinent |
| a. too great a flow of blood in a particular vessel or to an organ. | ||
| b. of, concerning, or connected to a subject; relevant. | ||
| c. having keen mental perception and understanding; discerning | ||
| d. exactly and concisely appropriate; effective; forceful. |
| ______ | 9. | plaintive |
| a. expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful | ||
| b. of, concerning, or connected to a subject; relevant. | ||
| c. the belief that good is outweighed by evil in the universe. (Cf. optimism.) | ||
| d. exactly and concisely appropriate; effective; forceful. |
| ______ | 10. | pithy |
| a. of, pertaining to, or acting as a pivot. | ||
| b. characterized by or proceeding from such a determination or disposition | ||
| c. characterized by pomp, stately splendor, or magnificence. | ||
| d. like, composed of, or containing much pith. |
| ______ | 11. | petty |
| a. narrow in mind, outlook, or interests. | ||
| b. pertaining or relating directly and significantly to the matter at hand; relevant | ||
| c. any pointed, towering part or formation, as of rock. | ||
| d. calm, smooth, or tranquil. |
| ______ | 12. | pinnacle |
| a. the highest point or part of anything; apex; summit. | ||
| b. expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful | ||
| c. any trip made to visit a venerated place or person or to seek something important. | ||
| d. brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible |
| ______ | 13. | plausible |
| a. a technique of depicting volumes and spatial relationships on a flat surface. Cf."aerial perspective, linear perspective." | ||
| b. pertaining or relating directly and significantly to the matter at hand; relevant | ||
| c. having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable |
| ______ | 14. | philanthropy |
| a. a feeling of love and goodwill toward humankind in general, esp. when expressed with charitable works or gifts. | ||
| b. the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, problems, etc. | ||
| c. having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable |
| ______ | 15. | pompous |
| a. expressing sorrow or melancholy; mournful | ||
| b. calm, smooth, or tranquil. | ||
| c. characterized by pomp and ceremony. | ||
| d. stubbornly directed toward wickedness or evil; corrupt or sinful. |
| ______ | 16. | pervade |
| a. deeply touching; arousing strong emotion, esp. sadness or sympathy; piercing; penetrating. | ||
| b. an organization that supports and promotes charitable causes. | ||
| c. to spread or be present everywhere in; permeate. |
| ______ | 17. | poignant |
| a. to spread or be present everywhere in; permeate. | ||
| b. keenly distressing to the feelings | ||
| c. irritable or peevish. | ||
| d. showing or inclined to show an exaggerated air of dignity or importance. |
| ______ | 18. | pessimism |
| a. an elevated, relatively level area of land. | ||
| b. characterized by pomp and ceremony. | ||
| c. the doctrine that the existing world is the worst of all possible worlds, or that all things naturally tend to evil. |
| ______ | 19. | piety |
| a. of little or no importance or consequence | ||
| b. a period or state of stability or minimal change. | ||
| c. a pious act, remark, thought, or the like. |
| ______ | 20. | placid |
| a. pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed | ||
| b. to induce polarity in; cause to concentrate around opposite points. | ||
| c. to be insistent in a statement, request, question, etc. |
| ______ | 21. | plethora |
| a. to spread or be present everywhere in; permeate. | ||
| b. too great an amount; overabundance. | ||
| c. having an appearance of truth or reason; seemingly worthy of approval or acceptance; credible; believable | ||
| d. a land area having a relatively level surface considerably raised above adjoining land on at least one side, and often cut by deep canyons. |
| ______ | 22. | pilgrimage |
| a. the tendency to see, anticipate, or emphasize only bad or undesirable outcomes, results, conditions, problems, etc. | ||
| b. characterized by pomp and ceremony. | ||
| c. any long journey, esp. one undertaken as a quest or for a votive purpose, as to pay homage |
| ______ | 23. | perspective |
| a. a picture employing this technique, esp. one in which it is prominent | ||
| b. to induce polarity in; cause to concentrate around opposite points. | ||
| c. an organization that supports and promotes charitable causes. |
| ______ | 24. | polarize |
| a. a picture employing this technique, esp. one in which it is prominent | ||
| b. a period or state of stability or minimal change. | ||
| c. to cause polarization in. | ||
| d. to cause great disturbance in (the mind); agitate or worry. |
| ______ | 25. | perturb |
| a. Astron. to cause perturbation in the orbit of (a celestial body). | ||
| b. deeply touching; arousing strong emotion, esp. sadness or sympathy; piercing; penetrating. | ||
| c. of vital or critical importance | ||
| d. to continue steadfastly or firmly in some state, purpose, course of action, or the like, esp. in spite of opposition, remonstrance, etc. |