Match the Definition to the Word: 12th-Grade Vocabulary Quiz

Question: one distinguished for skill and power as a public speaker

Answer: An orator is a person distinguished for skill and power as a public speaker. Usage example: “is a masterly orator, able to reduce a throng of thousands to a hushed silence” (Raymond Bonner).

Question: characterized by the practical, transitory, and ordinary

Answer: The word mundane means “characterized by the practical, transitory, and ordinary.” Usage example: “the mundane concerns of day-to-day life.”

Question: pleasing in appearance

Answer: The word aesthetic means “pleasing in appearance.” Usage example: “…easy-to-use keyboards, clear graphics, and other ergonomic and aesthetic features…” (Mark Mehler).

Question: a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power

Answer: A demagogue is a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power. Usage example: “that politician is just a demagogue who preys upon people’s fears and prejudices.”

Question: done, made, or acquired by stealth

Answer: The word surreptitious means “done, made, or acquired by stealth.” Usage example: “a private investigator adept at taking surreptitious pictures of adulterous couples.”

Question: to lay the responsibility or blame for (something) often falsely or unjustly

Answer: The word impute means “to lay the responsibility or blame for (something) often falsely or unjustly.” Usage example: “people often impute his silence to unfriendliness and not to the shyness it really represents.”

Question: amply or plentifully provided or fashioned often to the point of ostentation

Answer: The word opulent means “amply or plentifully provided or fashioned often to the point of ostentation.” Usage example: “living in opulent comfort.”

Question: expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature

Answer: The word pretentious means “expressive of affected, unwarranted, or exaggerated importance, worth, or stature.” Usage example: “pretentious language.”

Question: exceptionally early in development or occurrence

Answer: The word precocious means “exceptionally early in development or occurrence.” Usage example: “precocious puberty.”

Question: a spirit of friendly good-fellowship

Answer: The word camaraderie means “a spirit of friendly good-fellowship.” Usage example: “There is great camaraderie among the teammates.”