Vocabulary
The vocabulary below is meant to help you with the more difficult words. If the word isn’t on the list then you are either supposed to know it or it is too specific to be worth learning and you don’t have to know it to answer the question. Symbols in brackets mean part of speech (see bottom of the list). Sentences in italics give examples of usage for some more complex words and phrases.
And remember — you are not given a vocabulary list (or a dictionary) at your real exam.
Part 1
Proposed (adj) – suggested, given as a choice. The proposed changes were supposed to increase revenue and reduce staff turnover.
Feasibly (adv) – possibly in a practical or convenient way; realistically.
Abundance (n) – the state of having more than enough (or necessary) of something good. The abundance of coal and iron deposits in this region made it a very prosperous industrial centre.
Bind (v) – (here) to connect, to make it stick together.
Conventional (adj) – traditional, common. The conventional education system has been facing a lot of criticism lately.
Part 2
Staycation (n) – a portmanteau word (a word that is made up of two or more other words) of ‘stay’ and ‘vacation’. This is the type of holiday that you spend at home, as opposed to the more traditional approach of taking a trip somewhere.
Crucial (adj) – extremely important. A crucial detail was overlooked at the design stage and as a result the whole project failed.
Unwind (v) – to relax, especially after being exposed to a lot of stress or tension.
Catch up on something (phr v) – to read, watch, or play something that you have been meaning to, but didn’t have enough time for it.
To get round to – if you get round to (doing something), it means that you finally find time or motivation to do it.
Hang out (phr v) – to relax by spending time with others in an informal setting, to socialise.
Part 3, 4
Deliberately (adv) – intending or meaning to do it. He deliberately put the wrong numbers in the accounting book to sabotage our business.
Confidant (n) – a person you share some sensitive information with.
Mispronunciation (n) – an act of pronouncing (saying) something incorrectly.
Caregiver (n) – a general term for a person who looks after (here) a young child. It can be either a privately hired one who minds the child at home, or the more conventional kindergarten caregiver.
Workings (n) – internal systems or mechanisms. For most people, the workings of coding are impossibly difficult to understand.
Part 5
Dapple (v) – to leave round spots of water, similar to what raindrops leave when they fall on a water surface.
Reflect (v) – (here) to think long and hard about something, trying to analyze or understand it. Misha often reflected on the questionable choice he had made over the course of her life.
Hold on to something (phr v) – to try and keep something, not letting it go.
Scrutiny (n) – a process of careful analysis and thorough search, paying attention to even the smallest of details.
On strike – if some place or business is on strike, it means the people who are employed there have stopped working to demand something such as higher salaries or better work conditions.
Wrongfooted (adj) – confused or put in a difficult situation.
Lodgings (n) – the place you live in, usually a temporary one.
Arrondissement (n) – a French-specific division of a city into several large pieces, given their own numbers.
Inflated (adj) – (here) unreasonably high. His inflated ego stood in the way of making friends.
Fare (n) – the payment for a service, usually one that involves transportation. Bus fares have gone up twenty percent this year.
Compromised (adj) – ruined, spoilt by something. The quality of this batch of goods was compromised because the delivery took too long.
Damage (n) – (figurative) the price of something, especially one that you expect to be higher than it should be.
Spirits (n) – (figurative) mood or attitude. The spirits were low as the trip has been getting increasingly tiresome.
Landmarks (n) – something that makes you recognize the place or understand where you are. Examples include notable buildings, statues, monuments, and so on.
Musty (adj) – having damp smell.
Nonconformity (n) – not agreeing or going with the rules, rebellious.
Obscure (v) – to prevent from seeing something clearly. The dirty smudges on the windows obscured the beautiful vista of the central square laying just below.
Dented (adj) – (figurative) damaged, flawed.
Uncharacteristically (adv) – in a way that is not common for a particular person or situation. The central square was uncharacteristically quiet for a holiday season.
Reluctant (adj) – unwilling, not desiring. Even though Joseph was reluctant to retire, the management forced him to because he was well in his eighties.
Part 6
By no means – not at all. Stephanie was by no means an expert in the field, but she still knew more about the subject than any of us did.
Proponent (n) – a person who supports the idea. The opposite of ‘opponent’.
Vast (adj) – (here) too huge to understand its scale.
Identify with – to understand somebody else. Older people find it increasingly difficult to identify with younger generations.
Sound (adj) – (here) trustworthy, reliable. Your arguments are not sound as they are highly subjective, stressing your own interests in this situation.
Relief (n) – the pleasant feeling that you get after dealing with something difficult or scary.
Mock (v) – to laugh or joke about someone’s quality that you see as negative or undesirable. We used to mock John for his social anxiety around women.
Solitude (n) – the state of being alone, without other people.
Reconsider (v) – to change your mind about something.
Threshold (n) – (figurative) the limit at which something happens or takes effect, e.g. people with a high pain threshold are less affected by injuries.
To be (or go) on a limb – to do something without much support. In this case, we talk about ideas that are not supported by any arguments or evidence.
Speculate (v) – to say something without any proof, to guess. We were speculating about a possible solution for the financial crisis.
Convincing (adj) – persuasive.
Attribute (v) – if you attribute one thing to another, you mean that the first thing is somehow connected or caused by the other one. Success is often attributed to luck or chance, but in fact it is almost always a result of hard work.
Warrant (v) – to justify something, to make an action worth taking. I am afraid the current situation warrants the most drastic measures available to us.
To take off on tangents – not to be connected to something that was said or written previously.
Hunch (n) – a subconscious feeling about something. I have a hunch this party is going to be a hit with the local crowd.
Premise (n) – a basic theory or proposition. The premise of the book is that all people have different talents, but very few of us are lucky to discover it.
Compiled (adj) – (about a text) made of different parts taken from other sources of the same or similar topic.
Colourful (adj) – (about a person) interesting and exciting. Hemingway’s ‘The Sun also Rises’ is full of colourful characters.
Part 7
Dismal (adj) – sad to the point of being depressing. Maria was trying to come up with an excuse to leave this dismal party.
Ghostly (adj) – unnatural, frightening.
Recounting (n) – a story, a narrative, an account of events that took place.
Nocturnal (adj) – connected to night or nighttime. The opposite of ‘diurnal’.
Stoical (adj) – not upset or giving in to difficulties, facing them with bravery and perseverance instead.
Squelch through – to go through something that is wet and dirty, such as, in this case, mud.
Hitherto (adv) – until now, until recently.
Yearning (n) – a strong feeling of desire for something.
To do something on and off – to do it with occasional long breaks; intermittently. For the past 15 years she has been working as a publisher on and off.
Conceive (v) – (figurative) to create something, to come up with something, especially something like a plan or an idea.
Branch out (phr v) – to choose a different activity, approach, or direction. The original business plan of building cars branched out to trucks, and eventually, trains.
Thud (n) – a low sound, as if muffled by something.
Pass down (phr v) – to share knowledge and experience with the younger generations.
Chinese whisper – a game with several players where the first person whispers a message to the next one, and as the message gets passed on it gets more and more distorted towards its final destination.
Recession (n) – an economic term describing a situation when people have less disposable income to spare, so the local economy suffers as a result of reduced purchasing power.
Convivial (adj) – friendly and enjoyable. Their family has always pleasantly struck me as unnaturally convivial and welcoming.
Troop into (phr v) – to walk somewhere as a group, usually one after another, like soldiers (troops).
Yarn (n) – (here, informal) a long story, especially a made-up one.
Incarnation (n) – (here) version. The original incarnation of that movie was much more dark than the more modern version.
Pitch at somebody – to direct at, to make somebody be meant for someone. These books are pitched at younger readers.
Part 8
Coping (n) – the process of dealing with a problem. Psychologists suggest a number of strategies to help coping with stress.
Inexplicable (adj) – difficult or impossible to explain.
Crippling (adj) – (figurative) making something very difficult or impossible. Crippling emotional traumas are not unheard of among war veterans.
Anaesthetic (n) – a special chemical used in surgeries to prevent the patient from feeling the pain.
Persistent (adj) – systematic, not going away.
Detour (n) – a change of route on your way to the destination. Normally used for longer journeys, here it takes a more sarcastic or humorous note.
Cowardice (n) – fear. ‘Coward’ is the person who has cowardice.
Dispose of something – to get rid of something, to empty something. Please dispose of the unneeded plastic responsibly.
To stir a terror – to evoke fear, to make somebody feel afraid.
Peer (v) – to look at something, especially if it is difficult to see. I peered into the fog to see if there were any cars approaching the crossing.
Confront (v) – to face things such as a threat, fear, or something else you would rather avoid.
Defy (v) – openly resist something, refuse to follow orders, or (here) give in to fear.
Click to download this CAE Reading and Use of English worksheet in PDF