CPE TEST 2 (Parts 5-7) NOTES

Part 5

1. engagement (n) = engagement with/in = when you become involved with someone or something in order
to understand them e.g. Many students pass their exams without any real engagement in learning.
2. adamantly (adv.) = showing you are unwilling to change an opinion or decision e.g. The mayor is adamantly
opposed to any tax increase.
3. innately (adv.) -> innate (adj.) = an innate quality or ability is something you are born with
4. negotiate (v) = 1) negotiate an agreement/contract etc = to discuss something in order to reach an
agreement, especially in business or politics e.g. His first aim is to get the warring parties back to the
negotiating table (=discussing something). 2) to succeed in getting past or over a difficult place on a path,
road etc e.g. The company's had some tricky problems to negotiate in its first year in business.
5. take exception (expr.) = to be angry or upset because of something
6. underpin (v) = to give strength or support to something and to help it succeed e.g. America's wealth is
underpinned by a global system which exploits the world's poor.
7. gain insight into (expr.) = to get a sudden clear understanding of something or part of something, especially
a complicated situation or idea
8. appalled (adj.) = very shocked and upset by something very bad or unpleasant
9. abhor (v) = to hate a kind of behaviour or way of thinking, especially because you think it is morally wrong:
10. pertinent (adj.) = directly relating to something that is being considered [= relevant] [Der.: pertinence (n),
pertinently (adv.)]
11. rage (v) = if something such as a battle, a disagreement, or a storm rages, it continues with great violence or
strong emotions
12. predecessor (n) = someone who had your job before you started doing it [≠ successor]
13. by and large (expr.) = used when talking generally about someone or something
14. debunk (v) = to show that an idea or belief is false
15. a call to arms (expr.) = an order for people to fight against an enemy
16. sidestep (v) = sidestep a problem/issue/question = to avoid dealing with something difficult

Part 6
1. sheepish (adj.) = slightly embarrassed because you know that you have done something silly or wrong
2. stocky (adj.) = a stocky man, has a body that is wide across the shoulders and chest and who is short
3. warren (n) = a very crowded and confusing building or part of a city in which it is easy to get lost
4. precariously (adv.) = in a way that is likely to fall, be damaged, fail, etc. e.g. Her suitcase was precariously
balanced on the tiny luggage rack above her head.
5. hold/keep sb/sth at bay (expr.) = to prevent someone or something unpleasant from harming you
6. shrug (v) = to raise your shoulders and then lower them in order to say you do not know or are not
interested
7. minute (adj.) = paying attention to the smallest details e.g. He explained the plan in minute detail.
8. muster (v) = muster up something = muster (up) the courage/confidence/energy etc to do something =
to get enough courage, confidence, support etc to do something, especially with difficulty [= summon (up)]
9. prodigious (adj.) = prodigious amounts/quantities of something = very large or great in a surprising or
impressive way
10. laborious (adj.) = needing a lot of time and effort
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11. blithely (adj.) = in a happy and without worries way e.g. She blithely agreed to the contract without realizing
what its consequences would be.
12. factor in (phr. v) = to include a particular thing in your calculations about how long something will take, how
much it will cost etc ≠ factor something out
13. tight/strict deadline (n) = a deadline that is difficult
14. muse (v) = to say something in a way that shows you are thinking about it carefully [Der.: musing (n)]
15. knack (n) = a natural skill or ability [↪ talent] ALSO!!! have a knack of doing something = to have a
tendency to do something
16. livelihood (n) = a means/source of livelihood = the way you earn money in order to live
17. engender (v) = to be the cause of a situation or feeling e.g. The vice-president's speech did not engender
confidence in his judgment.
18. outstay your welcome (expr.) = to stay at someone's house longer than they want you to

Part 7
1. relentless (adj.) = relentless criticism/pressure/heat = strict, cruel, or determined, without ever stopping:
2. tried and tested/trusted (expr.) = used many times before and proved to be successful
3. incentive (n) = something that encourages a person to do something e.g. Tax incentives have been very
effective in encouraging people to save and invest more of their income.
4. ascending (adj.) = increasing in size or value
5. apex (n) = the highest point or most successful part of something e.g. He reached the apex of his career
during that period.
6. fuse (v) = to combine different qualities, ideas, or things, or to be combined [= merge] e.g. Leonard takes
Carver-style realism and fuses it with the pace of a detective story.
7. bedrock values -> bedrock (n) = the basic ideas, features, or facts on which something is based
8. evaporate (v) = 1) if a liquid evaporates, or if heat evaporates it, it changes into a gas 2) if a feeling
evaporates, it slowly disappears
9. forerunner (n) = someone or something that existed before something similar that developed or came later
10. innovation (n) = a new idea, method, or invention e.g. Many people feel bewildered by the speed of
technological innovation.
11. lucrative (adj.) = lucrative business/market/contract etc = a job or activity that is lucrative lets you earn a lot
of money [= profitable]
12. staggering (adj.) =extremely great or surprising [= amazing]
13. provision (n) = a condition in an agreement or law e.g. The agreement includes a provision for each side to
check the other side's weapons. / Under the provisions of the Act, employers must supply safety equipment.
14. expenditure (n) = public/government/capital expenditure = the total amount of money that a government,
organization, or person spends during a particular period of time [↪ income]
15. retention (n) = the act of keeping something
16. statutory (adj.) = fixed or controlled by law [Der.: statutorily (adv.)]