Great Gatsby Vocabulary Flashcards

What does the term "supercilious" mean as used in "The Great Gatsby"?

"Tom Buchanan, with his 'sturdy straw-haired man of thirty' appearance and a supercilious manner, surveyed the party with an air of arrogant superiority."

• Humble and modest

• Arrogant and disdainful

• Cheerful and friendly

• Confused and uncertain

Which word describes someone who is skillful and quick in movement?

• Vacuous

• Deft

• Malevolent

• Haughty

What does "haughty" mean?

"She walked into the room with a haughty attitude, acting like she was better than everyone else just because she had the latest sneakers."

• Friendly and approachable

• Proud and snobbish

• Sad and melancholic

• Energetic and lively

What is the meaning of "vacuous"?

"She gave me a vacuous stare when I asked if she studied for the test, like she didn’t even know there was one."

• Full of ideas

• Empty or lacking thought

• Filled with anger

• Overflowing with joy

What does "malevolent" mean?

"The villain in the movie had such a malevolent look in his eyes, you could tell he was up to no good."

• Kind and generous

• Evil and harmful

• Neutral and indifferent

• Joyful and exuberant

What does "retribution" mean?

"After he spread rumors about me, I planned my retribution by revealing the truth to everyone."

• Forgiveness and pardon

• Reward and recognition

• Punishment and vengeance

• Celebration and festivity

What does "defunct" mean?

"The old arcade down the street is completely defunct now; none of the games even work anymore."

• Operational and working

• Broken and nonfunctional

• New and innovative

• Old and traditional

What is the meaning of "nebulous" ?

"Her explanation for why she was late was so nebulous that no one really understood what happened."

• Clear and distinct

• Vague and unclear

• Bright and shining

• Small and insignificant

What does "laudable" mean?

"Starting a fundraiser to help the animal shelter was a really laudable thing to do."

• Deserving praise

• Worthy of criticism

• Unimportant

• Unworthy of attention

What does "ingratiate" mean?

"He kept trying to ingratiate himself with the cool kids by laughing at all their jokes, even when they weren’t funny."

• To offend someone

• To make oneself agreeable

• To ignore someone

• To challenge someone