1. I think it's a band.
   It means the pinnacle or top.
2. It's a shape.
   It's a cleaning product.

If you are standing at the apex of your career, you are at the very top. If you are just starting out, you are at the bottom or the base of career mountain.

1. Fancy
   Expensive
2. Gaudy
   Exquisite

If your friend is wearing tawdry jewelry, you might have a hard time keeping your mouth shut. Tawdry means cheap and gaudy looking.

1. Contagious
   Friendly
2. Aloof
   Distant

When Susanne was at the opening, she was both congenial and friendly. If she were aloof or contagious, she may not have been able to make the sale.

1. Austere
   Posh
2. Fancy
   Impeccable

Expecting to find lavish accommodations at a campground will surely meet with disappointment. Unless you are going glamping, most campgrounds have austere provisions to enhance your oneness with nature.

1. Mature
   Intelligent
2. Experienced
   Puerile

Although Angie should have been on her best behavior, she was behaving in a childish and puerile manner. If someone forgot your dessert, you might behave the same way, too.

1. Drunk
   Content
2. Alluring
   Impassioned

When something gets under your skin, it is quite easy to become impassioned by it. Being impassioned means that something has struck a nerve and you are consumed by it.

1. Encouraging
   Dismal
2. Catastrophic
   Grim

Finding yourself in a dire situation means that things do not look encouraging. In fact, dire means that the situation is ominous, grim, and possibly catastrophic.

1. Apprehension
   Certainty
2. Calm
   Faith

Zori's trepidation came from an apprehensive feeling she had inside. She did not feel calm, certain or faithful that the storm would pass safely.

1. Jose was feeling sleepy.
   Jose was feeling hungry.
2. Jose was feeling annoyed.
   Jose was feeling impassioned.

Despite Jose's best efforts to keep his twin daughters on their best behavior, he was annoyed and exasperated by their mischief. If he were feeling impassioned by it, he would be participating.

1. Aboveboard
   Honest
2. Furtive
   Transparent

In most offices, there's a furtive and secretive affair taking place between coworkers. They are always trying to keep it secret, but everyone knows because they are so transparent.

1. Trivial
   Imperative
2. Secondary
   Inessential

It's important and imperative to take good care of yourself. You are not secondary, inessential or trivial. You are the only you that you will ever have.

1. She was being rude to people.
   She was scoping out cars.
2. She was looking for someone.
   She was wandering through the parking lot.

Instead of making a beeline for her car, Carla chose to meander through the parking lot's aisles. Carla decides to wander around instead of taking the direct path.

1. Shoreline
   Precipice
2. Knoll
   Plateau

When you are standing on the precipice, you are standing on the edge of a steep cliff. Often used in a metaphorical sense, a precipice indicates the edge of something.

1. An inadequate amount
   Outdated and stale
2. A grouping with several varieties
   Damaged and ugly

Andrew arrived to work late; consequently, the scarcity of morning donuts was not enough. Andrew missed out on getting his favorite because there were few donuts left.

1. Charlie was shaking.
   Charlie was hyperventilating.
2. Charlie was crying.
   Charlie was talking excitedly.

Charlie was so excited about his promotion that he was talking so fast his coworkers became annoyed by his jabbering. If you are jabbering, you are talking incessantly with enthusiasm.

1. Apathy
   Neuroticism
2. Gusto
   Trepidation

Marie loves her job so much that she approaches every day with enthusiasm and gusto. She is passionate about her job, and she would never dream of approaching it with apathy.

1. Obscure
   Obvious
2. Intermittent
   Precise

Although the students wanted to understand the instructions, the professor gave them obscure guidelines. The students felt that the instructions were poorly expressed and unclear.

1. Abundant
   Overstocked
2. Scant
   Fruitful

When you have a plenteous supply of pencils on your desk, you have an abundance of them. When your coworkers steal them, you are left with a scant supply.

1. Subside
   Increase
2. Mutate
   Ruminate

After Rosita's trip, she could only wait and let the jet lag subside on its own. When something subsides, it decreases or goes away after a while.

1. Long-winded
   Verbose
2. Polite
   Terse

Everyone has that one terse friend that we have to warn others about. Our terse friends lack the ability to put things any less than bluntly and with sharpened honesty.

1. Thick
   Salty
2. Runny
   Stale

Marco liked the clam chowder, but he also found it a little salty and brackish. When something is brackish, it has a slightly salty flavor.

1. Money
   Headway
2. Sense
   Mistakes

Despite all his efforts, Zack felt that he would never finish his paper. Through his hard work, he finally felt as though he was making headway and moving forward nicely.

1. Uptight
   Drab
2. Messy
   Careful

We cannot think of anyone who would want an accountant who is anything less than meticulous. It's important that they are careful with every detail of an account.

1. Wordy
   Rude
2. Loud
   Confusing

There's no better way to start off the work week than listening to the boss's verbose and wordy speeches. It would be nice if coffee were allowed in the meeting room.

1. An advantage
   A thunderstorm
2. A snafu
   A computer problem

If you are experiencing a glitch in your plans, you are also experiencing a snafu. If things are running perfectly, you have not hit a snag in your plans.

1. Segregate
   Muster
2. Insinuate
   Implore

When you are mustering the strength to get ready for work in the morning, you are pulling yourself together. You are not separating yourself from the task at hand.

1. Pristine
   Hidden
2. Average
   Private

Julia worked really hard to keep her grades up and her school record pristine. She wanted nothing more than a perfect report given to her chosen schools.

1. Sociable
   Unanimous
2. Recluse
   Infamous

A person who lives in solitude and who does not go out much is considered a recluse. Many folks simply prefer quieter, more reclusive lives.

1. Acrid
   Pleasant
2. Earthy
   Enticing

The durian fruit is certainly not known for its pleasant or enticing smell. In fact, its pungent and acrid odor is enough to make some people turn down the chance to try it.

1. Fun
   A proud walk
2. A lot of compliments
   A matching scarf

Joy was feeling good in her new coat. She walked through the mall so proudly, her friends accused her of having a celebrity swagger.

1. Necessary
   Messy
2. Dull
   Inferior

Although many of our daily tasks could be considered dull, repetitive, and monotonous, dishes is our least favorite around here. We would rather watch paint dry.

1. Vigilant
   Furry
2. Friendly
   Big

German shepherds are completely furry, big and friendly. They are known for being good watchdogs because they are vigilant, and they like to observe the world around them.

1. Deductibles
   Copayments
2. Restitution
   Respect

Insurance companies pay restitution to those who have been injured in an accident. They do make make copayments or deductibles.

1. Open and refreshing
   Harsh and mean
2. Rude and insensitive
   Out of the ordinary

Loretta's ability to remember everyone's birthdays is quite unusual or uncanny. It seems impossible that anyone could remember that many dates.

1. Ruby tried to find out the truth.
   Ruby tried to quiet the rumors.
2. Ruby used the rumors in an argument.
   Ruby spread more rumors.

The rumors about Ruby's boyfriend were hurtful. Ruby tried her best to quell and to quiet them by making sure her friends new the truth.