17:英検対策1級(Eiken Grade 1)

05: Eiken Grade 1 Vocabularies Lesson 5

Part 1: Vocabulary words

1. affluent adjective [af-loo-uhnt]

abundant with money, property, possessions or any material goods; rich

◼ Example: If you want to take part in this year’s election, it’s necessary to have a connection with affluent and influential people.
◻ Note: What do you think of affluent families in your country?

2. superfluous adjective [soo-pur-floo-uhs]

excessive; being more than sufficient or required; unnecessary or irrelevant

◼ Example: If in your opinion the plan is superfluous, please don’t hold back in expressing your disagreement on the matter.
◻ Note: Other words for this are extra and redundant.

3. engrossed adjective [en-grohst]

characterized by complete attention to or interest in something

◼ Example: He was so engrossed in the book that he’s reading that he didn’t notice spending the day doing nothing but that.
◻ Note: It comes from the Middle English word ‘engros’, which means to gather in large quantities.

4. exuberant adjective [ig-zoo-ber-uhnt]

full of enthusiasm or extremely joyful; excessively abundant

◼ Example: Having won 10 gold medals in the Olympic Games, he was given an exuberant hero’s welcome by his countrymen.
◻ Note: It comes from the Latin word ‘exuberantem’, which means overabundance.

5. frenetic adjective [fruh-net-ik]

wildly frenzied, active or excited; overly distressed; disturbed with fear or other violent emotion

◼ Example: Having lived in the countryside for almost all his life, he now cannot cope with the frenetic pace of the city life.
◻ Note: Name some things that can make you frenetic.

6. infatuated adjective [in-fach-oo-ey-tid]

inspired or possessed with a foolish passion or attraction

◼ Example: He’s so totally infatuated with her that he can no longer see her real personality.
◻ Note: Have you ever been infatuated with anyone?

7. ecstatic adjective [ek-stat-ik]

in a joyful or raptured state

◼ Example: The students, as well as their parents, were ecstatic having won their fight against the tuition fee hike.
◻ Note: What are those things that can make you ecstatic?

8. dubious adjective [doo-bee-uhs]

troubled with doubt and uncertainty; of questionable quality

◼ Example: Suspected witches of long ago were tried in dubious courts that were nothing but partial.
◻ Note: Is it good to be overly dubious about everything that people tell you?

9. ambivalent adjective [am-biv-uh-luhnt]

uncertain or having mixed feelings about someone, something or a course of action

◼ Example: She’s still ambivalent about whether to get married or not.
◻ Note: Ambivalent and ambiguous are two different words. Ambivalent means uncertain or undecided about something. Ambiguous means lacking clearness or having several possible meanings or interpretations.

10. precarious adjective [pri-kair-ee-uhs]

dangerously lacking in stability; reliant on circumstances beyond one’s control; dangerous or risky; having little or no basis or foundation

◼ Example: That was a precarious accusation. She didn’t even try to know what really transpired before she reacted like that.

Part 2: Exercise 1

Give the word being asked for each number.

◼ affluent

◼ superfluous

◼ engrossed

◼ exuberant

◼ frenetic

◼ infatuated

◼ ecstatic

◼ dubious 

◼ ambivalent

◼ precarious

__________ 1. troubled with doubt and uncertainty; of questionable quality

__________ 2. inspired or possessed with a foolish passion or attraction

__________ 3. abundant with money, property, possessions or any material goods; rich

__________ 4. wildly frenzied, active or excited; overly distressed; disturbed with fear or other violent emotion

__________ 5. dangerously lacking in stability; reliant on circumstances beyond one’s control; dangerous or risky; having little or no basis or foundation

__________ 6. in a joyful or raptured state

__________ 7. full of enthusiasm or extremely joyful; excessively abundant

__________ 8. uncertain or having mixed feelings about someone, something or a course of action

__________ 9. characterized by complete attention to or interest in something

__________ 10. excessive; being more than sufficient or required; unnecessary or irrelevant

Part 2: Exercise 2

Choose the correct words to complete the sentences below.


1) Smear campaigns were plotted against him months before the election, which had a huge impact on his political career. Voters obviously won’t opt for a politician whose reputation is ____________, thus he was down 500,000 votes from the winner.

a. affluent      

b. ecstatic

c. superfluous      

d. dubious

2) He was swept up by a/an ___________ energy the moment he heard the news of his promotion. He has been waiting and working so hard for that for quite some time now that he feels overwhelmed by the excitement that built up all those years.

a. frenetic 

b. infatuated 

c. ambivalent      

d. engrossed

3) Many parents are ______________ about childbearing for reasons such as the lower perceived importance of parenthood, higher importance put on prosperity, higher perceived costs of having children, and lack of positive attitude of their partner toward parenthood.

a. ambivalent     

b. ecstatic     

c. affluent      

d. frenetic

4) Neem Karoli Baba, born in ___________ Brahmin family, had two palatial and extravagantly luxurious homes. One of which was converted to a temple and the newer one is being preserved to be his birthplace shrine.

a. an affluent

b. a precarious

c. a dubious

d. an ambivalent

5) Basketball enthusiasts were ____________ upon hearing the news of a gold medal for the USA men’s basketball team. It wasn’t an easy victory for the team, which made it sweeter, and the fans were overjoyed.

a. infatuated

b. engrossed

c. ecstatic

d. superfluous

6) In the course of their divorce, he admitted that even before he got married, he was already _________ with another woman though he did not pursue the feelings because of her social status. However, his feelings for her grew even stronger because of the distance between them.

a. dubious

b. superfluous 

c. infatuated

d. exuberant

7) Once an artist draws his first stroke, he becomes completely ___________ in his subject. He thinks of nothing and sees nothing but his work, even forgetting the reality of the outside world, which makes it the representation of the artist’s mind.

a. ecstatic

b. ambivalent  

c. engrossed  

d. frenetic

8) It’s high time for the company to lay-off those employees they deem ____________. They just can’t afford to give out any extra pay for their workers ever since the whole world suffered from an economic recession.

a. exuberant

b. superfluous

c. affluent  

d. dubious

9) They left the gathering hall with _________ spirits right after listening to the inspiring and motivating talks from their spiritual leader. They rose their feet with zealous and overjoyed hearts to promulgate to people what they have learned.

a. ambivalent  

b. exuberant

c. engrossed 

d. infatuated

10) Analysts suggest that a ___________ economic situation may be better for Asia’s bond market than stocks. It may be very risky, but it’s a make or break situation for every country that is in the state of economic depression.

a. frenetic

b. precarious

c. dubious

d. superfluous