Quiz: Words from Classical Mythology, German, and Italian

Someone who uses very few words, often seeming rude or mysterious, would be described as

• spartan

• laconic

• angst

• dilettante

The hero of Les Miserables, Jean Valjean, spent nineteen years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. This long prison sentence would be described as

• Machiavellian

• imbroglio

• flak

• draconian

Answer explanation

Hugh Jackman won a Golden Globe award in 2013 for his performance as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables.

In contrast to Mr. Brocklehurst's wife and daughters, with their furs and curled hair, the girls at Lowood Institution live a _____________ life.

• pastiche

• mercurial

• spartan

• jovial

In North Africa, Arabic is the ______________ that people from many tribes use to communicate in common. In southeastern Africa, it is Swahili; in West Africa, it is either French or English.

• aegis

• pastiche

• lingua franca

• chimerical

A pretender or a fraud--such as a fake doctor or lawyer or fiance, etc.--is a

• charlatan

• Machiavelli

• pastiche

• patina

To stimulate or excite the muscles with electricity, or to excite people with shocking news, is to ___________________ them.

• angst

• gusto

• imbroglio

• galvanize

After Jane redecorates Moor House and welcomes Mary and Diana back, she tries to be ___________ for Christmas, but St. John is determined to be the opposite.

• laconic

• jovial

• diva

• aegis

Someone who feels intense anxiety or insecurity is experiencing a lot of ______.

• wanderlust

• aegis

• angst

• flak

Frankenstein created his creature independently, instead of under the ________ of an institution or government.

• aegis

• vista

• pastiche

• draconian

Use the word "gusto" in a sentence about yourself.