By: Yacoob Bazleh (Los Angeles, California, U.S.) Test Your Vocabulary Seek the word or phrase you believe is nearest in meaning to the initial bold word. After finishing the test, click to see the correct answers, and your score. Good luck. 1. epidermis: a) cartilage; b) the membrane; c) skin; d) anatomy; e) the body. 2. plumage: a) hairdo; b) beard; c) feather; d) fabric; e) fur. 3. pare: a) undress; b) peel; c) barefoot; d) twin; e) double. 4. morsel: a) to swallow; b) eat heartily; c) to suffer; d) to die; e) a small bite or portion of food. 5. culinary: a) delicacy; b) calculating; c) kitchen table; d) suitable for or used in cooking; e) table manners. 6. sumptuous: a) total; b) regulating expenses or expenditure; c) an official order to appear in court; d) covering the main points in a statement; e) involving great expense. 7. hibernate: a) exhausted; b) to spend the winter in a dormant state; c) state of trance; d) hypnotic sleep; e) back and forth movement as of a pendulum. 8. reconnaissance: a) an exploratory survey; b) to reconstruct; c) to put together; d) to reconcile; e) to negotiate terms. 9. lineage: a) to mark with lines; b) direct descent from an ancestor; c) to give a linear form; d) line of credit; e) different languages. 10. whinny: a) to squeal; b) a bird's song; c) to whistle softly; d) to neigh softly like a horse; e) bird's mating call. 11. heckle: a) to annoy a speaker by interrupting with questions or taunts; b) to saw rough wood; c) to speak softly; d) to physically challenge a person; e) to comfort. 12. doily: a) a matted doll; b) a paper cup; c) a child's cap; d) a small napkin or mat; e) senile. 13. vestige: a) trace, mark or sign of something that once existed; b) trail; c) a woman who is chaste, pure; d) a small entrance hall; e) a closet for keeping garments. 14. millinery: a) consisting of a thousand, esp. years; b) belonging to people of Milan; c) the business of operating a mill; d) a building with machines for grinding grain; d) the business of making women's hats, headdresses, etc. 15. palatable: a) to place dishes on a table; b) to conform to table manners; c) is pleasant or acceptable to the taste; d) to offer meals especially to the poor; e) rules to abide by in a church kitchen. 16. starboard; a) the pedestal on which to stand on in an observatory to watch the stars; b) a board game for two or four people to correctly recognize the different positions of the stars; c) an astronaut's calculating table in a spaceship; d) a map based on astronomy; e) the right-hand side of a ship or airplane as one faces forward. 17. eventide: a) a momentous outcome; b) calm waters; c) assuring news of some person's health; d) poetic form for "evening"; e) happening at the end of or as a result of a series of events. 18. squall: a) unsanitary; b) naval unit; c) to quarrel; d) to waste; e) a sudden violent downpour of rain or snow. 19. star-crossed: a) a group of stars seen through strong telescopes that seem to form a cross; b) the bright star over Bethlehem that according to the Bible, guided the Maqi at the birth of Jesus; c) the space between any two stars in the galaxy; d) destined to an unhappy fate; e) a male and female movie star who each share a leading role in a film. 20. pseudonym: a) nickname; b) assumed of fictitious name; c) a false or irregular form; d) undefined; e) false statement. To see the correct answers and your score, click here.