Word Power ANSWERS

1. angst

(c) anxiety Are you feeling any angst about turning 50 this year?

2. zeitgeist

(b) mood of an era

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novels captured the zeitgeist of the roaring twenties.

3. verboten

(a) forbidden

forbidden Video recording is strictly verboten during the concert.

4. carabiner

(b) metal safety clip Carabiners are commonly used in rock climbing to connect ropes to other gear.

5. wunderkind

(c) gift child By age 12, the tennis wunderkind was beating players twice his age.

6. nosh

(a) snack

Stop noshing on those potato chips; you’ll spoil your dinner!

7. bildungsroman

(a) coming-of-age tale Mateo’s screenplay is a bildungsroman loosely based on his own childhood.

8. kaput

(b) finished

I’m ordering a new laptop today—the battery in my old one is kaput.

9. edelweiss

(a) white blossom

A flower native to mountain regions, the edelweiss was immortalized in Music.

The Sound of

10. gesundheit

(b) bless you

Is it odd that I always say “Gesundheit!” after my dog sneezes?

11. hinterland

(c) backcountry

The couple sold their city

apartment and moved to the hinterland.

12. schadenfreude

(a) glee at another’s pain Ursula could barely contain her schadenfreude when her cheating ex’s business failed.

13. plunder

(b) loot After the king fled, the royal palace was plundered by rebels.

14. autobahn

(c) expressway

Christa cruised down the autobahn in her convertible, the wind in her hair.

15. poltergeist

(b) mischievous ghost

A poltergeist is rumored to haunt the hotel; guests report flickering lights and floating objects.

Vocabulary Ratings

9 & below: pale ale 10–12: amber lager 13–15: imperial stout