Sentence:  At the same time , there is a good deal of self congratulation at attending a good college - they <WSD>are</WSD> even inclined to exaggerate its not inconsiderable virtues - and they express pleasure at the cozy in-group feeling that the college generates . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)