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Book C, Unit # 15

Word List

1. abyss – (n) a deep or bottomless pit

2. befall – (v) to happen, occur; to happen to

3. crucial – (adj) of supreme importance, decisive, critical

4. dregs – (pl. n) the last remaining part; the part of least worth

5. embody – (v) to give form to; to incorporate, include; to personify

6. exasperate – (v) to irritate, annoy, or anger

7. fiasco – (n) the complete collapse or failure of a project

8. garnish – (v) to adorn or decorate, especially food; (n) an ornament or decoration, especially for food

9. heritage – (n) an inheritance; a birthright

10. inert – (adj) lifeless, unable to move or act; slow, inactive

11. mercenary – (adj) acting or working for self-gain only; (n) a hired soldier

12. negligent – (adj) marked by carelessness or indifference; failing to do what should be done

13. oblivion – (n) forgetfulness, disregard; a state of being forgotten; an amnesty, general pardon

14. opus – (n) an impressive piece of work (especially a musical composition or other work of art)

15. pallid – (adj) pale, lacking color; weak and lifeless

16. parable – (n) a short narrative designed to teach a moral lesson

17. rational – (adj) based on reasoning; able to make use of reason; sensible, reasonable

18. reciprocal – (adj) shared; involving give-and-take between two persons or things; working in both directions; (math) a number that, when multiplied by another number, gives 1

19. stricture – (n) a limitation or restriction; a criticism; (medicine) a narrowing of a passage in the body

20. veneer – (n) a thin outer layer; the surface appearance or decoration; (v) to cover with a thin layer

Vocabulary Assignment Book C, Unit # 15

From the words for this unit, choose which word best completes each sentence.

1. The judge imposed a heavy fine on the _______________ landlord who had failed to provide head during the cold weather.

2. Would you like your new desk finished with a walnut, maple, mahogany ____________?

3. The story of the Prodigal Son is a(n) ________________ that helps us understand problems and situations of present-day life.

4. The administration intends to propose legislation to cut back on customs duties and relax other _____________ on foreign trade.

5. The old adage “I’ll scratch your back if you’ll scratch mine” aptly describes the kind of ______________ arrangement he has in mind.

6. During her confinement in a Nazi concentration camp, she drained the cup of human suffering to the ___________________.

7. My mother doesn’t think that a plate of food is ready to serve unless she has _________________ it with a sprig of parsley or s slice of tomato.

8. Since many composers don’t publish their own works in the order they were written, ________________ numbers often don’t tell much about the date of composition.

9. In high school you will make many decisions ________________ to your future, but determining what to wear to the prom isn’t one of them.

10. To our dismay, Tom didn’t get to his feet after being tackled on the play but lay _______________ on the field.

11. Winston Churchill warned the English people that if they gave in to the Nazis, they would “sink into the ________________ of a new Dark Age.”

12. Of course Sid doesn’t look well after his stay in the hospital, but a few days at the beach will take care of that ________________ complexion.

13. A number of famous Roman emperors were clearly madmen for whose actions no _______________ explanation can possibly be devised.

14. He was a famous novelist in his own day, but his work has now passed into __________________.

15. In no time at all, poor management turned what should have been a surefire success into a costly __________________.

16. Without pretending that he cared about the public welfare, he told us frankly that his interest in the project was purely _________________.

17. Astrologers claim that they can discover what will ___________________ a person by studying the movements of various heavenly bodies.

18. As we enter the third century of our nation’s history, let us try to be worthy of our _______________ of freedom!

19. The basic moral values of several religions are ________________ in the brief code of laws known as the Ten Commandments.

20. Nothing __________________ me more than people who play their radios, stereos, tape decks, or TV sets at high volume late at night.

From this unit, choose the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the groups of expressions.

1. grasping, avaricious; a soldier of fortune ______________________

2. a work, composition, piece, oeuvre ______________________

3. motionless; inactive, sluggish, lethargic ______________________

4. a facing, overlay, façade; a pretense ______________________

5. to irritate, vex, try one’s patience ______________________

6. mutual, give-and-take, quid pro quo ______________________

7. to incorporate, encompass; to personify ______________________

8. a restraint, restriction; a criticism ______________________

9. a moral tale or fable, allegory ______________________

10. decisive, critical, pivotal ______________________

11. sensible, logical, reasonable ______________________

12. a bottomless pit, chasm, gorge ______________________

13. forgetfulness; obscurity, nothingness ______________________

14. the grounds, lees, residue, leftovers ______________________

15. colorless, bloodless, ashen; insipid ______________________

16. careless, neglectful, remiss, derelict ______________________

17. a failure, disaster, flop, bomb ______________________

18. an inheritance, legacy; desce3nt, pedigree ______________________

19. to happen, occur, come to pass ______________________

20. to embellish, decorate, gussy up ______________________

From this unit, choose the word that is most nearly the opposite in meaning as the groups of expressions.

1. careful, attentive, conscientious ______________________

2. to soothe, mollify; to please, delight ______________________

3. unselfish, disinterested, altruistic ______________________

4. ruddy, sanguine; racy, colorful ______________________

5. mad, insane; illogical, absurd ______________________

6. insignificant, inconsequential ______________________

7. a complete success, triumph, hit ______________________

8. vigorous, energetic; volatile; lively ______________________

9. one-sided, unilateral ______________________

10. a compliment, praise, accolade; a swelling ______________________

11. fame, renown, celebrity ______________________

12. a summit, promontory, pinnacle ______________________

13. the upper crust, cream of the crop, elite ______________________

14. the inner core, nucleus ______________________

Encircle the boldface word that more satisfactorily completes each sentence.

1. If our leadership is timid and (crucial, inert), we will never be able to solve the great problems that face us.

2. Since decent people would have nothing to do with him, he soon began to associate with the (dregs, fiasco) of society.

3. Underneath the (veneer, oblivion) of his polished manners and smooth talk, we recognized the simple country boy we had known in earlier years.

4. In this early novel of Dickens, we have an (abyss, opus) that gives us a wonderful picture of life in 19th-century England.

5. A West Point graduate, my uncle (garnished, embodied) all the qualities suggested by the phrase “an officer and a gentleman.”

6. What a relief to turn from those (pallid, negligent) little tales to the lively, vigorous, earthy stories of Mark Twain.

7. After his crushing defeat in the election, the candidate returned to his hometown and disappeared into (heritage, oblivion).

8. Isn’t it tragic that the religious groups fighting each other are separated by an (opus, abyss) of misunderstanding?

9. His constant chattering while I’m trying to do my vocabulary exercises (exasperates, embodies) me more than I can say.

10. “The heroism of these brave men and women speaks for itself,” the Senator remarked, “and needs no (oblivion, garnishing).

11. There are times when it is good to let your imagination run free, instead of trying to be strictly (rational, crucial).

12. Such familiar stories as “Little Red Riding Hood” are really (parables, veneers) that tell a child something about the conditions of human life.

13. Once the war had been won, the victors laid aside their high-minded ideals and became involved in a (mercenary, pallid) squabble over the spoils.

14. It’s hard for us to admit that many of the misfortunes that (garnish, befall) us are really our own fault.

15. If you are (negligent, inert) about small sums of money, you may find that you will never have any large sums to worry about.

16. Any significant (dregs, stricture) of the passages leading to the heart will hinder the normal flow of blood to that organ and cause cardiac arrest.

17. The plan of the two schools to exchange members of their faculties proved to be of (rational, reciprocal) advantage.

18. Since he undertook that big job without any sound preparation, all of his ambitious plans ended in a resounding (abyss, fiasco).

19. Experience teaches us that many of the things that seemed so (crucial, inert) when we were young are really of no ultimate importance.

20. A descendant of one of the Founding Fathers of this country, she strove all her life to live up to her distinguished (opus, heritage).

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