VOCABULARY - CONTEXT SKILLS

"He seems to have renounced everthing he once loved," said Richard shaking his head.

To renouce something means:
1. To enjoy
2. To redecorate
3. To question
4. To give up
Suzanne's contrite words meant nothing to Bernard.
Contrite means:
1. Intended to warn
2. Sincere
3. Critical
4. Remorseful
He thinks he would be doing the NBA a favor if he deigned to become a head coach.
To deign means:
1. To offer
2. To desire
3. To condescend
4. To refuse
Filling out these forms willexpedite the process.
To expedite means:
1. To confuse
2. To replace
3. To cheat
4. To facilitate
"I don't think Franklin understands the nuances of her poetry," said Bonnie.
Nuances means:
1. Imagery
2. Biographical data
3. Subtleties
4. Metaphors
Denise was devastated to learn Mr. Duke's feelings for her were strictly paternal.
Paternal means:
1. Formal
2. Utilitarian
3. Casual
4. Fatherly
The rancor between the two brothers had existed for thirty years.
Rancor means:
1. Extreme competition
2. A sense of unease
3. Bitter resentment
4. Verbal aggression
Timothy had a platitude for every occasion.
A platitude/b> is:
1. A short prayer
2. A trite saying
3. A poem
4. A demand

Hearing the early Beatles music filled her with nostalgia.
Nostalgia refers to:
1. A longing for the past
2. Anxiety
3. A sence of freedom
4. Disgust
Once inside the citadel, Barry was able to relax.
A citadel is:
1. An office building
2. A lavish home
3. A temple
4. A fortress
"Do not deprecate what you do not understand," said Mr. Kirby.
Deprecate means:
1. To ignore
2. To take for granted
3. To put down
4. To fear
Thrill seekers are not made happy with banal circumstances.
Banal means:
1. Innocent
2. Ordinary
3. Taboo
4. Traditional
To heal from the hooting, Bret had to recommit to his innate faith in humandkind.
Innate means:
1. Stolen
2. Inborn
3. Religiously inspired
4. Traditional
My grandfather was a taciturn man who was misunderstood by everyone but my grandmother.
Taciturn means:
1. Complex
2. Bad tempered
3. Demanding
4. Habitually silent
As a youth, I was much more superficial than I am now after college.
Superficial means:
1. Innocent
2. Bad tempered
3. Demanding
4. Habitually silent
She reminded me that when someone condescends, they are often feeling insecure.
To condescend means:
1. To not talk
2. To try to impress
3. To try not to be notices
4. To talk down to
He had only a minor contusion, but to hear him moan, you'd think he was dying.
A contusion is
1. A cut
2. A lump
3. A bruise
4. A break
The deluded crone thought that adding desiccated frog feet would make her concoction more potent.
To be desiccated means to be:
1. Used-up
2. Moldy
3. Dried Up
4. Cut up
Spring was followed by the inexorable scorching of summer.
Inexorable means:
1. Long awaited
2. Moldy
3. Dried Up
4. Cut up
He admonished those on his staff about their chronic lateness.
To admonish is to:
1. To encourage
2. To threaten
3. To plead with
4. To scold
"I did not find her poetry compelling," said Logan.
Compelling means:
1. Forceful
2. Unusual
3. Necessary
4. Fast moving
If you are the more cogent, you will win. It's as simple as that," said Mr. Barnes.
To be cogent is to be:
1. Convincing
2. Well-informed
3. Pushy
4. Brief
Pope Gregory IX established the Inquisition in 1233 as a special court to help curb the influence of heresy
Heresy refers to:
1. Portestant beliefs
2. Unsavory behavior
3. Unorthodoxy
4. Deliberate lies
We were not surprised when Charles recanted his signed confession.
To recant means:
1. To publicly take back.
2. To publicize
3. To brag about
4. To make excuses for
The Jesuit retreat master would tell us, "Boys, sometimes you are going to find yourselves having what we call impure thoughts, and when that happens, I want you to sublimate them with basketball."
To sublimate means:
1. To deny
2. To purify
3. To cover up
4. To suppress
"You would not have believed Aunt Millie in her heyday," Uncle Walt said smiling broadly.
A heyday refers to:
1. One's teens
2. One's prime
3. One's childhood
4. One's early struggles
Descarte's famous postulate was "I think, therefore I am."
A postulate is:
1. A premise
2. A discovery
3. A claim to fame
4. One's early struggles
After living frugally for so long, Jenn and Bill enjoyed the amenities they'd built into their new home.
An amenity is:
1. A unique feature
2. A closet
3. Something unexpected
4. A feature that adds comfort
Iraq reiterated its denial of responsibility for the terrorist attack.
To reiterate is:
1. To shout
2. To substantiate
3. To claim falsely
4. To repeat
"I've read so many things about him and spent so much time with people who are on his periphery, but I have never met him."
Periphery means:
1. Good side
2. Outside edge
3. Payroll
4. Guest List
Savants came from all over the world to attend the conference.
A savant is:
1. A student
2. A learned person.
3. A creative person
4. A person of French descent
The forced busing of students was not the panacea some thought it would be.
A panacea is:
1. An insurmountable difficulty
2. A wave of the future
3. A cure-all
4. A ridiculous position
The study focused upon the qualitative variable involved in lead poisoning.
Qualitative means:
1. Most important
2. Most frequest
3. Relating to quality, not quantity
4. A ridiculous position
"I think Michael Jrodan is the epitome of good sportsmanship," said Mickey.
Epitome refers to:
1. An extreme
2. A poor example
3. An over-used example
4. A perfect example
"I'm looking for someone with rudimentary skills and a great attitude," said Clifford.
Rudimentary means:
1. Self-taught
2. Basic
3. Advanced
4. Technical
Randy wanted to know why there was so much animosity between his parents.
Animosity means:
1. Variance
2. Hostility
3. Indifference
4. Love
Liam's continued sobriety amazes all of his friends.
Sobriety means:
1. Persistence
2. Love for life
3. Abstinence from alcohol
4. Ability to focus
The survey from the Human Resouce Department was intended to discover what the employees considered the most important perquisite of their jobs.
A perquisite is:
1. A bothersome detail
2. A privilege that goes with a job.
3. A requirement
4. A duty
Todd told the clerk he was looking for something quaranteed to mollify his wife.
To mollify is to:
1. Surprise
2. Soothe
3. Exclue
4. Impassion
The bathroom had a huge window with opaque glass.
Opaque means:
1. Tinted
2. Not transparent
3. Pastel colored
4. Etched
Mary Onyali of Nigeria exulted while watching a replay of the women's 200 meters at the 1996 Olympic games.
To exult is:
1. To weep
2. To rejoice
3. To hold one's breath
4. Etched
Unlike his previous work, the prose of his new novel is limpid and not over-burdened with profundities.
Limpid means:
1. Compelling
2. Exciting
3. Poetic
4. Clear
Carlos has a profound understanding of physics.
Profound means:
1. Hard-won
2. Newly acquired
3. Superficial
4. Deep
Chris has many plans for becoming rich, but few of them are tenable.
Tenable means:
1. Popular
2. Approved
3. Easy
4. Deep
There is nothing left in the apartment but a few extraneous odds and ends.
Extraneous means:
1. Worn out
2. Unwanted
3. Unneccessary
4. Broken
Sallly's propesity to gain weight made dieting a regular part of her life.

Propensity refers:
1. A lassitude
2. An unconscious desire
3. A tendancy
4. An expectation
The farcical power struggle between the president and the chairman of the board led Cassandra to resign.

Farcical means:
1. Nasty
2. Smelly
3. Prolonged
4. Absurd
The Buddha is considered an avatar of the god Vishnu.

An avatar is:
1. A messenger
2. An incarnation
3. A devotee
4. A spiritual teacher
Stress can easily precipitate a panic attack.

To precipitate means:
1. To set in motion
2. To come before
3. To hold off
4. To make worse
George was hounded by rapacious bill collectors.

Rapacious means:
1. Greedy
2. Self-rightious
3. To hold off
4. To make worse
Shortly after the riots broke out, the president declared martial law.

Martial means:
1. Emergency
2. Warlike
3. Alien
4. Totalitarian
Those who dared expose the politician were vilified by "spin control" in press releases.

To be vilified means to be:
1. Looked up to
2. Redeemed
3. Slandered
4. Rewarded
Marc was surprised at Paul's sudden deference.

Deference is:
1. Shyness
2. Stubborness
3. Respectful submission
4. Indecisiveness
Every day she waited for a harbingerof spring.

A harbinger is:
1. A storm
2. A forerunner
3. To appease
4. To worship
The natives changed and prayed all night in an effort to placate the gods.

To placate is:
1. To manipulate
2. A forerunner
3. To appease
4. To worship
Though they were twins, Pamela was the antithesis of Paulette.

Antithesis means:
1. Opposite
2. Mentor
3. Enemy
4. Instigator
As the evening progressed, he left ten increasingly self-abasing messages on her answering machine.

To abase means:
1. To disclose
2. To promote
3. To degrade
4. To congratulate
The amiable little group proceeded from the bar into the restaurant.

Amiable means:
1. Slightly drunk
2. Friendly
3. Racially mixed
4. Eager
Carol's decision to move to Atlanta had many unexpected repercussions.

A repercussion is:
1. A motive
2. An opportunity
3. A consequence
4. Eager
It was our intention that the evening culminate with a group sing-a-long.

To culminate means:
1. To include
2. To begin
3. To climax
4. To end
Frugal people clip coupons, comparison shop, and watch the ads.

Frugal means:
1. Considerate
2. Thrifty
3. Ecologically aware
4. Wise
My sister has such severe acrophobia that she had to seek professional help.

Acrophobia means a fear of:
1. Heights
2. Open spaces
3. Spiders
4. Plants
He professed to be in love with me.

To profess is to:
1. Hint
2. Declare
3. Anticipatory
4. Calculated
Polly flashed us a contrived smile and boarded the train.

Contrive means:
1. Gloating
2. Contradictory
3. Anticipatory
4. Calculated
Anna comes from such a refined family. I can't imagine how she came to have such an insolent child.

Insolent means:
1. Unattractive
2. Clumsy
3. Insulting
4. Course
Trying to emulate her popular older sister, Theresa lost fifteen pounds and tried out for the cheerleading squad.

To emulate is:
1. to strive to equal
2. Clumsy
3. Insulting
4. Course
In her inimitable way, Mae West was a truthful woman, especially about sex, yet she always retained a true star's essential mystery.

Inimitable means:
1. Matchless
2. Entertaining
3. Seductive
4. Sassy
"They will never divest me of my freedom," the patriot announced.

To divest is:
1. To deprive
2. To distract
3. To take for granted
4. To convince
The accolades Nicole received as a ballerina did not make up for her lack of a boyfriend.

Accolades refer to:
1. Strong muscles
2. Professional opportunities
3. Royalties
4. Expressions of praise
She wrote about the titanic changes marriage to a prince had brought into her life.

Titanic means:
1. Unforeseen
2. Enormous
3. Demanding
4. Queenly
Waldo was determined to keep his family from discovering his
tenuous financial situation.

Tenuous means:
1. Flimsy
2. Fluctuating
3. Risky
4. Hopeful

VOCABULARY - CONTEXT SKILLS

Quiz