7thL18
Name Date
Vocabulary Lesson 18
Page 01
Words in Context: Coming to the United States- Discovering New Holidays
Adjusting to a new culture means adjusting to its holidays. Of course, many cultures share holidays. Many immigrants to the United States probably already celebrated Christmas, Hanukkah, or Ramadan, as well as the
New Year. Most immigrants, however, encounter strictly American holidays- such as Thanksgiving- for the first time.
Read the ten vocabulary words below and decipher each word's definition based on its context within the sentences below.
1) Baste- As the students in Ms. Smith's family-living class at Xavier High learn to stuff a Thanksgiving turkey and baste it with its own juices, they are discussing family celebrations.
2) Diminish- Cooking all week has not diminished their enthusiasm for the holiday. In fact, they are as excited as ever.
3) Dismantle- At one table, students have started to dismantle the complicated centerpiece that Ms. Smith made. She wants to take it apart and put it away before the final bell rings for holiday break.
4) Embarrass- Ms. Smith is talking to a new student, Ezekiel, who recently arrived from Nigeria. "I don't want to embarrass you," she says because she is afraid her question might make him feel foolish, "but are you familiar with our Thanksgiving holiday?"
5) Populate- "Yes," says Ezekiel, "I believe its origins are from the time that Europeans first began to settle and populate this continent."
6) Prearrange- "That's right," say Lynda. "It was the Pilgrims who held the first Thanksgiving feast. Ms.
Smith, did the Pilgrims prearrange the first feast, or did it just sort of happen, without planning?"
7) Remote- "I think William Bradford, the governor of the Pilgrim settlement in Plymouth, planned it in advance," Alfonso offers. "I have a remote memory of discussing all of this in Mr. Dawson's history class, but the class was so long ago that I'm not sure."
8) Rigid- "Here's what I think you should know, Ezekiel," says Amber. "In this country, we aren't rigid about how we celebrate the holiday. You can do it any way you see fit."
9) Saturate- "I don't want to saturate you with too much information at one time," says Hollis, "but I think you should learn something about the role American Indians played in the first Thanksgiving."
10) Sedate- "It's fun to discuss our family celebrations," says Ms. Smith. "Some dinners are formal, quiet and sedate, but my family's is always casual, noisy, and rowdy."

Name Date
Vocabulary Lesson 18
Page 02
Scan the definitions in Column A. Then, think about how the boldface words are used in the sentences in
Column B. To complete the exercise, match each definition in Column A with the correct Vocabulary
Word from Column B. Write the letter of your choice on the line provided. Finally, write the Vocabulary
Word on the line before the definition.
COLUMN A
_____ 01. word: v . to prepare in advance or beforehand; to plan ahead
_____ 02. word: v . to tear down; to take apart; to strip of furnishings or equipment
_____ 03. word: adj . distant; isolated or out of the way; not obvious; slight; cool and aloof
_____ 04. word:
_____ 05. word: adj . stiff; firmly fixed; very strict v . to furnish with inhabitants; to inhabit
_____ 06. word: v . to soak thoroughly; to fill completely; to drench
_____ 07. word: adj. serious and unemotional; quiet; composed; v . to administer a tranquilizer
_____ 08. word: v . to cause someone to feel ill at east and selfconscious
_____ 09. word: v . to sew together with loose, temporary stitches; to moisten food with liquid or oil as it roasts or bakes; to attack verbally
_____ 10. word: v . the rate or number of times a thing recurs within a given time or group
COLUMN B
(A) "Learning about the different ways people celebrate
Thanksgiving has not diminished my enthusiasm for the holiday," says Heather.
(B) Eleni says, "In my family, we prearrange our holiday. In fact, we plan weeks in advance."
(C) "In October, my mother was basting scraps of material together for a huge holiday quilt. She is still sewing on it,"
Eleni adds.
(D) "One year my family went to a cabin in a remote part of the mountains for Thanksgiving. We wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of civilization," Karen remarks.
(E) "It was kind of funny because my dad, who is the cook in the family, had to dismantle almost our whole kitchen and pack it in the van."
(F) "Personally, I was a little embarrassed to be taking a microwave to the wilderness, but Dad isn't self-conscious about anything!"
(G) "At least we didn't take the radio or the television. For once, we were able to avoid all the noise that usually saturates the air so that you can't even hear yourself think!"
(H) "My family is like Karen's, "Joe remarks. "We're not at all rigid about Thanksgiving- except for one strict rule. My mother always makes mashed potatoes."
(I) "At my grandmother's house, the adults sit down to a quiet, sedate meal. We kids, however, are anything but well behaved."
(J) "You know," says Ms. Smith, "there may be as many ways to celebrate Thanksgiving as there are families who live in this country, who populate our cities and towns."

Name
Vocabulary Lesson 18:
Date
Like Meanings and Opposite Meanings
Page 03
Directions. For each item below, circle the letter of the choice that means the same, or about the same, as the boldface word. to baste your opponent D) avoid
A)
B)
C)
D) to
A)
B)
C)
D) attack review abuse thank embarrass encourage ignore shame talk to
the child to populate the city
A) leave to prearrange the trip
A) travel
B) forget
C) plan
D) reschedule to saturate the sponge
A) locate
B) wash
C) throw out
D) soak
B) approve of
C) live in
Directions. For each item below, circle the letter of the choice that means opposite, or about the opposite, of the boldface word.
to diminish the supply
A) increase
B) make smaller
C) hide from
D) find to dismantle the equipment
A) take apart
B) put together
C) buy
D) sell a remote spot
A) dirty
B) unusual
C) close
D) distant a rigid attitude
A) good
B) terrible
C) strict
D) flexible to sedate the patient
A) put to sleep
B) wake up
C) quiet
D) flexible