Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press

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TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1
– adjective
• My headache pains were so acute that they felt like needles in my head.
• Gil joked, “This painting looks like something my two-year-old son would do.” Then he felt acute regret when he learned the artist was standing behind him.
Acute means
A.
very great.
B.
mild.
C.
slow.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1
– adjective
• My headache pains were so acute that they felt like needles in my head.
• Gil joked, “This painting looks like something my two-year-old son would do.” Then he felt acute regret when he learned the artist was standing behind him.
Acute means
A. very great.
B.
mild.
C.
slow.
If the pains felt like needles in the head, the pains must have been very great . When Gil realized his joke was heard by a person it would hurt, he felt very great regret.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2
– adjective
• Laura tore up an anonymous note that said that her teenage daughter had cheated on a test. “If the writer was too ashamed to sign the note,” said Laura, “why should I believe it?”
• Many anonymous works are very famous. For example, the author of the Christmas carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” is unknown.
Anonymous means
A.
short.
B.
having an unknown author.
C.
poorly written.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2
– adjective
• Laura tore up an anonymous note that said that her teenage daughter had cheated on a test. “If the writer was too ashamed to sign the note,” said Laura, “why should I believe it?”
• Many anonymous works are very famous. For example, the author of the Christmas carol “God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen” is unknown.
Anonymous means
A.
short.
B. having an unknown author.
C.
poorly written.
If the writer did not sign the note, the author of the note was unknown .
In the second item, the words meaning. the author . . . is unknown explain the

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3
– adjective
• Ginny was apprehensive as she approached the cow, not knowing if it would try to bite or kick her.
• It is natural to be apprehensive when making a major purchase, such as a car or a home. Only the wealthy can afford to be calm at such times.
Apprehensive means
A.
fearful.
B.
irritated.
C.
confident.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3
– adjective
• Ginny was apprehensive as she approached the cow, not knowing if it would try to bite or kick her.
• It is natural to be apprehensive when making a major purchase, such as a car or a home. Only the wealthy can afford to be calm at such times.
Apprehensive means
A. fearful.
B.
irritated.
C.
confident.
If Ginny didn’t know if the cow would try to bite or kick her, she would be fearful as she approached it. The calmness of the rich when making a major purchase is contrasted with the fearful ness of those who are not so rich.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4
– adjective
• Having been a very spoiled child, Becky turned out to be a very arrogant grownup.
• One of the most arrogant people I know paid the state extra money to get a custom license plate that reads “IMBEST.”
Arrogant means
A.
polite.
B.
quiet.
C.
showing too much selfimportance.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4
– adjective
• Having been a very spoiled child, Becky turned out to be a very arrogant grownup.
• One of the most arrogant people I know paid the state extra money to get a custom license plate that reads “IMBEST.”
Arrogant means
A.
polite.
B.
quiet.
C. showing too much selfimportance.
If Becky had been a very spoiled child, it is not surprising that she showed too much self-importance as an adult. Having a custom license plate that reads “IMBEST” suggests the person shows too much self-importance .

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5
– verb
• The Manhattan School of Music bestowed an honorary degree on a famous musician who had never gone to college.
• At the science fair, the judges bestowed the first prize on
Vincent, whose experiment showed that dogs are colorblind.
Bestow means
A.
to take.
B.
to prepare.
C.
to award.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5
– verb
• The Manhattan School of Music bestowed an honorary degree on a famous musician who had never gone to college.
• At the science fair, the judges bestowed the first prize on
Vincent, whose experiment showed that dogs are colorblind.
Bestow means
A.
to take.
B.
to prepare.
C. to award.
The school would award an honorary degree to the musician.
The judges of the science fair would award the first prize.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6
– noun
• Our soccer team is seeking donors to contribute money for new uniforms.
• The man’s twin sister was the donor of his new kidney.
Donor means
A.
one who receives.
B.
one who gives.
C.
one who doubts.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6
– noun
• Our soccer team is seeking donors to contribute money for new uniforms.
• The man’s twin sister was the donor of his new kidney.
A blood donor gives blood.
Donor means
A.
one who receives.
B. one who gives.
C.
one who doubts.
A person who contributes money for new uniforms would be one who gives . The twin sister was the one who gave her kidney so the man could have a new one.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7
– noun
• My roommate has joined a group that helps people with phobias because she wants to overcome her extreme fear of even the smallest spiders.
• Ned’s fear of flying is so severe that he won’t even step onto an airplane. But he says he’s in no rush to cure his phobia , since driving is cheaper anyway.
Phobia means
A.
an illness.
B.
an extreme fear.
C.
a bad temper.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7
– noun
• My roommate has joined a group that helps people with phobias because she wants to overcome her extreme fear of even the smallest spiders.
• Ned’s fear of flying is so severe that he won’t even step onto an airplane. But he says he’s in no rush to cure his phobia , since driving is cheaper anyway.
Phobia means
A.
an illness.
B. an extreme fear.
C.
a bad temper.
In the first item, the words extreme fear have an extreme fear of flying. tell you what phobia means.
In the second item, if Ned won’t even step onto a plane, he must

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8
– adjective
• Crystal’s long black hair is so prominent that it’s the first thing you notice about her.
• The Big Bird balloon was the most prominent one in the parade because it was so large and such a bright yellow.
Prominent means
A.
cheerful.
B.
expensive.
C.
obvious.
A llama with prominent ears

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8
– adjective
• Crystal’s long black hair is so prominent that it’s the first thing you notice about her.
• The Big Bird balloon was the most prominent one in the parade because it was so large and such a bright yellow.
A llama with prominent ears
Prominent means
A.
cheerful.
B.
expensive.
C. obvious.
If Crystal’s hair is the first thing you notice about her, it must be obvious . A Big Bird balloon that is very large and bright yellow would be obvious .

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9
– adjective
• Sidney has learned the hard way that it’s not prudent to tease our ill-tempered dog.
• Prudent as always, Meg thought carefully before finally deciding which of the used cars would be the best buy.
Prudent means
A.
relaxed.
B.
courageous.
C.
careful and wise.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9
– adjective
• Sidney has learned the hard way that it’s not prudent to tease our ill-tempered dog.
• Prudent as always, Meg thought carefully before finally deciding which of the used cars would be the best buy.
Prudent means
A.
relaxed.
B.
courageous.
C. careful and wise.
Teasing an ill-tempered dog is not a careful or wise thing to do.
If Meg thought carefully before finally deciding, she was being careful and wise about the purchase.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10
– noun
• The actress Katharine Hepburn was the recipient of four
Academy Awards. She received the fourth one nearly fifty years after the first one.
• Rashid was the annoyed recipient of forty pieces of spam on the same day.
Recipient means
A.
one who gives.
B.
one who receives.
C.
one with good luck.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10
– noun
• The actress Katharine Hepburn was the recipient of four
Academy Awards. She received the fourth one nearly fifty years after the first one.
• Rashid was the annoyed recipient of forty pieces of spam on the same day.
Recipient means
A.
one who gives.
B. one who receives.
C.
one with good luck.
The recipient of a college degree
Katharine Hepburn was the one who received four Academy Awards. The word received is a clue. Rashid would be annoyed if he is the one who received forty pieces of spam the same day.

SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A.
acute
F.
donor
B.
anonymous C.
apprehensive D.
arrogant E.
bestow
G.
phobia H.
prominent I.
prudent J.
recipient
1.
Because of her __________, Martha will walk up twenty floors to avoid taking an elevator.
2.
The unsigned letter to the editor was not published because it was the newspaper’s policy never to print
__________ letters.

SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A.
acute
F.
donor
B.
anonymous C.
apprehensive D.
arrogant E.
bestow
G.
phobia H.
prominent I.
prudent J.
recipient
1.
phobia floors to avoid taking an elevator.
If Martha will walk up twenty floors to avoid taking an elevator, she must have an extreme fear of elevators.
2.
The unsigned letter to the editor was not published because it was the newspaper’s policy never to print anonymous
If the letter is unsigned, it was written by an unknown person .

SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A.
acute
F.
donor
B.
anonymous C.
apprehensive D.
arrogant E.
bestow
G.
phobia H.
prominent I.
prudent J.
recipient
3.
Since I didn’t eat all day, I began to feel __________ hunger pains in my stomach by early evening.
4.
Kendra was so popular that each year she was the
__________ of dozens of Valentines.
5.
The secretary to the president of the company behaves in a very __________ way. She thinks she’s more important than the other secretaries.

SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A.
acute
F.
donor
B.
anonymous C.
apprehensive D.
arrogant E.
bestow
G.
phobia H.
prominent I.
prudent J.
recipient
3.
acute hunger pains in my stomach by early evening.
Not eating all day would make one feel intense hunger pains.
4.
Kendra was so popular that each year she was the
__________ of dozens of Valentines.
If Kendra is so popular, she would be a person who receives dozens of Valentines.
5.
The secretary to the president of the company behaves in a very __________ way. She thinks she’s more important than the other secretaries.
If the secretary is thinks she’s more important than the others, she must be filled with self-importance .

SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A.
acute
F.
donor
B.
anonymous C.
apprehensive D.
arrogant E.
bestow
G.
phobia H.
prominent I.
prudent J.
recipient
6.
When he retires, the biology professor will __________ on the school his collection of animal skeletons.
7.
“Your decision to wait to marry until after graduation seems __________ to me,” Devan’s father said, pleased that his son was acting wisely.

SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A.
acute
F.
donor
B.
anonymous C.
apprehensive D.
arrogant E.
bestow
G.
phobia H.
prominent I.
prudent J.
recipient
6.
bestow on the school his collection of animal skeletons.
The professor will give to the school his collection of skeletons.
7.
“Your decision to wait to marry until after graduation seems __________ to me,” Devan’s father said, pleased that his son was acting wisely.
Devan’s decision seems wise to his father. The word wisely is a clue.

SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A.
acute
F.
donor
B.
anonymous C.
apprehensive D.
arrogant E.
bestow
G.
phobia H.
prominent I.
prudent J.
recipient
8.
The most __________ plants in Dwayne’s garden are giant lilies. Some of them are eight feet tall.
9.
Because the new tax laws limit certain deductions, art museums have fewer _________s.
10.
Cliff became more and more ___________ about his driver’s test. He was afraid he’d forget to signal, fail to park correctly, or even get into an accident.

SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A.
acute
F.
donor
B.
anonymous C.
apprehensive D.
arrogant E.
bestow
G.
phobia H.
prominent I.
prudent J.
recipient
8.
prominent lilies. Some of them are eight feet tall.
Lilies that are eight feet tall would be very noticeable .
9.
Because the new tax laws limit certain deductions, art museums have fewer __________.
If people can no longer deduct gifts, art museums will have fewer people who contribute .
10.
apprehensive driver’s test. He was afraid he’d forget to signal, fail to park correctly, or even get into an accident.
If Cliff was afraid he would forget to do something, he would be frightened or anxious .