ADVANCED
WORD POWER
Second Edition
BETH JOHNSON
JANET M. GOLDSTEIN
© 2011 Townsend Press
Unit Two: Chapter 7
• clamor
• rescind
• contract
• stagnant
• duplicity
• uniform
• equivocal
• untenable
• irresolute
• vilify
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 clamor
– noun
• By the time the basketball game was over, I had an awful headache from
the constant clamor of the fans as they cheered for their team.
• The hungry parakeets began an excited clamor when they saw their
owner enter the room.
Clamor means
A. loud noise.
B. tense silence.
C. whispers.
Photo: Daniel Latorre
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 clamor
– noun
• By the time the basketball game was over, I had an awful headache from
the constant clamor of the fans as they cheered for their team.
• The hungry parakeets began an excited clamor when they saw their
owner enter the room.
Clamor means
A. loud noise.
B. tense silence.
C. whispers.
Photo: Daniel Latorre
If fans cheered enough to give someone
a headache, then they must have made
a loud noise. Hungry parakeets tend to
make a loud noise when they get excited
about being fed.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 contract
– verb
• That company can’t seem to decide whether to grow or to contract.
First it hired a hundred extra workers; then it laid off two hundred.
• The universe is expanding, but scientists do not know whether it will
continue to expand or whether it will eventually start to contract,
becoming more and more dense until it collapses on itself.
Contract means
A. to become visible.
B. to become smaller.
C. to become weaker.
Photo: Tilman Scheinpflug
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 contract
– verb
• That company can’t seem to decide whether to grow or to contract.
First it hired a hundred extra workers; then it laid off two hundred.
• The universe is expanding, but scientists do not know whether it will
continue to expand or whether it will eventually start to contract,
becoming more and more dense until it collapses on itself.
Contract means
A. to become visible.
B. to become smaller.
C. to become weaker.
Photo: Tilman Scheinpflug
The opposite of the phrase to grow
is to become smaller. The the
opposite of the phrase to expand is
to become smaller.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 duplicity
– noun
• “I can’t tolerate duplicity,” said the teacher. “If you didn’t get around to
writing your paper on time, say so. Don’t make up some story about
death or illness in your family.”
• Dogs seem incapable of duplicity. If a dog soils the rug, he will slink
around guiltily. He won’t try to pretend that the cat did it.
Duplicity means
A. repetition.
B. exaggeration.
C. deceit.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 duplicity
– noun
• “I can’t tolerate duplicity,” said the teacher. “If you didn’t get around to
writing your paper on time, say so. Don’t make up some story about
death or illness in your family.”
• Dogs seem incapable of duplicity. If a dog soils the rug, he will slink
around guiltily. He won’t try to pretend that the cat did it.
Duplicity means
A. repetition.
B. exaggeration.
C. deceit.
Making up stories is a form of deceit. Pretending that someone else
is responsible for one’s own mistakes is another form of deceit.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 equivocal
– adjective
• Akira seemed equivocal about whether he’d gotten the job or not. First
he said it was “a sure thing,” but then he added that he had to go back
for another interview.
• After her first date with Chris, Karen was equivocal about how she felt
toward him. She said he was “interesting,” which could mean almost
anything.
Equivocal means
A. vague.
B. the same.
C. discouraged.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 equivocal
– adjective
• Akira seemed equivocal about whether he’d gotten the job or not. First
he said it was “a sure thing,” but then he added that he had to go back
for another interview.
• After her first date with Chris, Karen was equivocal about how she felt
toward him. She said he was “interesting,” which could mean almost
anything.
Equivocal means
A. vague.
B. the same.
C. discouraged.
By leaving out the fact that he needed a second interview, Akira was
vague and misleading about his job prospects. Since the word
interesting can mean “almost anything,” Karen’s response was vague
and open to more than one interpretation.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 irresolute
– adjective
• In Hamlet, why doesn’t Hamlet kill Claudius sooner? Is it because he is
too irresolute to act, or because he is prevented from carrying out his
purpose?
• Carleton is irresolute about marrying Tania. He’s sure they are in love,
but he’s not sure about getting married because they fight all the time.
Irresolute means
A. unable to decide.
B. lacking self-control
C. unknowing.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 irresolute
– adjective
• In Hamlet, why doesn’t Hamlet kill Claudius sooner? Is it because he is
too irresolute to act, or because he is prevented from carrying out his
purpose?
• Carleton is irresolute about marrying Tania. He’s sure they are in love,
but he’s not sure about getting married because they fight all the time.
Irresolute means
A. unable to decide.
B. lacking self-control
C. unknowing.
One explanation for his taking so long to kill Claudius is that Hamlet
is unable to decide whether or not to act. Torn between his love for
Tania and his concern about their constant fighting, Carleton is
unable to decide whether or not to marry her.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 rescind
– verb
• The state can rescind the licenses of people arrested for driving while
drunk.
• It’s very rude to rescind your invitation to one person just because
you’ve met someone else you’d prefer to invite.
Rescind means
A. to renew.
B. to cancel.
C. to abuse.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 rescind
– verb
• The state can rescind the licenses of people arrested for driving while
drunk.
• It’s very rude to rescind your invitation to one person just because
you’ve met someone else you’d prefer to invite.
Rescind means
A. to renew.
B. to cancel.
C. to abuse.
The state has the authority to issue drivers’ licenses, as well as to
cancel them for drunk driving. Once you’ve invited someone to do
something, it’s rude to cancel your plans with that person, take
back the invitation, and offer it to someone else.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 stagnant
– adjective
• At age forty, Ira is considering a midlife career change. He feels that his
present career is stagnant: he’s going nowhere in his job.
• The pond was stagnant, and algae and weeds were growing so thickly
that they covered the still water underneath.
Stagnant means
A. out of control.
B. motionless.
C. spread thin.
Photo: EPA
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 stagnant
– adjective
• At age forty, Ira is considering a midlife career change. He feels that his
present career is stagnant: he’s going nowhere in his job.
• The pond was stagnant, and algae and weeds were growing so thickly
that they covered the still water underneath.
Stagnant means
A. out of control.
B. motionless.
C. spread thin.
Photo: EPA
The phrase going nowhere suggests
that Ira’s career is motionless. The
phrase still water suggests that the
pond was motionless.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 uniform
– adjective
• To give hand-sewing a professional appearance, it’s important to make
the stitches uniform. Take the trouble to make them all the same size—
the result will be worth it.
• People whose teeth are unevenly spaced and discolored may benefit
from a dental technique called bonding, which makes teeth look more
uniform.
Uniform means
A. alike.
B. different.
C. insupportable.
Photo: Tomtchik
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 uniform
– adjective
• To give hand-sewing a professional appearance, it’s important to make
the stitches uniform. Take the trouble to make them all the same size—
the result will be worth it.
• People whose teeth are unevenly spaced and discolored may benefit
from a dental technique called bonding, which makes teeth look more
uniform.
Uniform means
A. alike.
B. different.
C. insupportable.
Photo: Tomtchik
If the stitches are all the same size,
then they are all alike. Teeth that
are unevenly spaced and of
different colors are not all alike.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 untenable
– adjective
• In the exam room, the teacher looked grimly at the math formulas
penciled on my T-shirt. “Your story that you don’t know how they got
there is untenable,” she said. “You can’t expect me to believe you!”
• Jocelyn’s theory that the explorers missing at the South Pole had been
eaten by polar bears was interesting but untenable. Polar bears live at
the North Pole.
Untenable means
A. uninteresting.
B. unable to be defended.
C. unclear.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 untenable
– adjective
• In the exam room, the teacher looked grimly at the math formulas
penciled on my T-shirt. “Your story that you don’t know how they got
there is untenable,” she said. “You can’t expect me to believe you!”
• Jocelyn’s theory that the explorers missing at the South Pole had been
eaten by polar bears was interesting but untenable. Polar bears live at
the North Pole.
Untenable means
A. uninteresting.
B. unable to be defended.
C. unclear.
The teacher thought she could not be expected to believe a story so
improbable that it could not be defended. The theory that explorers
were eaten by polar bears at the South Pole could not be defended
because polar bears don’t live there.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 vilify
– verb
• Most of Mr. Jones’s students praise him, but a few vilify him. It’s
strange that he should be so respected by some and so harshly criticized
by others.
• “I don’t think it’s fair to vilify an entire college just because one
fraternity has behaved badly,” said Liam. “People should aim their
dislike at the right target.”
Vilify means
A. to argue with.
B. to assault physically.
C. to speak evil of.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 vilify
– verb
• Most of Mr. Jones’s students praise him, but a few vilify him. It’s
strange that he should be so respected by some and so harshly criticized
by others.
• “I don’t think it’s fair to vilify an entire college just because one
fraternity has behaved badly,” said Liam. “People should aim their
dislike at the right target.”
Vilify means
A. to argue with.
B. to assault physically.
C. to speak evil of.
Students who harshly criticize their professor are likely to speak evil of
him. If one fraternity behaves badly, people should speak evil of only
that specific group of students, rather than aim their dislike at the
entire college.