ADVANCED
WORD POWER
Second Edition
BETH JOHNSON
JANET M. GOLDSTEIN
© 2011 Townsend Press
Unit Five: Chapter 23
• ameliorate
• negate
• assent
• potent
• haphazard
• rigorous
• incontrovertible
• spurious
• intangible
• therapeutic
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 ameliorate
– verb
• The precinct Outreach Committee was established to ameliorate
troublesome police-community relations.
• Strained communication between parents and kids can often be
ameliorated by just a few meetings with a family therapist.
Ameliorate means
Photo: Environmental Protection Agency
A. to improve.
B. to make worse.
C. to end.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 ameliorate
– verb
• The precinct Outreach Committee was established to ameliorate
troublesome police-community relations.
• Strained communication between parents and kids can often be
ameliorated by just a few meetings with a family therapist.
Ameliorate means
Photo: Environmental Protection Agency
A. to improve.
B. to make worse.
C. to end.
The police precinct would want to
improve troublesome relations with the
community. A family therapist’s goal is
to improve strained communication
among family members.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 assent
– verb
• A doctor wrote a book advising parents to let their kids live on candy if that’s
what the kids wanted. Most parents would not assent to this proposal, though.
• When a motion is voted on in a formal meeting, the “ayes,” or “yes” votes, are
those who assent. The “nays,” or “no” votes, are those who disagree.
Assent means
Photo: U.S. Navy – Erica R. Gardner
A. to express agreement.
B. to have a different opinion.
C. not to care.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 assent
– verb
• A doctor wrote a book advising parents to let their kids live on candy if that’s
what the kids wanted. Most parents would not assent to this proposal, though.
• When a motion is voted on in a formal meeting, the “ayes,” or “yes” votes, are
those who assent. The “nays,” or “no” votes, are those who disagree.
Assent means
Photo: U.S. Navy – Erica R. Gardner
A. to express agreement.
B. to have a different opinion.
C. not to care.
Most parents would not express
agreement with advice to let their
children live on candy alone. Saying
“yes” is one way to express agreement.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 haphazard
– adjective
• I never make a shopping list; I just wander through the grocery store,
picking up items in a haphazard manner.
• Dan did a haphazard job of proofreading his term paper. Consequently,
he caught some errors but missed many others.
Haphazard means
A. happy.
B. carefully planned.
C. unplanned.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 haphazard
– adjective
• I never make a shopping list; I just wander through the grocery store,
picking up items in a haphazard manner.
• Dan did a haphazard job of proofreading his term paper. Consequently,
he caught some errors but missed many others.
Haphazard means
A. happy.
B. carefully planned.
C. unplanned.
Preparing a shopping list ahead of time is contrasted with wandering
through a store in an unplanned manner. If Dan caught errors only
randomly, then he probably proofread his paper in an unplanned, hitand-miss fashion.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 incontrovertible
– adjective
• It’s incontrovertible that Jeffrey is Paul’s son; he looks exactly like his
dad.
• Even in mathematics, there is not always one incontrovertible answer
to a problem—sometimes two or more answers can be defended.
Incontrovertible means
A. unknown.
B. mistaken.
C. unquestionable.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 incontrovertible
– adjective
• It’s incontrovertible that Jeffrey is Paul’s son; he looks exactly like his
dad.
• Even in mathematics, there is not always one incontrovertible answer
to a problem—sometimes two or more answers can be defended.
Incontrovertible means
A. unknown.
B. mistaken.
C. unquestionable.
In the first item, the speaker thinks the identity of the boy’s father
is unquestionable because the boy looks exactly like Paul. If more
than one answer can be defended, then sometimes there isn’t a
single, unquestionable answer to a math problem.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 intangible
– adjective
• Although Grandpa died with little money, he left us an intangible
legacy: his strength, his warmth, and his honesty.
• As a child, I thought of Christmas in terms of the gifts I’d get. Now I
focus on its intangible aspects—family closeness and sharing.
Intangible means
A. not permanent.
B. not important.
C. not touchable.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 intangible
– adjective
• Although Grandpa died with little money, he left us an intangible
legacy: his strength, his warmth, and his honesty.
• As a child, I thought of Christmas in terms of the gifts I’d get. Now I
focus on its intangible aspects—family closeness and sharing.
Intangible means
A. not permanent.
B. not important.
C. not touchable.
Grandpa’s failure to leave his children hard cash is contrasted with his
legacy of personality traits that are not touchable—his strength,
warmth, and honesty. Material gifts that children receive at Christmas
are contrasted with emotional aspects (family closeness and sharing)
that are not touchable.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 negate
– verb
• The jury awarded a million dollars to the accident victim, but the judge later
negated that award, reducing it to only a few thousand.
• The board of elections had to negate the results of the mayoral race when it
was discovered that many voting machines weren’t working properly.
Negate means
A. to make invalid.
B. to demonstrate.
C. to confirm.
Photo: U.S. Department of State
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 negate
– verb
• The jury awarded a million dollars to the accident victim, but the judge later
negated that award, reducing it to only a few thousand.
• The board of elections had to negate the results of the mayoral race when it
was discovered that many voting machines weren’t working properly.
Negate means
A. to make invalid.
B. to demonstrate.
C. to confirm.
Photo: U.S. Department of State
A judge can override a jury’s decision
and make invalid an excessively high
award. Malfunctioning voting machines
would be a good reason to make
election results invalid.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 potent
– adjective
• A child can easily overdose on pills meant to reduce pain and fever—they
are potent medicines that need to be given carefully and in the right
dosage.
• Alcohol is potent stuff—just as with drugs, one can die from an overdose.
Potent means
A. pure.
B. strong.
C. expensive.
Photos: tums.com
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 potent
– adjective
• A child can easily overdose on pills meant to reduce pain and fever—they
are potent medicines that need to be given carefully and in the right
dosage.
• Alcohol is potent stuff—just as with drugs, one can die from an overdose.
Potent means
A. pure.
B. strong.
C. expensive.
Photos: tums.com
When taken in excess, either
medicine or alcohol is strong
enough to cause a dangerous,
or even deadly overdose.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 rigorous
– adjective
• There are several hiking trails in this area, ranging from easy ones for
beginners to rigorous ones for experts.
• Erin is going through rigorous fitness training to get ready to run a
marathon next month.
Photos: Haley Neal from USA (left); U.S. Navy - Brien Aho (right)
Rigorous means
A. easy.
B. difficult.
C. unfair.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 rigorous
– adjective
• There are several hiking trails in this area, ranging from easy ones for
beginners to rigorous ones for experts.
• Erin is going through rigorous fitness training to get ready to run a
marathon next month.
Photos: Haley Neal from USA (left); U.S. Navy - Brien Aho (right)
Rigorous means
A. easy.
B. difficult.
C. unfair.
Easy beginners’ trails are contrasted
with difficult trails for experts. Difficult
fitness training programs can help
athletes prepare to run marathons.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 spurious
– adjective
• “I asked for real cream for my coffee,” said the customer in the
restaurant, “not some spurious, tasteless chemical substitute.”
• When a supposed new work by Beethoven was discovered, music
experts came from all over the world to decide if it was real or spurious.
Spurious means
A. false.
B. improved.
C. left over.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 spurious
– adjective
• “I asked for real cream for my coffee,” said the customer in the
restaurant, “not some spurious, tasteless chemical substitute.”
• When a supposed new work by Beethoven was discovered, music
experts came from all over the world to decide if it was real or spurious.
Spurious means
A. false.
B. improved.
C. left over.
Real cream is contrasted with a false substitute. Experts were asked
to determine if the discovery was a real work by Beethoven or a
false imitation.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 therapeutic
– adjective
• Liza had always heard that the “milk” in milkweed gets rid of warts, so she
wrote to the Board of Health about it. The reply stated: “Its therapeutic
properties, if any, have not been proved.”
Photos: U.S. Navy - Christopher L. Clark (left); National Library of Medicine (right)
• Diego’s insurance company would not pay for his surgery. The company ruled
that the operation was experimental and not yet shown to be therapeutic.
Therapeutic means
A. dangerous.
B. magical.
C. healing.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 therapeutic
– adjective
• Liza had always heard that the “milk” in milkweed gets rid of warts, so she
wrote to the Board of Health about it. The reply stated: “Its therapeutic
properties, if any, have not been proved.”
Photos: U.S. Navy - Christopher L. Clark (left); National Library of Medicine (right)
• Diego’s insurance company would not pay for his surgery. The company ruled
that the operation was experimental and not yet shown to be therapeutic.
Therapeutic means
A. dangerous.
B. magical.
C. healing.
Liza asked whether milkweed had
the healing effect of removing
warts. A procedure is considered
“experimental” until it’s proven to
have healing benefits.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. ameliorate B. assent
C. haphazard
D. incontrovertible E. intangible
F. negate
H. rigorous
I. spurious
G. potent
J. therapeutic
1. “You did a really _________ job of mowing the lawn,” Mr. Dixon
told his son. “Look—you left strips of tall grass all over the yard.”
2. Exercise not only has salutary° physical effects, improving your
health and fitness, but it also has a(n) _________ advantage: it
raises your spirits.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. ameliorate B. assent
C. haphazard
D. incontrovertible E. intangible
F. negate
H. rigorous
I. spurious
G. potent
J. therapeutic
1. “You did a really _________
haphazard job of mowing the lawn,” Mr. Dixon
told his son. “Look—you left strips of tall grass all over the yard.”
His mowing was careless since he missed cutting parts of the yard.
2. Exercise not only has salutary° physical effects, improving your
health and fitness, but it also has an __________
intangible advantage: it
raises your spirits.
A person’s spirits cannot be perceived by touch.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. ameliorate B. assent
C. haphazard
D. incontrovertible E. intangible
F. negate
H. rigorous
I. spurious
G. potent
J. therapeutic
3. Good study skills are a(n) ________ tool for any student, so schools
that create study skills courses have made a judicious° curriculum
decision.
4. Sandra wasn’t sure she would make it through the ________
computer programming class, but when it was over, she felt very
proud of herself.
5. When he was caught with the stolen jewels, the thief made up a(n)
________ story about having found them in an alley. He insisted he
had nothing to do with the heist°.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. ameliorate B. assent
C. haphazard
D. incontrovertible E. intangible
F. negate
H. rigorous
I. spurious
G. potent
J. therapeutic
3. Good study skills are a __________
tool for any student, so schools
potent
that create study skills courses have made a judicious° curriculum
decision.
It’s wise to teach study skills because they’re powerful tools for success.
4. Sandra wasn’t sure she would make it through the ________
rigorous
computer programming class, but when it was over, she felt very
proud of herself.
The class must have been challenging if she wondered whether she’d pass.
5. When he was caught with the stolen jewels, the thief made up a
________
spurious story about having found them in an alley. He insisted he
had nothing to do with the heist°.
Since he was caught with the jewels, his story was probably fake.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. ameliorate B. assent
C. haphazard
D. incontrovertible E. intangible
F. negate
H. rigorous
I. spurious
G. potent
J. therapeutic
6. Jerry is diffident° and shy with women, so he was nervous about
asking Zoe to go out with him. He wasn’t sure if she would
__________ to the suggestion.
7. The evidence against the accused man is _____________. Even
his lawyers admit that he’ll be indicted° and then found guilty.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. ameliorate B. assent
C. haphazard
D. incontrovertible E. intangible
F. negate
H. rigorous
I. spurious
G. potent
J. therapeutic
6. Jerry is diffident° and shy with women, so he was nervous about
asking Zoe to go out with him. He wasn’t sure if she would
assent
__________
to the suggestion.
He was nervous because he wasn’t sure she’d agree to go out with him.
incontrovertible Even
7. The evidence against the accused man is _____________.
his lawyers admit that he’ll be indicted° and then found guilty.
If his lawyers expect him to be found guilty, then the evidence must be
undeniable.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. ameliorate B. assent
C. haphazard
D. incontrovertible E. intangible
F. negate
H. rigorous
I. spurious
G. potent
J. therapeutic
8. “I said I’d let you have the car next weekend,” Tom’s mother said,
“but I’ll _________ that agreement if your behavior doesn’t improve
between now and then.”
9. “This procedure is diagnostic, not __________,” the doctor explained.
“That is, it’s used just to find out what’s wrong with you, not to treat
you.”
10. “Settlement houses” such as the famous Hull House in Chicago were
established to _________ conditions in the slums by providing social
services to indigent° residents.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. ameliorate B. assent
C. haphazard
D. incontrovertible E. intangible
F. negate
H. rigorous
I. spurious
G. potent
J. therapeutic
8. “I said I’d let you have the car next weekend,” Tom’s mother said,
“but I’ll _________
negate that agreement if your behavior doesn’t improve
between now and then.”
She warns that she may void their previous agreement about the car.
9. “This procedure is diagnostic, not __________,”
therapeutic the doctor explained.
“That is, it’s used just to find out what’s wrong with you, not to treat
you.”
A diagnostic procedure differs from one serving to treat, cure, or heal.
10. “Settlement houses” such as the famous Hull House in Chicago were
established to _________
ameliorate conditions in the slums by providing social
services to indigent° residents.
Providing social services is one way to make slum conditions better.