IMPROVING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit One: Chapter 1
• absolve
• antagonist
• adamant
• eccentric
• amiable
• encounter
• amoral
• epitome
• animosity
• malign
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 absolve
– verb
• Since there was not enough evidence of his guilt, the jury had to
absolve Mr. Melman of the murder.
• Accused of taking bribes, the mayor said, “In the end, I’ll clear
my name and be absolved of any wrongdoing.”
Absolve means
A. to accuse.
B. to clear of guilt.
C. to inform.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 absolve
– verb
• Since there was not enough evidence of his guilt, the jury had to
absolve Mr. Melman of the murder.
• Accused of taking bribes, the mayor said, “In the end, I’ll clear
my name and be absolved of any wrongdoing.”
Absolve means
A. to accuse.
B. to clear of guilt.
C. to inform.
If there was not enough evidence of his guilt, the jury would have
to clear Mr. Melman of the murder. In the second item, the words
clear my name suggest that absolve means “clear of guilt.”
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 adamant
– adjective
• Ron is adamant about not changing plans. He insists we should
still camp out even though the weather report now says it will be
cold and rainy.
• Adamant in his support of gun control, Senator Keen won’t give
in to pressure from powerful opponents.
Adamant means
A. firm.
B. uncertain.
C. flexible.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 adamant
– adjective
• Ron is adamant about not changing plans. He insists we should
still camp out even though the weather report now says it will be
cold and rainy.
• Adamant in his support of gun control, Senator Keen won’t give
in to pressure from powerful opponents.
Adamant means
A. firm.
B. uncertain.
C. flexible.
If Ron insists on camping out, he is being firm about not changing
plans. If Senator Keen won’t give in, he is firm in his support of gun
control.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 amiable
– adjective
• My amiable dog greets both strangers and old friends with a
happy yip and energetic tail-wagging.
• At first, our history teacher doesn’t seem very friendly, but once
you get to know her, she shows her amiable side.
Amiable means
A. intelligent.
B. uncaring.
C. good-natured.
Two people with amiable smiles
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 amiable
– adjective
• My amiable dog greets both strangers and old friends with a
happy yip and energetic tail-wagging.
• At first, our history teacher doesn’t seem very friendly, but once
you get to know her, she shows her amiable side.
Amiable means
A. intelligent.
B. uncaring.
C. good-natured.
Two people with amiable smiles
If the dog gives a happy yip and wags
its tail, it must be a good-natured dog.
In contrast to her not seeming friendly
at first, the history teacher does have
her good-natured side.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 amoral
– adjective
• Jerry is almost totally amoral. He cares only about making money
and having fun and couldn’t care less about right or wrong.
• A former president of Uganda, Idi Amin, was truly amoral. He
jailed, tortured, and killed innocent opponents without the slightest
feeling of guilt.
Amoral means
A. cowardly.
B. lazy.
C. lacking ethical principles.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 amoral
– adjective
– adjective
• Jerry is almost totally amoral. He cares only about making money
and having fun and couldn’t care less about right or wrong.
• A former president of Uganda, Idi Amin, was truly amoral. He
jailed, tortured, and killed innocent opponents without the slightest
feeling of guilt.
Amoral means
A. cowardly.
B. lazy.
C. lacking ethical principles.
If Jerry couldn’t care less about right or wrong, he must be lacking
in ethical principles. If Idi Amin jailed, tortured, and killed people
without feeling any guilt, he lacked ethical principles.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 animosity
– noun
• I was shocked when Sandy said she hated Lionel. I’d never
realized she felt such animosity toward him.
• The bad feelings between the two families go back so many
generations that nobody remembers what originally caused the
animosity.
Animosity means
A. strong dislike.
B. admiration.
C. great fear.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 animosity
– noun
• I was shocked when Sandy said she hated Lionel. I’d never
realized she felt such animosity toward him.
• The bad feelings between the two families go back so many
generations that nobody remembers what originally caused the
animosity.
Animosity means
A. strong dislike.
B. admiration.
C. great fear.
In the first item, the word hated suggests that animosity means
“strong dislike.” In the second item, if there are bad feelings
between the two families, there must be a strong dislike.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 antagonist
– noun
• At the divorce hearing, the husband and wife were such bitter
antagonists that it was hard to believe they had once loved each
other.
• In the ring, the two boxers were antagonists, but in their private
lives, they were good friends.
Antagonist means
A. a supporter.
B. an enemy.
C. an example.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 antagonist
– noun
• At the divorce hearing, the husband and wife were such bitter
antagonists that it was hard to believe they had once loved each
other.
• In the ring, the two boxers were antagonists, but in their private
lives, they were good friends.
Antagonist means
A. a supporter.
B. an enemy.
C. an example.
A divorce can sometimes turn a husband and wife into bitter enemies.
In the second item, the fact that the boxers were friends in private is
contrasted with the fact that they were enemies in the ring.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 eccentric
– adjective
• Bruce is quite eccentric. For example, he lives in a circular
house and rides to work on a motorcycle, in a three-piece suit.
• Florence Nightingale, the famous nursing reformer, had the
eccentric habit of carrying a pet owl around in one of her
pockets.
Eccentric means
A. ordinary.
B. odd.
C. careful.
Musicians in eccentric costumes
playing eccentric instruments
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 eccentric
– adjective
• Bruce is quite eccentric. For example, he lives in a circular
house and rides to work on a motorcycle, in a three-piece suit.
• Florence Nightingale, the famous nursing reformer, had the
eccentric habit of carrying a pet owl around in one of her
pockets.
Eccentric means
A. ordinary.
B. odd.
C. careful.
Musicians in eccentric costumes
playing eccentric instruments
The first item gives two examples of
ways in which Bruce is odd—his house
and his choice of motorcycle clothing.
Carrying a pet owl in one’s pocket is
an odd habit.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 encounter
– noun
• My encounter with Malik in a Los Angeles supermarket
surprised me, since I thought he still lived in Chicago.
• I dislike returning to my small hometown, where I am likely to
have encounters with people who knew me as a troubled kid.
Encounter means
A. a thought.
B. a dinner.
C. a meeting.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 encounter
– noun
• My encounter with Malik in a Los Angeles supermarket
surprised me, since I thought he still lived in Chicago.
• I dislike returning to my small hometown, where I am likely to
have encounters with people who knew me as a troubled kid.
Encounter means
A. a thought.
B. a dinner.
C. a meeting.
If one thinks Malik lives in Chicago, meeting him in a Los Angeles
supermarket would be a surprise. Returning to one’s small hometown,
one is likely to have unexpected meetings with people from one’s past.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 epitome
– noun
• To many, the epitome of cuteness is a furry, round-eyed puppy.
• The great ballplayer and civil rights leader Jackie Robinson was
the epitome of both physical and moral strength.
Epitome means
A. a perfect model.
B. an opposite.
C. a main cause.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 epitome
– noun
• To many, the epitome of cuteness is a furry, round-eyed puppy.
• The great ballplayer and civil rights leader Jackie Robinson was
the epitome of both physical and moral strength.
Epitome means
A. a perfect model.
B. an opposite.
C. a main cause.
Many would consider a furry, round-eyed puppy the perfect model of
cuteness. If Robinson was a great ballplayer and a civil rights leader,
he must have been the perfect model of physical and moral strength.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 malign
– verb
• That vicious Hollywood reporter often maligns movie stars,
forever damaging their public images.
• Stacy refuses to malign her ex-husband, even though he was the
one who insisted on the divorce.
Malign means
A. to praise.
B. to recognize.
C. to speak ill of.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/malign?s=t
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 malign
– verb
• That vicious Hollywood reporter often maligns movie stars,
forever damaging their public images.
• Stacy refuses to malign her ex-husband, even though he was the
one who insisted on the divorce.
Malign means
A. to praise.
B. to recognize.
C. to speak ill of.
If the vicious reporter forever damages the stars’ public images,
he must speak ill of the stars. Stacy refuses to speak ill of her exhusband, in spite of his insistence on the divorce.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. absolve
B. adamant
C. amiable
D. amoral
E. animosity
F. antagonist
G. eccentric
H. encounter
I. epitome
J. malign
1. Lilly was ____________ in her belief that Sam was a
genius at business. Even after his first two companies
failed, she still had faith in him.
2. My brothers had planned to meet in the restaurant, but
their __________ took place in the parking lot.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. absolve
B. adamant
C. amiable
D. amoral
E. animosity
F. antagonist
G. eccentric
H. encounter
I. epitome
J. malign
1. Lilly was ____________
in her belief that Sam was a
adamant
genius at business. Even after his first two companies
failed, she still had faith in him.
If Lilly still had faith in Sam, she was stubborn in her belief.
2. My brothers had planned to meet in the restaurant, but
their __________
encounter took place in the parking lot.
The word meet suggests that encounter means “a meeting.”
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. absolve
B. adamant
C. amiable
D. amoral
E. animosity
F. antagonist
G. eccentric
H. encounter
I. epitome
J. malign
3. I’m tired of hearing the two candidates for governor
__________ each other with stupid insults.
4. Because he doesn’t want to lose a sale, Mac remains polite
and __________ even when he’s annoyed with a customer.
5. Some criminals are truly ____________—they don’t see that
some actions are right and that others are wrong.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. absolve
B. adamant
C. amiable
D. amoral
E. animosity
F. antagonist
G. eccentric
H. encounter
I. epitome
J. malign
3. I’m tired of hearing the two candidates for governor
__________
each other with stupid insults.
malign
If the candidates are trading insults, they are speaking ill of one another.
4. Because he doesn’t want to lose a sale, Mac remains polite
and __________
amiable even when he’s annoyed with a customer.
In contrast with Mac’s being annoyed, he remains polite and friendly.
5. Some criminals are truly ____________—they
don’t see that
amoral
some actions are right and that others are wrong.
A person who doesn’t see that some actions are right and others are
wrong is lacking in moral sense.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. absolve
B. adamant
C. amiable
D. amoral
E. animosity
F. antagonist
G. eccentric
H. encounter
I. epitome
J. malign
6. The __________ of refreshment is drinking an ice-cold
lemonade on a sizzling hot day.
7. Jed was _______(e)d of stealing money from the
company, but the damage the accusation did to his
reputation remained.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. absolve
B. adamant
C. amiable
D. amoral
E. animosity
F. antagonist
G. eccentric
H. encounter
I. epitome
J. malign
6. The __________
epitome of refreshment is drinking an ice-cold
lemonade on a sizzling hot day.
Ice-cold lemonade on a sizzling hot day would be the perfect example
of refreshment.
7. Jed was __________
absolved of stealing money from the
company, but the damage the accusation did to his
reputation remained.
The damage to Jed’s reputation remained in spite of his being found
innocent of stealing money.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. absolve
B. adamant
C. amiable
D. amoral
E. animosity
F. antagonist
G. eccentric
H. encounter
I. epitome
J. malign
8. The owners of the department store were always competing
with each other. They acted more like _________s than
partners.
9. I avoid serious discussions with my sister because she shows
great __________ toward me if I don’t share her opinion.
10. Today it’s not odd for females to learn carpentry, but when
my mother went to high school, girls who took wood shop
were considered __________.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. absolve
B. adamant
C. amiable
D. amoral
E. animosity
F. antagonist
G. eccentric
H. encounter
I. epitome
J. malign
8. The owners of the department store were always competing
with each other. They acted more like __________
antagonists than
partners.
If the owners were always competing, they acted like opponents.
9. I avoid serious discussions with my sister because she shows
great __________
animosity toward me if I don’t share her opinion.
If the brother avoids serious discussions, it must be because his
sister shows hostility toward him.
10. Today it’s not odd for females to learn carpentry, but when
my mother went to high school, girls who took wood shop
were considered __________.
eccentric
In the past, it would have been considered odd for a girl to take
wood shop.