ADVANCED
WORD POWER
Second Edition
BETH JOHNSON
JANET M. GOLDSTEIN
© 2011 Townsend Press
Unit Two: Chapter 10
• blasphemy
• incite
• enmity
• languish
• erroneous
• peruse
• garner
• recluse
• heretic
• renounce
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 blasphemy
– noun
• Some of the world’s greatest thinkers, such as Copernicus, have been accused
of blasphemy because their ideas challenged the teachings of the Church.
• The Smiths have lived so long in Boston and think it is such a wonderful city
that they feel it’s almost blasphemy to consider living anywhere else.
Blasphemy means
A. physical violence.
B. an insult to something holy.
C. daydreaming.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 blasphemy
– noun
• Some of the world’s greatest thinkers, such as Copernicus, have been accused
of blasphemy because their ideas challenged the teachings of the Church.
• The Smiths have lived so long in Boston and think it is such a wonderful city
that they feel it’s almost blasphemy to consider living anywhere else.
Blasphemy means
A. physical violence.
B. an insult to something holy.
C. daydreaming.
People who believe that the Church’s teachings are divinely inspired
might consider an idea that challenges those teachings to be an insult
to something holy. The Smiths think Boston is so wonderful that the
idea of living elsewhere seems an insult to something—their city—they
regard as almost holy.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 enmity
– noun
• After their divorce, Han tried not to feel enmity toward his ex-wife. He
knew that anger and bitterness would be bad for their children.
• Lila seems to feel real enmity toward her boss; she criticizes everything
he says or does.
Enmity means
A. admiration.
B. affection.
C. hostility.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 enmity
– noun
• After their divorce, Han tried not to feel enmity toward his ex-wife. He
knew that anger and bitterness would be bad for their children.
• Lila seems to feel real enmity toward her boss; she criticizes everything
he says or does.
Enmity means
A. admiration.
B. affection.
C. hostility.
Anger and bitterness are signs of hostility. Constant criticism is a sign
of hostility.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 erroneous
– adjective
• Many first-graders have the erroneous idea that their teacher lives at the
school.
• Because the newspaper had printed an erroneous date and time for the
community meeting, few people showed up when it actually took place.
Erroneous means
A. error-free.
B. wrong.
C. original.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 erroneous
– adjective
• Many first-graders have the erroneous idea that their teacher lives at the
school.
• Because the newspaper had printed an erroneous date and time for the
community meeting, few people showed up when it actually took place.
Erroneous means
A. error-free.
B. wrong.
C. original.
Many first-graders have the wrong idea about where their teachers
live. Since the wrong time and date were announced in the
newspaper, people didn’t know when to show up for the meeting.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 garner
– verb
• Once a year, the company president sends around a questionnaire to
garner ideas from the employees about how to improve workplace
conditions.
• Although Avatar did not win any major Academy Awards in 2010, it
garnered praise from environmentalists everywhere for its themes of a
world in balance and the connections among all living things.
Garner means
A. to gather.
B. to distribute.
C. to reject.
Photo: FBI
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 garner
– verb
• Once a year, the company president sends around a questionnaire to
garner ideas from the employees about how to improve workplace
conditions.
• Although Avatar did not win any major Academy Awards in 2010, it
garnered praise from environmentalists everywhere for its themes of a
world in balance and the connections among all living things.
Garner means
A. to gather.
B. to distribute.
C. to reject.
Photo: FBI
Questionnaires are used to gather
information from those surveyed.
Avatar‘s failure to win awards from the
film industry is contrasted with its ability
to gather praise from environmentalists.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 heretic
– noun
• Martin Luther was originally a Catholic priest, but when he began to
disagree with the Church’s teachings, he was labeled a heretic and left
the priesthood.
Photo: Wolfgang Sauber; painting: Johann Michael Rottmayr (18th century)
• People who believed that the world was round, not flat, were once
considered lunatics or heretics.
Heretic means
A. a conservative.
B. a rebel.
C. a genius.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 heretic
– noun
• Martin Luther was originally a Catholic priest, but when he began to
disagree with the Church’s teachings, he was labeled a heretic and left
the priesthood.
Photo: Wolfgang Sauber; painting: Johann Michael Rottmayr (18th century)
• People who believed that the world was round, not flat, were once
considered lunatics or heretics.
Heretic means
A. a conservative.
B. a rebel.
C. a genius.
Someone might be called a rebel if he or
she disagreed with widely held beliefs and
practices—either religious (in the first
item) or scientific (in the second).
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 incite
– verb
• The smell of blood in the water can incite sharks to attack.
• No one knows what incited the usually gentle dog to bite the mail
carrier.
Incite means
A. to prevent.
B. to urge on.
C. to forbid.
Photo: Library of Congress
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 incite
– verb
• The smell of blood in the water can incite sharks to attack.
• No one knows what incited the usually gentle dog to bite the mail
carrier.
Incite means
A. to prevent.
B. to urge on.
C. to forbid.
Photo: Library of Congress
Since blood signals a possible food source,
its smell is likely to urge on hungry sharks
to kill their prey. Since the dog was gentle,
something unusual must have occurred to
urge on the dog to respond by biting.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 languish
– verb
• Children who languish in institutions, such as orphanages, often
improve dramatically when they are adopted into loving homes.
• Some people languish in the summer heat, but others love the hot
weather and feel full of energy and strength.
Languish means
A. to thrive.
B. to misunderstand.
C. to do poorly.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 languish
– verb
• Children who languish in institutions, such as orphanages, often
improve dramatically when they are adopted into loving homes.
• Some people languish in the summer heat, but others love the hot
weather and feel full of energy and strength.
Languish means
A. to thrive.
B. to misunderstand.
C. to do poorly.
Children who improve dramatically after their adoption into loving
homes are contrasted with those who do poorly in impersonal
institutions. People who are full of energy and strength during hot
weather are contrasted with those who do poorly in the summer heat.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 peruse
– verb
• When the list of people killed in the plane crash was posted, the
passengers’ anxious relatives perused it fearfully.
• To peruse a train timetable, with its tiny type and tinier footnotes, you
need good eyesight and plenty of patience.
Peruse means
A. to inspect.
B. to glance at.
C. to explain.
Photo: Booksworm
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 peruse
– verb
• When the list of people killed in the plane crash was posted, the
passengers’ anxious relatives perused it fearfully.
• To peruse a train timetable, with its tiny type and tinier footnotes, you
need good eyesight and plenty of patience.
Peruse means
A. to inspect.
B. to glance at.
C. to explain.
Photo: Booksworm
Relatives, fearing the worst, would be
anxious to inspect the list to see if their
loved ones had been killed. People
need good eyesight to inspect material
printed in tiny type.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 recluse
– noun
• Local old-timers tell stories about Wild Man Bill, a recluse who lived in
a cave and came into town only once a year to buy supplies.
• While she was suffering from depression, Linda became a recluse,
rarely leaving her home and not wanting to see even her closest friends.
Recluse means
A. a hermit.
B. a popular person.
C. a busy person.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 recluse
– noun
• Local old-timers tell stories about Wild Man Bill, a recluse who lived in
a cave and came into town only once a year to buy supplies.
• While she was suffering from depression, Linda became a recluse,
rarely leaving her home and not wanting to see even her closest friends.
Recluse means
A. a hermit.
B. a popular person.
C. a busy person.
If Wild Man Bill saw other people only once a year, he must have been
a hermit. During the time that Linda avoided leaving her home and
seeing other people, she lived as a hermit.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 renounce
– verb
• Great-Uncle Abe was a member of the Communist Party when he was a
young man, but he soon decided to renounce communism and become a
Republican.
• Edward VIII was briefly king of England, but he renounced his throne
in 1936 in order to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced commoner.
Renounce means
A. to announce.
B. to remember.
C. to give up.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 renounce
– verb
• Great-Uncle Abe was a member of the Communist Party when he was a
young man, but he soon decided to renounce communism and become a
Republican.
• Edward VIII was briefly king of England, but he renounced his throne
in 1936 in order to marry Wallis Simpson, a divorced commoner.
Renounce means
A. to announce.
B. to remember.
C. to give up.
Great-Uncle Abe decided to give up his membership in one political
party when he joined another party. Edward VIII reigned only briefly
because he decided to give up the title of king in order to marry the
woman he loved.