ADVANCED
WORD POWER
Second Edition
BETH JOHNSON
JANET M. GOLDSTEIN
© 2011 Townsend Press
Unit One: Chapter 3
• coalesce
• insolvent
• decadence
• parsimonious
• exemplary
• prodigal
• exuberance
• surreptitious
• incidental
• writhe
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 coalesce
– verb
• Four block associations in our neighborhood will coalesce to
form a single task force.
• When I got caught in a rainstorm, I learned that the dyes in my
new shirt weren’t waterproof. The red and blue stripes ran and
coalesced into purple smears.
Coalesce means
A. to join.
B. to produce.
C. to prevent.
Two coalescing galaxies
Photo: NASA
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 coalesce
– verb
• Four block associations in our neighborhood will coalesce to
form a single task force.
• When I got caught in a rainstorm, I learned that the dyes in my
new shirt weren’t waterproof. The red and blue stripes ran and
coalesced into purple smears.
Coalesce means
A. to join.
B. to produce.
C. to prevent.
Four different associations plan to
join together to form a single task
force. To make purple smears, the
red and blue dyes would have to
run, or join, together.
Photo: NASA
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 decadence
– noun
• The older generation always seems to see decadence among young
people, groaning that “kids today” are spoiled, lazy, and extravagant.
• Grandfather considers the internal combustion engine a sign of the
decadence of Western civilization. “Stop the decay before it’s too
late!” he says. “Get out of your cars, get on your feet, and walk!”
Decadence means
A. a disappointment.
B. a decline.
C. disapproval.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 decadence
– noun
• The older generation always seems to see decadence among young
people, groaning that “kids today” are spoiled, lazy, and extravagant.
• Grandfather considers the internal combustion engine a sign of the
decadence of Western civilization. “Stop the decay before it’s too
late!” he says. “Get out of your cars, get on your feet, and walk!”
Decadence means
A. a disappointment.
B. a decline.
C. disapproval.
If the “kids today” are more spoiled, lazy, and extravagant than their
elders, then there has been a decline from one generation to the next.
The word decay suggests that decadence means “a decline.”
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 exemplary
– adjective
• Christine has a glowing letter of recommendation from her
former boss, in which he says, “She is an exemplary employee
who always does more than is asked.”
• This year, the “Teacher of the Year” award was given to not one
but two exemplary educators.
Exemplary means
A. excellent.
B. extra.
C. exotic.
An exemplary paper
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 exemplary
– adjective
• Christine has a glowing letter of recommendation from her
former boss, in which he says, “She is an exemplary employee
who always does more than is asked.”
• This year, the “Teacher of the Year” award was given to not one
but two exemplary educators.
Exemplary means
A. excellent.
B. extra.
C. exotic.
If the letter of recommendation was
glowing, then her former boss must
have considered her an excellent
employee. Only excellent educators earn
awards for being the best teachers of
the year.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 exuberance
– noun
• Justine called all her friends, shrieking with exuberance over
being accepted at her first-choice college.
• Students may believe they are the only ones who are happy to see
summer vacation arrive, but their teachers feel some exuberance,
too!
Exuberance means
A. fear.
B. boredom.
C. joy.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 exuberance
– noun
• Justine called all her friends, shrieking with exuberance over
being accepted at her first-choice college.
• Students may believe they are the only ones who are happy to see
summer vacation arrive, but their teachers feel some exuberance,
too!
Exuberance means
A. fear.
B. boredom.
C. joy.
Being accepted to one’s first-choice college would be a reason to
shriek with joy. The word happy suggests that both teachers and
students feel joy at the end of the school year.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 incidental
– adjective
• Selma chose her college because it has such a good nursing
program, but an incidental reason was that it is located in a
beautiful town.
• Although Rita and Zhen moved in together so they could split the
rent, they later discovered an incidental effect: they can borrow
each other’s clothes.
Incidental means
A. secondary.
B. incorrect.
C. secret.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 incidental
– adjective
• Selma chose her college because it has such a good nursing
program, but an incidental reason was that it is located in a
beautiful town.
• Although Rita and Zhen moved in together so they could split the
rent, they later discovered an incidental effect: they can borrow
each other’s clothes.
Incidental means
A. secondary.
B. incorrect.
C. secret.
Selma’s primary reason for choosing the college was its program; a
secondary reason was its location. Rita and Zhen’s primary reason for
sharing an apartment was to save money; a secondary consequence
of their decision was that they could share clothes.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 insolvent
– adjective
• Barry lost his head when he got his first credit card. He went on
a spending spree, couldn’t pay his bills, and ended up insolvent.
• Compulsive gamblers often lose so much money that they
become insolvent. Because they can’t control their urge to
gamble, their debt keeps growing.
Insolvent means
A. without money.
B. without friends.
C. without goals.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 insolvent
– adjective
• Barry lost his head when he got his first credit card. He went on
a spending spree, couldn’t pay his bills, and ended up insolvent.
• Compulsive gamblers often lose so much money that they
become insolvent. Because they can’t control their urge to
gamble, their debt keeps growing.
Insolvent means
A. without money.
B. without friends.
C. without goals.
After the spending spree, he couldn’t pay his bills because he ended
up without money. When compulsive gamblers keep losing bets, they
end up without money and go into debt.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 parsimonious
– adjective
• The boss, a parsimonious man, insists that all employees save
their old memos and letters so they can use the backs of the pages
as notepaper.
• Elena is a parsimonious cook. She creates cheap meals from old
cheese rinds, stale bread, and wilted vegetables. They taste awful.
Parsimonious means
A. stingy.
B. mischievous.
C. talented.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 parsimonious
– adjective
• The boss, a parsimonious man, insists that all employees save
their old memos and letters so they can use the backs of the pages
as notepaper.
• Elena is a parsimonious cook. She creates cheap meals from old
cheese rinds, stale bread, and wilted vegetables. They taste awful.
Parsimonious means
A. stingy.
B. mischievous.
C. talented.
The boss is too stingy to buy notepaper for his employees. The cook
is too stingy to buy fresh ingredients, so she serves meals that are
cheap, but taste awful.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 prodigal
– adjective
• Mary and Kim both make decent salaries. They could live
comfortably on what they make if they weren’t such prodigal
spenders.
• I don’t think it’s prodigal to spend some extra money to get wellmade shoes. Cheap ones fall apart so fast that you soon end up
buying another pair.
Prodigal means
A. useful.
B. extravagant.
C. careful.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 prodigal
– adjective
• Mary and Kim both make decent salaries. They could live
comfortably on what they make if they weren’t such prodigal
spenders.
• I don’t think it’s prodigal to spend some extra money to get wellmade shoes. Cheap ones fall apart so fast that you soon end up
buying another pair.
Prodigal means
A. useful.
B. extravagant.
C. careful.
If they can’t live comfortably on salaries that are decent, they must
spend their money extravagantly. The speaker explains why it is
practical, not extravagant, to spend extra money on well-made shoes.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 surreptitious
– adjective
• Students naturally want to know what will be covered on a test. Instead
of trying to find out by surreptitious means, it is better simply to ask
the instructor, who is often willing to provide at least a rough idea.
• As the wedding reception ended, several guests made surreptitious
trips to the parking lot, where they tied tin cans and crepe paper to the
newlyweds’ car.
Surreptitious means
A. straightforward.
A burglar
surreptitiously B. useless.
entering a house C. secret.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 surreptitious
– adjective
• Students naturally want to know what will be covered on a test. Instead
of trying to find out by surreptitious means, it is better simply to ask
the instructor, who is often willing to provide at least a rough idea.
• As the wedding reception ended, several guests made surreptitious
trips to the parking lot, where they tied tin cans and crepe paper to the
newlyweds’ car.
Surreptitious means
A. straightforward.
B. useless.
C. secret.
Direct questioning is contrasted with
secretive ways of finding out what
will be on the test. The guests had
to do their work in secret in order to
surprise the newlyweds.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 writhe
– verb
• My great-uncle remembers the scratchy long underwear he wore
to school in the winter: “It was so itchy that I would writhe and
wriggle at my desk all day long.”
• The children writhed with impatience as they waited in line to
board the plane. “Stop fidgeting before you drive me nuts,” their
weary father begged them.
Writhe means
A. freeze.
B. squeeze.
C. squirm.
A writhing snake
Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 writhe
– verb
• My great-uncle remembers the scratchy long underwear he wore
to school in the winter: “It was so itchy that I would writhe and
wriggle at my desk all day long.”
• The children writhed with impatience as they waited in line to
board the plane. “Stop fidgeting before you drive me nuts,” their
weary father begged them.
Writhe means
A. freeze.
B. squeeze.
C. squirm.
The word wriggle means “squirm.”
The word fidgeting suggests that
the children were squirming, instead
of standing still in line.
Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service