ADVANCING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit Two: Chapter 12
• a-, an-
• pan-
• bibl-, biblio-
• prim, prime
• fid
• rect
• -ism
• sym-, syn-
• nov
• ver
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
1 a-, an• Harold is completely apolitical. He never votes and never even
seems to know who the candidates are.
• Aspirin is an analgesic, or painkiller. If you take it, you will soon
be without pain.
The word part a- or an- means
A. true.
B. without.
C. new.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
1 a-, an• Harold is completely apolitical. He never votes and never even
seems to know who the candidates are.
• Aspirin is an analgesic, or painkiller. If you take it, you will soon
be without pain.
The word part a- or an- means
A. true.
B. without.
C. new.
Since Harold doesn’t vote and doesn’t even know who the candidates
are, he is a man without politics. In the second item, the words
without pain tell you that the word part an- means “without.”
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
2 bibl-, biblio• The first book printed from movable type was the Gutenberg
Bible.
• Mr. Steffen was a noted bibliophile, so when his collection of
books was sold, many other book lovers crowded the auction
room.
The word part bibl- or bibliomeans
A. book.
B. religious doctrine.
C. belief.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
2 bibl-, biblio• The first book printed from movable type was the Gutenberg
Bible.
• Mr. Steffen was a noted bibliophile, so when his collection of
books was sold, many other book lovers crowded the auction
room.
The word part bibl- or bibliomeans
A. book.
B. religious doctrine.
C. belief.
The Bible is a book. A bibliophile is a book lover.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
3 fid
• People think of dogs as trusty companions. This is reflected in the
traditional name for a dog, “Fido,” which means “faithful one.”
• From the viewpoint of a particular religion, an infidel is a person
who does not believe in that faith.
The word part fid means
A. first.
B. loyalty.
C. real.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
3 fid
• People think of dogs as trusty companions. This is reflected in the
traditional name for a dog, “Fido,” which means “faithful one.”
• From the viewpoint of a particular religion, an infidel is a person
who does not believe in that faith.
The word part fid means
A. first.
B. loyalty.
C. real.
It is logical that if Fido means “faithful one,” the word part fid means
“loyalty.” Since an infidel does not believe in a particular faith, he or
she would not feel loyalty to that faith.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
4 -ism
• Totalitarianism is a system of government in which a dictator
rules and the state controls every aspect of people’s lives.
• William Penn came to America in the 1600s to establish the
principles of his religion, Quakerism.
The word part -ism means
A. a set of beliefs.
B. a lack of something.
C. a rank.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
4 -ism
• Totalitarianism is a system of government in which a dictator
rules and the state controls every aspect of people’s lives.
• William Penn came to America in the 1600s to establish the
principles of his religion, Quakerism.
The word part -ism means
A. a set of beliefs.
B. a lack of something.
C. a rank.
The first item lists the basic set of beliefs that define totalitarianism.
The Quakers’ set of beliefs that make up Quakerism was defined by
William Penn.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
5 nov
• People are always trying to sell us something new. One year the
novelty was in-line skates, and the next year it was scooters.
• Anya is an innovative cook, always thinking of creative, unusual
combinations, like sweet potatoes and oranges.
The word part nov means
A. important.
B. original.
C. realistic.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
5 nov
• People are always trying to sell us something new. One year the
novelty was in-line skates, and the next year it was scooters.
• Anya is an innovative cook, always thinking of creative, unusual
combinations, like sweet potatoes and oranges.
The word part nov means
A. important.
B. original.
C. realistic.
One year in-line skates were the new, original, and different “hot
item” that everybody wanted. An innovative cook would come up
with original combinations—like sweet potatoes and oranges.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
6 pan• As the name implies, the Pan-American Games involve athletes
from all the Americas—North America, Central America, and
South America.
• Some people turn to drugs in hopes of finding a panacea, a
remedy for all the problems in their lives.
The word part pan- means
A. new.
B. true.
C. entire.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
6 pan• As the name implies, the Pan-American Games involve athletes
from all the Americas—North America, Central America, and
South America.
• Some people turn to drugs in hopes of finding a panacea, a
remedy for all the problems in their lives.
The word part pan- means
A. new.
B. true.
C. entire.
Since the athletes come from all the Americas, it is logical that
Pan-American means “entire-American.” Since a panacea is a
remedy for all the problems in a person’s life, it is logical that
the word part pan- means “entire.”
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
7 prim, prime
• When you go deep into a forest, you can imagine yourself back
in primeval times, long before humans appeared on the scene.
• “Prime” beef is the highest-quality cut. Unfortunately, it’s also
highest in fat and in price.
The word part prim or prime
means
A. first.
B. true.
C. entire.
A primer paint
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
7 prim, prime
• When you go deep into a forest, you can imagine yourself back
in primeval times, long before humans appeared on the scene.
• “Prime” beef is the highest-quality cut. Unfortunately, it’s also
highest in fat and in price.
The word part prim or prime
means
A. first.
B. true.
C. entire.
A primer paint
The times long before humans
appeared are the earliest or first
times—primeval times. The highest
quality cut of beef is first-quality beef.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
8 rect
• The pool, a large rectangle, was surrounded by bushes in rows as
straight as the sides of the pool itself.
• We sometimes learn best by trying something new, making a
mistake, and then figuring out how to rectify the error.
The word part rect means
A. real.
B. recent.
C. straight.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
8 rect
• The pool, a large rectangle, was surrounded by bushes in rows as
straight as the sides of the pool itself.
• We sometimes learn best by trying something new, making a
mistake, and then figuring out how to rectify the error.
The word part rect means
A. real.
B. recent.
C. straight.
A rectangle has four straight sides. We rectify an error by straightening
out the mistake.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
9 sym-, syn• A syndrome is a collection of symptoms that normally accompany
a particular disease.
• We’d better synchronize our watches before the race starts. Let’s
set them all right now, at exactly 1:46.
The word part sym- or synmeans
A. truth.
B. together.
C. faith.
A symphony orchestra
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
9 sym-, syn• A syndrome is a collection of symptoms that normally
accompany a particular disease.
• We’d better synchronize our watches before the race starts. Let’s
set them all right now, at exactly 1:46.
The word part sym- or synmeans
A. truth.
B. together.
C. faith.
In a symphony orchestra,
many musicians play together.
A collection of symptoms that accompany a
particular disease is a set of symptoms that
comes together with that disease.
Synchronized watches all run together at the
identical time.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
10 ver
• I thought Jesse was lying about having seen a UFO, but when
neighbors showed up, they verified his story.
• A verdict should be an honest statement of how members of the
jury have judged a case.
The word part ver means
A. together.
B. orderly.
C. true.
TEN WORD PARTS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning of the word part based on the boldfaced words.
10 ver
• I thought Jesse was lying about having seen a UFO, but when
neighbors showed up, they verified his story.
• A verdict should be an honest statement of how members of the
jury have judged a case.
The word part ver means
A. together.
B. orderly.
C. true.
The neighbors stated that Jesse was not lying but rather that his
UFO story was true. If the verdict is an honest statement, it should
say what is true.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. a-, an-
B. bibl-, biblio-
C. fid
D. -ism
E. nov
F. pan-
G. prim, prime
H. rect
I. sym-, syn-
J. ver
1. Vicki has gotten an A on every paper and test in her biology
class, so she is (con . . . ent) ___ that she’ll get an A for the
course.
2. I don’t know how the magician did it, but he held up
the (...y) ___ card I was thinking of.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. a-, an-
B. bibl-, biblio-
C. fid
D. -ism
E. nov
F. pan-
G. prim, prime
H. rect
I. sym-, syn-
J. ver
1. Vicki has gotten an A on every paper and test in her biology
class, so she is ___________
confident that she’ll get an A for the
course.
With an A on every paper and test, Vicki should trust that she will get an A.
2. I don’t know how the magician did it, but he held up
the __________
card I was thinking of.
very
The magician held up the true or actual card the person was thinking of.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. a-, an-
B. bibl-, biblio-
C. fid
D. -ism
E. nov
F. pan-
G. prim, prime
H. rect
I. sym-, syn-
J. ver
3. From the top of the mountain, Tarik was able to take
pictures of a breathtaking ( . . . orama) ___. The entire
valley was spread out before him.
4. The ( . . . ary) ___ grades are generally considered to be
kindergarten and first grade.
5. When people say “as the crow flies,” they mean in a straight
line, a (di . . . ) ___route from one place to another.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. a-, an-
B. bibl-, biblio-
C. fid
D. -ism
E. nov
F. pan-
G. prim, prime
H. rect
I. sym-, syn-
J. ver
3. From the top of the mountain, Tarik was able to take
pictures of a breathtaking ___________.
panorama The entire
valley was spread out before him.
If the entire valley was visible, it was a breathtaking view in all directions.
4. The __________
primary grades are generally considered to be
kindergarten and first grade.
Kindergarten and first grade are the first grades in school.
5. When people say “as the crow flies,” they mean in a straight
line, a __________route
from one place to another.
direct
A straight line would be a direct route.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. a-, an-
B. bibl-, biblio-
C. fid
D. -ism
E. nov
F. pan-
G. prim, prime
H. rect
I. sym-, syn-
J. ver
6. ( . . . onyms) ___ are words with the same meaning. But
even words that are very close in meaning may suggest
different things—for example, break and shatter.
7. Psychologists often use ( . . . therapy) ___ to help
troubled children. When children read books about others
in similar situations, they may be able to work through
their own problems.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. a-, an-
B. bibl-, biblio-
C. fid
D. -ism
E. nov
F. pan-
G. prim, prime
H. rect
I. sym-, syn-
J. ver
6. __________
Synonyms are words with the same meaning. But
even words that are very close in meaning may suggest
different things—for example, break and shatter.
Break and shatter are synonyms—they mean the same thing.
7. Psychologists often use ____________
bibliotherapy to help troubled
children. When children read books about others in
similar situations, they may be able to work through their
own problems.
Because the children read books to work through their problems,
the therapy is called bibliotherapy.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. a-, an-
B. bibl-, biblio-
C. fid
D. -ism
E. nov
F. pan-
G. prim, prime
H. rect
I. sym-, syn-
J. ver
8. (Hindu . . . ) ___ includes a principle called reincarnation:
the belief that when we die, our souls return to earth to
exist in new bodies.
9. When she received the ( . . . onymous) ___ note from “an
admirer,” Jenny was eager to know who had sent it.
10. Ted and Sara are trying to decide if it’s worthwhile trying to
(re . . . ate) ___ their rickety old farmhouse, or if it would
make more sense just to tear it down and build a new one.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each italicized word with the correct word part from the box.
A. a-, an-
B. bibl-, biblio-
C. fid
D. -ism
E. nov
F. pan-
G. prim, prime
H. rect
I. sym-, syn-
J. ver
8. ___________
Hinduism includes a principle called reincarnation:
the belief that when we die, our souls return to earth to
exist in new bodies.
The sentence describes a belief that is part of the doctrine of Hindus.
9. When she received the ___________
anonymous note from “an
admirer,” Jenny was eager to know who had sent it.
Jenny didn’t know who sent the note because it was without a name.
10. Ted and Sara are trying to decide if it’s worthwhile trying to
___________
renovate their rickety old farmhouse, or if it would
make more sense just to tear it down and build a new one.
Ted and Sara don’t know whether to renew the old house or tear it down.