IMPROVING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit One: Chapter 2
• curt
• retort
• demoralize
• sabotage
• dilemma
• subsequent
• inclination
• wary
• irate
• zeal
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 curt
– adjective
• The fast-food manager trained workers to give polite, full
answers to customers, not curt responses.
• Betsy doesn’t mean to be curt. When she’s with other people,
she often says just a few quick words to them because she’s so
shy.
Curt means
A. cautious
B. courteous.
C. rudely brief.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 curt
– adjective
• The fast-food manager trained workers to give polite, full
answers to customers, not curt responses.
• Betsy doesn’t mean to be curt. When she’s with other people,
she often says just a few quick words to them because she’s so
shy.
Curt means
A. cautious
B. courteous.
C. rudely brief.
The workers’ polite, full answers are contrasted with rudely brief
responses. If Betsy says just a few quick words, she could sound
as if she were being rudely brief.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 demoralized
– verb
• Cara’s refusal to date my brother demoralized him so
completely that for months, he lacked the confidence to ask
another woman out.
• When Bonita gained a pound during her diet, it so demoralized
her that she ate a banana split.
Demoralized means
A. to cheat.
B. to discourage.
C. to excite.
“Of course I’m demoralized! I used to be
a handsome prince living in a palace!
Now I’m a frog living in a swamp!”
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 demoralized
– verb
• Cara’s refusal to date my brother demoralized him so
completely that for months, he lacked the confidence to ask
another woman out.
• When Bonita gained a pound during her diet, it so demoralized
her that she ate a banana split.
Demoralized means
A. to cheat.
B. to discourage.
C. to excite.
“Of course I’m demoralized! I used to be
a handsome prince living in a palace!
Now I’m a frog living in a swamp!”
If he lacked the confidence to ask anyone
out for months, the brother must have been
discouraged by the Cara’s refusal. If Bonita
ate a banana split while she was trying to
diet, she must have been discouraged by
the weight gain.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 dilemma
– noun
• The store manager faced a dilemma: either having an elderly,
needy man arrested or ignoring store rules about shoplifters.
• In old romantic movies, the heroine’s dilemma often involves
choosing between a rich boyfriend and the poor man she really
loves.
Dilemma means
A. a hard choice.
B. a great danger.
C. a benefit.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 dilemma
– noun
• The store manager faced a dilemma: either having an elderly,
needy man arrested or ignoring store rules about shoplifters.
• In old romantic movies, the heroine’s dilemma often involves
choosing between a rich boyfriend and the poor man she really
loves.
Dilemma means
A. a hard choice.
B. a great danger.
C. a benefit.
Having to decide whether to have the elderly, needy man arrested
or ignore the store rules would be a hard choice. Having to choose
between a rich boyfriend and a poor man the heroine really loves
would be a hard choice.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 inclination
– noun
• My inclination is to major in nursing, but I’m going to speak to a
few nurses before I make my final decision.
• That two-year-old has some irritating habits, such as her
inclination to say “no” to everything.
Inclination means
A. a preference.
B. a reason.
C. a fate.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 inclination
– noun
• My inclination is to major in nursing, but I’m going to speak to a
few nurses before I make my final decision.
• That two-year-old has some irritating habits, such as her
inclination to say “no” to everything.
Inclination means
A. a preference.
B. a reason.
C. a fate.
If the final decision has not been made yet, then majoring in nursing
is only the student’s preference. It would be an irritating habit if the
two-year-old has a preference to say “no” to everything.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 irate
– adjective
• If Kate got angry only occasionally, I could take her more
seriously, but she’s always irate about something or other.
• Ray gets mad when his wife misplaces the TV’s remote control,
and she becomes equally irate when he writes a check and
forgets to record it in the checkbook.
Irate means
A. thrilled.
B. selfish.
C. furious.
Irate protesters in Belize
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 irate
– adjective
• If Kate got angry only occasionally, I could take her more
seriously, but she’s always irate about something or other.
• Ray gets mad when his wife misplaces the TV’s remote control,
and she becomes equally irate when he writes a check and
forgets to record it in the checkbook.
Irate means
A. thrilled.
B. selfish.
C. furious.
Irate protesters in Belize
In the first item, the word angry
suggests that irate means “furious.”
In the second item, Ray’s getting
mad is compared to his wife’s
becoming furious.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 retort
– verb
• When I told my parents I’d put the dishes in the dishwasher the
next morning, my father retorted, “Maybe we should serve you
dinner in the mornings, too.”
• “What do you want?” the young woman asked Dracula. “Only to
drink in your charms,” he retorted.
Retort means
A. to approve.
B. to reply.
C. to ask.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 retort
– verb
• When I told my parents I’d put the dishes in the dishwasher the
next morning, my father retorted, “Maybe we should serve you
dinner in the mornings, too.”
• “What do you want?” the young woman asked Dracula. “Only to
drink in your charms,” he retorted.
Retort means
A. to approve.
B. to reply.
C. to ask.
In the first item, the father replies to the child’s statement about
putting the dishes in the dishwasher in the morning. In the second
item, Dracula replies to the woman’s question.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 sabotage
– verb
• Terrorist groups train their members to sabotage airports and
other public places.
• A fired programmer sabotaged the company’s network by
infecting it with a computer virus.
Sabotage means
A. to develop.
B. to invest in.
C. to do harm to.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 sabotage
– verb
• Terrorist groups train their members to sabotage airports and
other public places.
• A fired programmer sabotaged the company’s network by
infecting it with a computer virus.
Sabotage means
A. to develop.
B. to invest in.
C. to do harm to.
Terrorists try to do harm to public places. If the fired programmer
infected the company’s network with a virus, the programmer did
harm to it.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 subsequent
– adjective
• “I was hired as a stock boy,” said the company president. “My
subsequent jobs took me steadily up the company ladder.”
• The first few times Janet drove on a highway, she was terrified,
but on subsequent trips, she felt more relaxed.
Subsequent means
A. first.
B. following.
C. previous.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 subsequent
– adjective
• “I was hired as a stock boy,” said the company president. “My
subsequent jobs took me steadily up the company ladder.”
• The first few times Janet drove on a highway, she was terrified,
but on subsequent trips, she felt more relaxed.
Subsequent means
A. first.
B. following.
C. previous.
The man’s progression from stock boy to company president would
suggest that his jobs following that of stock boy took him up the
ladder. The trips following the first few on a highway would help
Janet feel more relaxed as she got used to the experience.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 wary
– adjective
• “There’s no such thing as a free lunch” means that we should be
wary about promises of getting something for nothing.
• I’m a little wary of people who, when they first meet me, treat
me as if I’m their best friend.
Wary means
A. careful.
B. tired.
C. welcoming.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 wary
– adjective
• “There’s no such thing as a free lunch” means that we should be
wary about promises of getting something for nothing.
• I’m a little wary of people who, when they first meet me, treat
me as if I’m their best friend.
Wary means
A. careful.
B. tired.
C. welcoming.
We should be careful about promises of getting something for nothing.
One would be careful about people who act like one’s best friend on
the first meeting.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 zeal
– noun
• Velma attacked her food with such zeal that I thought she hadn’t
eaten for a week!
• My neighbor has so much zeal about keeping our neighborhood
clean that he sweeps our sidewalk if we don’t do it ourselves.
Zeal means
A. resistance.
B. passion.
C. skill.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 zeal
– noun
• Velma attacked her food with such zeal that I thought she hadn’t
eaten for a week!
• My neighbor has so much zeal about keeping our neighborhood
clean that he sweeps our sidewalk if we don’t do it ourselves.
Zeal means
A. resistance.
B. passion.
C. skill.
If Velma attacked her food as if she hadn’t eaten for a week, she
must be eating with a passion. Someone who sweeps other people’s
sidewalks must have a passion for keeping the neighborhood clean.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. curt
B. demoralize
C. dilemma
D. inclination
F. retort
G. sabotage
H. subsequent I. wary
E. irate
J. zeal
1. Rob’s __________ was whether to go to work feeling
sick or to stay home and lose a day’s pay.
2. Be __________ when something sounds too good to be
true—it probably is.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. curt
B. demoralize
C. dilemma
D. inclination
F. retort
G. sabotage
H. subsequent I. wary
E. irate
J. zeal
1. Rob’s __________
dilemma was whether to go to work feeling
sick or to stay home and lose a day’s pay.
Going to work sick or losing a day’s pay is a difficult choice.
2. Be __________
when something sounds too good to be
wary
true—it probably is.
Because something that sounds too good to be true probably is too
good to be true, you should be cautious of it.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. curt
B. demoralize
C. dilemma
D. inclination
F. retort
G. sabotage
H. subsequent I. wary
E. irate
J. zeal
3. I have to watch my budget because I have a(n)
__________ to overspend.
4. The director cut off most of the auditioning singers with a(n)
__________ response: “Thank you. That will be all.”
5. The striking miners planned to __________ one of the
mines by blowing up the main entrance.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. curt
B. demoralize
C. dilemma
D. inclination
F. retort
G. sabotage
H. subsequent I. wary
E. irate
J. zeal
3. I have to watch my budget because I have an
__________
inclination to overspend.
A tendency to overspend would be a reason to watch one’s budget.
4. The director cut off most of the auditioning singers with a
__________
response: “Thank you. That will be all.”
curt
“Thank you. That will be all.” is an abrupt response to the person
auditioning. The words cut off are a clue.
5. The striking miners planned to __________
sabotage one of the
mines by blowing up the main entrance.
Planning to blow up the main entrance would deliberately damage
the mine.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. curt
B. demoralize
C. dilemma
D. inclination
F. retort
G. sabotage
H. subsequent I. wary
E. irate
J. zeal
6. Because Devan expected to get an A on his research
paper, receiving a grade of C truly _______(e)d him.
7. The team played miserably in the first game of the
season, but they managed to win all __________ games.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. curt
B. demoralize
C. dilemma
D. inclination
F. retort
G. sabotage
H. subsequent I. wary
E. irate
J. zeal
6. Because Devan expected to get an A on his research
paper, receiving a grade of C truly __________
demoralized him.
If Devan was expecting an A, receiving a C would lower his spirits.
7. The team played miserably in the first game of the
season, but they managed to win all __________
subsequent games.
The team managed to win all the following games. The word first
is a clue.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. curt
B. demoralize
C. dilemma
D. inclination
F. retort
G. sabotage
H. subsequent I. wary
E. irate
J. zeal
8. My father always became __________ when any of his
children came home after curfew. One time he began
yelling at me even before my date had left.
9. If adolescents could apply to their studies just a bit of the
__________ they feel for music and video games, their
grades would improve dramatically.
10. When the wisecracking waiter said, “That hat looks ridiculous,
lady,” the woman stated, “I didn’t come here to be insulted.”
“That’s what you think!” _______(e)d the waiter.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. curt
B. demoralize
C. dilemma
D. inclination
F. retort
G. sabotage
H. subsequent I. wary
E. irate
J. zeal
8. My father always became __________
when any of his
irate
children came home after curfew. One time he began
yelling at me even before my date had left.
If the father was yelling, he must have been very angry.
9. If adolescents could apply to their studies just a bit of the
__________
they feel for music and video games, their
zeal
grades would improve dramatically.
If they applied more passion to their studies, their grades would improve.
10. When the wisecracking waiter said, “That hat looks ridiculous,
lady,” the woman stated, “I didn’t come here to be insulted.”
“That’s what you think!” __________
the waiter.
retorted
The waiter replies in a witty way to the woman’s statement. The word
wisecracking is a clue.