8thL10
Name
Date
Page 01
Vocabulary Lesson 10
Words in Context:
Literary Traditions and Beyond- News Writers
Among the most important writers working today are the people who inform us about current events and
contemporary trends. They may write about government scandals, the changing roles of women, professional
football teams, school lunch programs, or the disappearing spotted owl. They may write for magazines, for
newspapers, or for television. They may write short columns or full length books. They may call themselves
authors, writers, commentators, or journalists. In any case, they have become essential to our live in this age of
information.
Read the ten vocabulary words below and decipher each word's definition based on its context within the
sentences below.
1) Credentials- A reporter who covers events at the White House has to have the proper credentials to enter
the press room there. No one without the required papers or pass is admitted.
2) Cumbersome- Taking pictures for newspapers or television used to require cumbersome equipment.
Today’s photojournalist is delighted to have smaller, much more manageable and lightweight
equipment.
3) Genial- Reporters have to decide how best to approach the people they want to interview. Should they
by genial and friendly, or should they be tough and aggressive?
4) Hoax- Almost all reporters are honest, but occasionally a reporter has printed a made-up story as though
it were the truth. Such a hoax raises doubts in the minds of readers about all reporters.
5) Larceny- Reporters on the police beat cover crime stories. They may report on anything from a simple
larceny, such as the theft of a bicycle, to a major crime, like a bank robbery.
6) Morbid- Sometime’s the reporter’s job requires him or her to witness gruesome and morbid things. For
example, he or she may be called upon to cover a terrible traffic accident.
7) Plaintiff- Reporters sometimes wind up in court, but usually not as the plaintiff. Instead, they have to
defend themselves for refusing to reveal their sources.
8) Prospective- Good reporters have a nose for the news. They can easily detect a prospective story where
others see nothing that might make a good story.
9) Quorum- Reporters who cover the school board or other government bodies sometimes must wait for a
quorum. Eventually, however, enough members will arrive for the session to begin.
10) Superfluous- Some reporters like to use a tape recorder during their interviews, but those who are able to
take quick, accurate notes find a tape recorder superfluous.
Name
Date
Page 02
Vocabulary Lesson 10
Scan the definitions in Column A. Then, think about how the boldface words are used in the sentences in
Column B. To complete the exercise, match each definition in Column A with the correct Vocabulary
Word from Column B. Write the letter of your choice on the line provided. Finally, write the Vocabulary
Word on the line before the definition. Homework without a name and date will get a score no higher
than 70%.
COLUMN A
_____ 01. word:
n. a person who initiates a lawsuit; the complaining party
_____ 02. word:
n. written evidence showing that a person has a right to a
certain position or authority
_____ 03. word:
n. thefts; unlawful taking or carrying away of another’s
property
_____ 04. word:
n. the minimum number of members needed at a meeting
to make official decisions
_____ 05. word:
adj. clumsy; unwieldy; hard to handle
_____ 06. word:
adj. probable; expected in the future
_____ 07. word:
adj. having an abnormal interest in the unwholesome;
gruesome
_____ 08. word:
adj. more than is needed; excessive; surplus
_____ 09. word:
adj. favorable to growth or human comfort; kindly and
friendly
_____ 10. word:
n. an act that is intended to fool or deceive; something
that has been established by fraudulent means
COLUMN B
(A) One of the most popular writers of nonfiction was Studs Terkel
(1912-2008), whose credentials gave him authority not only as a
writer but also as a lawyer.
(B) Terkel found writing to be a more genial occupation than law. He
thrived in situations where he interviewed ordinary people.
(C) For his book Working (1974), Terkel interviewed hundreds of
people to ding out how they felt about their jobs. he interviewed
people who held all types of jobs, from routine ones, like clerk or
hairdresser, to those that seem morbid, such as a funeral director.
(D) At first, Terkel’s books may seem large and cumbersome, but
you soon forged their bulk because they are actually quite easy to
read.
(E) For his book American Dreams: Lost and Found (1980), Terkel
interviewed a former Miss U.S.A. who felt she had participated in a
kind of hoax- that she had misled sponsors or directors, whose values
were different from her own.
(F) Writers who focus on legal issues usually try to be fair to both
sides in a court battle; they interview both the plaintiff and the
defendant.
(G) Most writers would prefer a more exciting crime than larceny to
write about, unless of course the theft involved something important
or very valuable.
(H) When reporters consider prospective stories, they often think
about how much background research they will need to do before
they begin covering the events.
(I) Reporters who cover local governments know that important
action is sometimes taken even before a quorum of committee
members is achieved.
(J) Reporters also know that it is better to have superfluous
information than not to have enough when preparing to write and
article.
Name
Date
Page 03
Vocabulary Lesson 10 Sentence Completion
Directions. For each of the following items, circle the letter of the choice that best completes the
meaning of the sentence or sentences. Homework without a name and date will get a score no
higher than 70%.
11) Reporters who cover city-council meetings often
spend a lot of time waiting until enough council
members show up to make a
.
(A) quorum
(B) hoax
(C) credential
(D) larceny
(E) plaintiff
16) Cutting
information from a story is easy,
but writers hate it when they have to leave out
information they think is important.
(A) genial
(B) morbid
(C) superfluous
(D) prospective
(E) cumbersome
12) Reporters who use tape recorders are glad to have
new, portable models. The old recorders were large
and
.
(A) genial
(B) cumbersome
(C) prospective
(D) superfluous
(E) morbid
17) Books about
usually do not sell as well
as books about murder. People seem to prefer to read
about more
crimes.
(A) quorum…genial
(B) credentials…prospective
(C) hoaxes…cumbersome
(D) larceny…morbid
(E) plaintiff…superfluous
13) Reporters who investigate business frauds know
that the person who pulls off a successful
is
usually someone who seems too
, or
kind, to be honest.
(A) quorum…prospective
(B) larceny…morbid
(C) credentials…cumbersome
(D) plaintiff…morbid
(E) hoax…genial
18) Researching a crime story can be a
task
requiring months and sometimes years of a writer’s
time.
(A) genial
(B) superfluous
(C) morbid
(D) cumbersome
(E) prospective
14) Those who think of themselves as
journalists must first earn their
, usually a
college degree in journalism.
(A) prospective… credentials
(B) genial…credentials
(C) cumbersome…quorum
(D) superfluous…quorum
(E) morbid…larceny
15) When covering the courts, a reporter may
encounter many humorous stories. For example,
consider the
who sued the defendant for
stealing the affections of his cat.
(A) hoax
(B) quorum
(C) credentials
(D) plaintiff
(E) larceny
19) Of course, not all reporters or nonfiction writers
focus on
, depressing stories; many write
about the more
aspects of life.
(A) genial…morbid
(B) genial…larcenous
(C) cumbersome…prospective
(D) prospective…superfluous
(E) morbid…genial
20) Newspaper stories about the homeless or about
plans for a
cultural museum are not
, as
some readers may think. They are essential as stories
about crime and disease.
(A) superfluous…cumbersome
(B) prospective…superfluous
(C) genial…morbid
(D) morbid…genial
(E) cumbersome…genial