English IV: Vocabulary Unit 2 – Context Clues
1. articulate: Though he spoke slowly and with a whiny voice, his words were articulate
enough to make the crowd weep and vow to follow his meaningful suggestions.
a. Devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure
b. Resisting outside control; difficult to manage
c. Without thought for the future
d. Speaking or writing in clear, effective language
2. cavort: I’d like to cavort with you at the park all day, but I have some much less lively
business to conduct this afternoon at the office.
a. To remain or continue to exist
b. To make known by public declaration
c. To have energetic or boisterous fun
d. To walk listlessly or without energy
3. credence: If you don’t give credence to the fact that spending time with your pet will
make them more obedient, you will after your dog wets on your rug a few times.
a. Acceptance as true or valid; belief
b. Deception by trickery
c. Enormous in size or power
d. The main point of a discussion
4. decry: In my opinion, anyone who does not decry child abuse as a horrible thing is not fit
to be called a human being.
a. To coax by flattery
b. To condemn openly
c. To deny or declare as false
d. to bring into existence
5. derogatory: I didn’t appreciate the coach’s derogatory remarks about my basketball
shoes. It isn’t my fault that my family can’t afford to buy me a nice pair.
a. Heavenly or pure
b. Regarded as the way things are; supposed
c. Meant to demean or belittle
d. Strange or not logical; nonsensical
6. dissemble: It was fun to watch the politician dissemble by smilingly denying what he had
said to the news reporter earlier in the day.
a. To seize or take for one’s self
b. To dry out thoroughly
c. To confront with angry words; to attack verbally
d. To disguise or conceal one’s true intent or actions
7. distraught: Little Betty was so distraught when Miss Wetsie, her favorite doll,
disappeared, that she was very gloomy and didn’t sleep for a week
a. experiencing emotional turmoil; deeply agitated
b. enjoying finding trivial faults in a person or situation
c. suggesting the horror of decay
d. difficult to understand; complex
8. eulogy: The written eulogy was sweet enough, but she added a bunch of wonderful
memories when she gave the speech itself.
a. a speech or written tribute for someone who is dead
b. an object that serves as a focal point of attention
c. the power or capacity to produce a desired effect
d. an artificial or deceptive front
9. evince: I’d have given him a lighter punishment if he had evinced even the slightest
regret for what he had done to his sister.
a. to abolish or do away with
b. to send forth from a single source
c. to show plainly or demonstrate clearly
d. to cause to withdraw into seclusion or isolation
10. exhume: I wonder if they will ever exhume that baseball mitt that we buried in right field
last summer.
a. To make smooth or glossy; polish
b. To remove from the ground; bring to light
c. To rid of undesirable parts; censure
d. To lesson the price or value of
11. feckless: I used to think that only young people were so feckless, but my dad forgot
about my piano recital five times in a row, and then he once went to the wrong place
when he remembered.
a. Lacking money; penniless
b. Lacking firmness or tone
c. Greatly pleasing; delightful
d. Ineffective or careless; irresponsible
12. halcyon: Greece’s halcyon days of peace and plenty came to an end when the Ottoman
Empire attacked its northern borders.
a. Tranquil and prosperous; golden or best
b. Approaching death; about to die
c. Relentless; not capable of being appeased
d. The effects of disuse or inactivity
13. histrionic: She was so histrionic when she stubbed her toe that she wailed and moaned
for 30 minutes while clutching her toe as if she had just been shot.
a. Rough or harsh in texture or tone
b. Overly dramatic or emotional, as if giving a stage performance
c. Lacking clarity or distinctness; cloudy or obscured
d. Surrounding or encircling
14. intractable: I tried to bribe him into eating his peas by dangling a candy bar in front of
his face, but he was intractable and would not be persuaded.
a. Zestfully enthusiastic and excited
b. Disintegrated or eroded
c. Difficult to manage or govern; stubborn
d. Troublesome or oppressive; burdensome
15. maelstrom: The maelstrom of events ended as quickly as it had begun, but those chaotic
days changed our lives forever.
a. Fundamental elements or skills
b. Tranquil and prosperous; golden or best
c. A violent or turbulent situation; a whirlpool
d. Excellent or ideal but impractical
16. murky: Captain Ahab looked down into the murky depths of the sea, but the great white
whale could not be seen in the dark abyss below.
a. Famous for being evil or wicked
b. gloomy and dim; cloudy or obscure
c. green with vegetation
d. disordered and confused
17. myopic: Because they have not been many places or read many things, their views are
myopic and they tend to dislike things just because they are different from what they
already know.
a. Excessively submissive; slave-like
b. Emitting or reflecting light; glowing
c. Full or loaded with
d. Lacking foresight or scope; narrow-minded
18. nefarious: Among dictators, few are as nefarious as Pol Pot, who killed millions of his
fellow countrymen during his 20th century purges.
a. famous for extreme wickedness or evil
b. open and observable; not hidden
c. gentle, kind and forgiving
d. regretful for one’s sins or weaknesses
19. overt: I’d almost feel better if you were cheating in secret, but you are so overt about it
that you don’t seem to care if you get caught or not.
a. Toughened or hardened over time
b. Dull or slow; not coming to the point
c. open and observable; not hidden
d. occurring at irregular intervals; spotty
20. piquant: Adding cinnamon to apple sauce makes for a more piquant combination than
adding cottage cheese.
a. Characteristic of the countryside
b. Never slackening; persistent
c. Pleasantly tart or spicy
d. Lacking in importance or worth
21. primordial: The dog was so filthy and slimy that it seemed to come from the primordial
ooze – from an era before history was first recorded.
a. Marked by contempt for the sacred
b. Very cautious; wary
c. Serving to bring to mind; suggest
d. Belonging to the earliest stage of development
22. propinquity: She bragged that her propinquity to Justin Beiber’s dressing room was
much closer than it really was – as she never came within 300 feet of the door.
a. Nearness or proximity
b. A shout or salute of approval
c. A sudden outburst of emotion
d. Seriousness toward or respect for something
23. propound: It was never my intention to propound that we should drain the lake, I just
thought that we could release some of it in order to water the golf course in dry weather.
a. To hit forcefully or strike
b. To bring up for consideration
c. To give for good reasons
d. To make knowingly false statements
24. propriety: I didn’t know that wearing a tank top did not conform to the opera house’s
sense of propriety, so they would not let me in until I found a suit coat to wear over it.
a. A slight addition
b. Correct or appropriate behavior according to custom
c. A beginner in learning something; a novice
d. A command or authorization
25. undulate: My head began to undulate as I listened to the steady rhythm of the music.
a. To offer for acceptance
b. To tremble as in a frenzy
c. To switch from one course of action to another
d. To move in a smooth, wave-like motion
26. unwonted: It was an unwonted sight to see a bowling ball fall from the sky into my
swimming pool, and I never expect to see such a thing again.
a. Not desired or hoped for
b. Unexpected or unusual; not common
c. Shining radiantly
d. a small quantity
27. utopian: Your utopian ideas for a new library are all grand and wonderful, but you must
remember that we have a tiny budget.
a. Never slackening; persistent
b. Unbelievably horrible or terrifying
c. Excellent or ideal but impractical
d. Unshakably calm or collected
28. verbiage: His speech became just so much verbiage as he rambled on for over an hour.
a. A sudden outburst of emotion
b. Debris found at the head of a river
c. A negotiated offer
d. An overuse of words for an occasion; wordiness
29. verdant: The Irish fields were verdant in the spring sunshine, as the last few days of rain
seemed to amplify the colors of all living things.
a. green with vegetation
b. harshly abusive scorn
c. gloomy or forlorn; morose
d. lacking in importance or worth
30. viscous: I could tell by its viscous look as it drained slowly from the pan that some new
oil was long overdue.
a. gooey and sticky to the touch
b. fully informed; aware
c. overly simple or obvious
d. disposed to point out trivial faults