Unit 3
Name_________________________________
Definitions
1. artifice (n.) a skillful or ingenious device; a clever trick, clever skill; trickery
deceived by his artifice
2.
coerce (v.) to compel, force
coerce into obedience by a threat of punishment
3. craven (adj.)cowardly; (n.) a coward
criticized by his opponent for his craven policies
4. demise (n.) a death, especially of a person in a lofty position
tolling bells that indicated the demise of the king
5. exhilarate (v.) to enliven, cheer, give spirit or liveliness to
exhilarate by the good news
6. expendable (adj.) Subject to use or consumption; Not worth salvaging or reusing
expendable sources
7. fallow (adj.) plowed but not seeded; inactive; reddish-yellow; OR
OR
(n.)land left unseeded
(v.) to plow but not seed
garden plots left fallow for a year
8. inclement (adj.) stormy, harsh, severe in attitude or action
unaccustomed to the inclement New England winter
9. martyr (n.) a person who greatly sacrifices or suffers in order to further a belief, cause, or
principle OR
(v.) the act of sacrificing or suffering in order to further a cause
the martyr chose to die rather than give in to the terrorist
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10. malaise (n.) a vague feeling of bodily discomfort; a general sense of depression or unease
pre-flu malaise
11. patronize (v.) to support regularly, often as a customer OR
(v.) to treat someone in a
condescending way
patronize the small, privately owned convenience store
don't patronize me; I'm not a child
12. perfunctory (adj.) done in a careless or superficial manner; characterized by indifference;
without attention to detail
Perfunctory in his devotions
13. perpetuate (v.) to make permanent or long lasting
perpetuate the customs of our ancestors
14. pervasive (adj.) having the tendency to spread throughout or to permeate
pervasive odor
15. punitive (adj.) inflicting or aiming at punishment
led to a punitive action
16. redress (v.) to set right, remedy OR
(n.)relief from wrong or injury
seek redress through the courts
17. sojourn (n.)a temporary stay;
OR
(v.) a stay for a time
a week’s sojourn in Paris
18. urbane (adj.) refined in manner or style, suave
an urbane host
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19. vicarious (adj.) taking the place of another; experiencing through sympathetic participation
in the experience of another
see the riders on the roller coaster and experience vicarious fear
20. voyeur (n.) someone who is fascinated by or obsessed with watching the sensational or
sordid
reality T.V. shows depend upon an audience of voyeurs
Bonus Phrases:
status quo: (stàytəss kwṓ) [the state of something] the current state of affairs, the norm
owning a cell phone is status quo these days
tour de force: (
) [feat of strength] an unusually skillful or ingenious creation,
production, or performance
Spielberg’s new film is a tour de force
_______________________________________________________________________
Complete the Sentence
Due____________
From the words for this unit, choose the one that best completes each of the following sentences.
Write the word in the space provided.
1. Coach Smith took me off the starting team as a (n) _________________measure for missing
two days of practice.
2. The deserted buildings and fields lying ___________________ hinted at troubles the farmers
in the area were undergoing.
3. When the snowstorm lasted into a second day, we listened attentively to the radio to find out
if our school was among those closed because of the _________________ weather.
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4. David’s charmingly __________________ manner and keen wit made him a much soughtafter guest at social gatherings.
5. The _____________________ of an administration in the United States is never a crisis
because a newly elected administration is waiting to take over.
6. Rubberneck traffic illustrates just how many ____________________ there are in our
society.
7. When planning our trip to the Southwest, we made sure to set aside two days for a (n)
_____________________ at the Grand Canyon.
8. A _____________________ inspection failed to reveal the flaws in the writer’s argument.
9. Their _____________________ behavior at the first sign of danger was a disgrace to the
uniform they wore.
10. When citizens feel that something is wrong, they have a right under the First Amendment to
ask their government for a (n) ____________________ of grievances.
11. Suicide bombers operate on the concept that becoming a ____________________ will
further their cause.
12. In the movie, Office Space, Initech Corp is downsizing, so two consultants are hired to assess
which employees are ____________________.
13. I hate when you ____________________ me, using that pretentious tone and supercilious
manner!
14. A ____________________ anxiety overshadowed the venue as the Olympic gymnasts
walked to each apparatus.
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15. Cathy felt a ___________________ thrill when watching the beautiful celebrity marry the
handsome movie star, longing for her own Brad Pitt.
16. If we continue to elect unworthy people to public office, we will simply
_______________________ the evils that we have tried so hard to correct.
17. Magicians rely on sleight of hand and other forms of ____________________ to deceive
their unsuspecting audiences.
18. There are far more subtle ways of ______________________ a person into doing what you
want than twisting his or her arm.
19. One year after the crash the stock market remains in a deep ______________________.
20. At first we watched the game with relatively little emotion, but we became so
_____________________ by our team’s strong comeback that we began to cheer loudly.
___________________________________________________________________________
Synonyms
Due____________
For each of the following sets of words, identify the word from this unit that is most similar in
meaning. Write the word on the line given.
1. to stimulate, excite, gladden
_______________________
2. blustery, tempestuous, implacable
_______________________
3. fearful, fainthearted, pusillanimous
_______________________
4. suave, elegant
_______________________
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5. dispensable, unnecessary
_______________________
6. to support, promote, sponsor
_______________________
7. to rectify, correct, mitigate
_______________________
8. mechanical, indifferent, listless
_______________________
9. saint, hero/heroine, idol
_______________________
10. depression, discomfort, uneasiness
_______________________
11. penalizing, retaliatory
______________________
12. surrogate, empathetic, second-hand
______________________
13. a visit, stopover, brief stay
______________________
14. unproductive, inert, dormant
______________________
15. to continue, preserve, prolong indefinitely
______________________
16. a death, decease, passing away
______________________
17. to pressure, bully, intimidate, constrain
______________________
18. a ruse, stratagem, constrain
______________________
19. observer, on-looker, Peeping Tom
______________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Unit 3
Antonyms
Due____________
For each of the following sets of words, identify the word from this unit that means the opposite.
Write the word on the line given.
1. crude, uncouth, boorish
______________________
2. brave, courageous, valiant
______________________
3. careful, conscientious, concerned
______________________
4. discourage, dispirit, dishearten, inhibit
______________________
5. mild, gentle, balmy, tranquil
______________________
6. necessary, vital, essential
______________________
7. to discontinue, abolish, abandon
______________________
8. first-hand, original, realistic
______________________
9. productive, fertile, prolific
______________________
10. to accede, to acquiesce, to indulge
______________________
11. a birth, beginning, commencement
______________________
12. stagnant, stationary, motionless
______________________
13. exhilarated, comfortable
______________________
Unit 3
Choosing the Right Word
Due____________
Encircle the boldface word that best completes each of the following sentences.
1
After a long (urbane, fallow) period during which she scarcely touched her brushes, the
painter suddenly produced a series of major canvases.
2.
May I remind you that the (punitive, urbane) action we are authorized to take does not
include physical force of any kind.
3.
We must reject the (craven, fallow) advice of those who feel we can solve social problems
by abandoning our democratic freedoms.
4.
Before coming down with the chicken pox, my head ached and my whole body was in a
state of (malaise, sojourn).
5.
The critics unanimously praised the actor for the (urbane, perfunctory) charm with which
he played the well-bred English gentleman.
6.
After cooking an Italian dish the (pervasive, inclement) odors of garlic and basil can last for
hours.
7.
As convenient as it may be to purchase items at superstores like Walmart or Home Depot, I
(patronize, exhilarate) the small, family-owned businesses on Main Street.
8.
Because of the severe sentences he often handed down, he gained the reputation of being an
extremely (inclement, perfunctory) judge.
9.
Everyone wants to be a/an (martyr, artifice) and get attention when they complain about
how 'rough' their life is.
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10. When taking good notes, students should always decipher the (malaise, expendable)
material from the essential information.
11. If we do not take steps now to clear his name, we will be (perpetuating, redressing) an
injustice that has already lasted far too long.
12. Our city government needs basic reforms; clever little (precedents, artifices) will not solve
our problems.
13. I admit that we did some foolish things after the game, but you must remember how
(martyred, exhilarated) we were by the victory.
14. Do you really expect me to believe that your friends (coerced, patronized) you into cutting
class to go to the movies?
15. Only when the attempt to get the British government to (redress, fallow) injustices proved
unsuccessful did the American colonists resort to arms.
16. Our history shows how the (demise, artifice) of one political party provides an opportunity
for the formation of a new one.
17. The highlight of my trip was when I (sojourned, redressed) in the home of my ancestors.
18. When Darlene and Will visited Ground Zero, they guiltily felt like (cravens, voyeurs)
looking for morbid and graphic reminders of the tragedy.
19. The new secretary was not well liked because every time someone asked him to do
something, he gave a (perfunctory, craven) response.
20. Mr. Pizutto punished Johnny, hoping the other students would (vicariously, urbanely) learn
the lesson and avoid similar behaviors themselves.