Search Vocabulary – Schreiner
Book B, Unit # 14
Word List
1. affliction – (n) a physical ailment; a cause of pain or trouble, misfortune
2. akin – (adj) related by blood; having similar qualities or character
3. cosmopolitan – (adj) found in most parts of the world; having many fields of interest; of
worldwide scope; sophisticated
4. elongate – (v) to grow in length, become longer; to extend the length of
5. gala – (n) a public entertainment marking a special event, a festive occasion; (adj) festive,
showy
6. gaudy – (adj) flashy, showy; not in good taste
7. gratitude – (n) appreciation, thankfulness
8. heed – (v) to pay careful attention to, notice; to be guided by; (n) close attention or
consideration
9. hoax – (n) an act intended to trick or deceive, a fraud; (v) to trick, deceive
10. impartial – (adj) just, unbiased, fair, not taking sides
11. impostor – (n) a swindler, deceiver; one who uses a false name or character in order to cheat
12. inflate – (v) to fill with air or gas; to swell or puff out; to make something appear larger than it
is
13. meager – (adj) poor, scant, unsatisfactory; thin, slight
14. meditate – (v) to think about deeply and quietly, reflect upon; to plan, intend
15. nutritious – (adj) nourishing, valuable and satisfying as food
16. oppress – (v) to govern or rule cruelly or unjustly; to weigh heavily upon
17. pedestrian – (n) one who goes on foot; (adj) relating to walking; on foot; ordinary, dull,
unimaginative
18. transmit – (v) to send on, pass along, send out
19. vanquish – (v) to defeat in a battle or contest, overthrow; to overcome a feeling or condition
20. wan – (adj) unnaturally pale or sickly-looking; lacking vitality; dim, faint; weak, ineffectual
Vocabulary Assignment Book B, Unit # 14
Filling in the Blanks
Choose the word from this unit that best completes each sentence.
1. With a population made up of people from many different lands, New York City is one of the
most _________________ places in the world.
2. Modern technology has provided us with the computer, a truly marvelous device for
collecting, sorting, and _____________________ information quickly.
3. An earthworm moves by first ___________________ and then contracting its wonderfully
elastic body.
4. After beating off the enemy’s initial assault, our brave troops delivered a series of crippling
counterattacks that __________________ the foe.
5. If you had only _________________ my warnings, all this trouble could easily have been
avoided.
6. Most of us are so busy with everyday concerns that we can find little or no time to
_____________ on the larger issues of life.
7. Most cities have now passed laws to discourage __________________ from crossing against
the light or jaywalking.
8. Since I am a very close friend of his, you cannot expect me to be totally _______________ in
judging your criticisms of him.
9. I don’t expect you to throw yourself on your knees, but I wish you’d show a little
______________ for the things I’ve done for you.
10. The big clown’s _______________ costume was in sharp contrast to the simple white outfits
worn by the trapeze artists.
11. Modern medical science can do wonders for people suffering from various physical or
emotional _____________.
12. Refusing to be _________________ by unjust laws, the American colonists rose in revolt
against the British government.
13. The distraught mother’s __________________ smile and worried expression reflected her
sense of anxiety over her lost child.
14. Superstars and other celebrities are usually very much in evidence at such _____________
events as opening night of a new Broadway show.
15. Have you ever tried to ________________ a bicycle tire with one of those old-fashioned hand
pumps?
16. “Junk food” may look attractive and taste great, but it is by no means as ______________ as
much plainer fare.
17. Unfortunately, the region cannot support a very large population because its natural resources
are so ___________________.
18. Though the newspapers hailed the find as the “discovery of the century,” it turned out to be
nothing but an outrageous __________________.
19. “Although these two words are not related etymologically,” the professor observed, “they are
_______________ to each other in meaning.”
20. The family lawyer proved that the young man claiming to be in the missing heir was no more
than a(n) ________________.
Synonyms
Choose the word that is most nearly the same in meaning as the groups of expressions.
1. to pass on, convey, relay, deliver
2. to blow up, pump up; o enlarge, exaggerate
3. someone on foot; commonplace, prosaic
4. to defeat, beat, conquer, subdue
5. to mistreat, persecute, grind underfoot
6. just, fair, unbiased, disinterested
7. nourishing, healthful, wholesome
8. a deception, ruse, fake; to dupe
9. ashen, pasty, pallid, bloodless; sickly, gaunt
10. related, kindred, similar
11. to pay attention to, listen to
12. flashy, garish, loud, vulgar
13. to ponder, contemplate, muse, ruminate
14. slight, scanty, skimpy, sparse
15. a woe, misfortune; torment, anguish
16. thankfulness, appreciation
17. global, international; sophisticated
18. a cheat, swindler, trickster, four-flusher
19. to lengthen, stretch, protract, extend
20. an extravaganza, fete; spectacular, grand
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Antonyms
Choose the word that is most nearly the opposite in meaning as the groups of expressions.
1. unrelated, dissimilar
2. a driver, rider; original, novel
3. to pay no attention to, ignore
4. to shorten, abbreviate, contact, curtail
5. one-sided, prejudiced, biased, partial
6. narrow, unsophisticated, provincial
7. ample, plentiful, abundant, lavish
8. to be defeated by, succumb to
9. to deflate, flatten; to diminish
10. restrained, quiet, sober, sedate, tasteful
11. a blessing, boon; a joy
12. rosy, ruddy, blooming, radiant
13. to pamper, coddle; to free, liberate
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Choosing the Right Words
Encircle the boldface word that more satisfactorily completes each sentence.
1. We are so accustomed to TV that we tend to forget how wonderful it is to (oppress,
transmit) colored images from one place to another.
2. The speaker had important things to say, but his way of expressing himself was so dull and
(nutritious, pedestrian) that he lost our interest.
3. Try as he might, the sideshow barker couldn’t convince me that the “real live mermaid”
inside the tent wasn’t just a clever (hoax, gala).
4. Such extravaganzas as the “Night of 100 Stars” are usually designed to be (gala, wan)
charity benefits for worthy causes.
5. Is there any country in the world in which the terrible (affliction, impostor) of poverty has
been entirely overcome?
6. By continuing to praise his extremely modest accomplishments, you are helping to (inflate,
transmit) his already oversized ego.
7. Education and compassion are the only weapons by which we will (heed, vanquish)
prejudice and superstition once and for all.
8. After a lifetime of travel in dozens of countries all over the world, she is highly
(cosmopolitan, akin) in her tastes and ideas.
9. Shakespeare’s advice about dressing – “rich, not (gaudy, akin): - still holds true in today’s
world.
10. Have you ever noticed that as the sun sinks lower in the sky, shadows become (elongated,
cosmopolitan)?
11. A “viewing diet” made up of entirely of game shows may be entertaining, but it is not
particularly (meager, nutritious), mentally speaking.
12. The man’s pathetically (wan, elongated) personality is matched only by the hopelessly
bland and lifeless statements that issue from his mouth.
13. My mind and body were so (oppressed, heeded) by the stifling heat that afternoon that I
couldn’t do anything at all.
14. I’d describe nostalgia as a feeling more (meager, akin) to yearning than to grief.
15. We won the game because we kept our heads and paid no (gratitude, heed) to the insulting
remarks made by our opponents.
16. When she came out on the stage, she was greeted by a (meager, gaudy) round of applause;
before she left, she had the audience cheering.
17. He claimed to be a famous multimillionaire, but when he tried to borrow bus fare, we
realized he was a(n) (pedestrian, impostor).
18. Is it necessary for you to go into the woods to (meditate, inflate) every time you have to
make a routine decision?
19. Each scholarship candidate was identified by a number, so that the people doing the grading
would be absolutely (impartial, pedestrian).
20. Mere words cannot express our (affliction, gratitude) for your splendid services to our
school.