BUILDING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit Four: Chapter 21
• affirm
• essence
• alleged
• immunity
• allude
• impair
• coerce
• query
• elite
• sadistic
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 affirm
– verb
• The witness affirmed in court that he had seen the defendant
commit the robbery.
• During the wedding ceremony, Lana did affirm that she would
love and honor Joseph, but she did not state that she would obey
him.
Affirm means
A. to fear.
B. to state.
C. to write.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 affirm
– verb
• The witness affirmed in court that he had seen the defendant
commit the robbery.
• During the wedding ceremony, Lana did affirm that she would
love and honor Joseph, but she did not state that she would obey
him.
Affirm means
A. to fear.
B. to state.
C. to write.
A witness would state in court what he had seen. In the second
item, the word state tells you the meaning of affirm.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 alleged
– adjective
• The alleged killer was never proven guilty in court, but many
people believe he committed the murder.
• Nan, who believed Luther was innocent of starting the fire,
reminded her friends that his guilt was only alleged.
Alleged means
A. assumed.
B. admired.
C. harmless.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 alleged
– adjective
• The alleged killer was never proven guilty in court, but many
people believe he committed the murder.
• Nan, who believed Luther was innocent of starting the fire,
reminded her friends that his guilt was only alleged.
Alleged means
A. assumed.
B. admired.
C. harmless.
If people believe the man is guilty but his guilt is not proven, he
is only the assumed killer. Nan reminds her friends that the man
she believes is innocent is only assumed to be guilty.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 allude
– verb
• Although the mayor won’t use her opponent’s name, she plans to
allude to him by mentioning the scandal he’s involved in.
• Tracy alluded to Santiago’s weight gain by calling him “Santa.”
Allude means
A. to clearly mention.
B. to hint at.
C. to keep.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 allude
– verb
• Although the mayor won’t use her opponent’s name, she plans to
allude to him by mentioning the scandal he’s involved in.
• Tracy alluded to Santiago’s weight gain by calling him “Santa.”
Allude means
A. to clearly mention.
B. to hint at.
C. to keep.
The mayor will hint at her opponent’s name by mentioning
the scandal. By calling Santiago “Santa,” Tracy is hinting at
his weight gain.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 coerce
– verb
• To coerce the general into giving up, the rebels kidnapped his
daughter.
• Our gym teacher used to coerce us into doing fifty sit-ups by
refusing to let anyone leave before we all had finished.
Coerce means
A. to talk.
B. to join.
C. to force.
“Do you ever get the feeling that the
boss is trying to coerce us into
taking shorter coffee breaks?”
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 coerce
– verb
• To coerce the general into giving up, the rebels kidnapped his
daughter.
• Our gym teacher used to coerce us into doing fifty sit-ups by
refusing to let anyone leave before we all had finished.
Coerce means
A. to talk.
B. to join.
C. to force.
“Do you ever get the feeling that the
boss is trying to coerce us into
taking shorter coffee breaks?”
Kidnapping the general’s daughter
might force him into giving up. By
refusing to let anyone leave, the
gym teacher forces the class into
doing fifty sit-ups.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 elite
– adjective
• The 57th was the elite military unit. Its members were the
toughest and the smartest and had trained the longest.
• The elite neighborhood in town is surrounded by a high fence
and has a guard at its gates.
Elite means
A. worst.
B. best.
C. least important.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 elite
– adjective
• The 57th was the elite military unit. Its members were the
toughest and the smartest and had trained the longest.
• The elite neighborhood in town is surrounded by a high fence
and has a guard at its gates.
Elite means
A. worst.
B. best.
C. least important.
If the members are the toughest, the strongest, and the most trained,
the 57th is the best military unit. A high fence and a guard at the
gates suggests that the neighborhood is the best or most privileged.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 essence
– noun
• Trust is the essence of a good relationship; without it, the
relationship won’t last.
• Boiled down to its essence, the lecture can be stated in one short
sentence: Much important work gets done in America by
volunteers.
Essence means
A. the main part.
B. the opposite.
C. the sad part.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 essence
– noun
• Trust is the essence of a good relationship; without it, the
relationship won’t last.
• Boiled down to its essence, the lecture can be stated in one short
sentence: Much important work gets done in America by
volunteers.
Essence means
A. the main part.
B. the opposite.
C. the sad part.
If a good relationship won’t last without trust, trust must be
the main part of a good relationship. The heart or main part
of the lecture can be stated in one sentence.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 immunity
– noun
• Foreign ambassadors often park in no-parking zones because
they have immunity from parking fines.
• When the actor punched a police officer, even his wealth and
fame didn’t get him immunity from jail.
Immunity means
A. recognition.
B. freedom.
C. an income.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 immunity
– noun
• Foreign ambassadors often park in no-parking zones because
they have immunity from parking fines.
• When the actor punched a police officer, even his wealth and
fame didn’t get him immunity from jail.
Immunity means
A. recognition.
B. freedom.
C. an income.
Having freedom from parking fines results in ambassadors often
parking in no-parking zones. Wealth and fame were not enough
to get the actor freedom from jail.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 impair
– verb
• Listening to very loud music for extended periods of time
impairs hearing by damaging the inner ear.
• The auto accident impaired my ability to walk, leaving me with
a limp.
Impair means
A. to involve.
B. to repair.
C. to harm.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 impair
– verb
• Listening to very loud music for extended periods of time
impairs hearing by damaging the inner ear.
• The auto accident impaired my ability to walk, leaving me with
a limp.
Impair means
A. to involve.
B. to repair.
C. to harm.
Loud music harms the hearing. The word damaging is a clue. If
one limps, one’s ability to walk has been harmed by the accident.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 query
– verb
• If no printed schedule is available, please query the person at the
information booth to learn the time of your train’s arrival or
departure.
• Reporters repeatedly queried the candidate about whether he
would raise taxes, but his only reply was “No comment.”
Query means
A. to ask.
B. to quote.
C. to answer.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 query
– verb
• If no printed schedule is available, please query the person at the
information booth to learn the time of your train’s arrival or
departure.
• Reporters repeatedly queried the candidate about whether he
would raise taxes, but his only reply was “No comment.”
Query means
A. to ask.
B. to quote.
C. to answer.
You need to ask at the information booth to learn the arrival or
departure time. Reporters would ask the candidate about raising
taxes.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 sadistic
– adjective
• Cats seem to be naturally sadistic. Instead of killing their victims
quickly, they like to make the process slow and drawn-out.
• Our sadistic science teacher had a strange way of teaching about
electrical currents. First, he had us hold hands in a circle. Then he
put one student’s hand on a wire with a slight electrical charge.
Sadistic means
A. sad.
B. cruel.
C. rude.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 sadistic
– adjective
• Cats seem to be naturally sadistic. Instead of killing their victims
quickly, they like to make the process slow and drawn-out.
• Our sadistic science teacher had a strange way of teaching about
electrical currents. First, he had us hold hands in a circle. Then he
put one student’s hand on a wire with a slight electrical charge.
Sadistic means
A. sad.
B. cruel.
C. rude.
To kill in a slow and drawn-out way is cruel. Teaching students
about electrical currents by giving them electric shocks is cruel.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. affirm
B. alleged
C. allude
D. coerce
E. elite
F. essence
G. immunity
H. impair
I. query
J. sadistic
1. The Puritan colonists ________(e)d Native Americans
into slavery by capturing and selling them to buyers in
the West Indies.
2. The __________ war criminal had laughed while he
tortured his victims.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. affirm
B. alleged
C. allude
D. coerce
E. elite
F. essence
G. immunity
H. impair
I. query
J. sadistic
1. The Puritan colonists ___________
Native Americans
coerced
into slavery by capturing and selling them to buyers in
the West Indies.
Capturing and selling the Native Americans forced them into slavery.
2. The __________
sadistic war criminal had laughed while he
tortured his victims.
A person who laughs while torturing victims must take pleasure
from being cruel.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. affirm
B. alleged
C. allude
D. coerce
E. elite
F. essence
G. immunity
H. impair
I. query
J. sadistic
3. Drugs and alcohol __________ a person’s ability to drive.
4. The __________ of a paragraph is stated in its topic
sentence.
5. As a child, I didn’t enjoy total __________ from punishment,
but my parents rarely spanked me.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. affirm
B. alleged
C. allude
D. coerce
E. elite
F. essence
G. immunity
H. impair
I. query
J. sadistic
3. Drugs and alcohol __________
a person’s ability to drive.
impair
Drugs and alcohol weaken a person’s ability to drive.
4. The __________
essence of a paragraph is stated in its topic
sentence.
The main idea (main part) of the paragraph is stated in its topic
sentence.
5. As a child, I didn’t enjoy total __________
immunity from punishment,
but my parents rarely spanked me.
If the parents occasionally spanked the child, he or she didn’t have
total freedom from punishment.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. affirm
B. alleged
C. allude
D. coerce
E. elite
F. essence
G. immunity
H. impair
I. query
J. sadistic
6. During the spelling bee, the judge would__________ that a
spelling was correct by nodding silently.
7. The __________ car thief could not possibly be guilty.
Not only was he out of town on the day of the theft, but
he cannot drive.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. affirm
B. alleged
C. allude
D. coerce
E. elite
F. essence
G. immunity
H. impair
I. query
J. sadistic
6. During the spelling bee, the judge would__________
that a
affirm
spelling was correct by nodding silently.
The judge’s nod indicated that the spelling was correct.
7. The __________
car thief could not possibly be guilty.
alleged
Not only was he out of town on the day of the theft, but
he cannot drive.
If he can’t even drive, the supposed car thief could not be guilty.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. affirm
B. alleged
C. allude
D. coerce
E. elite
F. essence
G. immunity
H. impair
I. query
J. sadistic
8. A(n) __________ group of doctors, including the
country’s top brain surgeons, met to discuss a new
operation.
9. When two people are arrested for the same crime, the
police __________ them separately to see if they give the
same answers.
10. My brother and I used secret names to __________ to
certain relatives. For example, if we wished to speak about
Aunt Dotty, we instead spoke about “an old Chevy.”
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. affirm
B. alleged
C. allude
D. coerce
E. elite
F. essence
G. immunity
H. impair
I. query
J. sadistic
8. A ____________
group of doctors, including the
elite
country’s top brain surgeons, met to discuss a new
operation.
A group including the top brain surgeons would be a superior group.
9. When two people are arrested for the same crime, the
police __________
them separately to see if they give the
query
same answers.
The police would question the two people separately. The word
answers is a clue.
10. My brother and I used secret names to __________
to
allude
certain relatives. For example, if we wished to speak about
Aunt Dotty, we instead spoke about “an old Chevy.”
Using “an old Chevy” to speak about Aunt Dotty is to refer to
her indirectly.