ADVANCING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit Two: Chapter 7
• equivocate
• propensity
• fortuitous
• reprehensible
• impeccable
• sham
• liaison
• solace
• predisposed
• solicitous
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 equivocate
– verb
• Bob can’t get his boss to say whether or not he intends to give
him a raise. When Bob asks him, he equivocates, saying,
“You’ve been doing good work, Bob.”
• Lonnell doesn’t want to come right out and tell Tiffany he
doesn’t love her. If she asks, he equivocates by telling her
something like “You know how I feel.”
Equivocate means
A. to be blunt.
B. to be unclear.
C. to deny.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 equivocate
– verb
• Bob can’t get his boss to say whether or not he intends to give
him a raise. When Bob asks him, he equivocates, saying,
“You’ve been doing good work, Bob.”
• Lonnell doesn’t want to come right out and tell Tiffany he
doesn’t love her. If she asks, he equivocates by telling her
something like “You know how I feel.”
Equivocate means
A. to be blunt.
B. to be unclear.
C. to deny.
The boss’s answer is unclear as to whether or not he will give Bob
a raise. Similarly, Lonnell’s statement is unclear as to whether he
loves Tiffany or not.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 fortuitous
– adjective
• The birth of triplets wasn’t entirely fortuitous. The mother had
taken a fertility drug, which often causes multiple births.
• It was strictly fortuitous that Vince found his missing class
notes. They happened to drop out of his dictionary when it fell to
the floor.
Fortuitous means
A. accidental.
B. predictable.
C. overdue.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 fortuitous
– adjective
• The birth of triplets wasn’t entirely fortuitous. The mother had
taken a fertility drug, which often causes multiple births.
• It was strictly fortuitous that Vince found his missing class
notes. They happened to drop out of his dictionary when it fell to
the floor.
Fortuitous means
A. accidental.
B. predictable.
C. overdue.
Since the mother had taken a drug that often causes multiple births,
the birth of triplets was not entirely accidental. Since Vince’s missing
notes just happened to fall out when the dictionary fell on the floor,
finding the notes was strictly accidental.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 impeccable
– adjective
• My aunt always looks stylish but never overdressed. Her taste in
clothes is impeccable.
• When she auditioned for the play, Julie gave an impeccable
performance. She read the lines perfectly and got the part.
Impeccable means
A. flawless.
B. deceptive.
C. faulty.
Two impeccably dressed sailors
Photo: Chelsea Kennedy/U.S. Navy
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 impeccable
– adjective
• My aunt always looks stylish but never overdressed. Her taste in
clothes is impeccable.
• When she auditioned for the play, Julie gave an impeccable
performance. She read the lines perfectly and got the part.
Impeccable means
A. flawless.
B. deceptive.
C. faulty.
Two impeccably dressed sailors
Photo: Chelsea Kennedy/U.S. Navy
Since the aunt looks stylish but not
overdressed, her taste in clothes must
be flawless. In the second item, the
word perfectly is a clue that
impeccable means “flawless.”
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 liaison
– noun
• The president of the Student Council acts as a liaison between the
students and the administration.
• Because she is bilingual, Elena often serves as a liaison between
the Spanish- and English-speaking personnel in her office.
Liaison means
A. a follower.
B. a caregiver.
C. a link.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 liaison
– noun
• The president of the Student Council acts as a liaison between the
students and the administration.
• Because she is bilingual, Elena often serves as a liaison between
the Spanish- and English-speaking personnel in her office.
Liaison means
A. a follower.
B. a caregiver.
C. a link.
The president of the Student Council is a link between the students
and the administration. Being bilingual allows Elena to be a link
between the Spanish- and the English-speaking personnel.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 predisposed
– adjective
• Terry didn’t want to move in the first place, so she was
predisposed to hate the new apartment.
• As a Brad Pitt fan, I’m predisposed to enjoy any movie he stars
in.
Predisposed means
A. unlikely.
B. likely.
C. pretending.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 predisposed
– adjective
• Terry didn’t want to move in the first place, so she was
predisposed to hate the new apartment.
• As a Brad Pitt fan, I’m predisposed to enjoy any movie he stars
in.
Predisposed means
A. unlikely.
B. likely.
C. pretending.
Since Terry didn’t want to move, she would be likely to hate the new
apartment. A Brad Pitt fan is likely to enjoy any movie he stars in.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 propensity
– noun
• Because Ivan has a propensity to gain weight, he watches what
he eats.
• Cheryl is aware of her propensity to blab, so she warns her
friends not to tell her anything they wouldn’t want repeated.
Propensity means
A. a coincidence.
B. an inclination.
C. a concern.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 propensity
– noun
• Because Ivan has a propensity to gain weight, he watches what
he eats.
• Cheryl is aware of her propensity to blab, so she warns her
friends not to tell her anything they wouldn’t want repeated.
Propensity means
A. a coincidence.
B. an inclination.
C. a concern.
If Ivan has to watch what he eats, he must have an inclination to
gain weight. Since Cheryl warns her friends not to tell her anything
they wouldn’t want repeated, she must have an inclination to blab.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 reprehensible
– adjective
• The Riordans never discipline their son. No matter how
reprehensible his behavior is, they just say, “Kids will be kids.”
• The company’s failure to clean up the oil spill was reprehensible
and drew harsh criticism.
Reprehensible means
A. shameful.
B. misleading.
C. uncertain.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 reprehensible
– adjective
• The Riordans never discipline their son. No matter how
reprehensible his behavior is, they just say, “Kids will be kids.”
• The company’s failure to clean up the oil spill was reprehensible
and drew harsh criticism.
Reprehensible means
A. shameful.
B. misleading.
C. uncertain.
One would expect the Riordans to discipline their son when his
behavior is shameful—but they don’t. A company’s failure to clean
up an oil spill is shameful.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 sham
– noun
• Karen’s apparent affection for Raul is a sham. He’s rich, and she
cares only about his money.
• When the city inspectors came, the restaurant kitchen was
sparkling. However, such cleanliness was a sham—the place is
usually filthy.
Sham means
A. something false.
B. something confusing.
C. something accidental.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 sham
– noun
• Karen’s apparent affection for Raul is a sham. He’s rich, and she
cares only about his money.
• When the city inspectors came, the restaurant kitchen was
sparkling. However, such cleanliness was a sham—the place is
usually filthy.
Sham means
A. something false.
B. something confusing.
C. something accidental.
Since Karen cares only about Raul’s money, her apparent affection
for him is something false. Since the kitchen is usually filthy, its
being sparkling clean for the city inspectors is something false.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 solace
– noun
• After a family quarrel, Tamara finds solace in the privacy and
quiet of her own room.
• Whenever I’m upset and need solace, I call my friend Lisa.
Talking to her always makes me feel better.
Solace means
A. excitement.
B. perfection.
C. relief.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 solace
– noun
• After a family quarrel, Tamara finds solace in the privacy and
quiet of her own room.
• Whenever I’m upset and need solace, I call my friend Lisa.
Talking to her always makes me feel better.
Solace means
A. excitement.
B. perfection.
C. relief.
The privacy and quiet of her own room would provide Tamara
with relief after a quarrel. The words feel better suggest that
talking with Lisa offers relief from being upset.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 solicitous
– adjective
• The waiter was overly solicitous. He kept interrupting our
conversation to ask, “Is everything all right here?”
• Solicitous toward her elderly neighbor, Marie calls every day to
see how he is feeling and if he needs anything.
Solicitous means
A. distant.
B. attentive.
C. patient.
“I understand that you
are being solicitous, but you aren’t
allowed to come to work with me!”
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 solicitous
– adjective
• The waiter was overly solicitous. He kept interrupting our
conversation to ask, “Is everything all right here?”
• Solicitous toward her elderly neighbor, Marie calls every day to
see how he is feeling and if he needs anything.
Solicitous means
A. distant.
B. attentive.
C. patient.
If the waiter kept interrupting the
conversation, he was being overly
“I understand that you
attentive. Marie’s actions show that
are being solicitous, but you aren’t she is attentive toward her elderly
allowed to come to work with me!”
neighbor.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. equivocate B. fortuitous
F. propensity
C. impeccable
G. reprehensible H. sham
D. liaison
E. predisposed
I. solace
J. solicitous
1. When my grandmother died, I found __________ in the
thought that she had lived a long, happy life.
2. Jan writes at least three drafts of every paper so that the
final result will be _________. She wants each assignment
she turns in to be perfect.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. equivocate B. fortuitous
F. propensity
C. impeccable
G. reprehensible H. sham
D. liaison
E. predisposed
I. solace
J. solicitous
1. When my grandmother died, I found _________
solace in the
thought that she had lived a long, happy life.
Thinking of the dead grandmother’s long, happy life would give
the grandchild comfort.
2. Jan writes at least three drafts of every paper so that the
final result will be impeccable
_________. She wants each assignment
she turns in to be perfect.
The word perfect tells you the meaning of impeccable.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. equivocate B. fortuitous
F. propensity
C. impeccable
G. reprehensible H. sham
D. liaison
E. predisposed
I. solace
J. solicitous
3. The boss is in a rotten mood today, so he’s not __________
to tolerate any mistakes.
4. My brother and I are both grown up, but Mom is still ________
about our health. She says, “You’ll always be my babies.”
5. Many people consider child abuse such a ___________ crime
that they think the penalties should be as harsh as possible.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. equivocate B. fortuitous
F. propensity
C. impeccable
G. reprehensible H. sham
D. liaison
E. predisposed
I. solace
J. solicitous
3. The boss is in a rotten mood today, so he’s not __________
predisposed
to tolerate any mistakes.
A person in a rotten mood would not be inclined to tolerate mistakes.
4. My brother and I are both grown up, but Mom is still ________
solicitous
about our health. She says, “You’ll always be my babies.”
Since Mom feels that her grown children are still her babies, she
continues to be attentive to their health.
5. Many people consider child abuse such a ___________
reprehensible crime
that they think the penalties should be as harsh as possible.
Most people would agree that child abuse is a shameful crime.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. equivocate B. fortuitous
F. propensity
C. impeccable
G. reprehensible H. sham
D. liaison
E. predisposed
I. solace
J. solicitous
6. The “going-out-of-business” sale was a __________.
A year later, the store was still open.
7. It’s hard to believe that Stacy, with her __________ for
flashy clothes and nightlife, has become a missionary.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. equivocate B. fortuitous
F. propensity
C. impeccable
G. reprehensible H. sham
D. liaison
E. predisposed
I. solace
J. solicitous
6. The “going-out-of-business” sale was a __________.
sham
A year later, the store was still open.
Since the store was still open a year later, the sale was only a pretense.
7. It’s hard to believe that Stacy, with her __________
propensity for
flashy clothes and nightlife, has become a missionary.
Since Stacy has a preference for flashy cloths and nightlife, it would
be hard to believe she became a missionary.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. equivocate B. fortuitous
F. propensity
C. impeccable
G. reprehensible H. sham
D. liaison
E. predisposed
I. solace
J. solicitous
8. Unexpectedly, I ran into a former neighbor who had just
started her own business. The __________ meeting led to
a summer job offer for me.
9. For several months, Olive acted as a __________ between
her divorced parents, but she finally insisted that they deal
with each other directly.
10. The job candidate _______(e)d when he said he’d been
“working out West.” Actually, he’d been a ski bum for three
years.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. equivocate B. fortuitous
F. propensity
C. impeccable
G. reprehensible H. sham
D. liaison
E. predisposed
I. solace
J. solicitous
8. Unexpectedly, I ran into a former neighbor who had just
started her own business. The __________
fortuitous meeting led to
a summer job offer for me.
If the meeting led to a job offer, it was a lucky meeting.
9. For several months, Olive acted as a __________
between
liaison
her divorced parents, but she finally insisted that they deal
with each other directly.
If Olive finally insisted her parents deal with each other directly, she
must have been acting as a go-between.
10. The job candidate __________
equivocated when he said he’d been
“working out West.” Actually, he’d been a ski bum for three
years.
Since he was a ski bum, he was being deliberately vague and misleading.