Power Practice
for use with Vocabulary Power Plus for the New SAT
Book Three
21 Lessons
315 Words
Practice Contexts
BOOK THREE
Table of Contents
Preface
Lesson 1
Lesson 8
Lesson 15
Lesson 2
Lesson 9
Lesson 16
Lesson 3
Lesson 10
Lesson 17
Lesson 4
Lesson 11
Lesson 18
Lesson 5
Lesson 12
Lesson 19
Lesson 6
Lesson 13
Lesson 20
Lesson 7
Lesson 14
Lesson 21
Practice
Each single word exercise is
contained on a three-part slide.
The first slide provides a context for
the word. Examine the context and
think of words that would fit.
Contents
Practice
The first click provides a bank of
words.
One of the words will fit the context
better than any of the others.
Contents
Practice
The second click identifies the correct
choice.
Contents
Lesson One
Contents
Lesson One
The ____ candidate ended his political career
when, upon hearing a loud noise, he shielded
himself behind a child.
(A) noble
(B) factious
(C) ignoble
(D) glorious
(E) erotic
Contents
Lesson One
After sitting on the road for two days, the deer
had become ____ and only to the vultures was
it fit to eat.
(A) carrion
(B) noble
(C) glorious
(D) factious
(E) fervent
Contents
Lesson One
The relentless cold ____ Lina so completely
that she just wanted to lie down and sleep in
the snow.
(A) resolved
(B) energized
(C) strengthened
(D) rectified
(E) enervated
Contents
Lesson One
The advertising agency takes a(n) ____
concept and transforms it into a real and
powerful product.
(A) permanent
(B) amorphous
(C) fervent
(D) united
(E) opulent
Contents
Lesson One
Louie the Lip squealed on the mob and is now
hidden under the ____ of the witness
protection program.
(A) aegis
(B) boor
(C) stupidity
(D) sophisticate
(E) egoism
Contents
Lesson One
Since life is ____, it should be lived to the
fullest every moment.
(A) apathetic
(B) amorphous
(C) ephemeral
(D) factious
(E) belligerent
Contents
Lesson One
The ____ political parties degenerated into
quarreling splinter groups.
(A) cooperative
(B) factious
(C) united
(D) erotic
(E) apathetic
Contents
Lesson One
General Sun Tzu advised the young officer,
“When you ____ your enemies, always leave
them an escape; otherwise, they’ll fight for
their lives.”
(A) factious
(B) carrion
(C) rectify
(D) besiege
(E) boor
Contents
Lesson One
The wealthy heir took ____ for granted and
never learned how to support himself
financially.
(A) boors
(B) stupidity
(C) ignorance
(D) magnanimity
(E) opulence
Contents
Lesson One
Endless questions during the press conference
challenged the ____ of the CEO.
(A) ignorance
(B) aegis
(C) perspicacity
(D) stupidity
(E) selfishness
Contents
Lesson One
From a narrow perspective, ____ can be called
selfish when donors seek publicity for their
giving.
(A) stupidity
(B) perspicacity
(C) perceptiveness
(D) altruism
(E) ignorance
Contents
Lesson One
Lyndon found it impossible to ____ the
hopeless situation, so he resigned.
(A) rectify
(B) exhaust
(C) besiege
(D) devitalize
(E) enervate
Contents
Lesson One
“You are ____ and churls,” scolded the
frustrated headmaster.
(A) sophisticates
(B) boors
(C) carrion
(D) aegises
(E) altruists
Contents
Lesson One
After barely surviving three days lost in the
mountains, Tim became a(n) ____ supporter
of wilderness survival programs.
(A) opulent
(B) fervent
(C) apathetic
(D) ignoble
(E) despicable
Contents
Lesson One
Placed in public view, the ____ sculpture was
sure to become an object of controversy.
(A) amorphous
(B) factious
(C) belligerent
(D) erotic
(E) apathetic
Contents
Lesson Two
Contents
Lesson Two
Rage transformed the losing team into ____
rabble.
(A) burning
(B) erotic
(C) opaque
(D) bestial
(E) glorious
Contents
Lesson Two
The skilled debater made an opponent’s point
appear to be the ____ of what he meant.
(A) carrion
(B) aegis
(C) antithesis
(D) altruism
(E) egoism
Contents
Lesson Two
Novelist Victor Hugo said that ____ has no
substance because there is no such thing as
nothingness: everything is something.
(A) nihilism
(B) carrion
(C) emendation
(D) hindrance
(E) improvement
Contents
Lesson Two
The minotaur, a half-man, half-bull creature,
lurked within the winding passages of the
____.
(A) buffoon
(B) clown
(C) labyrinth
(D) boor
(E) chagrin
Contents
Lesson Two
Meticulous authors obsess about mistakes and
enjoy making ____ before their books are
printed.
(A) boors
(B) maelstroms
(C) carrion
(D) aegises
(E) emendations
Contents
Lesson Two
A former United States Vice President called
the media a(n) “____ corps of impudent
snobs.”
(A) noble
(B) fervent
(C) effete
(D) glorious
(E) cooperative
Contents
Lesson Two
Overcome by ____, Hortense blushed and
backed out of the room.
(A) altruism
(B) chagrin
(C) perspicacity
(D) magnanimity
(E) carrion
Contents
Lesson Two
The critic listened to the tired, ____ rhythms
of the band and declared the group “a
celebration of the mediocre.”
(A) thrilling
(B) exciting
(C) bland
(D) opulent
(E) factious
Contents
Lesson Two
The end caught an easy pass, made it look
heroic, then ____ foolishly at the middle of
the football field.
(A) gloated
(B) besieged
(C) enervated
(D) devitalized
(E) exhausted
Contents
Lesson Two
The bodybuilder felt ____ when he used brain,
not brawn.
(A) amorphous
(B) ephemeral
(C) opulent
(D) impotent
(E) transient
Contents
Lesson Two
Jealousy made Aaron an obvious ____
between his former girlfriend and the personal
trainer.
(A) clown
(B) aegis
(C) impediment
(D) sophisticate
(E) altruism
Contents
Lesson Two
Early in the morning, salespeople blanket TV,
pushing the most ostentatious ____
imaginable.
(A) boors
(B) antitheses
(C) chagrin
(D) emendations
(E) baubles
Contents
Lesson Two
The super villain threw a compact car through
the plate glass window of the coffeehouse,
sending ____ flying in all directions.
(A) shards
(B) sophisticates
(C) antitheses
(D) labyrinths
(E) emendations
Contents
Lesson Two
Bobbing helplessly about, their rowboat
approached the raging ____.
(A) antithesis
(B) maelstrom
(C) carrion
(D) ignorance
(E) boor
Contents
Lesson Two
Only certain audacious starlets have the nerve
to wear ____ dresses for red carpet
appearances.
(A) belligerent
(B) factious
(C) despicable
(D) diaphanous
(E) contentious
Contents
Lesson Three
Contents
Lesson Three
In law, circumstances that ____ a crime may
call for less punishment.
(A) deviate
(B) extenuate
(C) impale
(D) obfuscate
(E) obscure
Contents
Lesson Three
____ nostalgia and patriotism have made the
Gettysburg Address more famous than it was
when Lincoln first gave it.
(A) Bestial
(B) Impotent
(C) Effete
(D) Opulent
(E) Adventitious
Contents
Lesson Three
For a dedicated writer, it is a serious error to
____, not clarify, with language.
(A) besiege
(B) rectify
(C) obfuscate
(D) gloat
(E) elucidate
Contents
Lesson Three
The ____ orders misled the platoon into a
minefield.
(A) parochial
(B) bestial
(C) ambiguous
(D) diaphanous
(E) opulent
Contents
Lesson Three
Her friends seldom refused when Kim ____
them for a ride to school.
(A) importuned
(B) edified
(C) enervated
(D) impaled
(E) deviated
Contents
Lesson Three
Although he often seemed to ____, he claimed
to be smiling in his heart.
(A) obfuscate
(B) rectify
(C) extenuate
(D) glower
(E) impale
Contents
Lesson Three
Stan did all he could to hype the essay, but he
delivered only a ____ and unsatisfying result.
(A) potent
(B) pedestrian
(C) diaphanous
(D) gossamer
(E) powerful
Contents
Lesson Three
Bret’s ____ notions about art and history
disappeared after he visited several museums.
(A) passionate
(B) erotic
(C) powerful
(D) potent
(E) parochial
Contents
Lesson Three
Gwen’s ____ imagination has produced many
books that have brought critical and popular
acclaim.
(A) bestial
(B) impotent
(C) fecund
(D) bland
(E) effete
Contents
Lesson Three
After tasting the bears’ bowls of porridge,
Goldilocks found one that was the ____
temperature.
(A) parochial
(B) ignoble
(C) effete
(D) optimum
(E) impotent
Contents
Lesson Three
Always ____, never stupefy, the veteran
teacher advised.
(A) glower
(B) edify
(C) deviate
(D) extenuate
(E) obfuscate
Contents
Lesson Three
He thought in a linear fashion, with no room to
____.
(A) deviate
(B) gloat
(C) besiege
(D) revel
(E) crow
Contents
Lesson Three
Although the team put forth a(n) ____ effort,
they suffered their eighth straight loss.
(A) ephemeral
(B) gossamer
(C) amorphous
(D) bona fide
(E) impotent
Contents
Lesson Three
Punji sticks are very sharp bamboo stakes
placed in holes to ____ unsuspecting soldiers.
(A) rectify
(B) deviate
(C) obfuscate
(D) gloat
(E) impale
Contents
Lesson Three
An island volcano, Krakatoa, exploded in a
____ that produced a tidal wave 120 feet high.
(A) labyrinth
(B) bauble
(C) cataclysm
(D) boor
(E) nihilism
Contents
Lesson Four
Contents
Lesson Four
With ____ intent, the professor asked the
yawning student if he would like to take a nap
before the exam began.
(A) facetious
(B) fecund
(C) factious
(D) bestial
(E) celibate
Contents
Lesson Four
Aimee functioned as a(n) ____ director in the
amateur theater group.
(A) ephemeral(B) imperative(C) bestial(D) quasi(E) ambiguousContents
Lesson Four
The magazine asserted that no topic or person
would be ____ or ruled out as a subject for
satire.
(A) ephemeral
(B) bestial
(C) sacrosanct
(D) bona fide
(E) perfunctory
Contents
Lesson Four
____ moments affect lives as certainly as
planned actions.
(A) Fortuitous
(B) Parochial
(C) Diaphanous
(D) Bona fide
(E) Ambiguous
Contents
Lesson Four
The peace talks became an utter ____ when an
insult prompted General Reynolds to strike the
opposing commander with a folding chair.
(A) bauble
(B) antithesis
(C) hedonism
(D) labyrinth
(E) debacle
Contents
Lesson Four
Project a calm ____, and never let them see
you sweat.
(A) impediment
(B) emendation
(C) demeanor
(D) labyrinth
(E) shard
Contents
Lesson Four
He was a ____ friend but an attentive
husband.
(A) parochial
(B) fecund
(C) fortuitous
(D) perfunctory
(E) celibate
Contents
Lesson Four
The squad leader’s rising voice conveyed an
absolute, ____ urgency.
(A) bland
(B) imperative
(C) impotent
(D) erotic
(E) celibate
Contents
Lesson Four
Matt abandoned himself to a life of selfindulgent ____.
(A) antithesis
(B) perspicacity
(C) maelstrom
(D) carrion
(E) hedonism
Contents
Lesson Four
When training, many boxers remain ____ to
focus their attention and energies on the
forthcoming fight.
(A) ephemeral
(B) celibate
(C) factious
(D) pedestrian
(E) impotent
Contents
Lesson Four
During a fight-club rumble, Sully fell into the
gutter and ____ his white tuxedo.
(A) impaled
(B) deviated
(C) besmirched
(D) rectified
(E) edified
Contents
Lesson Four
With elaborate phrases and language, the
author constructed a novel of ____
proportions.
(A) adventitious
(B) baroque
(C) impotent
(D) bland
(E) ambiguous
Contents
Lesson Four
Arthur slept through class and hoped a friend
would ____ the lecture accurately.
(A) recapitulate
(B) extenuate
(C) impale
(D) enervate
(E) gloat
Contents
Lesson Four
Escaped Nazi war criminals incurred so much
____ that government agents spent lifetimes
hunting them down.
(A) hedonism
(B) emendation
(C) obloquy
(D) perspicacity
(E) cataclysm
Contents
Lesson Four
The constitution exists, in part, to keep
dictators or kings from performing ____ acts
against citizens.
(A) parochial
(B) pedestrian
(C) optimum
(D) sadistic
(E) opulent
Contents
Lesson Five
Contents
Lesson Five
Modern life can oppress us with a nameless
and ____ feeling of dread.
(A) sanguine
(B) celibate
(C) nebulous
(D) bland
(E) ebullient
Contents
Lesson Five
After Dr. Thomas Bowdler expurgated
Shakespeare, many angry critics began
asserting that to censor a book is to ____ it.
(A) besmirch
(B) extenuate
(C) bowdlerize
(D) impale
(E) obfuscate
Contents
Lesson Five
The ____ teacher paraded his knowledge of
tiny facts and ignored the important ideas in
the book.
(A) pedantic
(B) baroque
(C) opulent
(D) sacrosanct
(E) diaphanous
Contents
Lesson Five
Rob faced the pleasant ____ of choosing to go
to the movies or play video games.
(A) maelstrom
(B) chagrin
(C) debacle
(D) obloquy
(E) quandary
Contents
Lesson Five
Standing sternly in the pulpit, the preacher
hurled ____ at the stunned congregation.
(A) maelstroms
(B) obloquies
(C) baubles
(D) imprecations
(E) boors
Contents
Lesson Five
____ must be given only to those who have
earned it.
(A) Obloquy
(B) Deference
(C) Impediment
(D) Nihilism
(E) Hedonism
Contents
Lesson Five
Bigots allows their bias to ____ their sense of
justice.
(A) impair
(B) importune
(C) deviate
(D) impale
(E) recapitulate
Contents
Lesson Five
The “Dapper Don” flashed his patented ____
smile as the feds frog-marched him off to jail.
(A) diaphanous
(B) pedestrian
(C) rakish
(D) sacrosanct
(E) fortuitous
Contents
Lesson Five
A noisily ____ crowd kept the visiting team
from hearing the signals.
(A) pedestrian
(B) ebullient
(C) imperative
(D) ignoble
(E) erotic
Contents
Lesson Five
The author didn’t write an analytical
biography; he threw together a mere ____.
(A) nihilism
(B) debacle
(C) impediment
(D) emendation
(E) panegyric
Contents
Lesson Five
The professor of logic detested false
conclusions and therefore banned ____ from
her classroom.
(A) bona fides
(B) labyrinths
(C) non sequiturs
(D) aegises
(E) emendations
Contents
Lesson Five
The pretentious ____ brought three suitcases
full of clothes for a simple overnight business
trip.
(A) impediment
(B) fop
(C) cataclysm
(D) debacle
(E) chagrin
Contents
Lesson Five
Before being overrun and executed, the
emperor spent most of his time at his summer
palace, feasting and engaging in other ____
pleasures.
(A) carnal
(B) fortuitous
(C) bland
(D) parochial
(E) celibate
Contents
Lesson Five
In deference to the mourners at graveside, the
pastor kept his ____ eloquent but short.
(A) cataclysm
(B) chagrin
(C) hedonism
(D) elegy
(E) imprecation
Contents
Lesson Five
Arlene’s perpetually ____ outlook made some
people wonder if she lived in the real world.
(A) parochial
(B) sanguine
(C) fecund
(D) ambiguous
(E) bestial
Contents
Lesson Six
Contents
Lesson Six
The writer was so afraid of being ____ that he
resorted to strange and baroque language.
(A) banal
(B) fecund
(C) bestial
(D) bon fide
(E) factious
Contents
Lesson Six
The state trooper had the ____ burden of
informing Eric’s parents that their son would
not be coming home.
(A) facetious
(B) onerous
(C) effete
(D) baroque
(E) fortuitous
Contents
Lesson Six
It was ____ in the cafeteria, with food fights
breaking out at tables around the room.
(A) emendation
(B) obloquy
(C) cataclysm
(D) demeanor
(E) bedlam
Contents
Lesson Six
Willa made sure her children knew that their family’s
____ had not come easily; their wealth had required two
generations of toil and sacrifice, from the coal mines to
the board room.
(A) affluence
(B) perspicacity
(C) impediment
(D) quandary
(E) debacle
Contents
Lesson Six
If the build-up of a movie doesn’t grab you, you
won’t stick around for the ____.
(A) antithesis
(B) denouement
(C) impediment
(D) aegis
(E) debacle
Contents
Lesson Six
To ____ a point, the professor stated it in a
variety of ways.
(A) besmirch
(B) glower
(C) elucidate
(D) besiege
(E) glower
Contents
Lesson Six
Al likes to create ____ of popular songs by
replacing the original lyrics with his own
humorous lyrics.
(A) quandaries
(B) debacles
(C) fops
(D) parodies
(E) deference
Contents
Lesson Six
Dawn’s ____ pursuit of success as a surgeon
required years of patience and uncanny focus.
(A) sadistic
(B) perfunctory
(C) ignoble
(D) sedulous
(E) pedantic
Contents
Lesson Six
Remaining ____ in the face of unfair criticism,
the ambassador completed the effective plan.
(A) obdurate
(B) celibate
(C) diaphanous
(D) nebulous
(E) perfunctory
Contents
Lesson Six
“He gets here when he gets here,” said Bruce,
stoically expecting the ____ arrival of the
bounty hunter.
(A) adventitious
(B) sacrosanct
(C) imminent
(D) effete
(E) sanguine
Contents
Lesson Six
With ____ indifference, the killer circled the
room and executed hostages at random.
(A) celibate
(B) amoral
(C) parochial
(D) opulent
(E) fecund
Contents
Lesson Six
____ tactics helped Ethan steal the election.
(A) Parochial
(B) Facetious
(C) Diaphanous
(D) Sacrosanct
(E) Scurrilous
Contents
Lesson Six
First comes ____, and then revenge.
(A) antipathy
(B) demeanor
(C) emendation
(D) non sequitur
(E) nihilism
Contents
Lesson Six
In from the country, Farmer Brown was
determined to ____ the evil vices of the city.
(A) edify
(B) eschew
(C) deviate
(D) extenuate
(E) parody
Contents
Lesson Six
Don’t just skim the chapter— ____ it carefully.
(A) impale
(B) besmirch
(C) peruse
(D) obfuscate
(E) impair
Contents
Lesson Seven
Contents
Lesson Seven
Unlike other primates, humans can ____ their
most bizarre behavior.
(A) deviate
(B) peruse
(C) importune
(D) rationalize
(E) bowdlerize
Contents
Lesson Seven
A ____ in interpretations of law caused the
judges to render a split decision.
(A) panegyric
(B) dichotomy
(C) shard
(D) carrion
(E) demeanor
Contents
Lesson Seven
On the court, the ____ tennis player made
even the most difficult moves look easy.
(A) opulent
(B) importune
(C) bestial
(D) ebullient
(E) adroit
Contents
Lesson Seven
“Try not; do, or do not; there is no try,” said
Yoda, a ____ Jedi master, to Luke Skywalker.
(A) sagacious
(B) pedestrian
(C) parochial
(D) bovine
(E) nebulous
Contents
Lesson Seven
Kristina skipped the fluff and penetrated to the
____ of the argument.
(A) affluence
(B) bauble
(C) quiddity
(D) demeanor
(E) knell
Contents
Lesson Seven
The crowd moved with a kind of ____
slowness, ambling across the road and blocking
traffic.
(A) imperative
(B) bovine
(C) optimum
(D) sacrosanct
(E) amoral
Contents
Lesson Seven
The fashion police saw through Marilyn’s
____ of high-style elegance.
(A) nihilism
(B) hedonism
(C) affectation
(D) denouement
(E) quandary
Contents
Lesson Seven
Deputies asked the ____ sheriff if he knew the
way home, and he just said “Yep.”
(A) parochial
(B) laconic
(C) baroque
(D) pedantic
(E) bestial
Contents
Lesson Seven
Professors think they have a(n) ____
understanding of economics, but most people
live day-to-day.
(A) scurrilous
(B) parochial
(C) fecund
(D) banal
(E) macroscopic
Contents
Lesson Seven
Rosalyn knew how to keep her excusable ____
in the right perspective.
(A) labyrinths
(B) hedonisms
(C) peccadilloes
(D) emendations
(E) fops
Contents
Lesson Seven
Jerry dug into the haystack and ____ out a
needle.
(A) besmirched
(B) impaled
(C) obfuscated
(D) ferreted
(E) extenuated
Contents
Lesson Seven
The superintendent mistakenly entrusted the
care of the dog to ____ and mischievous
youths.
(A) adventitious
(B) ambiguous
(C) sacrosanct
(D) callow
(E) fervent
Contents
Lesson Seven
____ answers to serious questions earned
Archie seriously poor grades.
(A) Fatuous
(B) Optimum
(C) Bona fide
(D) Obdurate
(E) Ebullient
Contents
Lesson Seven
Senators sounded the death ____ for the
amendment when they voted against it.
(A) glower
(B) knell
(C) impediment
(D) parody
(E) debacle
Contents
Lesson Seven
Reporters were looking for thorough answers,
but the caretaker just gave them ____ retorts.
(A) panegyric
(B) fecund
(C) pedantic
(D) imminent
(E) patent
Contents
Lesson Eight
Contents
Lesson Eight
Many insects have ____ receptors, nerve
endings that respond to odorous stimuli, on
their antennae.
(A) olfactory
(B) fecund
(C) fortuitous
(D) laconic
(E) fatuous
Contents
Lesson Eight
Students dreaded the idea of plowing through
the ____ novel.
(A) callow
(B) parochial
(C) bland
(D) recondite
(E) facetious
Contents
Lesson Eight
Some of the tribal art depicted ____ halfhuman, half-animal creatures that stalked the
wilderness in search of human prey.
(A) bovine
(B) fecund
(C) grotesque
(D) fervent
(E) sedulous
Contents
Lesson Eight
Cowardice often motivates bullies to ____
others.
(A) rationalize
(B) deride
(C) peruse
(D) recapitulate
(E) elucidate
Contents
Lesson Eight
Suddenly, the old lady did a perfect handspring
and left the spectators ____.
(A) impaled
(B) imperative
(C) besmirched
(D) macroscopic
(E) agape
Contents
Lesson Eight
Occasionally, every good writer settles for a
____ phrase.
(A) macroscopic
(B) hackneyed
(C) bovine
(D) bestial
(E) fecund
Contents
Lesson Eight
When a certain type of wood dust was
discovered to be a(n) ____, sawmill workers
had to begin wearing respiratory masks.
(A) cataclysm
(B) imprecation
(C) emendation
(D) carcinogen
(E) obloquy
Contents
Lesson Eight
The young lambs ____ across the meadow.
(A) elucidated
(B) obfuscated
(C) deviated
(D) gamboled
(E) parodied
Contents
Lesson Eight
The audience ____ at the comedian and sent
him into an obscene rage.
(A) gibed
(B) elucidated
(C) perused
(D) ferreted
(E) extenuated
Contents
Lesson Eight
The dean ____ the offending students and
then sequestered them from any contact with
others.
(A) recapitulated
(B) ferreted
(C) censured
(D) extenuated
(E) impaired
Contents
Lesson Eight
The ____ prosecuting attorney caused the
witness to flinch by moving toward her
menacingly.
(A) factious
(B) facetious
(C) pedantic
(D) imperious
(E) parochial
Contents
Lesson Eight
Captain Bligh, a British ____, dealt extreme
punishments to his ship’s crew for small
offenses.
(A) boor
(B) bauble
(C) maelstrom
(D) denouement
(E) martinet
Contents
Lesson Eight
In 17th-century America, some wanted alleged
witches to be ____ by burning them at the
stake.
(A) elucidated
(B) importuned
(C) immolated
(D) recapitulated
(E) rationalized
Contents
Lesson Eight
Most ____ have a short shelf life and fail to
achieve permanent dictionary status.
(A) neologisms
(B) demeanors
(C) impediments
(D) altruisms
(E) imprecations
Contents
Lesson Eight
Bogged down in a military ____, the captain
gave the command for a strategic retreat.
(A) dichotomy
(B) emendation
(C) panegyric
(D) quagmire
(E) imprecation
Contents
Lesson Nine
Contents
Lesson Nine
Behold the robin, a ____ of spring.
(A) peccadillo
(B) cataclysm
(C) maelstrom
(D) harbinger
(E) parody
Contents
Lesson Nine
With an ____ approach, Lonnie chose tenets
from all walks of life.
(A) amoral
(B) eclectic
(C) olfactory
(D) ambiguous
(E) erotic
Contents
Lesson Nine
Unwilling to allow his secrets to fall upon
enemy ears, the king imprisoned any servant
he suspected of having heard his political
____.
(A) fops
(B) gambols
(C) denouements
(D) impediments
(E) machinations
Contents
Lesson Nine
Competing claims tested the arbitrator’s ____
in decision-making.
(A) emendation
(B) hedonism
(C) finesse
(D) bedlam
(E) dichotomy
Contents
Lesson Nine
The author’s trademark literary ____ amused
some and annoyed others.
(A) idiosyncrasies
(B) martinets
(C) carcinogens
(D) labyrinths
(E) quagmires
Contents
Lesson Nine
The starlet paraded along the red carpet,
wearing ____ on loan from Givenchy.
(A) dichotomy
(B) peccadillo
(C) raiment
(D) emendation
(E) maelstrom
Contents
Lesson Nine
Eric decided he was not being appreciated
enough for his ____ and successful approach
to life.
(A) ephemeral
(B) fatuous
(C) impotent
(D) sapient
(E) grotesque
Contents
Lesson Nine
It was a ____ crowd, angry, vocal, and
representing all demographics.
(A) celibate
(B) laconic
(C) pedantic
(D) heterogeneous
(E) fecund
Contents
Lesson Nine
When confronted with different explanations,
cynics enjoy selecting the most ____ one.
(A) olfactory
(B) sedulous
(C) diaphanous
(D) fecund
(E) pejorative
Contents
Lesson Nine
The actor’s ____ gesture, though charitable
and generous, happened to coincide with the
release of her latest film.
(A) laconic
(B) pedantic
(C) sacrosanct
(D) grandiose
(E) sanguine
Contents
Lesson Nine
Decades of laboring in the sun has ____ his
hair.
(A) blanched
(B) ferreted
(C) hackneyed
(D) extenuated
(E) elucidated
Contents
Lesson Nine
Hoping to find a pot of gold at the end of a
rainbow is a ____ delusion.
(A) nebulous
(B) laconic
(C) chimerical
(D) bestial
(E) carnal
Contents
Lesson Nine
Bertrand blushed when he caught the eye of
the ____ young woman.
(A) optimum
(B) nubile
(C) nebulous
(D) parochial
(E) onerous
Contents
Lesson Nine
The general was a ____ who enjoyed placing
himself and his men in desperate battles.
(A) panegyric
(B) labyrinth
(C) dichotomy
(D) peccadillo
(E) masochist
Contents
Lesson Nine
The dog was a ____, otherwise known as a
mutt.
(A) machination
(B) cataclysm
(C) hybrid
(D) harbinger
(E) knell
Contents
Lesson Ten
Contents
Lesson Ten
Geri’s directions were helpful, but her ____
details confused the lost travelers, and they
were forced to stop and ask someone else for
directions.
(A) olfactory
(B) gratuitous
(C) factious
(D) macroscopic
(E) hybrid
Contents
Lesson Ten
A steady stream of water ____ from the
broken fire hydrant.
(A) eschewed
(B) glowered
(C) impaled
(D) emanated
(E) blanched
Contents
Lesson Ten
Remember the buyer’s ____: if it sounds too
good to be true, it probably is.
(A) raiment
(B) panegyric
(C) non sequitur
(D) caveat
(E) demeanor
Contents
Lesson Ten
The crooked politician conducted a campaign
____ of vice and corruption.
(A) impotent
(B) redolent
(C) grotesque
(D) fortuitous
(E) pedantic
Contents
Lesson Ten
The aging actress spent thousands on cosmetic
surgery, only to find that the effects of age and
gravity are ____.
(A) factious
(B) facetious
(C) scurrilous
(D) effete
(E) immutable
Contents
Lesson Ten
No self-respecting government allows ____
and its rebellious methods to go unpunished.
(A) quiddity
(B) imprecation
(C) sedition
(D) parody
(E) obloquy
Contents
Lesson Ten
Some pediatricians have accused
overprotective parents of child ____.
(A) idolatry
(B) debacle
(C) machination
(D) neologism
(E) denouement
Contents
Lesson Ten
Larry joined in the ____ laughter at the
bumbling clergyman.
(A) fecund
(B) impious
(C) laconic
(D) impecunious
(E) baroque
Contents
Lesson Ten
Despite their ____ status, the family lived
healthily and happily through foraging and
hunting.
(A) adulterated
(B) gamboled
(C) besmirched
(D) impecunious
(E) gloated
Contents
Lesson Ten
Unicorns and griffins frolicked in the ____
and verdant landscape.
(A) ignoble
(B) fecund
(C) bovine
(D) nubile
(E) bucolic
Contents
Lesson Ten
Some store window displays are simple and
elegant, but others are ____ and trashy.
(A) imperious
(B) perfunctory
(C) garish
(D) ambiguous
(E) diaphanous
Contents
Lesson Ten
An immoral act ____ the character of those
who do it and those who let it happen.
(A) emanates
(B) rationalizes
(C) deviates
(D) defiles
(E) recapitulates
Contents
Lesson Ten
Looking to upgrade her image, the queen had
her ____ encrusted with jewels.
(A) idiosyncrasy
(B) hedonism
(C) diadem
(D) neologism
(E) martinet
Contents
Lesson Ten
By adding water to the wine, the shabby
restaurant ____ its quality and cheated the
customers.
(A) impaired
(B) adulterated
(C) censured
(D) rationalized
(E) elucidated
Contents
Lesson Ten
John accepted the ____ of explaining why his
group was late.
(A) strategy
(B) carcinogen
(C) debacle
(D) imprecation
(E) onus
Contents
Lesson Eleven
Contents
Lesson Eleven
Misdirection is a key component of a
magician’s ____.
(A) onus
(B) debacle
(C) legerdemain
(D) labyrinth
(E) machination
Contents
Lesson Eleven
Everyone wants to drink the ____ from the
mythic Fountain of Youth.
(A) idolatry
(B) perspicacity
(C) knell
(D) elixir
(E) hedonism
Contents
Lesson Eleven
The undertaker hired a professional mourner
who could fake ____ behavior on cue.
(A) erotic
(B) sanguine
(C) grotesque
(D) impious
(E) lachrymose
Contents
Lesson Eleven
To portray a subtle difference in culture, the photographer
____ a bus driver from America, who wore a polo shirt
and slacks, with a bus driver from Japan, who wore a
fancy uniform with white gloves.
(A) juxtaposed
(B) obfuscated
(C) emanated
(D) adulterated
(E) recapitulated
Contents
Lesson Eleven
When looking for the ____ of creative glory,
most playwrights select Shakespeare.
(A) quandary
(B) epitome
(C) neologism
(D) harbinger
(E) panegyric
Contents
Lesson Eleven
We live in a ____ world in which, always,
somewhere, someone is in motion.
(A) nubile
(B) sedulous
(C) bucolic
(D) kinetic
(E) gratuitous
Contents
Lesson Eleven
With witty remarks and fascinating tales, the
raconteur ____ as keynote speaker.
(A) adulterated
(B) obfuscated
(C) emanated
(D) extenuated
(E) scintillated
Contents
Lesson Eleven
The marquis was a notorious ____ who spent
his entire fortune on elaborate parties and
lavish luxuries.
(A) maelstrom
(B) quiddity
(C) libertine
(D) dichotomy
(E) boor
Contents
Lesson Eleven
A ____ developed in their previously solid
relationship.
(A) quagmire
(B) non sequitur
(C) chagrin
(D) fissure
(E) martinet
Contents
Lesson Eleven
His weathered, aged features reminded Nellie
of a ____ prune.
(A) ambiguous
(B) desiccated
(C) pedantic
(D) rakish
(E) nubile
Contents
Lesson Eleven
The shaman made a ____ of the bear claw,
which was thought to retain the spirit of the
animal.
(A) caveat
(B) debacle
(C) diadem
(D) fetish
(E) labyrinth
Contents
Lesson Eleven
The fatigued crossing guard slowly lifted and
lowered a ____ arm.
(A) gratuitous
(B) nebulous
(C) languid
(D) bestial
(E) pejorative
Contents
Lesson Eleven
After days of silence, the old prospector
suddenly turned into a ____ storyteller.
(A) heterogeneous
(B) laconic
(C) nebulous
(D) fortuitous
(E) garrulous
Contents
Lesson Eleven
The ____ of pain was a relief for the wounded
adventurer, but Dirk knew that it was only
because he was going into shock.
(A) nihilism
(B) maelstrom
(C) cessation
(D) machination
(E) harbinger
Contents
Lesson Eleven
Professor Thompson hinted at and then fully
____ her plan for the class year.
(A) parodied
(B) delineated
(C) immolated
(D) defiled
(E) bowdlerized
Contents
Lesson Twelve
Contents
Lesson Twelve
After attending several conventions, the comic
book collector had ____ a complete set of his
favorite series.
(A) scintillated
(B) juxtaposed
(C) derided
(D) garnered
(E) extenuated
Contents
Lesson Twelve
Some called it ____, others called it true grit,
but whatever the settlers’ motivation, they
endured hardships unimaginable to reach their
destinations.
(A) elegy
(B) gumption
(C) affluence
(D) carrion
(E) emendation
Contents
Lesson Twelve
Diane’s thoughtful and accurate biography of
Einstein became the ____ for subsequent
studies.
(A) cessation
(B) knell
(C) martinet
(D) caveat
(E) paradigm
Contents
Lesson Twelve
The balloon drifted in the ____ and cloudless
sky.
(A) lachrymose
(B) kinetic
(C) halcyon
(D) sagacious
(E) hybrid
Contents
Lesson Twelve
Local residents blamed the casino for the
drugs, prostitution, and general ____
surrounding it.
(A) idiosyncrasy
(B) debauchery
(C) onus
(D) bauble
(E) sedition
Contents
Lesson Twelve
The ____ fool erringly blamed and chastised
people for mistakes that others made.
(A) bilious
(B) olfactory
(C) languid
(D) baroque
(E) rakish
Contents
Lesson Twelve
The scam artist’s ____ lowered the victim’s
defenses enough to get her to donate money to
the bogus charity.
(A) caveats
(B) impediments
(C) shards
(D) harbingers
(E) blandishments
Contents
Lesson Twelve
Their superficial relationship was comprised
mainly of ____ and frivolous day trips.
(A) obloquy
(B) bedlam
(C) imprecations
(D) badinage
(E) machinations
Contents
Lesson Twelve
Aaron refused to believe that his low-paying
delivery job was his ____ in life.
(A) raiment
(B) kismet
(C) fetish
(D) panegyric
(E) shard
Contents
Lesson Twelve
The decadent society steadily ____ into
anarchy.
(A) regressed
(B) defiled
(C) blanched
(D) extenuated
(E) rationalized
Contents
Lesson Twelve
Listen for ____, which are word confusions,
and you’ll be rewarded with a laugh or two.
(A) affluence
(B) nihilisms
(C) peccadilloes
(D) malapropisms
(E) dichotomies
Contents
Lesson Twelve
The ____ writer rarely met her deadlines, but
the magazine was still willing to purchase her
superior articles.
(A) amorphous
(B) macroscopic
(C) fortuitous
(D) fastidious
(E) bucolic
Contents
Lesson Twelve
After asserting her mastery of ____, the old
woman attempted to communicate with the
spirits of the dead.
(A) carcinogen
(B) quandary
(C) necromancy
(D) peccadilloes
(E) martinets
Contents
Lesson Twelve
Unlike the other professors, Dr. Rowley never
felt at ease in the academic ____ in which he
worked.
(A) elegy
(B) milieu
(C) obloquy
(D) neologism
(E) badinage
Contents
Lesson Twelve
The road extended to the horizon for the ____
of refugees leaving the bombed-out city.
(A) dichotomy
(B) quiddity
(C) peccadillo
(D) fissure
(E) hegira
Contents
Lesson
Thirteen
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
Each ____ cluster of mini-malls, each having
essentially the same stores as the other, made
Brennan long for the pristine mountains and
valleys where he had been raised.
(A) facetious
(B) bucolic
(C) callow
(D) redundant
(E) laconic
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
Elaine’s strict regimen of diet and exercise had
a ____ effect on her health.
(A) garrulous
(B) bilious
(C) salutary
(D) hackneyed
(E) lachrymose
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
As the ice melted, the tiny brook slowly turned
into a roaring ____.
(A) cataclysm
(B) raiment
(C) milieu
(D) quagmire
(E) cataract
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
The ____ flowed from the city’s old stockyards
and meatpacking plants into the polluted river.
(A) onus
(B) offal
(C) peccadillo
(D) nihilism
(E) elixir
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
In the theater, a ____ is a clown who exhibits
the nimble grace of an acrobat.
(A) blandishment
(B) caveat
(C) harlequin
(D) diadem
(E) harbinger
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
By lowering his writing standards, the author
hoped to sell more books to the ____.
(A) neologisms
(B) non sequiturs
(C) martinets
(D) hoi polloi
(E) shards
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
During an election year, discussing politics is a
sure way to create ____ among friends.
(A) animosity
(B) idiosyncrasy
(C) necromancy
(D) elegy
(E) quandary
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
Jacques advanced rapidly at the company
through his ____ flattery of the boss.
(A) impotent
(B) pejorative
(C) impious
(D) parochial
(E) obsequious
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
The rules were constructed so as not to ____
on anyone’s ability to earn a top salary.
(A) juxtapose
(B) impinge
(C) elucidate
(D) adulterate
(E) regress
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
Jillian, who had endured a difficult life,
thought that winning the lottery would enable
her to live in a state of ____; instead, however,
her new wealth brought misery.
(A) idolatry
(B) malapropism
(C) nirvana
(D) non sequitur
(E) panegyric
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
The ____ was the world’s foremost physicist,
yet sometimes forgot to wear pants when he
left for work in the morning.
(A) knell
(B) savant
(C) boor
(D) paradigm
(E) fop
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
Even the least ____ members of the audience
perceived the speaker’s embarrassment.
(A) olfactory
(B) diaphanous
(C) sentient
(D) amorphous
(E) hackneyed
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
____ requires you to walk a mile in someone
else’s shoes before trying to understand him or
her.
(A) Empathy
(B) Debauchery
(C) Necromancy
(D) Legerdemain
(E) Denouement
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
The ____ scheme involved taking in foster
children and using them for sweatshop
laborers.
(A) nubile
(B) kinetic
(C) fortuitous
(D) despicable
(E) recondite
Contents
Lesson Thirteen
The newcomer was shocked by the ____ of
mourning after one of the pioneers died on the
trail; a one-hour funeral and burial was all the
time the wagons could spare.
(A) affectation
(B) quagmire
(C) brevity
(D) debacle
(E) cataclysm
Contents
Lesson
Fourteen
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
Peter tried to ____ laughter by telling a racist
joke, but he provoked only disdain.
(A) elicit
(B) censure
(C) impair
(D) peruse
(E) deride
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
Though obviously ____, James kept friends
entertained with his wildly fictional tales.
(A) nubile
(B) bucolic
(C) celibate
(D) mendacious
(E) heterogeneous
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
The politician did not ____ to speak candidly
and thus lost the election.
(A) deviate
(B) deign
(C) obloquy
(D) emanate
(E) recapitulate
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
With graceful ____, Gerald removed his coat
and placed it over his shivering girlfriend’s
shoulders.
(A) hybrid
(B) quiddity
(C) imprecation
(D) milieu
(E) panache
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
By leaving proper ____ to a computerized
spell checker, Sandi was trusting a flawed
system.
(A) neologism
(B) peccadillo
(C) orthography
(D) badinage
(E) cessation
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
Madeline ____ a confrontation by winning her
critics over with laughter.
(A) recapitulated
(B) immolated
(C) obviated
(D) juxtaposed
(E) censured
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
Ralph ____ his own argument while belittling
his opponent’s points.
(A) impaled
(B) besmirched
(C) emanated
(D) defiled
(E) aggrandized
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
The general public ____ at the scenes of
brutality that had occurred inside the prison.
(A) immolated
(B) recoiled
(C) besmirched
(D) delineated
(E) impaled
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
The clever speaker provided a mixture of
rousing ____ and quiet persuasion.
(A) elixir
(B) kismet
(C) hegira
(D) optimum
(E) bombast
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
The mushroom cloud loomed over the horizon,
just miles from the city, and caused a ____ of
panic.
(A) fetish
(B) caveat
(C) paroxysm
(D) panegyric
(E) carcinogen
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
The disguised Confederate soldier accidentally
used a Southern ____, and the nervous Union
sentry shot him.
(A) milieu
(B) hybrid
(C) hegira
(D) shibboleth
(E) parody
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
An expert in ____ said the remains were
150,000-year-old human skulls.
(A) nihilism
(B) neologism
(C) paleontology
(D) denouement
(E) debauchery
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
The ____ team stared blankly out the bus
windows on the drive home after losing their
championship game by a single point.
(A) languid
(B) bucolic
(C) perfunctory
(D) sacrosanct
(E) saturnine
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
“If you got it, ____ it,” said the arrogant
athlete.
(A) extenuate
(B) besmirch
(C) rationalize
(D) flaunt
(E) adulterate
Contents
Lesson Fourteen
The sugar maple tree is ____ to eastern North
America.
(A) sapient
(B) endemic
(C) redolent
(D) facetious
(E) macroscopic
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
Experts ____ the university for its superb
engineering program.
(A) deride
(B) hallow
(C) defile
(D) besiege
(E) juxtapose
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
Avoiding the easy choice of idle speculation,
the scientist offered solid ____ data.
(A) ebullient
(B) ambiguous
(C) amorphous
(D) empirical
(E) diaphanous
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
Ted preferred to make provocative remarks
and ____ a rebellion that he could watch from
the sidelines.
(A) foment
(B) ferret
(C) emanate
(D) juxtapose
(E) deviate
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
The ____, steel containers used to store the
radioactive waste are designed to last 20,000
years.
(A) bovine
(B) fatuous
(C) desiccated
(D) hermetic
(E) baroque
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
So ____ was Maria’s conduct that she was
banned forever from the chess club.
(A) sanguine
(B) fortuitous
(C) eclectic
(D) ebullient
(E) egregious
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
Lori presented her boyfriend’s alleged
intellectual and ____ values to her skeptical
family.
(A) pedantic
(B) nubile
(C) effete
(D) aesthetic
(E) bucolic
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
____ discontent rippled through the audience.
(A) Sedulous
(B) Hybrid
(C) Sacrosanct
(D) Chimerical
(E) Querulous
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
While backpacking through the Alps, Derek
and Kim encountered a grim ____ in
Transylvania.
(A) blandishment
(B) diadem
(C) hospice
(D) harlequin
(E) orthography
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
The vent of a volcano is an ____ through
which magma erupts as gasses and lava.
(A) orifice
(B) affluence
(C) idolatry
(D) obloquy
(E) antithesis
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
The author’s ____ writing style masked an
emptiness of content.
(A) nebulous
(B) macroscopic
(C) garrulous
(D) meretricious
(E) immutable
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
The preacher breathed fire and brimstone at
his congregation, threatening them with ____.
(A) hedonism
(B) idolatry
(C) demeanor
(D) perdition
(E) nihilism
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
Years of repetitive meetings turned the account
executive’s strong presentations into ____
farces.
(A) flaccid
(B) ebullient
(C) sapient
(D) fervent
(E) impecunious
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
The book offers a few useful suggestions, but
the rest of it is ____.
(A) ebullient
(B) heterogeneous
(C) bona fide
(D) sacrosanct
(E) chaff
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
When writing essays, keep your points precise,
clear, and ____.
(A) grotesque
(B) imminent
(C) germane
(D) nebulous
(E) garish
Contents
Lesson Fifteen
Brianna was a night owl, and she loved to
____ in depth until the wee hours of the
morning.
(A) impinge
(B) eschew
(C) gloat
(D) ratiocinate
(E) gambol
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
In flaunting his individualism, Jerry ____ the
rules of his school.
(A) recoiled
(B) aggrandized
(C) flouted
(D) recapitulated
(E) juxtaposed
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
Because Shawn never demonstrated ____
responsibility, his parents refused to give him
another loan.
(A) hermetic
(B) lachrymose
(C) baroque
(D) bucolic
(E) fiscal
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
Under pressure from the inquisitor, the young
woman ____ her previous religious beliefs.
(A) garnered
(B) recanted
(C) flaunted
(D) fomented
(E) ferreted
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
The notorious ____ had been wanted for
crimes in eight different states before his
subsequent imprisonment.
(A) diadem
(B) miscreant
(C) fissure
(D) Martinet
(E) harlequin
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
Ryan held firm convictions, yet his attitude was
still ____ enough to accept changes.
(A) bestial
(B) flaccid
(C) obsequious
(D) meretricious
(E) malleable
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
When the fireman dropped the high pressure
hose, it ____ the parked cars along the street,
bending doors and breaking windshields.
(A) ratiocinated
(B) fomented
(C) flagellated
(D) obviated
(E) importuned
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
Trapped in a far-off land, Sarah had only her
____ memories of home to comfort her at
night.
(A) impalpable
(B) despicable
(C) mendacious
(D) querulous
(E) endemic
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
The store placed the ____ magazines behind
the counter.
(A) effete
(B) salacious
(C) pedantic
(D) fastidious
(E) saturnine
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
No matter how desperate the circumstances,
Captain Smith maintained his ____ demeanor
with his men.
(A) nubile
(B) parochial
(C) kinetic
(D) jocular
(E) perfunctory
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
It was not easy to find the few ____ details in
the author’s dull verbiage.
(A) saturnine
(B) hermetic
(C) querulous
(D) salient
(E) bucolic
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
Students sought ways to ____ the boredom of
their confinement in detention hall.
(A) glower
(B) deviate
(C) palliate
(D) aggrandize
(E) foment
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
The mafia consigliere with the big vocabulary
called the whistle-blower a ____ and a rat.
(A) recreant
(B) bauble
(C) raiment
(D) peccadillo
(E) onus
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
Maria’s ____ for the theater developed during
her first acting experience in high school.
(A) orthography
(B) debauchery
(C) nihilism
(D) nirvana
(E) affinity
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
Society usually frowns on ____ public
conduct, but is more tolerant of such behavior
in private.
(A) sapient
(B) lascivious
(C) nubile
(D) garrulous
(E) empirical
Contents
Lesson Sixteen
The decadent courtiers ____ themselves with
rare and expensive truffles flown in from the
Middle East.
(A) recoiled
(B) deigned
(C) regaled
(D) immolated
(E) extenuated
Contents
Lesson
Seventeen
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
Oppressed by ____, the retired statesman
looked around desperately for something
important to do.
(A) dichotomy
(B) ennui
(C) legerdemain
(D) empathy
(E) orthography
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
____ has defeated many an overaggressive
general.
(A) Malapropism
(B) Offal
(C) Paleontology
(D) Affinity
(E) Hubris
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
Marcie accepted her punishment with
unemotional ____.
(A) hospice
(B) sang-froid
(C) idolatry
(D) raiment
(E) idiosyncrasy
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
“You spent our paychecks on video poker
machines; ____, we eat beans and rice this
week!” scolded Wayne’s wife, Maggie.
(A) non sequitur
(B) erotic
(C) bona fide
(D) ergo
(E) sang-froid
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
John’s jokes bombed, and he heard the ____
sounds of an unhappy audience hissing in
disgust.
(A) malleable
(B) mendacious
(C) hermetic
(D) sibilant
(E) salacious
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
The flu strain ____ of 1918 and 1919 killed
some 50 million to 100 million people
worldwide.
(A) pandemic
(B) obloquy
(C) panache
(D) necromancy
(E) hedonism
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
From behind the curtain stepped a child
prodigy who ____ the audience by playing a
Chopin polonaise.
(A) flouted
(B) palliated
(C) beguiled
(D) obviated
(E) regressed
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
In a large, impersonal corporation, some
employees must struggle to keep from feeling
they are ____.
(A) hybrids
(B) nonentities
(C) kismets
(D) harbingers
(E) harlequins
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
Over the holidays, bloggers go on ____ from
the demands of spreading gossip and
conjecture.
(A) diadem
(B) bombast
(C) recoil
(D) empathy
(E) hiatus
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
Connie reviewed her ____ resources and
decided to hit her parents up for a loan.
(A) lachrymose
(B) hackneyed
(C) bucolic
(D) pecuniary
(E) despicable
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
It was a ____ presentation, full of long and
uncomfortable silences.
(A) sagacious
(B) garrulous
(C) desultory
(D) bovine
(E) chimerical
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
The team ____ the player who seldom showed
up for practice but always wanted to play first
string.
(A) rebuked
(B) beguiled
(C) regaled
(D) coalesced
(E) recanted
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
The teacher ____ the students until a few
burst into tears.
(A) juxtaposed
(B) besmirched
(C) immolated
(D) hectored
(E) palliated
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
Many separate groups ____ into a mighty
army.
(A) flaunted
(B) glowered
(C) defiled
(D) impinged
(E) coalesced
Contents
Lesson Seventeen
Veronica’s ____ eyes made Miguel forget what
he had planned to say.
(A) desiccated
(B) impecunious
(C) lambent
(D) opulent
(E) impalpable
Contents
Lesson
Eighteen
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
Seeing half the staff quit their jobs during his
first day on the job was not a(n) ____ start for
the new manager.
(A) salutary
(B) bland
(C) erotic
(D) auspicious
(E) languid
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
Feeling quite proud of herself, Nina ____ on
why her decision had been such a good idea.
(A) adulterated
(B) pontificated
(C) aggrandized
(D) fomented
(E) regaled
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
Falsely shouting “fire” in a crowded room is a
hostile and ____ act.
(A) sapient
(B) jocular
(C) empirical
(D) saturnine
(E) incendiary
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
With ____ reasoning, the salesman convinced
the elderly couple to purchase the luxury car
with all the unnecessary and unlikely to be
used options.
(A) erotic
(B) nubile
(C) specious
(D) kinetic
(E) bucolic
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
The firefighters worked quickly to contain the
fire to one of the eight ____ townhouses.
(A) fastidious
(B) contiguous
(C) sentient
(D) celibate
(E) effete
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
An ____ demeanor made Eli a popular coach.
(A) avuncular
(B) endemic
(C) empirical
(D) imperative
(E) immutable
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
Discovering an authentic pirate map and then
traveling in search of treasure was, to the
neighborhood children, the ____ of
adventure.
(A) censure
(B) parody
(C) caveat
(D) apotheosis
(E) hiatus
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
The soldiers staged a ____ defense and broke
the enemy’s will.
(A) pecuniary
(B) sentient
(C) meretricious
(D) tenacious
(E) grotesque
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
In advertising, every new product seems to be
depicted as a proven, ____ breakthrough.
(A) bland
(B) perfunctory
(C) inimitable
(D) gratuitous
(E) desultory
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
Indulging in ____ bragging cheapened the
athlete’s accomplishments.
(A) vociferous
(B) nebulous
(C) heterogeneous
(D) bucolic
(E) obsequious
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
Accustomed to the ____ behavior of
celebrities, the public yawned and went on
with their lives.
(A) heterogeneous
(B) prurient
(C) impalpable
(D) pandemic
(E) fastidious
Lesson Eighteen
The driver stopped the school bus and refused
to leave until the ____ passengers sat down
and stopped screaming.
(A) ebullient
(B) lambent
(C) hermetic
(D) germane
(E) refractory
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
A bank officer accepting cash gifts from loan
customers is definitely ____.
(A) rebuke
(B) malfeasance
(C) paroxysm
(D) labyrinth
(E) neologism
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
A discontented ____ picketed the opulent
estate of the corrupt governor.
(A) fop
(B) hegira
(C) nirvana
(D) proletariat
(E) harlequin
Contents
Lesson Eighteen
Natalie, whose lab partner had a crush on her,
promised him that their relationship would
never exceed a(n) ____ status.
(A) impecunious
(B) grotesque
(C) platonic
(D) kinetic
(E) lachrymose
Contents
Lesson
Nineteen
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
Marnie had an unfortunate knack for hiding
her good ideas in a kind of ____, clotted
prose.
(A) viscous
(B) sapient
(C) ebullient
(D) olfactory
(E) kinetic
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
The TV newscaster’s harsh voice and odd
mannerisms compromised the ____ of his
presentation.
(A) knell
(B) apex
(C) proletariat
(D) peccadillo
(E) gravitas
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
The reckless mountaineer fell from the ____
of the mountain and tumbled nearly 1000 feet
down the north face.
(A) apotheosis
(B) hiatus
(C) apex
(D) denouement
(E) hiatus
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
So effective is Reuben’s poetry that its
occasional instances of ____ come as a
surprise.
(A) blandishment
(B) dross
(C) carcinogen
(D) imprecation
(E) nonentity
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
The ____ has far greater access to intellectual
and cultural resources than a mere monoglot.
(A) masochist
(B) malapropism
(C) polyglot
(D) martinet
(E) shibboleth
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
After he ____ about his congregation’s sins,
the preacher quickly passed the collection
plate.
(A) regaled
(B) flagellated
(C) palliated
(D) fulminated
(E) adulterated
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
Emotional and mental factors trigger the
physical symptoms associated with ____
illness.
(A) platonic
(B) gratuitous
(C) nebulous
(D) fiscal
(E) psychosomatic
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
The food critic lambasted the restaurant over
the ____ taste of their charred steaks, which
resembled coal more than meat.
(A) despicable
(B) acrid
(C) flaccid
(D) grotesque
(E) bilious
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
His exaggerated adventure tales strain the
____ of even the most naïve listeners.
(A) gumption
(B) affinity
(C) orthography
(D) credulity
(E) quiddity
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
Edwin tried to pump some life into his ____
essay.
(A) vociferous
(B) diaphanous
(C) garrulous
(D) redolent
(E) jejune
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
The adventure magazine honored ____ heroes
who dared to cross uncharted waters.
(A) insuperable
(B) bestial
(C) amoral
(D) bilious
(E) recreant
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
The author’s dialogue is too contrived and
stylized to provide any semblance of ____.
(A) orthography
(B) verisimilitude
(C) kismet
(D) raiment
(E) demeanor
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
American movies have established a cultural
____ in many countries around the world.
(A) diadem
(B) malfeasance
(C) ennui
(D) hegemony
(E) emendation
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
In the time when kings went off to war, and
cities were ransacked and burned, a(n) ____
response to enemy provocation was thought to
be the only way to prevent further attacks.
(A) sapient
(B) garish
(C) truculent
(D) fastidious
(E) germane
Contents
Lesson Nineteen
The rehab center enforced the ____ of drugs
and alcohol.
(A) affinity
(B) abnegation
(C) pandemic
(D) nirvana
(E) legerdemain
Contents
Lesson Twenty
Contents
Lesson Twenty
Carlos ____ his opponent, and she sued him
for slander.
(A) flagellated
(B) traduced
(C) obviated
(D) hallowed
(E) aggrandized
Contents
Lesson Twenty
Political favors have placed many incompetent
people in government ____.
(A) sinecures
(B) apotheoses
(C) affinities
(D) orifices
(E) orthographies
Contents
Lesson Twenty
Having both male and female parts, certain
____ flowers are able to fertilize themselves.
(A) ebullient
(B) pejorative
(C) amoral
(D) androgynous
(E) fastidious
Contents
Lesson Twenty
Professor Devo wrote ____ essays that
wearied even the most determined explorers of
his prose.
(A) nubile
(B) psychosomatic
(C) pandemic
(D) germane
(E) discursive
Contents
Lesson Twenty
The floods came, but the ____ rescuers were
too late.
(A) platonic
(B) impalpable
(C) maladroit
(D) redundant
(E) sacrosanct
Contents
Lesson Twenty
When reading a(n) ____ editorial, be sure to
determine where its facts end and opinions
begin.
(A) bucolic
(B) tendentious
(C) sibilant
(D) impalpable
(E) pandemic
Contents
Lesson Twenty
Science fiction ____ feature intrepid souls
who escape from earth to form colonies on
distant planets.
(A) peccadilloes
(B) diadems
(C) caveats
(D) maelstroms
(E) diasporas
Contents
Lesson Twenty
After years of therapy, Clark was finally able to
manage his ____ temper.
(A) intractable
(B) polyglot
(C) viscous
(D) platonic
(E) specious
Contents
Lesson Twenty
When the athlete competed after his skills were
gone, the fan club conducted a kind of ____
for his past achievements.
(A) gravitas
(B) blandishment
(C) requiem
(D) rebuke
(E) hiatus
Contents
Lesson Twenty
Being wealthy was a(n) ____ to the self-made
millionaire, despite all the old sayings that
suggest money brings unhappiness.
(A) malfeasance
(B) cataclysm
(C) labyrinth
(D) onus
(E) beatitude
Contents
Lesson Twenty
In an attempt to offend no one, discourse
sometimes goes from ____ to the fearful
realm of politically correct.
(A) bovine
(B) politic
(C) platonic
(D) kinetic
(E) diaphanous
Contents
Lesson Twenty
The gamblers regarded the woman as a(n)
____ because she always predicted which
horse would win.
(A) paroxysm
(B) hiatus
(C) augur
(D) shibboleth
(E) harlequin
Contents
Lesson Twenty
To warn citizens of imminent bombing,
reconnaissance planes ____ leaflets in the
vicinity of the target.
(A) coalesced
(B) fulminated
(C) pontificated
(D) disseminated
(E) besmirched
Contents
Lesson Twenty
A steady stream of ____ remarks seldom
inspires affection.
(A) olfactory
(B) viscous
(C) germane
(D) ebullient
(E) acerbic
Contents
Lesson Twenty
Shortly after an asteroid heading toward Earth was
spotted, the president’s science advisor was brought to the
White House to deliver a(n) ____ briefing on what to
expect in the event of a collision.
(A) hermetic
(B) refractory
(C) extemporaneous
(D) despicable
(E) bucolic
Contents
Lesson
Twenty-One
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
When Bryce finishes his college degree, he will
be promoted and eligible for the ____ benefits
of his full-time position.
(A) gratuitous
(B) plenary
(C) nebulous
(D) fortuitous
(E) hermetic
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
Believing that only ____ made the best-seller
list, Edwin usually avoided reading them.
(A) shibboleths
(B) peccadilloes
(C) carcinogens
(D) denouements
(E) potboilers
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
No one could determine from the coach’s ____
expression how well his team was doing.
(A) kinetic
(B) hybrid
(C) bestial
(D) stolid
(E) ebullient
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
Critics were hoping for a full-scale biography,
but received a superficial ____ instead.
(A) vignette
(B) cataclysm
(C) harbinger
(D) raiment
(E) quagmire
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
In troubled times, religion provided crucial
____ to Sandra and her family.
(A) bombast
(B) bedlam
(C) succor
(D) legerdemain
(E) perdition
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
Having never tried to excel in anything,
Howard resigned himself to the life of a(n)
____, destined to work go-nowhere jobs for no
reason other than his own laziness.
(A) aegis
(B) peon
(C) non sequitur
(D) diaspora
(E) bon mot
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
The prevailing ____ in the office ensured that
women, though qualified, were rarely allowed
to compete for management positions.
(A) nirvana
(B) verisimilitude
(C) misogyny
(D) beatitude
(E) necromancy
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
The ____ foxes caused widespread alarm
among the timid Chicken Littles in the
community.
(A) fatuous
(B) ebullient
(C) heterogeneous
(D) redoubtable
(E) facetious
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
After months in combat, the marines enjoyed
the ____ on the beautiful island of Bora Bora.
(A) orthography
(B) dichotomy
(C) fissure
(D) hubris
(E) furlough
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
After being wrongly convicted, the defendant
called his trial a ____ of justice.
(A) harlequin
(B) beatitude
(C) polyglot
(D) travesty
(E) savant
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
Chris’s behavior was so ____ that she seemed
almost ghostlike at work.
(A) fatuous
(B) sagacious
(C) olfactory
(D) kinetic
(E) clandestine
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
Students attempted to get the teacher to ____
and thus forget about the test scheduled for
that day.
(A) glower
(B) digress
(C) scintillate
(D) extenuate
(E) impale
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
Ralph was a regular on television, delivering
his slightly amusing ____ to the country.
(A) raiment
(B) elixirs
(C) bon mots
(D) cataclysms
(E) obloquies
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
Able to survive without water for up to two
weeks, camels perform well in ____
conditions.
(A) meretricious
(B) clandestine
(C) mendacious
(D) xeric
(E) sanguine
Contents
Lesson Twenty-One
The dictator’s hidden agenda was to keep
government in the friendly hands of a few
____.
(A) quandaries
(B) plutocrats
(C) fops
(D) quagmires
(E) cataclysms
Contents