Name
________
Due ___________
Unit 4A Synonyms and Antonyms
Synonyms: Choose the word from this unit that is the same or most nearly the same in meaning as the
boldface word or expression in the given phrase. Write the word on the line provided.
Word
POS
1. argued for a repeal of the law
__________________________
2. pledge to leave them all my worldly goods
__________________________
3. too much discord to remain partners
__________________________
4. to maroon them on a deserted island
__________________________
5. may never regret his evil deeds
__________________________
6. power to wreck an entire community
__________________________
7. waved his cap to acknowledge the cheers
__________________________
8. study the night sky for shooting starts
__________________________
9. dim lights and soft music during my meditation
__________________________
10. expect thanklessness from so selfish a person
__________________________
11. for the computer to produce a list of dates
__________________________
12. so baffling an idea to explain to children
__________________________
13. to regard this as my best work so far
__________________________
14. a memento of our trip to Canada
__________________________
15. damage his standing within the group
__________________________
Antonyms: Choose the word from this unit that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the boldface word or
expression in the given phrase. Write the word on the line provided.
Word
POS
16. no choice but to convict the defendant
__________________________
17. accused of a major offense
__________________________
18. how they disdain their coach
__________________________
19. divine beings, according to the legend
__________________________
20. may establish the championship team
__________________________
Name
Due ___________
Unit 4A Completing the Sentence
From the words for this unit, choose the one that best completes each of the following
sentences. Write the word in the space provided. Sentences that are bolded require
the vocabulary word’s suffix to be changed to fit the context of the sentence.
*****Use the 20 vocabulary words below to fill in the blanks:
acquit
deem
devastate
discredit
elusive
generate
idolize
ingratitude
keepsake
mortal
ovation
petty
plight
repent
reverie
revocation
scan
strand
strife
topple
From the words for this unit, choose the one that best completes each of the following
sentences. Write the word in the space provided. *Some blanks have the first letter of the
correct answer!
1. Though that actress’s name and face are all but forgotten today, she used to be
___________________ by adoring fans all over the world.
2. The hurricane so d________________ a large section of the coast that the president
declared it a disaster area.
3. I plan to save this old notebook as a(n) ________________ of one of the best and
most enjoyable classes I have ever had.
4. Since I sincerely appreciate all my parents have done for me, how can you accuse me
of i_________________________?
5. Because the members of my family disagree on so many matters, the dinner table is
often the scene of much verbal ______________________.
6. The evidence against the accused man proved to be so weak that the jury had no
choice but to ____________________ him.
7. I don’t have the time to read every word of that long newspaper article, but I’ll
s___________ it quickly to get the main idea.
8. Since it is clear that his only interest is to make money for himself, his plan for
building a new highway has been completely ______________________.
9. The wound at first did not appear to be too serious, but to our great grief it proved to
be ____________________.
10. Instead of telling us how much you ________________ your outrageous conduct,
why don’t you sincerely try to reform?
11. Regardless of what you may think proper, I do not d______________ it necessary for
someone of your age to wear an evening gown to the dance.
12. The TV program made us keenly aware of the _______________ of elderly people
trying to live on Social Security payments.
13. Tom is not a very fast runner, but he is so _________________ that he is extremely
hard to tackle on the football field.
14. Why argue about such p_____________ matters when there are so many important
problems to deal with?
15. The rope is made of many _________________ of fiber woven together.
16. We learned that even unfavorable reviews of a new book may help to
_________________ a certain amount of public interest in it.
17. The defendant was warned that another speeding ticket would result in the
_____________ of her driver’s license.
18. The sudden racket produced by a noisy car radio jolted me out of my peaceful
r______________.
19. The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa looks as though it were going to ______________
over any minute.
20. She richly deserved the audience’s _____________________ for her brilliant
performance.
Name
Due ___________
Unit 4A Choosing the Right Word
Circle the boldface word that more satisfactorily completes each of the following sentences.
1. Imagine his (plight, ingratitude) – penniless, unemployed, and with a large family to support.
2. After so many years of (strife, strand) – in business, politics, and the family – he wants only to retire
to the peace and quiet of his ranch.
3. I knew that she was wrapped up in herself, but I never dreamed that even she could be guilty of
such (revocation, ingratitude).
4. We should respect our national leaders, but we should not (idolize, discredit) them and assume that
they can do no wrong.
5. A special edition of poems by the noted writer was presented as a (keepsake, strife) to all who
attended her 80th birthday party.
6. What an (ovation, reverie) he received when he trotted back to the bench after scoring the winning
touchdown!
7. In my composition, I tried to give a definition of “humor,” but I found the idea too (petty, elusive) to
pin down.
8. In Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which character speaks the line, “Lord, what fools
these (mortals, keepsakes) be”?
9. Many diseases that have disappeared in the United States continue to (devastate, idolize) countries
in other parts of the world.
10. Since you are the only one of us who has had experience with this kind of problem, we shall do
whatever you (deem, scan) necessary.
11. Our business is barely managing to pay its bills; one bad break will be enough to (acquit, topple) it
into bankruptcy.
12. Are we going to allow (elusive, petty) quarrels to destroy a friendship that has been built up for so
many years?
13. We will never allow vicious rumors to (deem, generate) racial hatred in our school!
14. At times we all enjoy a(n) (ovation, reverie) about “what might have been” but before long we
must return to “the way things are.”
15. Once order had been restored, the leaders of the opposition called for the (revocation, keepsake)
of martial law.
16. At times it is quite natural to feel afraid, and it is certainly no (discredit, mortal) to anyone to admit
it.
17. While the actors were busy rehearsing, the manager ran away with all the money and left them
(stranded, plighted) in a strange town.
18. By reelecting him to Congress, the court of public opinion has forever (generated, acquitted) him of
the charges of neglecting his duties.
19. Father often says that he has never stopped (repenting, devastating) the decision he made many
years ago to give up the study of medicine.
20. Our supervisor (topples, scans) the newspaper each morning for items that may serve as leads for
the sales force.
Unit 4A: Vocabulary in Context
Read the following passage in which some of the words you have studied in this unit appear in boldface type. Then
complete each statement given below the passage by circling the letter of the item that is the same or almost the
same in meaning as the highlighted word.
Quimby’s Quest
In May of 1911, a young pilot from Long Island’s Moisant Avenue Aviation School was practicing flying. When
a gust of wind blew back the person’s veil, onlookers realized that the pilot was not a man! It was journalist Harriet
Quimby. How did this plucky reporter acquit herself so successfully in such a dangerous new field?
Flying was risky for anyone at that time. Just eight years earlier, the success of the Wright Brothers’ flight at
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, generated new goals for adventurers.
Pioneering pilots deemed flying as the greatest challenge of the day.
Determined not to let her gender hold her back, Harriet Quimby started to
take flying lessons.
Quimby earned her pilot’s license on August 1, 1911, making her
the world’s second woman -- and the first American woman -- to do so.
Dressed in a flight suit of purple satin, she gave flying demonstrations
around the United States and Mexico.
Quimby was the first pilot ever to cross the English Channel.
Nowadays, it may be easy to discredit this accomplishment since some
people actually swim the 32 miles of water that separates England from France. Yet, in Quimby’s time, people had
little knowledge of flying or of predicting weather. She was lucky to get through the clouds that day to land safely,
though way off course. Imagine the shock French fishermen must have felt when they scanned the horizon to see a
flying machine headed for their beach!
Less than a year after Harriet Quimby became a pilot, she suffered mortal injuries when she and a passenger
were suddenly thrown from their seats, falling nearly a mile to their deaths in the waters near Boston. The world lost
a legendary pioneer.
1. The meaning of acquit herself is:
a. behave
c. react
b. steer
d. gamble
4. Discredit most nearly means:
a. explain
c. ignore
b. disparage
d. honor
2. The meaning of generated is:
a. stifled
c. created
b. described
d. promised
5. Scanned is best defined as:
a. raced
c. glanced at
b. ran from
d. avoided
3. Deemed most nearly means:
a. feared
c. chose
b. ignored
d. considered
6. Mortal is best defined as:
a. fatal
c. divine
b. minor
d. major