Under the Articles of Confederation, the thirteen states _____ so much that the nation seemed to be in danger of breaking up.
All those who _____ with the enemy in the hope of gaining special favors will be punished severely.
The little club that they set up to talk over community problems _____ over the years into a national political organization.
As we searched through the _____ after the earthquake, it was heartbreaking to find such articles as a teakettle and a child's doll.
Every time he quotes an old _____ , he looks as though he has just had a brilliant new idea.
She raised so many objections to attending the dance that it was obvious she was _____ for an excuse not to go.
The “broken-down old furniture” that the woman left to her children turned out to be a _____ of valuable antiques.
I chose to read a(n) _____ from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman for my poetry recitation.
The assembly speaker may have been boring, but that was no excuse for the students' _____ behavior toward him.
At midnight, the sentry took his post, standing _____ over the cache of weapons.
For weeks, an anxious world _____ between war and peace as diplomats desperately struggled to resolve the crisis.
After much _____ , the student council was able to convince the principal to give students more passing time between classes.
A president needs advisors who will frankly explain what they really think, rather than just offer _____ agreement and constant approval.
The landscape artists want to _____ with the architects so that the entire house looks as though it is part of the natural environment.
The committee found it impossible to reach any agreement on the matter because the views of its members were so _____ .
When I fumbled the ball on the three-yard line, the _____ of the crowd suddenly turned into jeers and catcalls.
After I had broken curfew for the third time in one week, my angry parents _____ that I was grounded for the rest of the term.
I refuse to accept the excuse that the pressures of a new job caused you to _____ to your old habit of cigarette smoking.
There are times when we all need to be _____ away from old, familiar ideas that may no longer be as true as they once seemed.
The principal was quick to approve new programs for our club but _____ in providing financial support for them.
From the hundreds of newspaper items, the lawyer carefully _____ three short paragraphs that supported his case
The fact that he was found guilty of a felony many years ago doesn't _____ his running for mayor.
I have always regarded our colleges and universities as _____ of learning and bastions against ignorance and superstition.
After the operation, we sat in the hospital lounge, keeping a nightlong _____ until we heard from the doctor.
I hate when people _____ over me when I'm on my computer.
DIRECTIONS:
1. Read the following excerpts that contain vocabulary words from this unit. The vocabulary words are written in bold font.
2. Select the answer that best completes each question. (5 points)
*You may only select one option for your answer.
EXCERPT #1:
And that was the whole story. It seemed so simple! and Marguerite could but marvel at the wonderful ingenuity, the
boundless pluck, and audacity which had evolved and helped to carry out this daring plan.
EXCERPT #1 Question: When something has evolved, it has _____ .
EXCERPT #2 Question: A state of servility suggests _____ .
EXCERPT #3:
There's all them Frenchy devils over the Channel yonder a-murderin' their king and nobility, and Mr. Pitt and Mr. Fox and Mr. Burke a-fightin' and a-wranglin' between them, if we Englishmen should ‘low them to go on in their ungodly way.”
EXCERPT #3 Question: The act of wrangling involves _____ .
EXCERPT #4:
Both the young men looked a little haggard and anxious, but otherwise they were irreproachably dressed, and there was not the slightest sign, about their courtly demeanour, of the terrible catastrophe, which they must have felt hovering round them and round their chief.
EXCERPT #4 Question: Something that is hovering is NOT _____ .
EXCERPT #5:
Fate had willed it so. Marguerite, torn by the most terrible conflict the heart of woman can ever know, had resigned herself to its decrees. But Armand must be saved at any cost;
he, first of all, for he was her brother, had been mother, father, friend to her ever since she, a tiny babe, had lost both her parents
EXCERPT #5 Question: Decrees are _____ .
DIRECTIONS:
1. Read the following passage that contains vocabulary words from this unit. The vocabulary words are written in bold font.
2. Select the answer that best completes each question. (5 points)
*You may only select one option for your answer.
PASSAGE:
Have you ever heard a musical excerpt from H.M.S. Pinafore or The Pirates of Penzance? If so, you’ve had a taste of the work of one of England’s most famous creative teams. Playwright William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and composer Arthur S. Sullivan (1842-1900) teamed up to write fourteen popular musical plays in the late nineteenth century.
It may seem curious that these two men came to collaborate on some of the most enduring and tuneful works in the
history of the musical theater. They had very different personalities. Gilbert was a difficult man who was known to be
remote and arrogant. Sullivan was a gifted musician with a sociable and easygoing manner.
You may know famous American musicals such as The King and I, West Side Story, or Rent. The style of works such as these evolved over time to blend music, dance, and theater into a seamless whole. Previously, popular musicals (called comic operas or operettas) were less unified. They were excuses to string together an amusing assortment of songs, dance numbers, and stage spectacles.
Then along came Gilbert and Sullivan. Sullivan’s sweet melodies and lush orchestrations balanced Gilbert’s witty plays and lyrics. Their twenty-five-year partnership earned them plaudits from audiences, critics, and fellow artists the world over.
Eventually, their working relationship began to decline. Each man was jealous of the other’s success. Each was annoyed by the other’s temperament. They wrangled over artistic and personal issues. A short time after the first performance of The Gondoliers, they reached the breaking point. Their final split came after an awful fight over—of all things—the purchase of a carpet for the theater in which their works were performed.
The meaning of excerpt is _____ .
Collaborate most nearly means _____ .
Evolved is best defined as _____ .
The meaning of plaudits is _____ .
Wrangled most nearly means _____ .
DIRECTIONS:
1. Read each sentence and determine if it contains a grammar error or not.
2. Select the answer that best completes each question. (10 points)
*You may only select one option for your answer.
When Ingrid phoned me, she said urgently, “Two-thirds of my references have been typed, but my essay still need proofreading!”
Alexis de Tocqueville was a nineteenth-century French social philosopher whom became famous for his classic work Democracy in America, which was based on observations he made during a tour of the United States.
In the opinion of some observers, the exotic pet trade is ultimate responsible for many bizarre, unforeseen occurrences, such as the recent appearance of giant pythons in the Everglades of southern Florida.
Franz Joseph Haydn, who grew up in poverty, attracted the attention of aristocratic families in Vienna and went on to becoming one of the greatest composers of classical music, writing more than 100 symphonies.
The aurora borealis (northern lights) and the aurora australis (southern lights) are believed to be caused by high-speed particles from the Sun; both is seen most frequently at the equinoxes and at times of great sunspot activity
In her spare time, Teresa devours science fiction stories and novels, and no one I know is a greater fan of that genre than her.
The news editor requested that all members of the reporting staff turn in its stories by 6:00 P.M. each evening.
In the English Lake District, the travelers saw a large herd of sheep on the way to their hotel.
To master the French language, a great deal of effort has to be spent practicing correct pronunciation.
As Tim was about to pay for the new CDs, he found that he hadn't scarcely any money in his wallet.
To command firmly or forcefully is to _____ .
An invention that brings huge profits might be called a(n) _____ .
People who gather together at night for a period of watchful attention are keeping _____ .
Which of the following is another word for slavish?
A pile of bricks or stones resulting from a wall that has collapsed can be referred to as _____ .
To make impossible is to _____ .
Which of the following is another word for fortress?
If you were in a dark tunnel, what might you have to do to find your way out?
A passage taken from a book or an article is known as a(n) _____ .
If frozen water goes back to a liquid state, you might say it has _____ .
DIRECTIONS:
1. Read the following passage that contains vocabulary words from this unit. The vocabulary words are written in bold font.
2. Select the answer that best completes each question. (6 points)
*You may only select one option for your answer.
PASSAGE:
A well-known adage says, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Recently, my friends and I learned that there is a good deal of truth to this statement. This eye-opening experience occurred when four of us were assigned to create a video presentation on volcanoes and earthquakes. Surprisingly, what seemed to be a straightforward task quickly turned into a squabble over what concepts to cover, what kinds of visuals to present, and whether to adopt an entirely serious or a somewhat entertaining tone. We continued to discuss these matters in a discordant manner and were even on the verge of becoming a bit churlish when we realized what the problem was. Namely, we were wrangling over each decision instead of assigning a specific area of responsibility to each group member. Now that each of us has a clear contribution to make, we are truly collaborating and our formerly divergent approach has evolved into a smooth and effective process.
Which of the following could not be used to replace adage (sentence 1)?
In sentence 5, discordant means _____ .
Which of the following could be used to replace churlish (sentence 5)?
If members of a group are wrangling (sentence 6) over a decision, they are _____ .
If people are collaborating (sentence 7), they are _____ .
In sentence 7, evolved means _____ .
DIRECTIONS:
1. Read the following passage that contains vocabulary words from this unit. The vocabulary words are written in bold font.
2. Select the answer that best completes each question. (4 points)
*You may only select one option for your answer.
PASSAGE:
An interesting and unusual outdoor event that people who live in the United States, Canada, and other countries where sheep are raised might attend is a sheepdog trial. In this kind of competition, a dog that has been specially trained hovers at the edge of a group of sheep and then performs various actions to control their movements. For example, the dog might be asked to show that it can split one group of sheep into two groups, driving along with the rest any laggards who do not wish to leave. At another point, the dog might show that it can drive sheep into a truckbed or a pen without the sheep jostling one another and getting in one another’s way. As a dog shows that it can carry out these tasks skillfully and within the time that is alloted, it earns a high score from a judge along with the plaudits of admiring spectators.
In line 3, hovers means _____ .
Which of the following words could be used to replace laggards (line 5)?
Which of the following words could not be used to replace jostling (line 6)?
In line 8, plaudits is used to indicate that people _____ .