The character Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol starts out as a(n) _____ miser, but he undergoes a great change of heart.
The bloodhound’s _____ sense of smell led the trackers to the bank robber’s hideout in record time.
When I realized how deeply I had hurt my dear friend with my careless insult, I suffered a terrible pang of _____ .
With a winter storm _____ outside, what could be more welcome than a warm room, a good meal, and my favorite TV program?
Since it had seemed that winter would _____ forever, we were all heartily glad when it finally quit dragging its heels and departed.
His _____ analysis of the housing problem in our town gave us a clear idea of what we would have to overcome.
Although I don’t agree with all her ideas, I must admire her unshakable _____ to them.
We cannot assume that all the people one sees on the streets of a large city are actually _____ of the place.
When the plane encountered turbulence, we had to remain seated with our seat belts fastened for the _____ of the flight.
The idea that most people usually behave in a calm and reasonable way is _____ by all the facts of history.
On the camping trip out West, some of the children were frightened when they first heard the _____ howls of coyotes at night.
The victims of the disaster were so _____ by the scope of the tragedy that they scarcely showed any emotion at all.
I keep telling you things for your own good, but you’re just too _____ to listen.
Have you ever wondered if there is life on other planets and, if so, what the _____ might look like?
We know that we are going through a period of economic instability, but there is no way of telling what its _____ will be.
Maria’s illness, after she had been chosen for the leading role in the class show, was a serious _____ to our plans.
The lost hikers, having endured several days in the blistering sun, became discouraged after sighting _____ vultures circling overhead.
If you read no more than a(n) _____ of the plot of any one of Shakespeare’s plays, you will get very little idea of what it is all about.
“It's your job to help _____ the conquered area,” the general said, “not to add fuel to an already explosive situation.”
There is so much wear and tear on the ropes in this pulley system that they become _____ in only a few days.
The fact that so many people are still living in poverty is indeed a sad _____ on our civilization.
Each time she answered a question correctly, she rewarded herself with a _____ little smile of self-congratulation.
The strength of this book lies in the author’s ability to describe and explain different _____ of human experience.
After the way you _____ the job of arranging the class trip, I can never again trust you with anything important.
My lawyer prepared to _____ the outrageous accusations against me.
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:
There were several amazing forms, with heads reduced to
microscopic proportions and blobby bodies . . . And oddest of all, as it seemed to me for the moment, two or three of these weird inhabitants of a subterranean world, a world sheltered by innumerable miles of rock from sun or rain, carried umbrellas in their tentaculate hands—real terrestrial looking umbrellas!
EXCERPT #1 Question: Inhabitants are best described as _____ .
EXCERPT #2:
He reminded me of mountain sickness, and of the bleeding that often afflicts aeronauts who have ascended too swiftly, and he spent some time in the preparation of a sickly tasting drink which he insisted on my sharing. It made me feel a little numb, but otherwise had no effect on me.
EXCERPT #2 Question: If someone's senses are numb, they are _____ .
EXCERPT #3:
We ate and presently drank like tramps in a soup kitchen. Never before nor since have I been hungry to the ravenous pitch, and save that I have had this very experience I could never have believed that . . . it would be possible for me to eat in utter forgetfulness of all these things.
EXCERPT #3 Question: A person who is ravenous is definitely NOT _____ .
EXCERPT #4 Question: To have remorse is to feel _____ .
EXCERPT #5 Question: Something that appears acute is _____ .
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:
James Cleveland Owens had always been called J. C. In 1922, his family left their farm in Alabama to become inhabitants of Ohio. His acute Southern accent must have confused his new teacher, who thought that his name was “Jesse.” The new name stuck. And by 1936, everyone knew Jesse Owens, who had become a real-life legend.
Owens was a sickly child, but poor health during his early years proved not to be a setback. As he grew, so did his speed and strength. Owens developed a talent for running and jumping. Record-breaking successes in high school and college track and field prepared him for the 1936 Olympic Games, which were held in Berlin, Germany, where Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Party was in control. Owens won four gold medals for the U.S. — the most won by any single Olympic athlete at that time.
To this day, many consider Owens’ performance at the 1936 Olympics to be the greatest moment in all Olympic history. He was never smug about his successes and continued to inspire others for the duration of his life. There were many facets to Owens’ accomplishments. After the Olympics he traveled the world to promote the importance of sports for young people. He started the Jesse Owens Games, a playground sports event for children through age 15. The Jesse Owens Foundation continues to grant scholarships to young people who can’t afford college. Since Jesse Owens’ impact endures even today, it is fitting that in 1990, he posthumously received a fifth gold medal—the Congressional Gold Medal—to honor his humanitarian contributions.
Inhabitants is best defined as _____ .
The meaning of acute is _____ .
Setback most nearly means _____ .
The meaning of smug is _____ .
Duration most nearly means _____ .
Facets is best defined as _____ .
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.
In the field of technology, past prophecies have often turned out to be wrong, the birth of television, for example, did not bring about the death of radio, as many people predicted.
The drama coach announced that the lead role in our school play would go to whomever turned out to be best qualified.
Michelle’s volunteer activities last summer included reading to the elderly, organizing a neighborhood clean up, and the supervision of a bake sale to raise money for the victims of a devastating hurricane.
The newspaper editorial drew attention to the school’s sadly deficient facilities, and they strongly endorsed passage of a bond issue to provide the district with additional funds.
Browsing the library shelves last Saturday morning, a handsome edition of Ben Franklin’s Autobiography was located.
Ira’s fingers literally fly over the keyboard of his laptop computer, and he is a more accurate typist than any student in his class.
Examining their reports, both Tricia’s and Gloria’s research is impressive, but Tricia’s concise writing style earns her paper a superior grade.
Although most tourists thought that the group’s three-day stay in Venice was the highlight of their trip, some travelers complain about the high prices there.
Everyone operating landscaping equipment should be clearly informed about the safety hazards of their machinery and should take appropriate precautions.
Environmentalists differ over which issue deserves the public’s attention most: global warming or the pollution of our oceans, rivers, and streams from industrial run off.
Which of the following is another word for starved?
If you have deep regret for something you have done, you are feeling _____ .
A summary of a book can be called a(n) _____ .
Someone who is overly self-satisfied after winning a game can be described as _____ .
Which of the following is the opposite of progress?
To ruin something through clumsiness is to _____ .
The state of being faithful is called _____ .
People who live permanently in a city are its _____ .
Which of the following is another word for stubborn?
If a crying baby has been soothed, he or she has been _____ .
A noisy quarrel can be called a _____ .
Which of the following words is the opposite of rush?
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:
Last night, I settled down in my favorite armchair in the living room to read a book filled with spooky stories. Outside, the wind was blustering through the trees. Because my sense of hearing is unusually acute, I could hear dry twigs and branches creak, some as if they were about to snap. At one point, just as I was completely absorbed in an especially eerie story about a ghostly shape that appears night after night holding up a lantern on a railroad track, something seemed to enter the room. At first, I froze up, feeling completely numb and unable to move. After a moment, however, I was able to regain control of myself and looked over my shoulder to the right. That’s when I saw that I had been right—something had entered the room. Although it did have a ghostly shape, it turned out not to be a ghost. Instead, it was a pair of long curtains that had billowed out when a gust of wind blew through the partially open window.
In line 2, blustering means _____ .
Which of the following words could be used to replace acute (line 2)?
If a story is eerie (line 4), it is _____ .
In line 5, numb means unable to _____ .
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:
Since ancient times, legislatures, or groups of lawmakers, in various parts of the world have allowed the use of a procedure known as the filibuster. During a filibuster, one member of the legislature delivers a long speech in order to delay a vote on a bill that he or she opposes. It is an attempt to keep the bill from being passed. Often, the speaker can take few or no breaks and must fill the entire duration of the session in which the vote is scheduled with the speech. While delivering such an address, the speaker generally presents a long-winded commentary that criticizes as many facets of the bill under consideration as possible. Some of the countries that allow filibusters are the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. In ancient Rome, a famous philospher and senator named Cato the Younger used the procedure in attempts to refute the worthiness of proposals that he did not wish to see made into law.
In line 4, duration means _____ .
Which of the following words could not be used to replace commentary (line 6)?
Which of the following words could be used to replace facets (line 6)?
To refute (line 8) the worthiness of a proposal is to _____ .