My sister made her _____ in the Broadway production of Les Misérables, a musical based on Victor Hugo’s novel.
Over the years, so many of the columnist's predictions have come true that he is now looked on as something of a(n) _____ .
One of the biggest problems facing the United States today is how to stop the _____ that is creeping over large parts of our great cities.
Until we were in _____ with the neighborhood regulations, we could not build a tree house.
An experienced backpacker can give you many useful suggestions for _____ energy on a long, tough hike.
After all the deductions had been made from my _____ salary, the sum that remained seemed pitifully small.
Students must take many required courses, but they also have a little _____ to choose courses that they find especially interesting.
What I thought was going to be a(n) _____ little chat with my boss soon turned into a real argument.
Don’t let the _____ of the water fool you into supposing that it’s safe for drinking.
To become a good all-around athlete, you not only need a strong and _____ body, but also a quick, disciplined mind.
Because she is usually so _____ , we were all surprised when she said that she didn't like our plans and wouldn't accept them.
Poland was at the top of Adolf Hitler’s _____ of military conquests in the fall of 1939.
If you want to get a clear picture of just what went wrong, you must not _____ your mind with all kinds of wild rumors.
As we moved higher up the mountain, I was overcome by dizziness and fatigue _____ by the thin air.
This video game is not appropriate for children or minors due to its violent and _____ content.
Because he is an expert gymnast and works out every day, his body has remained as _____ as that of a boy.
Many a student dreams about spending a _____ year idly hiking through Europe.
In her graphic description of the most gruesome scenes in the horror film, Maria left out none of the _____ details.
At the end of the long series of discussions and arguments, we felt that we were trapped in a _____ of conflicting ideas and plans.
The landlord ordered all tenants to _____ the premises by noon.
This matter is so important to all the people of the community that we must forget _____ politics and work together.
I will feel fully _____ for all that I have done for her if I can see her in good health again.
The disc jockey promised to _____ the band’s long-awaited new song as soon as it was released by the recording company.
Mr. Roth, our school librarian, may seem mild and easygoing, but he cracks down hard on _____ students.
One of the items on the council’s _____ is the proposal of a curfew.
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:
The houseless prince, the homeless heir to the throne of England, still moved on, drifting deeper into the maze of squalid alleys where the swarming hives of poverty and misery were massed together.
(The Prince and the Pauper)
EXCERPT #1 Question: Alleys that are like a maze are _____ .
EXCERPT #2:
With boisterous mirth they dropped upon their knees in a body and did mock homage to their prey. The prince spurned the nearest boy with his foot, and said fiercely—“Take thou that, till the morrow come and I build thee a gibbet!”
(The Prince and the Pauper)
EXCERPT #2 Question: Something that is boisterous is NOT _____ .
EXCERPT #3 Question: A vagabond is someone who is a(n) _____ .
EXCERPT #4:
In compliance with the request of a friend of mine, who wrote me from the East, I called on good-natured, garrulous old Simon Wheeler, and inquired after my friend's friend. . . .
(“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”)
EXCERPT #4 Question: People who are in compliance are _____ .
EXCERPT #5:
They used to give [the horse] two or three hundred yards start ... but always at the [end] of the race she'd get excited and desperate-like, and come cavorting and straddling up, and scattering her legs around limber, sometimes in the air, and sometimes out to one side amongst the fences . . . .
(“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”)
EXCERPT #5 Question: A limber horse is one that 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:
Do you have a good sense of humor and enjoy working with people? Do you have an amiable disposition? Can your behavior be characterized as boisterous? Are you ready to learn to juggle, paint your face, and sculpt balloons? If so, you might have what it takes to become a clown.
The art of clowning has been around for centuries. A clown performed as a jester in Pharaoh’s court during Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty, about 2500 B.C. Court jesters have performed in China since 1818 B.C. Clowns who performed as court jesters were often the only ones allowed to speak against the ruler’s policies. The fools in Shakespeare’s plays were often the ones with the smartest things to say!
There are three basic types of clowns. Whiteface clowns cover their face with white makeup and then use different colors to highlight their facial features. They try to look like dolls who have come to life. Auguste clowns are more human looking; their base makeup is a fleshy tone, but they exaggerate their facial features with additional makeup. Their hair is often wild, and they wear brightly colored, mismatched, and oversized clothes. The character clown is a third type. This type is often a tramp or a hobo, a vagabond down on his or her luck. Makeup is fleshbased with gray tones to simulate dirt and tears.
Clowns may seem clumsy and befuddled, but good clowning requires a limber body and quick mind. Clown antics are like well-tuned gymnastics or dance routines, which often don’t allow leeway for mistakes. They demand strong muscles and great timing. Without advanced preparation, clowns could get injured. Worse, they might not be the least bit funny.
The meaning of amiable is _____ .
Boisterous most nearly means _____ .
Vagabond is best defined as _____ .
The meaning of befuddled is _____ .
Limber most nearly means _____ .
Leeway is best defined as _____ .
DIRECTIONS:
1. Read each sentence and determine if the underlined portion could be written better.
2. Select the answer that best completes each question. (6 points)
*You may only select one option for your answer.
You should have arrived on time in order to have got a good seat.
Although things were going bad, Ivan remained hopeful that they would all work out in the end.
Carlos doesn't like tomatoes, and his sister Elena doesn't like them neither.
They got the gist of what he was saying, but not all of the details.
Each of the three boys bought their mothers flowers on Mother's Day.
Jumping up and down, the zoo visitors chuckled as they watched the exotic frogs.
A list of things to be done is a(n) _____ .
Which of the following words is the opposite of waste?
Which of the following is another word for clearness?
To cause or bring about is to _____ .
If you need to make make an allowance for mistakes or inaccuracies in a plan, you could say you need some _____ .
Someone who is partial or biased in a certain matter can be described as a(n) _____ .
Another word for high-spirited is _____ .
An idle wanderer can be called a _____ .
Which of the following words would you use to describe someone who is flexible and good at gymnastics?
Which of the following words is the opposite of disobedient?
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:
Yesterday I went to see a movie with my older brother Jake and my friend Veejay. We were looking forward to enjoying an amiable spoof of horror movies. What we saw instead, though, was an embarrassing mess. Every scene in the movie, which was called Revenge of the Zombie Werewolves, featured ridiculously creepy characters either committing gory acts or lamely indulging in gross humor. I don’t know how we and the rest of the audience managed to sit through the whole thing without vacating the theater and asking to be reimbursed for the price of our tickets. Once it was finally over, I told Jake and Veejay to remind me to wait until after the debut the next time I want to see a movie. That way, I can read some reviews and decide whether it’s worth my time and money or not.
In line 2, amiable means _____ .
Which of the following words could be used to replace gory (line 4)?
In line 4, gross means _____ .
Which of the following words could not be used to replace vacating (line 5)?
When you are reimbursed (line 6) for something, you are _____ .
A movie’s debut (line 7) is its _____ .
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 ancient Greek myth tells of the Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man that lived on the island of Crete.The horrible beast killed and ate people, and so Minos, the King of Crete had to find a way to keep this monster from blighting life on his island. In order to do so, he asked for the advice of an oracle. Then, following the instructions he received, Minos had a giant maze built. The structure was so vast and so confusing that, once inside, no one could ever escape from it. One day, however, a brave young man named Theseus was able not only to enter it and kill the Minotaur but also to find his way out. How was he able to make his way through the maze without becoming completely befuddled? He had help from Ariadne, King Minos’s daughter. The young woman, who loved Theseus, gave him a ball of thread, which he unwound to mark his path.
Blighting (line 3) means to _____ .
In line 4, oracle means _____ .
Which of the following could be used to replace maze (line 4)?
If someone is befuddled (line 7), he or she is _____ .