Rachel Carson hoped her book Silent Spring would prompt people to be in _____ with her view on the use of insecticides.
Millions of people, not only in India but in all parts of the world, came to regard Gandhi as a _____ saint.
The mayor warned of a(n) _____ crisis unless measures are taken immediately to conserve the city's water supply.
When we moved from an apartment to a house, we found that being homeowners _____ more responsibilities than we had imagined.
A long series of minor illnesses sapped his _____ , leaving him unable to work.
Instead of trying to _____ an elaborate excuse, why not tell them exactly what happened and hope for the best?
_____ in texting, the pedestrian, completely oblivious to his environment, fell right into a manhole.
Our science teacher _____ us when we failed to follow proper safety precautions in the lab.
Do not _____ at him because he wants to be a good student.
The years of adolescence mark the _____ from childhood to adulthood.
Despite my best efforts, I was unable to _____ out the time and place of the meeting.
In spite of my _____ about making a speech at the assembly, I found it an enjoyable experience.
As the screaming fans stormed the stadium, security prepared for an _____ riot.
My uncle told me that dropping out of school at an early age was a decision he has always _____ .
You may find it hard to become _____ in the study of irregular verbs, but you'll have to master them if you want to learn French.
My ingenious sister _____ a gadget that opens cans, secures nails, and loosens bolts.
Although we all long for world peace, we should not allow ourselves to _____ away our liberties to secure it.
My cousin is full of _____ ideas that may not be practical but are a lot of fun to discuss.
The _____ from country living to city living was more difficult than I imagined.
The telegram contained a(n) _____ message ordering me to return home as soon as possible.
I wouldn't describe our hostess as merely _____ ; I think she is a truly captivating woman.
Good office managers must be _____ in using their powers to meet goals without discouraging employees.
Presidents need capable assistants who will shield them from minor problems that may _____ them.
During the oil crisis of the 1970s, Americans had to _____ themselves to lower indoor temperatures and decreased use of private transportation.
Lucinda _____ the fidgety children for their rude behavior.
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 Question: Whenever someone is engrossed, he or she is _____ .
EXCERPT #2 Question: Feelings or events that are impending are NOT _____ .
EXCERPT #3 Question: A transition is a(n) _____ .
EXCERPT #4 Question: Vitality is _____ .
EXCERPT #5:
Bless me!” exclaimed Mr. Philander, as the car moved off after Clayton. “Who would ever have thought it possible! The last time I saw you, you were a veritable wild man, skipping about among the branches of a tropical African forest, and now you are driving me along a Wisconsin road in a French automobile.”
EXCERPT #5 Question: If something is veritable, it 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:
There are a great many ways to record and preserve data. When the digital method of storage was devised, people believed that their documents and memories would be preserved permanently. Unfortunately, scientists now realize that this belief was mistaken. The problem is real, and no one should scoff at dire predictions of data loss. That videotape of your first steps as a baby or your family’s summer vacation may not last long enough to engross your children or grandchildren.
Many things can cause data to disappear. Tapes may eventually dry out, break, or lose their magnetic charge. Even if tapes survive, the machines on which they are played may become obsolete. Technology changes so rapidly that both the data formats and the machines needed to access the information are vulnerable. For example, documents that you saved on a 5 ¼-inch floppy disk may be lost to you when you trade in your old computer for a model that does not have the appropriate disk drive. In a high-tech lab at the National Archives in Washington, D.C., out-of-date recording machines of all types are preserved in working order. Technicians are laboring to transfer priceless information from old formats to more stable ones. However, despite great care, the transition from one format to another is not always perfect. Errors may creep in, making the original information unintelligible or unreliable. Long-term solutions have not yet been found.
This possibility of the impending loss of data vexes all those who want to preserve memories and information. Sooner or later, scientists will solve this problem. In the meantime, the best thing that you can do is save your valuable data in the simplest possible form.
The meaning of devised is _____ .
Scoff most nearly means _____ .
Engross is best defined as _____ .
The meaning of transition is _____ .
Impending most nearly means _____ .
Vexes 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. (5 points)
*You may only select one option for your answer.
All eight of the teenagers climbed inside the tiny car that was having a hard time fitting them all in.
At over 29,000 feet, Mt. Everest is taller than any mountain in the world.
Ivan can never decide if he would rather go swimming or to play tennis.
Table tennis, which some people consider a full-blown competition sport while others denigrate it as a mere childish hobby, is also called ping-pong.
The athletes had a hard time deciding which shoes was best.
If two parties come to an agreement, they have reached a(n) _____ .
Someone who has been blamed for a mistake has been _____ .
Which of the following is the opposite of false?
To annoy or anger is to _____ .
Which of the following might be another word for likeable?
A character in a horror story who trembles while turning a doorknob is opening the door with _____ .
Which of the following might be another word for necessitate?
Statements or comments that are rudely brief could be described as _____ .
If you have become used to getting up early, you have become _____ .
A change from one state or condition to another is called a(n) _____ .
A loss that is about to take place in a football game can be described as _____ .
To exchange goods is 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:
Because of their kinship with otters, badgers, and other wild members of the weasel family, many people think that ferrets are wild animals that are sometimes kept as pets. This however,
is not the case. Like domestic dogs and cats, ferrets have been raised by humans for a very long time. The long-bodied and long-tailed creatures, which have been affectionately nicknamed “fuzzies” and “furballs” by their fans, are in their own way as cuddly and playful as these more familiar pets. Although ferrets sleep most of the day, they make up for their hours of inactivity with a few hours of non-stop playfulness and vitality. During these times, their owners may enjoy watching them as they roll a ball or grab another kind of toy with their dexterous little paws, or the human companions may take part in games such as fetch or hideand-seek with their whimsical four-legged friends.
Ferrets (sentence 1) are small animals that belong to _____ .
Which of the following words could not be used to replace vitality (sentence 5)?
Which of the following words could be used to replace dexterous (sentence 6)?
In sentence 6, whimsical 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:
Thanks to a recommendation from my Aunt Frances, I have become thoroughly engrossed in the mystery novels of Agatha Christie. Although this English writer’s books are set mainly during the 1920s and 1930s—which is also the time when they were writtten—I find them fresh and highly readable, In fact, these mysteries have provided me with more than just an enjoyable reading experience. They have inspired me to try to devise my own plots and write my own tales of detection. Like Christie and other great mystery writers, I plan to create a detective whose powers of observation make a wide variety of wrongdoers rue the crimes they committed—as well as the way they scoffed at the law and thought they could avoid being found out.
If you are engrossed (line 1) in something, you are _____ .
In line 5, devise means _____ .
In line 6, rue means _____ .
If someone scoffed (line 7) at the law, he or she _____ .