ADVANCED WORD POWER Second Edition BETH JOHNSON JANET
ADVANCED WORD POWER Second Edition BETH JOHNSON JANET M. GOLDSTEIN © 2011 Townsend Press
Unit Two: Chapter 8 • affable • loquacious • apocryphal • obtuse • desultory • opaque • garbled • paucity • irascible • recapitulate
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 1 affable – adjective • Dobermans and pit bulls are often thought of as unfriendly dogs, while golden retrievers and Labradors are seen as affable. • “I wish my new boss were more affable, ” Jothi said. “She seems so stern that I’m afraid to ask her a question when I don’t understand something. ” Photos: Ginny From USA (left), U. S. Air Force - Josh Plueger (right) Affable means A. bad-tempered. B. good-natured. C. intelligent. Affable Not affable
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 1 affable – adjective • Dobermans and pit bulls are often thought of as unfriendly dogs, while golden retrievers and Labradors are seen as affable. • “I wish my new boss were more affable, ” Jothi said. “She seems so stern that I’m afraid to ask her a question when I don’t understand something. ” Photos: Ginny From USA (left), U. S. Air Force - Josh Plueger (right) Affable means A. bad-tempered. B. good-natured. C. intelligent. Affable Not affable Unfriendly dogs are contrasted with good-natured ones. Jothi wishes his boss were good-natured, rather than stern and intimidating.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 2 apocryphal – adjective • A hero of American folklore is the giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan, whose footprints supposedly formed the Great Lakes. Clearly, this story is apocryphal. • There is a story in our family that my great-grandfather was a train robber, but I think the story is apocryphal. I’ve never seen any proof. Apocryphal means A. fictitious. B. difficult to understand. C. true.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 2 apocryphal – adjective • A hero of American folklore is the giant lumberjack Paul Bunyan, whose footprints supposedly formed the Great Lakes. Clearly, this story is apocryphal. • There is a story in our family that my great-grandfather was a train robber, but I think the story is apocryphal. I’ve never seen any proof. Apocryphal means A. fictitious. B. difficult to understand. C. true. Since giants don’t exist, the story must be fictitious, or made-up. Having never seen proof that the great-grandfather was in fact a train robber, the speaker suspects the family story is fictitious.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 3 desultory – adjective • When the shoe repair shop lost my boots, the clerk’s search was so desultory and disorganized that I had to go through the shelves and find them myself. • Darrin went to the emergency room with a severe stomachache, but the doctor on duty gave him only a quick, desultory examination and sent him home. Desultory means A. fake. B. random. C. intensive.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 3 desultory – adjective • When the shoe repair shop lost my boots, the clerk’s search was so desultory and disorganized that I had to go through the shelves and find them myself. • Darrin went to the emergency room with a severe stomachache, but the doctor on duty gave him only a quick, desultory examination and sent him home. Desultory means A. fake. B. random. C. intensive. The word disorganized suggests that the clerk searched for the boots in a random way. A doctor doing a more systematic, less random examination might have identified the stomachache’s cause and treatment before sending the patient home.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 4 garbled – adjective • When Tim printed his essay, a computer error made it come out garbled. Only meaningless symbols and numbers appeared on the page. • The children played a game in which each one whispered a message to the next child in line. The first child whispered, “My favorite color is purple, ” but the message the last child heard was garbled: “You shouldn’t holler at your uncle. ” Eevn if wrods are grbaeld, you mihgt sitll be albe to udnersnatd tehm if the frist and lsat ltteers are in the rghit pclaes. An example of garbled text Garbled means A. lengthy. B. shortened. C. distorted.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 4 garbled – adjective • When Tim printed his essay, a computer error made it come out garbled. Only meaningless symbols and numbers appeared on the page. • The children played a game in which each one whispered a message to the next child in line. The first child whispered, “My favorite color is purple, ” but the message the last child heard was garbled: “You shouldn’t holler at your uncle. ” Eevn if wrods are grbaeld, you mihgt sitll be albe to udnersnatd tehm if the frist and lsat ltteers are in the rghit pclaes. An example of garbled text Garbled means A. lengthy. B. shortened. C. distorted. A computer error distorted the words in the essay into meaningless symbols and numbers. The words became distorted as each child whispered the sentence to the next child.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 5 irascible – adjective • “The holidays are supposed to be a happy time, ” sighed Martina. “But with all the extra work and guests, I find myself becoming irascible— I’m a real grouch. ” • “I know my patients are improving when they become grumpy, ” said Dr. Imiri. “An irascible patient is on the road to recovery. ” Irascible means Rafael Nadal looking irascible during a match A. bad-tempered. B. nervous. C. depressed. Photo: Alex Lee
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 5 irascible – adjective • “The holidays are supposed to be a happy time, ” sighed Martina. “But with all the extra work and guests, I find myself becoming irascible— I’m a real grouch. ” • “I know my patients are improving when they become grumpy, ” said Dr. Imiri. “An irascible patient is on the road to recovery. ” Irascible means Rafael Nadal looking irascible during a match A. bad-tempered. B. nervous. C. depressed. Photo: Alex Lee The word grouch suggests that during the holidays Martina can be bad-tempered. The word grumpy suggests that recovering patients can be bad-tempered.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 6 loquacious – adjective • Kyle, who prefers to sleep or read on a long plane trip, says it never fails: he always ends up with a loquacious seat companion who wants to chat nonstop. • The British have an amusing way of describing loquacious people: they say that such a person can “talk the hind leg off a donkey. ” Loquacious means A. talking too much. B. aggressive. C. irritable.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 6 loquacious – adjective • Kyle, who prefers to sleep or read on a long plane trip, says it never fails: he always ends up with a loquacious seat companion who wants to chat nonstop. • The British have an amusing way of describing loquacious people: they say that such a person can “talk the hind leg off a donkey. ” Loquacious means A. talking too much. B. aggressive. C. irritable. A person who chats nonstop is probably talking too much. A person who rattles on so long that a donkey’s leg falls off is probably talking too much.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 7 obtuse – adjective • Children can be remarkably obtuse about understanding school subjects like math, but their wits sharpen amazingly when they’re learning a new video game. • Today, in front of Gillian, Harvey mentioned the surprise party we’re planning for her. I kicked him under the table, hoping to shut him up, but he’s so obtuse he just said, “Ow! Why did you kick me? ” Obtuse means A. angry. B. stupid. C. thoughtful.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 7 obtuse – adjective • Children can be remarkably obtuse about understanding school subjects like math, but their wits sharpen amazingly when they’re learning a new video game. • Today, in front of Gillian, Harvey mentioned the surprise party we’re planning for her. I kicked him under the table, hoping to shut him up, but he’s so obtuse he just said, “Ow! Why did you kick me? ” Obtuse means A. angry. B. stupid. C. thoughtful. Sharpened wits when learning video games are contrasted with appearing stupid when trying to understand school subjects. It would seem stupid to talk about a surprise party in front of the guest of honor—and not even realize one’s mistake.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 8 opaque – adjective • We attempted to follow the movie’s complex plot, but the characters’ motives and reactions remained opaque. We finally gave up trying to understand it. • Articles on Einstein’s theory of relativity usually start reassuringly, noting that there is no reason why this theory should be opaque to the ordinary reader. Then they proceed to make it even more confusing. Opaque means A. fascinating. B. difficult to understand. C. improbable.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 8 opaque – adjective • We attempted to follow the movie’s complex plot, but the characters’ motives and reactions remained opaque. We finally gave up trying to understand it. • Articles on Einstein’s theory of relativity usually start reassuringly, noting that there is no reason why this theory should be opaque to the ordinary reader. Then they proceed to make it even more confusing. Opaque means A. fascinating. B. difficult to understand. C. improbable. If they gave up trying to understand the movie’s complex plot, then it must have been difficult to understand. If a theory is made more confusing, then it would be difficult to understand.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 9 paucity – noun • The speaker’s elegant language could not conceal his paucity of ideas. He had nothing meaningful to say. • Serena wanted to get away from her small town because of its paucity of intellectual life. It didn’t even have a library or a bookstore. Paucity means A. repetition. B. conflict. C. lack. Photo: Nomadz The paucity of rain in the desert allows few plants to survive.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 9 paucity – noun • The speaker’s elegant language could not conceal his paucity of ideas. He had nothing meaningful to say. • Serena wanted to get away from her small town because of its paucity of intellectual life. It didn’t even have a library or a bookstore. Paucity means A. repetition. B. conflict. C. lack. Photo: Nomadz The paucity of rain in the desert allows few plants to survive. If the speaker said nothing meaningful, he must have had a lack of ideas to talk about. A lack of opportunities to share books suggests a lack of opportunities to share intellectual interests.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 10 recapitulate – verb • “To recapitulate what we told you on the phone, ” said Ms. Brown to the baby sitter, “we’ll be home at eleven o’clock, and you can reach us at the Athens Café. ” • Before an exam, Ms. Chiu always has a review session in which she recapitulates some of the most important material the class has studied. Recapitulate means A. to sum up. B. to ignore. C. to contradict.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 10 recapitulate – verb • “To recapitulate what we told you on the phone, ” said Ms. Brown to the baby sitter, “we’ll be home at eleven o’clock, and you can reach us at the Athens Café. ” • Before an exam, Ms. Chiu always has a review session in which she recapitulates some of the most important material the class has studied. Recapitulate means A. to sum up. B. to ignore. C. to contradict. As a reminder, the parent summed up the two most important points from their earlier phone conversation. As a review, the teacher sums up the most important material from previous classes.
SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. affable B. apocryphal C. desultory D. garbled E. irascible F. loquacious G. obtuse H. opaque I. paucity J. recapitulate 1. Many Spanish explorers in the 1700 s lost their lives searching for the _____ “fountain of youth. ” 2. After a stroke, some people partially lose their ability to speak. Until they recover, their words come out _____ and unclear.
SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. affable B. apocryphal C. desultory D. garbled E. irascible F. loquacious G. obtuse H. opaque I. paucity J. recapitulate 1. Many Spanish explorers in the 1700 s lost their lives searching for the _____ apocryphal “fountain of youth. ” Because the fountain was of doubtful authenticity, they died in vain. 2. After a stroke, some people partially lose their ability to speak. Until they recover, their words come out _____ garbled and unclear. The word unclear suggests that their speech can be incomprehensible.
SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. affable B. apocryphal C. desultory D. garbled E. irascible F. loquacious G. obtuse H. opaque I. paucity J. recapitulate 3. People often become _____ when they’re nervous. Unfortunately, not only do they talk too much, but what they say isn’t very interesting. 4. The words of the poem sounded lovely, but their meaning was _____. Even the teacher found it difficult to explain. 5. Although Ms. Henderson is a(n) _____ instructor, don’t let her good nature make you think that she’s a pushover. She’s nice and friendly, but she’s also a demanding teacher.
SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. affable B. apocryphal C. desultory D. garbled E. irascible F. loquacious G. obtuse H. opaque I. paucity J. recapitulate 3. People often become _____ loquacious when they’re nervous. Unfortunately, not only do they talk too much, but what they say isn’t very interesting. If nervous people talk too much, they must be very talkative. 4. The words of the poem sounded lovely, but their meaning was _____. Even the teacher found it difficult to explain. opaque If the teacher couldn’t explain the poem, it was difficult to understand. 5. Although Ms. Henderson is an _____ affable instructor, don’t let her good nature make you think that she’s a pushover. She’s nice and friendly, but she’s also a demanding teacher. The words good nature, nice, and friendly suggest the instructor is easy to get along with.
SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. affable B. apocryphal C. desultory D. garbled E. irascible F. loquacious G. obtuse H. opaque I. paucity J. recapitulate 6. Deepak always seems to have a chip on his shoulder, and he gets angry over the slightest thing. I don’t know what makes him so _____. 7. Jon’s paper was a(n) ____ effort. He started late and then just threw some disconnected notes together. No wonder he got a D.
SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. affable B. apocryphal C. desultory D. garbled E. irascible F. loquacious G. obtuse H. opaque I. paucity J. recapitulate 6. Deepak always seems to have a chip on his shoulder, and he gets angry over the slightest thing. I don’t know what makes him so _____. irascible The chip on his shoulder and his quickness to anger show he is irritable. 7. Jon’s paper was a _____ desultory effort. He started late and then just threw some disconnected notes together. No wonder he got a D. The late start and disconnected, thrown-together notes suggest the paper moved from one thing to another in an unplanned way.
SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. affable B. apocryphal C. desultory D. garbled E. irascible F. loquacious G. obtuse H. opaque I. paucity J. recapitulate 8. “We seem to have a(n) ____ of singers this year, ” said the chorus director. Only three students had shown up for the auditions, possibly indicating a dearth° of interest in joining the group. 9. Before I left the office, my doctor _____(e)d her advice to me: “Get extra rest, drink plenty of fluids, and don’t worry. ” 10. “I’ve been hinting that my birthday would be a good time for Jeff to give me an engagement ring, ” Jan said, “but he seems completely _____. I don’t think he gets the point. ”
SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. affable B. apocryphal C. desultory D. garbled E. irascible F. loquacious G. obtuse H. opaque I. paucity J. recapitulate 8. “We seem to have a _____ paucity of singers this year, ” said the chorus director. Only three students had shown up for the auditions, possibly indicating a dearth° of interest in joining the group. Three students would be an insufficient number of singers for a chorus. 9. Before I left the office, my doctor ______ recapitulated her advice to me: “Get extra rest, drink plenty of fluids, and don’t worry. ” The doctor repeated her advice briefly, using only ten words. 10. “I’ve been hinting that my birthday would be a good time for Jeff to give me an engagement ring, ” Jan said, “but he seems completely _____. I don’t think he gets the point. ” obtuse If he doesn’t get the point, he is too dull or slow to understand her hints.
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