Learningexpress Vocabulary Spelling Success 4e

gorillas had set the precedent of being the only mammals other than humans who could recognize their images.

Sentence Completion

Insert the correct word from Vocabulary List 4 into the following sentences.

1.Reaching heights of 310 feet, the Millennium Force roller coaster is the most

9. In order for the brain to function at an optimum, rather than a level, it needs proper nutrition, sleep, oxygen, caring, and laughter.

10.Lance Armstrong’s recovery from cancer and comeback as world-champion cyclist gives

to his positive attitude

and perseverance.

11.As a result of the administration’s tax rebate policy, most U.S. taxpayers received a

of $300–$600.

12. The multimillion dollar cultural arts center was built due to the of wealthy patrons.

13. Scientists made predictions about the damage from Europe’s most active volcano, Mount Etna in Sicily.

14. In her warm and funny short stories, Eudora Welty preferred to talk about simple, humble characters rather than , high-society people.

15.Her local association was

to the worldwide environmental organization.

16. The writer from his publisher’s e-mail that his book was approved for publishing.

17. The elderly woman became increasingly

and refused to leave her

apartment.

18. He used the first chapter of his novel to

the historical background of the special air force unit in WWII.

groups of words.

31.aid, assistance, support, backing

32.bill, cost, charge

33.central, vital, innermost, crucial

34.nastiness, greed, selfishness, gluttony

35.unsophisticated, simple, crude, unrefined

36.disbelief, incredulity, doubt, mistrust

37.agreement, consensus, accord, harmony

38.hidden, obscure, cryptic, concealed

39.outstanding, exceptional, superior, first-rate

40.unclear, murky, indistinct, doubtful

Choosing the Right Word

Circle the word in bold that best completes the sentence.

41.Because she was fearful of wide-open spaces, she was diagnosed as being (agoraphobic, gregarious).

42.During the scavenger hunt, the easily seen clue was left under a (conspicuous, incisive) rock.

43.The quickly dissolving fertilizer was (mediocre, biodegradable).

44.(Benevolent, urbane) Peace Corps volunteers selflessly devote their time to help others in need.

45.In order to receive high marks, Olympic ice skaters’ performances cannot be (conspicuous, mediocre).

46.His blindness did not stop him from becoming a Grammy winner, nor was it an (impediment, precedent) to him becoming a singing sensation.

47.In the Preamble of the Constitution, it clearly states, “We hold these truths to be self (evident, benevolent) that all men are created equal.”

48.To sum up the important events, the producer had the narrator (attribute, recapitulate) those events at the movie’s finale.

49.It’s always a good idea to send your (inference, remittance) to the phone company immediately after you receive your bill.

50.Because of their clarity and logic, no one questioned the (incisive, mediocre) orders of the captain.

Practice Activities

The following is a list of words that contain the same roots as the words in this chapter. See if you can determine the word meanings. Check your definitions with the dictionary definitions.

xenophobia, facsimile, contribution, beneficiary, bionic, introspection, dictate, credulous, video, egregious, pedestrian, precise, interfere, media, bibliophile, intercede, commission, contiguous, suburban

Select any five words from the list and create your own sentences.

Answers

Words in Context

After reading the paragraph, we learn that scientists have made a discovery about bottle-nosed dolphins. Because of their experiments using mirrors, they believe that the dolphins can recognize themselves in a reflection. Therefore, they credit these experiments with proving this to be true. We can deduce that attribute means giving credit to the results that support this finding. The next word we see is credence. Further experiments of placing marks on the noses of these dolphins cause them to seek out their reflection to check their noses for marks that they try to wipe off. We can presume that credence means it makes these findings more believable. Because the dolphins tried to rub off conspicuous colored marks on their noses, we can imply that conspicuous marks were highly visible. Because of the results of these experiments, the scientists inferred that dolphins could recognize their own images. We can tell that the inference was their conclusion. The last vocabulary word we see is precedent. Since there have been no other examples of mammals being aware of their own image, other than gorillas setting a precedent, we can infer that the discovery of gorillas’ self-awareness came before the dolphin discovery.

Sentence Completion

1.conspicuous. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

2.assimilate. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

3.evident. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

4.biodegradable. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

5.benevolent. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

6.gregarious. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

7.impediment. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

8.contradiction. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

9.mediocre. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

10.credence. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

11.remittance. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

12.philanthropy. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

13.incisive. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

14.urbane. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

15.tangential. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

16.inferred. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

17.agoraphobic. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

18.recapitulate. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

19.attributes. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

20.precedent. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word’s definition.

Synonyms

21.c. malevolent. Benevolent means giving and kind, so malevolent would not be a synonym of the word since it means evil.

22.d. decimate. Recapitulate means to recap, so decimate would not be a synonym of the word since it means destroy.

23.e. puerile. Urbane means refined, so puerile would not be a synonym of the word because it means childish.

24.a. cryptic. Conspicuous means obvious, so cryptic would not be a synonym of the word because it means hidden.

25.c. unclear. Incisive means perceptive, so unclear would not be the synonym of the word because it means wishy-washy.

26.e. shy. Gregarious means outgoing, so shy would not be a synonym of the word.

27.b. reject. Assimilate means to take in, so reject would not be a synonym of the word because it means to discard or throw out.

28.d. aid. Impediment means an obstacle, so aid would not be a synonym of the word because it means to help.

29.c. obsolescence. Inference means a presumption, so obsolescence would not be a synonym of the word because it means outdated.

30.b. unbelievable. Credence means belief or trust, so unbelievable would not be a synonym since it means the opposite of the rest of the words in the list.

Antonyms

31.impediment. Impediment means hindrance, the opposite meaning of the words in the group.

32.remittance. Remittance means payment, opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.

33.tangential. Tangential means secondary or unimportant, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.

34.philanthropy. Philanthropy means generosity, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.

35.urbane. Urbane means sophisticated and cultured, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.

36.credence. Credence means belief, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.

37.contradiction. Contradiction means disagreement, the opposite of the words in the group.

38.conspicuous. Conspicuous means noticeable, the opposite of the words in the groups.

39.mediocre. Mediocre means commonplace, the opposite of the words in the group.

40.evident. Evident means obvious, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.

Choosing the Right Word

41.agoraphobic. Context clue is that she was fearful of wide-open spaces.

42.conspicuous. Context clue is the easily seen clue.

43.biodegradable. Context clue is quickly dissolving fertilizer.

44.benevolent. Context clue is volunteers selflessly devote their time.

45.mediocre. Context clue is that Olympic skaters cannot receive high marks.

46.impediment. Context clue is the man’s blindness did not stop him from becoming a Grammy winner.

47.evident. Context clue is the Constitution clearly states.

48.recapitulate. Context clue is that the important events were summarized.

49.remittance. Context clue is that the customers found the remittance to be too costly.

50.incisive. Context clue is that the captain’s orders had clarity and logic.

Across

8remittance

9attribute 10 tangential 13 impediment

14 conspicuous

17 gregarious

Down

2recapitulate

3philanthropy

4contradiction

5agoraphobic

6benevolent

7assimilate 11 evident 12 inference 13 incisive 14 credence 15 precedent 16 urbane

–VOCABULARY LIST 4: MORE ROOTS–