Assignment 13 Chapters 22, 23

I. Active Vocabulary

1. Learn the pronunciation and the meaning of the given words:

Prelude, to blare, furtively, lectern, eminence, caricature, a stage-fright, uproar, legitimate, to supervene, a surge, agitated, aisle, to fluster, to rumble, carafe, salvo, fatigue, tangible, elegiac, subtly, to delude, derision, contingent, recumbent, tumult, indisposition, to plead, to nudge, to cackle, to intuit, hilarious, exaltation.

2. Match the words with their TWO synonyms from the box:

to appeal agitation turmoil lawful tiredness

to rattle evasion commotion excited fuss

side-splitting to sue thrilled to swindle sad

melancholy dodge exhaustion to lumber

valid to deceive merry

Legitimate

Agitated

Fluster

To rumble

Salvo

Fatigue

Elegiac

To delude

To plead

Tumult

Hilarious

3. Fill in the gaps where possible with the corresponding words. Translate the words:

Noun	Adjective	Verb
exaltation
		to nudge
		to cackle
plausibility
	tangible
		to intuit
eminence
	subtle
		to assault
uproar

4. Define the meaning of the lexical units:

To cognate with smth, to be accustomed to, to call for silence, to sway to and fro, to be afield, to make for (the door), to succumb to, to pass out, to wreck a public lecture, to recommend smb’s retention on the Staff, to wind up affairs, to furnish with testimonials, a stab of conscience at smth, to be cut out for the University teaching, to get a chair, to abuse (to assault) smb for treachery, out of the reluctance, to get the sack, to do smth in one go, to get the push.

Recall the situations the units were used in.

II. Questions and Topics for Analysis

1. Why was Dixon seized with panic?

2. Who was present at the lecture? Read and translate the paragraph “While Welch talked … and the drink, of course” (p. 252-253). What role, in your opinion, does this rather detailed description play in the text?

3. How did the lecture go? Reproduce in detail.

4. Speak of Dixon’s inner state during the lecture.

5. How did the audience respond to what Dixon was saying?

6. Reproduce chapter 22 as if you were Dixon/Welch/a student, present at the lecture.

7. What were the consequences of Dixon’s failure?

8. What did Michie say about the lecture?

9. What were Dixon’s initial plans after being sacked from the University?

10. What treacheries did Dixon learn about? What was the revenge upon Johns? Comment on the following: ”At a loss for faces, he drew in his breath to swear, then cackled hysterically instead” (p. 261).

11. What offer did Dixon get from Gore-Urquhart? What fact pleased Dixon most?