AWP2 ch 03

ADVANCED

WORD POWER

Second Edition

BETH JOHNSON

JANET M. GOLDSTEIN

Unit One: Chapter 3

•

coalesce

•

insolvent

•

decadence

•

parsimonious

•

exemplary

•

prodigal

•

exuberance

•

surreptitious

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

– verb

• Four block associations in our neighborhood will coalesce to

form a single task force.

• When I got caught in a rainstorm, I learned that the dyes in my

new shirt weren’t waterproof. The red and blue stripes ran and

coalesced into purple smears.

Coalesce means

A. to join.

B. to produce.

C. to prevent.

1

coalesce

Two coalescing galaxies

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

– verb

• Four block associations in our neighborhood will coalesce to

form a single task force.

• When I got caught in a rainstorm, I learned that the dyes in my

new shirt weren’t waterproof. The red and blue stripes ran and

coalesced into purple smears.

Coalesce means

A. to join.

B. to produce.

C. to prevent.

1

coalesce

Four different associations plan to join together to form a single task force. To make purple smears, the red and blue dyes would have to run, or join, together.

Photo: NASA

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2

decadence

• The older generation always seems to see decadence among young

people, groaning that “kids today” are spoiled, lazy, and extravagant.

• Grandfather considers the internal combustion engine a sign of the decadence of Western civilization. “Stop the decay before it’s too late!” he says. “Get out of your cars, get on your feet, and walk!”

Decadence means

A. a disappointment.

B. a decline.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2

decadence

• The older generation always seems to see decadence among young

people, groaning that “kids today” are spoiled, lazy, and extravagant.

• Grandfather considers the internal combustion engine a sign of the decadence of Western civilization. “Stop the decay before it’s too late!” he says. “Get out of your cars, get on your feet, and walk!”

Decadence means

A. a disappointment.

B. a decline.

C. disapproval.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3

exemplary

• Christine has a glowing letter of recommendation from her

former boss, in which he says, “She is an exemplary employee who always does more than is asked.”

• This year, the “Teacher of the Year” award was given to not one

but two exemplary educators.

Exemplary means

A. excellent.

B. extra.

C. exotic.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3

exemplary

• Christine has a glowing letter of recommendation from her

former boss, in which he says, “She is an exemplary employee who always does more than is asked.”

• This year, the “Teacher of the Year” award was given to not one

but two exemplary educators.

Exemplary means

A. excellent.

B. extra.

C. exotic.

If the letter of recommendation was glowing, then her former boss must have considered her an excellent

employee. Only excellent educators earn awards for being the best teachers of the year.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

4

exuberance

• Justine called all her friends, shrieking with exuberance over

being accepted at her first-choice college.

• Students may believe they are the only ones who are happy to see

summer vacation arrive, but their teachers feel some

exuberance, too!

Exuberance means

A. fear.

B. boredom.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

4

exuberance

• Justine called all her friends, shrieking with exuberance over

being accepted at her first-choice college.

• Students may believe they are the only ones who are happy to see

summer vacation arrive, but their teachers feel some

exuberance, too!

Exuberance means

A. fear.

B. boredom.

C. joy.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

5

incidental

• Selma chose her college because it has such a good nursing

program, but an incidental reason was that it is located in a beautiful town.

• Although Rita and Zhen moved in together so they could split the

rent, they later discovered an incidental effect: they can borrow each other’s clothes. _{Incidental means}

A. secondary.

B. incorrect.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

5

incidental

• Selma chose her college because it has such a good nursing

program, but an incidental reason was that it is located in a beautiful town.

• Although Rita and Zhen moved in together so they could split the

rent, they later discovered an incidental effect: they can borrow each other’s clothes. _{Incidental means}

A. secondary.

B. incorrect.

C. secret.

Selma’s primary reason for choosing the college was its program; a

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

6

insolvent

• Barry lost his head when he got his first credit card. He went on

a spending spree, couldn’t pay his bills, and ended up insolvent.

• Compulsive gamblers often lose so much money that they

become insolvent. Because they can’t control their urge to gamble, their debt keeps growing.

Insolvent means

A. without money.

B. without friends.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

6

insolvent

Insolvent means

A. without money.

B. without friends.

C. without goals.

After the spending spree, he couldn’t pay his bills because he ended up without money. When compulsive gamblers keep losing bets, they end up without money and go into debt.

• Barry lost his head when he got his first credit card. He went on

a spending spree, couldn’t pay his bills, and ended up insolvent.

• Compulsive gamblers often lose so much money that they

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

7

parsimonious

• The boss, a parsimonious man, insists that all employees save

their old memos and letters so they can use the backs of the pages as notepaper.

• Elena is a parsimonious cook. She creates cheap meals from old

cheese rinds, stale bread, and wilted vegetables. They taste awful. Parsimonious means

A. stingy.

B. mischievous.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

7

parsimonious

• The boss, a parsimonious man, insists that all employees save

their old memos and letters so they can use the backs of the pages as notepaper.

• Elena is a parsimonious cook. She creates cheap meals from old

cheese rinds, stale bread, and wilted vegetables. They taste awful. Parsimonious means

A. stingy.

B. mischievous.

C. talented.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

8

prodigal

• Mary and Kim both make decent salaries. They could live

comfortably on what they make if they weren’t such prodigal

spenders.

• I don’t think it’s prodigal to spend some extra money to get

well-made shoes. Cheap ones fall apart so fast that you soon end up buying another pair. _{Prodigal means}

A. useful.

B. extravagant.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

8

prodigal

• Mary and Kim both make decent salaries. They could live

comfortably on what they make if they weren’t such prodigal

spenders.

• I don’t think it’s prodigal to spend some extra money to get

well-made shoes. Cheap ones fall apart so fast that you soon end up buying another pair. _{Prodigal means}

A. useful.

B. extravagant.

C. careful.

If they can’t live comfortably on salaries that are decent, they must spend their money extravagantly. The speaker explains why it is

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

9

surreptitious

• Students naturally want to know what will be covered on a test. Instead

of trying to find out by surreptitious means, it is better simply to ask the instructor, who is often willing to provide at least a rough idea.

• As the wedding reception ended, several guests made surreptitious

trips to the parking lot, where they tied tin cans and crepe paper to the newlyweds’ car. _{Surreptitious means}

A. straightforward.

B. useless.

C. secret.

A burglar

surreptitiously

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

9

surreptitious

• Students naturally want to know what will be covered on a test. Instead

of trying to find out by surreptitious means, it is better simply to ask the instructor, who is often willing to provide at least a rough idea.

• As the wedding reception ended, several guests made surreptitious

trips to the parking lot, where they tied tin cans and crepe paper to the newlyweds’ car. _{Surreptitious means}

A. straightforward.

B. useless.

C. secret.

Direct questioning is contrasted with

secretive ways of finding out what will be on the test. The guests had to do their work in secret in order to surprise the newlyweds.

A burglar

surreptitiously

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

10

writhe

• My great-uncle remembers the scratchy long underwear he wore

to school in the winter: “It was so itchy that I would writhe and wriggle at my desk all day long.”

• The children writhed with impatience as they waited in line to

board the plane. “Stop fidgeting before you drive me nuts,” their weary father begged them. _{Writhe means}

A. freeze.

B. squeeze.

C. squirm.

A writhing snake

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

10

writhe

• My great-uncle remembers the scratchy long underwear he wore

to school in the winter: “It was so itchy that I would writhe and wriggle at my desk all day long.”

• The children writhed with impatience as they waited in line to

board the plane. “Stop fidgeting before you drive me nuts,” their weary father begged them. _{Writhe means}

A. freeze.

B. squeeze.

C. squirm.

A writhing snake

The word wriggle means “squirm.” The word fidgeting suggests that the children were squirming, instead of standing still in line.

SENTENCE CHECK 1

2. Although the local newspaper is small, it has an excellent reputation. In fact, every year it wins statewide awards for its _________ reporting.

1. Three high schools in the county have _______(e)d to create a centralized “magnet” school.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. coalesce B. decadence C. exemplary D. exuberance E. incidental

SENTENCE CHECK 1

2. Although the local newspaper is small, it has an excellent reputation. In fact, every year it wins statewide awards for its _________ reporting.

1. Three high schools in the county have __________ to create a centralized “magnet” school.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. coalesce B. decadence C. exemplary D. exuberance E. incidental

F. insolvent G. parsimonious H. prodigal I. surreptitious J. writhe

To create one centralized school, three separate schools merged together.

To win awards and earn a reputation for excellence, the reporting must be worthy of praise.

coalesced

SENTENCE CHECK 1

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

4. The school’s ____________ administration decided to save money by dimming all the lights. The students, who could barely see to read, protested angrily.

5. “When the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” the

economist warned, “that is a sign of __________: the society is starting to weaken.”

3. “Stopping smoking can save your life,” said the doctor. “And there are some __________ benefits as well: you won’t have stained teeth, yellow fingers, or bad breath.”

A. coalesce B. decadence C. exemplary D. exuberance E. incidental

SENTENCE CHECK 1

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

4. The school’s ____________ administration decided to save money by dimming all the lights. The students, who could barely see to read, protested angrily.

5. “When the rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” the

economist warned, “that is a sign of __________: the society is starting to weaken.”

3. “Stopping smoking can save your life,” said the doctor. “And there are some __________ benefits as well: you won’t have stained teeth, yellow fingers, or bad breath.”

A. coalesce B. decadence C. exemplary D. exuberance E. incidental

F. insolvent G. parsimonious H. prodigal I. surreptitious J. writhe

Beyond saving one’s life, stopping smoking has three minor consequences.

If students can’t read, the school is being too thrifty in saving money.

The word weaken suggests that the economist saw signs of moral deterioration or decay.

incidental

parsimonious

SENTENCE CHECK 1

7. When stories came out about the senator’s luxurious offices, his many trips to upscale resorts, and his huge staff of

underworked employees, taxpayers complained about such a(n) __________ waste of their money.

6. Cell phone use is officially banned at school, but many students make __________ calls when they think no one is looking.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. coalesce B. decadence C. exemplary D. exuberance E. incidental

SENTENCE CHECK 1

7. When stories came out about the senator’s luxurious offices, his many trips to upscale resorts, and his huge staff of

underworked employees, taxpayers complained about such a __________ waste of their money.

6. Cell phone use is officially banned at school, but many students make __________ calls when they think no one is looking.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. coalesce B. decadence C. exemplary D. exuberance E. incidental

F. insolvent G. parsimonious H. prodigal I. surreptitious J. writhe

The students must be stealthy if they don’t want to be seen making calls.

Such luxuries are extravagant and reckless uses of taxpayers’ money.

surreptitious

SENTENCE CHECK 1

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

9. The shelter for the homeless has made an urgent appeal for donations. Without more contributions to pay its bills, it will soon be __________.

10. As soon as Tony walked into the room, I knew he had good news. His __________ showed all over his face.

8. Trying to scratch an itchy spot on its back, the pig _______(e)d and twisted as it rubbed against the fence.

A. coalesce B. decadence C. exemplary D. exuberance E. incidental

SENTENCE CHECK 1

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

9. The shelter for the homeless has made an urgent appeal for donations. Without more contributions to pay its bills, it will soon be __________.

10. As soon as Tony walked into the room, I knew he had good news. His __________ showed all over his face.

8. Trying to scratch an itchy spot on its back, the pig ________ and twisted as it rubbed against the fence.

A. coalesce B. decadence C. exemplary D. exuberance E. incidental

F. insolvent G. parsimonious H. prodigal I. surreptitious J. writhe

The word twisted and the pig’s itchy discomfort are clues.

Without money to pay its bills, it will soon be unable to pay its debts.

The high-spirited enthusiasm on Tony’s face suggested he had good news.

writhed

insolvent