AWP2 ch 04

ADVANCED

WORD POWER

Second Edition

BETH JOHNSON

JANET M. GOLDSTEIN

Unit One: Chapter 4

•

brevity

• querulous

• clemency

• reproach

• frivolous

• respite

• heist

• torpor

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

– noun

• Everyone was surprised by the brevity of the principal’s speech

at graduation. He spoke for less than five minutes.

• President Calvin Coolidge was famous for the brevity of his

remarks. When a woman told him, “I have a bet that I can get you to say three words to me!” his response was, “You lose.”

Brevity means

A. strength.

B. intelligence.

C. briefness.

1

brevity

The brevity

of a flash of lightning captured on camera

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

– noun

• Everyone was surprised by the brevity of the principal’s speech

at graduation. He spoke for less than five minutes.

• President Calvin Coolidge was famous for the brevity of his

remarks. When a woman told him, “I have a bet that I can get you to say three words to me!” his response was, “You lose.”

Brevity means

A. strength.

B. intelligence.

C. briefness.

1

brevity

A graduation speech lasting for less than five minutes is unusually brief. Coolidge’s two-word refusal to speak even three words illustrates his

characteristic briefness in speaking. The brevity

of a flash of lightning captured on camera

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2

clemency

• A good teacher knows when to show clemency. For instance, if a

student has been working very hard but does poorly on one quiz, the teacher might offer not to count that score.

• The convicted murderer was executed, even though religious

leaders asked the court to show clemency and reduce his sentence to life in prison. _{Clemency means}

A. mercy.

B. haste.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2

clemency

• A good teacher knows when to show clemency. For instance, if a

student has been working very hard but does poorly on one quiz, the teacher might offer not to count that score.

• The convicted murderer was executed, even though religious

leaders asked the court to show clemency and reduce his sentence to life in prison. _{Clemency means}

A. mercy.

B. haste.

C. strength.

Not counting an unusual low quiz score shows the teacher’s mercy

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3

frivolous

• Do you feel like seeing a serious movie, or one that’s more

frivolous?

• We were laughing over some ridiculous joke when the news of

our friend’s injury put an end to our frivolous mood.

Frivolous means

A. lighthearted.

B. cold-hearted.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3

frivolous

• Do you feel like seeing a serious movie, or one that’s more

frivolous?

• We were laughing over some ridiculous joke when the news of

our friend’s injury put an end to our frivolous mood.

Frivolous means

A. lighthearted.

B. cold-hearted.

C. brokenhearted.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

4

heist

• Hollywood loves making heist movies. A few of the

robbery-themed movies of recent years include Ocean’s Eleven, Catch Me If You Can, and Snatch.

• The police believe three people were involved in the jewelry-store

heist: the lookout, the thief, and the driver of the getaway car.

Heist means

A. a purchase.

B. an imitation.

C. a theft.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

4

heist

• Hollywood loves making heist movies. A few of the

robbery-themed movies of recent years include Ocean’s Eleven, Catch Me If You Can, and Snatch.

• The police believe three people were involved in the jewelry-store

heist: the lookout, the thief, and the driver of the getaway car.

Heist means

A. a purchase.

B. an imitation.

C. a theft.

The word robbery suggests that heist

means “theft.” The words lookout, thief, and getaway car suggest that these three people were involved in a

theft. A bank heist in progress

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

5

lampoon

• Someone in our office lampooned all our paperwork by circulating

a six-page form to be submitted, in triplicate, by anyone who

wanted a pencil. Several humorless employees actually filled it out.

• The funny movie Tropic Thunder lampoons a number of targets:

the washed-up action star, the rapper-turned-actor, and the obnoxious Hollywood agent.

Lampoon means

A. to summarize.

B. to make fun of.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

5

lampoon

Lampoon means

A. to summarize.

B. to make fun of.

C. to praise.

The humorless employees didn’t realize that the phony six-page form was intended to make fun of all the actual paperwork required. In the second item, the word funny suggests that lampoon means “to make fun of.”

• Someone in our office lampooned all our paperwork by circulating

a six-page form to be submitted, in triplicate, by anyone who

wanted a pencil. Several humorless employees actually filled it out.

• The funny movie Tropic Thunder lampoons a number of targets:

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

6

querulous

• Although Mr. Hackman frequently says, “I don’t like to

complain,” his conversation is full of querulous comments about all the things that upset him.

• The spoiled little boy looked at his pile of birthday presents and

said in a querulous voice, “There aren’t very many of them, are

there?” _{Querulous means}

A. shaky.

B. dishonest.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

6

querulous

• Although Mr. Hackman frequently says, “I don’t like to

complain,” his conversation is full of querulous comments about all the things that upset him.

• The spoiled little boy looked at his pile of birthday presents and

said in a querulous voice, “There aren’t very many of them, are

there?” _{Querulous means}

A. shaky.

B. dishonest.

C. discontented.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

7

reproach

• The kids deserve some words of reproach for making such a

mess of the house while their parents were away.

• During the campaign, both candidates drew reproach from the

newspapers for making untruthful statements and generally behaving very badly.

Reproach means

A. thanks.

B. disapproval.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

7

reproach

• The kids deserve some words of reproach for making such a

mess of the house while their parents were away.

• During the campaign, both candidates drew reproach from the

newspapers for making untruthful statements and generally behaving very badly.

Reproach means

A. thanks.

B. disapproval.

C. respect.

Most parents would express disapproval if their children made a mess of the house while they were away. Most newspapers would express

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

8

respite

• Emergency-room doctors work long shifts. Their only respite is

a short nap on a couch.

• Twice a week, a nurse spends an afternoon at the Hendersons’

house, so that Mrs. Henderson can have some respite from caring for her sick husband.

Respite means

A. time off.

B. a salary.

C. a mark of respect.

Ph oto : M ich ael R ieg er/F EM

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

8

respite

• Emergency-room doctors work long shifts. Their only respite is

a short nap on a couch.

• Twice a week, a nurse spends an afternoon at the Hendersons’

house, so that Mrs. Henderson can have some respite from caring for her sick husband.

Respite means

A. time off.

B. a salary.

C. a mark of respect.

Short naps give doctors time off

from their duties. The visiting nurse gives Mrs. Henderson time off from caring for her sick husband.

A moment of respite for heroic firefighters

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

9

torpor

• When Brendan took a midwinter vacation in Florida, the

unaccustomed heat drained his energy. His torpor was so overwhelming that all he wanted to do was lie in a hammock.

• The sleepy little town seemed to doze peacefully through the

summer afternoon. It looked as if nothing could rouse it from its

torpor. _{Torpor means}

A. hostility.

B. curiosity.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

9

torpor

• When Brendan took a midwinter vacation in Florida, the

unaccustomed heat drained his energy. His torpor was so overwhelming that all he wanted to do was lie in a hammock.

• The sleepy little town seemed to doze peacefully through the

summer afternoon. It looked as if nothing could rouse it from its

torpor. _{Torpor means}

A. hostility.

B. curiosity.

C. drowsiness.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

10

unscathed

• “Thanks to my seat belt,” said Jermaine, “I was able to walk away

from the collision unscathed. Without it, I would probably have been badly injured.”

• When her best friend began dating her ex-boyfriend, Mimi lamented,

“I wish I could say that this has left me unscathed. But the truth is I feel hurt and betrayed.” _{Unscathed means}

A. strengthened.

B. angry.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

10

unscathed

• “Thanks to my seat belt,” said Jermaine, “I was able to walk away

from the collision unscathed. Without it, I would probably have been badly injured.”

• When her best friend began dating her ex-boyfriend, Mimi lamented,

“I wish I could say that this has left me unscathed. But the truth is I feel hurt and betrayed.” _{Unscathed means}

A. strengthened.

B. angry.

C. unhurt.

In the first item, being badly injured is contrasted with being unhurt. In the second item, feeling hurt and betrayed is contrasted with

2. In the action movie, the attempted __________ of a famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, was prevented by a beautiful young art student and a quick-thinking security guard.

SENTENCE CHECK 1

1. Feeling __________ on a sunny Saturday morning, I treated myself to a manicure rather than doing the housework that was waiting for me.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. brevity B. clemency C. frivolous D. heist E. lampoon

2. In the action movie, the attempted __________ of a famous painting, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, was prevented by a beautiful young art student and a quick-thinking security guard.

SENTENCE CHECK 1

1. Feeling __________ on a sunny Saturday morning, I treated myself to a manicure rather than doing the housework that was waiting for me.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. brevity B. clemency C. frivolous D. heist E. lampoon

F. querulous G. reproach H. respite I. torpor J. unscathed

Getting a manicure is less serious and sensible than doing housework.

The job of security guards is to prevent acts of stealing.

frivolous

SENTENCE CHECK 1

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

4. That teacher’s classes are famous for their __________. He frequently runs out of material halfway through the class and,

with a brusque° “That’s all for today,” lets his students leave early.

5. At a restaurant last night, I could not help overhearing the incredibly __________ man at the next table. He complained to the waiter that the napkins were too thin, the soup was too hot, the ice cubes were too small, and the holes in the salt shaker were too large.

3. Since the shoplifting incident was James’s first such offense, the court showed __________ and only fined him, rather than

sending him to jail.

A. brevity B. clemency C. frivolous D. heist E. lampoon

SENTENCE CHECK 1

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

4. That teacher’s classes are famous for their __________. He frequently runs out of material halfway through the class and,

with a brusque° “That’s all for today,” lets his students leave early.

5. At a restaurant last night, I could not help overhearing the incredibly __________ man at the next table. He complained to the waiter that the napkins were too thin, the soup was too hot, the ice cubes were too small, and the holes in the salt shaker were too large.

3. Since the shoplifting incident was James’s first such offense, the court showed __________ and only fined him, rather than

sending him to jail.

A. brevity B. clemency C. frivolous D. heist E. lampoon

F. querulous G. reproach H. respite I. torpor J. unscathed

A fine is a more lenient judgment than a jail sentence.

The classes must be short in duration if they last only half the period.

The man’s constant fault-finding shows he was whining and complaining.

clemency

brevity

SENTENCE CHECK 1

7. Our cat fell out of an attic window but walked away __________. 6. After a snake eats, it generally falls into a state of __________

for a day or more, barely moving or even breathing.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. brevity B. clemency C. frivolous D. heist E. lampoon

SENTENCE CHECK 1

7. Our cat fell out of an attic window but walked away __________. 6. After a snake eats, it generally falls into a state of __________

for a day or more, barely moving or even breathing.

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

A. brevity B. clemency C. frivolous D. heist E. lampoon

F. querulous G. reproach H. respite I. torpor J. unscathed

A snake that is barely moving is in a state of physical inactivity.

If the cat was able to walk away after falling from an attic, it must not

have been injured by the plunge.

torpor

SENTENCE CHECK 1

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

9. I spend Thursday mornings at my sister’s house, giving her some __________ from her very active two-year-old twins.

10. Charisse is a very forgiving person. Although she had every right to be angry at me for what I did, she accepted my apology without a word of __________.

8. The very funny online Onion News Network ________s 24-hour news networks with absurd stories like “NASCAR Coach Reveals Winning Strategy: ‘Drive Fast.’”

A. brevity B. clemency C. frivolous D. heist E. lampoon

SENTENCE CHECK 1

Complete each item with the correct word from the box.

9. I spend Thursday mornings at my sister’s house, giving her some __________ from her very active two-year-old twins.

10. Charisse is a very forgiving person. Although she had every right to be angry at me for what I did, she accepted my apology without a word of __________.

8. The very funny online Onion News Network _________ 24-hour news networks with absurd stories like “NASCAR Coach Reveals Winning Strategy: ‘Drive Fast.’”

A. brevity B. clemency C. frivolous D. heist E. lampoon

F. querulous G. reproach H. respite I. torpor J. unscathed

The item describes a humorous imitation of a news story.

Once a week, the sister has a short period of relief from caring for her children.

The word forgiving suggests that Charisse accepted the apology without criticism or blame.

lampoons

respite