❑ incongruous adj inappropriate; not in keeping with a pattern in- not + congru agree ❑ fetter v to tie up; to chain Synonyms: shackle, hamper ❑ notorious adj famous for bad things notus
Trang 1Vocabulary Lesson 14: Cruel and Unusual
super- above, beyond -less without
❑ ruthless (adj) cruel; merciless (rue regret + -less without)
Torquemada is widely regarded as the most ruthless interrogator of the Spanish Inquisition.
❑ contempt (n) scorn; disrespect
Many eminent and successful scientists often show contempt for novel theories that question their own.
❑ callous (adj) hardened; insensitive
Because they see so much suffering daily, emergency room doctors often struggle to avoid becoming callous.
❑ sadistic (adj) taking pleasure in the pain of others (from the Marquis de Sade)
The sadistic youngster smiled as he watched his classmate get hit in the head with a dodgeball.
❑ supercilious (adj) full of haughty arrogance (super- above + cilium eyebrow)
Although he seems supercilious when you first meet him, Joe is actually a modest and down-to-earth guy.
❑ idiosyncrasy (n) a peculiar trait or habit (idio peculiar)
My history teacher has the idiosyncrasy of always squinting just before she asks a question of the class.
Synonyms: quirk, affectation, eccentricity, singularity
❑ anomaly (n) unusual event (an- not + homos same)
The ninety-degree day in Siberia was an anomaly; the temperature had gone that high only once before.
❑ incongruous (adj) inappropriate; not in keeping with a pattern (in- not + congru agree)
❑ fetter (v) to tie up; to chain
Synonyms: shackle, hamper
❑ notorious (adj) famous for bad things (notus known)
Synonyms: infamous, disreputable
❑ decry (v) to speak out against (de- down + crier cry)
Synonyms: vilify, condemn
❑ vilify (v) to slander; to defame (vilis worthless)
Synonyms: denigrate, malign, libel, calumniate
❑ heinous (adj) cruel and unusual (haine hatred)
Synonyms: atrocious, monstrous
❑ revile (v) to denounce abusively (vilis worthless)
Trang 2Vocabulary Unit 2 Exercise Set I
Time—8 minutes
For each question, select the best answer among the choices given Note any vocabulary words to review on the Hit List below.
1 The emotional outburst was quite unusual for
Peter; he is typically one of the most -
indi-viduals you could ever meet
(A) stoic
(B) demonstrative
(C) extroverted
(D) irascible
(E) inimical
2 Ayn Rand, whose writing is considered by some
awkward and contrived, is nevertheless - by
many as - of individualism and objectivism,
the cornerstones of her philosophy
(A) lionized a stalwart
(B) repudiated a protagonist
(C) censured an advocate
(D) praised an antagonist
(E) extolled a skeptic
3 Fearing - from officials in their home
coun-try, the dissidents sought - in the American
embassy
(A) veneration solitude
(B) oppression sanctuary
(C) impotence asylum
(D) calumny disparagement
(E) judiciousness salvation
4 Because female authors were not treated as
equals in the 19th century, many women used
- in an effort to disguise themselves as males
(A) influxes
(B) anachronisms
(C) pseudonyms
(D) diatribes
(E) amalgams
5 The newly implemented tax cut was not as
-as its supporters had hoped in - the economy
by spurring investment and growth
(A) formidable enervating
(B) efficacious invigorating
(C) delicate stimulating
(D) ruthless lauding
(E) incongruous encouraging
6 After many said that her last novel was too -, she included a bizarre and shocking ending to her newest book in an effort to - her critics (A) banal support
(B) elegant pacify (C) spurious silence (D) mundane appease (E) contrived endorse
7 When unhappy, Richard quickly becomes -, picking fights with anyone around him
(A) sadistic (B) pious (C) capricious (D) belligerent (E) fallacious
8 Although sparrows appear to be weak and harmless, they can actually be quite - when their nest is threatened
(A) redoubtable (B) furtive (C) evanescent (D) fickle (E) laconic
9 Many societies detest -, and as a result the - among them are often treated as outcasts (A) compatibility antagonistic
(B) idiosyncrasy callous (C) duplicity perfidious (D) superficiality profound (E) potency sacrosanct
10 The - remarks made by the press hurt Kendra’s feelings, but she vowed to ignore the - and continue toward her goal
(A) derogatory consecrations (B) inimical conciliations (C) sanctimonious predilections (D) venerable harangues (E) caustic denigrations
Trang 3Vocabulary Unit 2 Exercise Set II
Write the meaning next to each root, and then write as many words as you can that contain the root.
1 NYM _
2 FLUERE
3 CHRONOS
4 SYN- _
5 IN-, IM- _
6 TRANS _
7 SACER _
8 VERERI
9 VOCARE
10 VILIS _
11 TEMPUS _
12 SANCTUS
13 POTENS
14 DOMIT _
15 DE-
Trang 4Vocabulary Unit 2 Exercise Set III
1 Should a good boxer be redoubtable? Y N
2 Is a stalwart weak? Y N
3 Can a mountain be evanescent? Y N
4 Do compatible things work together well? Y N
5 Is a diffident person haughty? Y N
Write the word with the given meaning.
6 slander; false accusation c
7 reprimand mildly a
8 irregular; infrequent s
9 extended in time p
10 trickery; deceit g
11 sneaky s
12 greedy; ravenous r
13 to regard with honor r
14 magical object t
15 falsely pious s
16 a strong defense b
17 unconquerable i
18 to slander; defame v
19 scorn; disrespect c
20 deceitful scheme s
21 out of place in time a
22 place of refuge s
23 full of vigor r
24 collection of works a
25 call on for inspiration i
Write the correct form of the italicized word.
26 like an anomaly
_
27 showing contempt
_
28 having the quality of an anachronism
_
29 to give censure
_
30 having the tendency to evanesce
_
Write the word with the given meaning and root.
31 deceit (duplit)
_
32 fake name (nym)
_
33 disparaging (de-)
_
34 to attack as untrue (pugn)
_
35 falsely pious (sanct)
_
36 regard with respect (venus)
_
37 most important (domit)
_
38 weak (potens)
_
39 blend or fuse together (co-)
_
40 full of haughty arrogance (super-)
_
41 to denounce abusively (vilis)
_
Trang 5Unit 2 Exercise Set I Answer Key
1 A The sentence indicates that showing emotion
is unusual for Peter Look for a word that means
unemotional to fill the blank.
stoic= unaffected by pleasure or pain
demonstrative= effusive, emotional
extroverted= outgoing, gregarious
irascible= easily angered
inimical= unfriendly, harmful
2 A Nevertheless indicates that the blank should
contrast awkward and contrived A contrasting
response would be praise And if individualism
and objectivism are the cornerstones of her
philosophy, she must agree with them.
lionized = worshipped; stalwart = unwavering
person
repudiated = cast off; protagonist = main
character
censured = condemned; advocate = supporter
praised = commended; antagonist = opposed
extolled = praised highly; skeptic = doubter
3 B The sentence indicates that they fear the first
word and if they fear something, they should seek
comfort of some sort.
veneration = reverence; solitude = loneliness
oppression = holding back; sanctuary = place of
refuge
impotence = lack of power; asylum = a safe
place
calumny = slander; disparagement = belittlement
judiciousness = wisdom; salvation = being
saved
4 C The word in the blank is something that they
would use to disguise themselves as men The
only word that fits this description is pseudonyms.
influxes= inward flows
anachronisms= things out of place in time
pseudonyms= false names
diatribes= prolonged speeches
amalgams= mixtures
5 B Supporters of the tax cut would obviously
hope that it would do well and cause good things
So you want a positive word in the first blank
The supporters hoped it would “spur investment
and growth” which shows they thought it would
strengthen the economy
formidable = imposing; enervating = weakening
efficacious = effective; invigorating =
delicate = fragile; stimulating = causing activity
ruthless = cruel; lauding = praising
incongruous = not matching; encouraging =
inspiring
6 D The second part of the sentence implies that the critics deemed her first novel to be lacking a
bizarre and shocking ending She would include a
shocking ending to silence these critics Two
sim-ple words to comsim-plete the sentence would be
predictable and quiet.
banal = trivial; support = to hold up
elegant = refined; pacify = to soothe
spurious = fake; silence = to quiet
mundane = ordinary; appease = to quiet
contrived = obvious; endorse = support
7 D As is often the case, the information after the semicolon tells us everything we need to know
When Richard is unhappy, he picks fights.
sadistic= enjoying the pain of others
pious= holy
capricious= acting on impulse
belligerent= warlike, prone to fighting
fallacious= false
8 A Although shows a classic contrast Sparrows
appear to be weak and harmless, but when
some-thing important to them is threatened, they
become the opposite of weak and harmless.
redoubtable= formidable, intimidating
furtive= sneaky
evanescent= ephemeral, short-lived
fickle= prone to change one’s mind
laconic= not inclined to speaking much
9 C If society detests it, the first word must indi-cate something negative The as a result shows a
cause and effect, so you’d expect the second word
to describe a person who has the characteristic in the first blank
compatibility= ability to go together;
antagonistic= hostile
idiosyncrasy = odd behavior; callous =
hardened
duplicity = deceptiveness; perfidious =
untrustworthy
superficial = lacking substance; profound =
deep
potency = strength, power; sacrosanct =
sacred
Trang 610 E The first word indicates something that
would hurt one’s feelings The second word must
be a noun to describe such remarks
derogatory = insulting; consecrations = blessings
inimical = unfriendly; conciliations = actions
or remarks that regain trust or friendship
sanctimonious= smug;
predilections= inclinations
venerable= worthy of respect;
harangues= tirades
caustic = harmful; denigrations = slander
Trang 7Unit 2 Exercise Sets II and III Answer Key
Exercise Set II
1 NYM: name
pseudonym, anonymous,
synonym, antonym
2 FLUERE: flow
fluent, superfluous,
confluence, effluvium
3 CHRONOS: time
synchronize, chronology,
anachronism, chronicle
4 SYN-: same
synonym, sympathy,
synchronize, synthesis
5 IN-, IM-: not
intolerant, immoral,
immodest, inconceivable
6 TRANS: across
transparent, transmit, translate, transition
7 SACER: sacred
sacrilegious, sacrament, sacrosanct, consecrate
8 VERERI: respect
revere, reverent, irreverent, reverend
9 VOCARE: to call
invoke, provoke, vocation, voice, revoke
10 VILIS: worthless
vilify, revile, villain, evil
11 TEMPUS: time
extemporaneous, temporary, contemporary
12 SANCTUS: holy
sanctify, sanctuary, sacrosanct, sanctimonious
13 POTENS: strong
potent, impotent, potential, despot
14 DOMIT: lord
dominion, indomitable, domesticate, dominate
15 DE-: down
descend, demoralize, demote, deride, decline
Exercise Set III
1 Y
2 N
3 N
4 Y
5 N
6 calumny
7 admonish
8 sporadic
9 protracted
10 guile
11 surreptitious
12 rapacious
13 revere
14 talisman
15 sanctimonious
16 bulwark
17 indomitable
18 vilify
19 contempt
20 stratagem
21 anachronistic
22 sanctuary
23 robust
24 anthology
25 invoke
26 anomalous
27 contemptuous
28 anachronistic
29 censure
30 evanescent
31 duplicity
32 pseudonym
33 derogatory
34 impugn
35 sanctimonious
36 venerate
37 predominant
38 impotent
39 coalesce
40 supercilious
41 revile
Trang 8Vocabulary Unit 3
Vocabulary Lesson 15: Weak and Weaker
Today’s roots: batre to beat troph nourishment
sequi follow pli fold
❑ atrophy (v) to weaken from disuse (a- without + troph nourishment)
After surgery, extended bed rest often causes muscles to atrophy unless it is accompanied by physical therapy.
❑ abate (v) to subside; to decrease in intensity (ad- to + batre to beat)
The crews had to wait until the storm abated before they could begin to assess the damage to the coastal town.
❑ porous (adj) filled with many holes ( porus opening)
The teenager’s story was a porous one that her parents could easily see through.
❑ wane (v) to grow smaller or less intense
As the brightness of the moon wanes over the next few nights, it will become easier to see the surrounding stars.
❑ lassitude (n) a feeling of weakness (lassus weary)
Although she tried valiantly to play through her illness, Danielle’s lassitude overtook her in the second half.
❑ undermine (v) to weaken or diminish something
The continual setbacks to the project over many weeks undermined the morale of the workers.
❑ obsequious (adj) overly submissive (ob- to + sequi follow)
Synonyms: fawning, compliant
❑ attrition (n) a wearing away of strength or morale
Synonyms: debilitation, weakening
❑ enervate (v) to weaken someone’s vitality
Synonym: debilitate
❑ vulnerable (adj) prone to attack or harm
Synonyms: assailable, susceptible
❑ ebb (v) to decrease or decline slowly
Synonyms: wane, abate
❑ compliant (adj) submissive (pli fold)
Synonyms: yielding, conciliatory
❑ debilitate (v) to sap the strength of (de- away + bilis strength)
Synonyms: cripple, enervate
Trang 9Vocabulary Lesson 16: Chillin’
Today’s roots: status position, standing quies rest
❑ placid (adj) calm ( plac to please)
A relaxing day at the spa always makes me feel more placid.
❑ inert (adj) sluggish; inactive (in- not + ertem active)
After his final exams, Ricky sat inert on his couch for two days watching soap operas and game shows.
❑ listless (adj) sluggish; without energy (-less without)
I always feel listless on rainy days; sometimes I don’t even want to get out of bed.
❑ quiescent (adj) resting; quiet (quies rest)
During the quiescent phase of cell division, the cell does not split or grow.
❑ serene (adj) tranquil; calm; placid (serenus peaceful, calm)
There was not a single wave on the surface of the serene lake.
❑ static (adj) stationary (status standing)
The patient’s vitals have been static for an hour We hope this means he can be moved from intensive care.
❑ lethargic (adj) lazy; sluggish
The flu left me feeling lethargic even two days after my fever had broken.
Synonyms: phlegmatic, dormant, enervated, listless
❑ moratorium (n) postponement
Synonyms: deferral, delay
❑ stagnate (v) to become inactive; to become stale (status standing)
Synonym: idle
❑ torpor (n) lethargy; apathy
Synonyms: inertness, lassitude
❑ respite (n) rest; time of relief; pause (respit delay)
Synonyms: hiatus, moratorium
❑ hiatus (n) a break in the continuity of something
Synonyms: respite, discontinuity
❑ torpid (adj) hibernating; dormant (torpere be numb)
Trang 10Vocabulary Lesson 17: Wanna Fight?
Today’s roots: bellum war pro- forward, forth
pugnare fight ire anger
❑ belligerent (adj) warlike; quarrelsome (bellum war)
My brother is a belligerent guy; he picks his fair share of bar fights.
❑ irascible (adj) easily angered (ire anger)
Adam’s irascible nature landed him in anger management therapy; he overreacts to the smallest things.
❑ volatile (adj) explosive; tending to evaporate quickly (vola to fly)
The situation in the Middle East is a volatile one that must be handled with care.
❑ rebuttal (n) refutation; opposing response to an argument (re- back)
After the opponent made his remarks, the debate team captain approached the podium to deliver her rebuttal.
❑ refute (v) to disprove; to rebut forcefully (refutare to drive back)
The judge found no evidence to refute your claim that the car is yours, so you get to keep it for now.
❑ incite (v) to urge into action (citare to cause to move)
The rebels incited a revolt in the small city by convincing the citizens that their mayor was a crook.
❑ pugnacious (adj) quarrelsome; warlike (pugnare fight)
The pugnacious punk was happiest when his fists were pounding someone else’s chin.
❑ bellicose (adj) warlike in manner (bellum war)
Synonyms: pugnacious, belligerent
❑ harass (v) to bother; to annoy
Synonyms: irritate, torment
❑ assail (v) to attack or assault (ad- at + salire leap)
Synonym: berate
❑ tumultuous (adj) violently agitated
Synonyms: hectic, unruly
❑ instigate (v) to goad; to urge on
Synonyms: incite, foment, coax, cajole
❑ provocative (adj) tending to aggravate or stimulate ( pro- forth + vocare to call)
Synonyms: goading, alluring
❑ propensity (n) a natural inclination; a tendency (pro- forth)