Transcript Chapter Three: Supporting Details

ADVANCING
VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© 2010 Townsend Press
Unit One: Chapter 5
• charlatan
• hoist
• corroborate
• illicit
• disseminate
• irrevocable
• diverge
• precipitate
• dormant
• proliferation
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 charlatan
– noun
• My grandmother once bought a “magnetic box” from a charlatan
who assured her that it would cure her arthritis. Of course, the box
was worthless.
• In the days of the Wild West, charlatans sold “snake oil” as a
remedy for everything from baldness to insanity.
Charlatan means
A. an investor.
B. an expert.
C. a con artist.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 charlatan
– noun
• My grandmother once bought a “magnetic box” from a charlatan
who assured her that it would cure her arthritis. Of course, the box
was worthless.
• In the days of the Wild West, charlatans sold “snake oil” as a
remedy for everything from baldness to insanity.
Charlatan means
A. an investor.
B. an expert.
C. a con artist.
If the “magnetic box” was worthless, the man who sold was a
con artist. A person who sells “snake oil” that cures everything
would be a con artist.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 corroborate
– verb
• You claim you were at a soccer game when the crime was
committed. Can anyone corroborate your story?
• Sid says he saw a flying saucer in the park, but no one else in the
area has come forward to corroborate his account.
Corroborate means
A. to question.
B. to support.
C. to understand.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 corroborate
– verb
• You claim you were at a soccer game when the crime was
committed. Can anyone corroborate your story?
• Sid says he saw a flying saucer in the park, but no one else in the
area has come forward to corroborate his account.
Corroborate means
A. to question.
B. to support.
C. to understand.
The questioner wants to know if anyone can support the person’s
story about being at a soccer game. In the second item, no one else
has come forward to support Sid’s report of seeing a flying saucer.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 disseminate
–verb
• Campaign workers went all over the city to disseminate
pamphlets and flyers about their candidate.
• What would be the best way to disseminate information about
the next school board meeting? It’s important for all parents to
attend.
Disseminate means
A. to spread.
B. to conceal.
C. to improve.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 disseminate
–verb
• Campaign workers went all over the city to disseminate
pamphlets and flyers about their candidate.
• What would be the best way to disseminate information about
the next school board meeting? It’s important for all parents to
attend.
Disseminate means
A. to spread.
B. to conceal.
C. to improve.
Campaign workers would go all over the city to spread pamphlets
and flyers about the candidate. Since it is important for all parents to
attend the next school board meeting, people would want to spread
information about it.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 diverge
– verb
• The brothers’ paths diverged greatly. One became a famous lawyer,
and the other ended up in jail for armed robbery.
• In a well-known poem, Robert Frost uses a branching path as a
symbol of life’s decisions: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by.”
Diverge means
A. to separate.
B. to unite.
C. to disappear.
Two dirt roads diverging
Photo: Jonathan Billinger
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 diverge
– verb
• The brothers’ paths diverged greatly. One became a famous lawyer,
and the other ended up in jail for armed robbery.
• In a well-known poem, Robert Frost uses a branching path as a
symbol of life’s decisions: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by.”
Diverge means
A. to separate.
B. to unite.
C. to disappear.
Two dirt roads diverging
Photo: Jonathan Billinger
If one brother became a lawyer and
the other went to jail, their paths
separated greatly. In the second item,
the word branching tells you that
diverge means “to separate.”
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 dormant
– adjective
• Many insects lay eggs that remain dormant all winter and do not
hatch until spring, in the warmer weather.
• A visit to Puerto Rico reawakened Anita’s dormant interest in
Spanish, the language of her childhood.
Dormant means
A. not active.
B. irreversible.
C. growing.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 dormant
– adjective
• Many insects lay eggs that remain dormant all winter and do not
hatch until spring, in the warmer weather.
• A visit to Puerto Rico reawakened Anita’s dormant interest in
Spanish, the language of her childhood.
Dormant means
A. not active.
B. irreversible.
C. growing.
Since the eggs do not hatch until the spring, they are not active all
winter. In the second item, the word reawakened suggests that
Anita’s interest in Spanish had not been active for several years.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 hoist
– verb
• Let’s go over to the construction site and watch the crane hoist
the beams into place for the new skyscraper.
• So far, attempts to hoist the wreckage of the jetliner from the
ocean floor have been unsuccessful.
Hoist means
A. to follow.
B. to display.
C. to raise.
Photo: U.S. Navy
A helicopter hoisting a boat
from the water
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 hoist
– verb
• Let’s go over to the construction site and watch the crane hoist
the beams into place for the new skyscraper.
• So far, attempts to hoist the wreckage of the jetliner from the
ocean floor have been unsuccessful.
Hoist means
A. to follow.
B. to display.
C. to raise.
Photo: U.S. Navy
A helicopter hoisting a boat
from the water
A crane raises the skyscraper’s
beams into place. Attempts
would be made to raise the
wreckage from the ocean floor.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 illicit
– adjective
• Years of illicit activities resulted in Gene’s being sentenced to
serve a life term in prison.
• Ted’s business is illicit: he drives an unlicensed passenger van
along a route that’s supposed to be used only by city buses.
Illicit means
A. fake.
B. unlawful.
C. unprofitable.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 illicit
– adjective
• Years of illicit activities resulted in Gene’s being sentenced to
serve a life term in prison.
• Ted’s business is illicit: he drives an unlicensed passenger van
along a route that’s supposed to be used only by city buses.
Illicit means
A. fake.
B. unlawful.
C. unprofitable.
Since Gene was sentenced to life in prison, he must have been
involved in unlawful activities. In the second item, the description
of Ted’s activities makes it clear that his business is unlawful.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 irrevocable
– adjective
• Layla would like to break off her engagement to Ahmed, but she
feels that her promise to marry him is irrevocable.
• Giving a child up for adoption has become a subject of debate.
Should the mother be allowed to change her mind, or should her
decision be irrevocable?
Irrevocable means
A. not reversible.
B. mistaken.
C. not certain.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 irrevocable
– adjective
• Layla would like to break off her engagement to Ahmed, but she
feels that her promise to marry him is irrevocable.
• Giving a child up for adoption has become a subject of debate.
Should the mother be allowed to change her mind, or should her
decision be irrevocable?
Irrevocable means
A. not reversible.
B. mistaken.
C. not certain.
In spite of what Layla would like to do, she feels her promise is
not reversible. If the mother is not allowed to change her mind,
her decision is not reversible.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 precipitate
– verb
• Mark’s search for a larger house was precipitated by his
marriage to a woman with four children.
• The discovery that Elliot had been setting fires precipitated his
parents’ decision to send him to a child psychologist.
Precipitate means
A. to bring on.
B. to prevent.
C. to permit.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 precipitate
– verb
• Mark’s search for a larger house was precipitated by his
marriage to a woman with four children.
• The discovery that Elliot had been setting fires precipitated his
parents’ decision to send him to a child psychologist.
Precipitate means
A. to bring on.
B. to prevent.
C. to permit.
Marrying a woman with four children would bring on Mark’s search
for a bigger house. In the second item, such a discovery would bring
on his parents’ decision.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 proliferation
– noun
• Hana’s doctors hope that chemotherapy will halt the
proliferation of cancer cells in her body.
• The proliferation of dandelions in my yard is too much for me to
handle. They’re growing faster than I can destroy them.
Proliferation means
A. damage.
B. a shortage.
C. a rapid increase.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 proliferation
– noun
• Hana’s doctors hope that chemotherapy will halt the
proliferation of cancer cells in her body.
• The proliferation of dandelions in my yard is too much for me to
handle. They’re growing faster than I can destroy them.
Proliferation means
A. damage.
B. a shortage.
C. a rapid increase.
A characteristic of cancer cells is their rapid increase. In the second
item, since the dandelions are growing faster than the speaker can
destroy them, their rapid increase is too much to handle.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan
B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
F. hoist
G. illicit
I. precipitate J. proliferation
H. irrevocable
E. dormant
1. Children’s lives often __________ from the paths their
parents planned for them.
2. The “natural healer” was a __________. He knew nothing
about healing—natural or otherwise.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan
B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
F. hoist
G. illicit
I. precipitate J. proliferation
H. irrevocable
E. dormant
1. Children’s lives often __________
diverge from the paths their
parents planned for them.
Children’s lives often branch off in different directions from the paths
their parents had planned for them.
2. The “natural healer” was a __________.
charlatan He knew nothing
about healing—natural or otherwise.
Since the “natural healer” knew nothing about healing, he was a fake.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan
B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
F. hoist
G. illicit
I. precipitate J. proliferation
H. irrevocable
E. dormant
3. I thought your vow to quit smoking was __________,
but you’ve broken it already.
4. When I visited the art museum, my ________ creative instinct
awakened. Now I’ve signed up for a course in sculpture.
5. Rafael’s growth of four inches over the summer _______(e)d
a shopping trip for new clothes.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan
B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
F. hoist
G. illicit
I. precipitate J. proliferation
H. irrevocable
E. dormant
3. I thought your vow to quit smoking was __________,
irrevocable
but you’ve broken it already.
A vow or solemn promise is considered irreversible.
4. When I visited the art museum, my ________
dormant creative instinct
awakened. Now I’ve signed up for a course in sculpture.
The word awakened suggests that the speaker’s creative instinct has
been inactive.
5. Rafael’s growth of four inches over the summer ___________
precipitated
a shopping trip for new clothes.
A growth of four inches in one summer would cause a shopping trip.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan
B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
F. hoist
G. illicit
I. precipitate J. proliferation
H. irrevocable
E. dormant
6. In our city, the police department has special units to
investigate _________ activities such as gambling and drug
use.
7. The stone slabs are too heavy for us to move, so we’re
bringing in a forklift to _________ them onto the walkway.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan
B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
F. hoist
G. illicit
I. precipitate J. proliferation
H. irrevocable
E. dormant
6. In our city, the police department has special units to
investigate _________
activities such as gambling and drug
illicit
use.
Gambling and drug use are illegal activities in most cities.
7. The stone slabs are too heavy for us to move, so we’re
bringing in a forklift to _________
them onto the walkway.
hoist
A forklift would lift the heavy stone slabs.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan
B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
F. hoist
G. illicit
I. precipitate J. proliferation
H. irrevocable
E. dormant
8. The environmental group _______(e)d leaflets about the oil
spill, describing the damage and urging people to boycott the
oil company.
9. I’m afraid I can’t __________ Todd’s claim that he’s never
had problems with schoolwork. The fact is that he’s failed
several courses.
10. Sadly, the __________ of homeless dogs and cats has
become so great that about seventeen million of them are
killed in U.S. animal shelters each year.
SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan
B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
F. hoist
G. illicit
I. precipitate J. proliferation
H. irrevocable
E. dormant
8. The environmental group ___________
disseminated leaflets about the oil
spill, describing the damage and urging people to boycott the
oil company.
An environmental group would distribute such leaflets.
9. I’m afraid I can’t __________
corroborate Todd’s claim that he’s never
had problems with schoolwork. The fact is that he’s failed
several courses.
If Todd has failed courses, one could not confirm Todd’s claim.
10. Sadly, the __________
proliferation of homeless dogs and cats has
become so great that about seventeen million of them are
killed in U.S. animal shelters each year.
A rapid increase in homeless dogs and cats would account for the
need to destroy so many animals.