Transcript Slide 1

ADVANCED
WORD POWER
Second Edition
BETH JOHNSON
JANET M. GOLDSTEIN
© 2011 Townsend Press
Unit Three: Chapter 12
• amicable
• immutable
• devious
• ponderous
• dissonance
• predecessor
• efface
• rebuff
• garrulous
• static
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 amicable
– adjective
• Who says that cats and dogs are enemies? Our dog and two cats live
together in the most amicable way.
• Because the two countries had always maintained amicable relations,
they were able to settle their border dispute through friendly talks.
Amicable means
A. hostile.
B. peaceable.
C. cute.
Photo: Rufus Sarsaparilla
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 amicable
– adjective
• Who says that cats and dogs are enemies? Our dog and two cats live
together in the most amicable way.
• Because the two countries had always maintained amicable relations,
they were able to settle their border dispute through friendly talks.
Amicable means
A. hostile.
B. peaceable.
C. cute.
Photo: Rufus Sarsaparilla
Enemies are contrasted with friendly
animals that live together in a peaceable
way. Peaceable relations would allow
countries to settle disputes through
friendly talks.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 devious
– adjective
• Beware of devious advertising. For example, a sign may say in huge
letters “PRICES SLASHED 75 PERCENT” and then in tiny type “on
selected items only.”
• Aimee’s mother didn’t want to ask her directly if she and her boyfriend
were going to get married, so she used more devious wording: “Do you
and Dave have any plans for the future?”
Devious means
A. obvious.
B. rude.
C. sneaky.
Photo: North Carolina DOT
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 devious
– adjective
• Beware of devious advertising. For example, a sign may say in huge
letters “PRICES SLASHED 75 PERCENT” and then in tiny type “on
selected items only.”
• Aimee’s mother didn’t want to ask her directly if she and her boyfriend
were going to get married, so she used more devious wording: “Do you
and Dave have any plans for the future?”
Devious means
A. obvious.
B. rude.
C. sneaky.
Photo: North Carolina DOT
It is sneaky to try to hide restrictions
on a sale. In the second item, a direct
question is contrasted with a more
sneaky way to find out information.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 dissonance
– noun
• Over time, people’s ideas of dissonance in music change. Chords that
sounded harsh and grating to previous generations now seem pleasant to us.
• Kids like to create dissonance on a piano by using both arms to slam down
all the keys at once.
Dissonance means
A. an unpleasant sound.
B. a rare sound.
C. an everyday sound.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 dissonance
– noun
• Over time, people’s ideas of dissonance in music change. Chords that
sounded harsh and grating to previous generations now seem pleasant to us.
• Kids like to create dissonance on a piano by using both arms to slam down
all the keys at once.
Dissonance means
A. an unpleasant sound.
B. a rare sound.
C. an everyday sound.
Harsh-sounding chords would make an unpleasant sound. Slamming
down all the piano keys at once would also make an unpleasant
sound.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 efface
– verb
• When Joanie and Gary broke up, she said, “I’ve thrown away all his letters
and photographs. Now I wish I could efface my memories.”
• Last Thanksgiving, the turkey slid off its platter onto the dining-room rug.
We scrubbed and rubbed, but we weren’t able to efface the stain completely.
Efface means
A. to face up to.
B. to remove all traces of.
C. to try to preserve.
Photo: Oliver Wolters
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 efface
– verb
• When Joanie and Gary broke up, she said, “I’ve thrown away all his letters
and photographs. Now I wish I could efface my memories.”
• Last Thanksgiving, the turkey slid off its platter onto the dining-room rug.
We scrubbed and rubbed, but we weren’t able to efface the stain completely.
Efface means
A. to face up to.
B. to remove all traces of.
C. to try to preserve.
Photo: Oliver Wolters
One way to remove all physical
traces of an ex-boyfriend is to throw
away all his letters and photos. One
way to try to remove all traces of a
stain is to rub and scrub the area.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 garrulous
– adjective
• Our waiter at dinner last night was extremely garrulous. He hung around
our table telling us long stories when all we wanted was to eat in peace.
• Because Arnie is so garrulous, I always need an excuse to escape. Today
I broke into his non-stop talk with, “I’d love to hear more, but I have a
class now.”
Garrulous means
A. long-winded.
B. short-tempered.
C. open-minded.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 garrulous
– adjective
• Our waiter at dinner last night was extremely garrulous. He hung around
our table telling us long stories when all we wanted was to eat in peace.
• Because Arnie is so garrulous, I always need an excuse to escape. Today
I broke into his non-stop talk with, “I’d love to hear more, but I have a
class now.”
Garrulous means
A. long-winded.
B. short-tempered.
C. open-minded.
Since the waiter hung around and told long stories to the diners’
dismay, the speaker thought he was long-winded. In the second
item, the phrase non-stop talk suggests that Arnie is long-winded.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 immutable
– adjective
• Does Mr. Madison ever smile? The frown on his face seems immutable.
• For years, my aunt has followed an immutable schedule: she always
gets up at 6:30 a.m., works out for a half hour, and then has a soft-boiled
egg and toast.
Immutable means
A. changeless.
B. flawless.
C. fearless.
Photo: National Park Service
An immutable expression—
carved in stone at Mount Rushmore
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 immutable
– adjective
• Does Mr. Madison ever smile? The frown on his face seems immutable.
• For years, my aunt has followed an immutable schedule: she always
gets up at 6:30 a.m., works out for a half hour, and then has a soft-boiled
egg and toast.
Immutable means
A. changeless.
B. flawless.
C. fearless.
Photo: National Park Service
If the answer is, “No, he never smiles,”
then Mr. Madison’s frown is changeless.
The aunt’s schedule is changeless since
she always does the same thing at the
same time each day.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 ponderous
– adjective
• Ads for the circus always used to describe the elephants as “ponderous
pachyderms.”
• There used to be a theory that dinosaurs became extinct because they
grew too large for their own good. They were so huge and ponderous
that they could hardly move.
Ponderous means
A. living in ponds.
B. delicate.
C. weighty.
Photo: Usien
A ponderous animal
trying to move gracefully
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 ponderous
– adjective
• Ads for the circus always used to describe the elephants as “ponderous
pachyderms.”
• There used to be a theory that dinosaurs became extinct because they
grew too large for their own good. They were so huge and ponderous
that they could hardly move.
Ponderous means
A. living in ponds.
B. delicate.
C. weighty.
Photo: Usien
Elephants are weighty animals. If
dinosaurs were so huge that they
could hardly move, they must have
been very weighty.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 predecessor
– noun
• It won’t be easy to get used to the new boss. She seems quiet, formal,
and serious, whereas her predecessor was easygoing and loved to laugh.
• When they moved into their new apartment, the Martins had to get rid of
a lot of junk that their predecessors had left behind.
Predecessor means
A. someone earlier.
B. someone later.
C. someone who predicts.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 predecessor
– noun
• It won’t be easy to get used to the new boss. She seems quiet, formal,
and serious, whereas her predecessor was easygoing and loved to laugh.
• When they moved into their new apartment, the Martins had to get rid of
a lot of junk that their predecessors had left behind.
Predecessor means
A. someone earlier.
B. someone later.
C. someone who predicts.
The quiet new boss is contrasted with someone who held the
position earlier. In the second item, someone who lived in the
apartment earlier left behind a lot of junk.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 rebuff
– verb
• Here’s a good way to rebuff a telephone pollster who’s trying to find out
which candidate you’re supporting. Just say, “I’m sorry, but I never
discuss politics with strangers.”
• The new puppy bounded joyfully up to the resident housecat. But the cat
rebuffed his advances with a loud hiss and a scratch to his nose.
Rebuff means
A. to treat coldly.
B. to welcome warmly.
C. to reward.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 rebuff
– verb
• Here’s a good way to rebuff a telephone pollster who’s trying to find out
which candidate you’re supporting. Just say, “I’m sorry, but I never
discuss politics with strangers.”
• The new puppy bounded joyfully up to the resident housecat. But the cat
rebuffed his advances with a loud hiss and a scratch to his nose.
Rebuff means
A. to treat coldly.
B. to welcome warmly.
C. to reward.
One way to treat a pollster coldly is to refuse to talk about your
political opinion. The cat who’d been living in the house used a
hiss and a scratch to treat coldly the new puppy’s joyful attempt
to become friends.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 static
– adjective
• “This scene is too static,” the director said to the actors. “It’s dead. We’ve
got to get some action into it.”
• A still life, as the name suggests, is a static painting: it might show, for
example, a bowl of apples. By contrast, an action painting shows a dramatic
scene full of movement.
Static means
A. silent.
B. inactive.
C. stressful.
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 static
– adjective
• “This scene is too static,” the director said to the actors. “It’s dead. We’ve
got to get some action into it.”
• A still life, as the name suggests, is a static painting: it might show, for
example, a bowl of apples. By contrast, an action painting shows a dramatic
scene full of movement.
Static means
A. silent.
B. inactive.
C. stressful.
Something that is dead and without action is inactive. Paintings that
show scenes full of action and movement are contrasted with those
that depict subjects that are still and inactive.