IV4 10r - San Fernando Senior High School

IMPROVING VOCABULARY SKILLS Fourth Edition

Sherrie L. Nist

© 2010 Townsend Press

Unit Two: Chapter 10 • degenerate

• sanctuary

• implausible

• scrutiny

• incoherent

• sinister

• intercede

• suffice

• intricate

• vulnerable

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

1 degenerate

– verb

• Mr. Freedman’s family was called to the nursing home when the old man’s condition began to degenerate. It was feared he didn’t have long to live. • Mel’s relationship with his parents degenerated when he dropped out of school against their wishes and became a bartender. Degenerate means A. to improve. B. to remain the same. C. to get worse.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

1 degenerate

– verb

• Mr. Freedman’s family was called to the nursing home when the old man’s condition began to degenerate. It was feared he didn’t have long to live. • Mel’s relationship with his parents degenerated when he dropped out of school against their wishes and became a bartender. Degenerate means A. to improve. B. to remain the same. C. to get worse. If Mr. Freedman’s family was called to the nursing home, the man’s condition must have been getting worse. If Mel dropped out of school against his parents’ wishes, his relationship with his parents would get worse.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2 implausible

– adjective

• As implausible as it may sound, southern Florida sometimes does get snow. • Insurance companies hear such implausible excuses for auto accidents as “I hit the telephone pole when I was blinded by the lights of a flying saucer.”

Implausible means A. unbelievable. B. acceptable. C. valuable.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2 implausible

– adjective

• As implausible as it may sound, southern Florida sometimes does get snow. • Insurance companies hear such implausible excuses for auto accidents as “I hit the telephone pole when I was blinded by the lights of a flying saucer.”

Implausible means A. unbelievable. B. acceptable. C. valuable. It sounds unbelievable that it can snow in southern Florida. Being blinded by the lights of a flying saucer sounds like an unbelievable excuse for an accident.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3 incoherent

– adjective

• If Mitch doesn’t get some sleep soon, he’ll become completely incoherent. He’s so tired that he’s already having trouble expressing his thoughts clearly. • My sister talks a lot in her sleep, but she’s so incoherent then that we can never figure out what she’s saying.

Incoherent means A. calm. B. unclear. C. inconvenient.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3 incoherent

– adjective

• If Mitch doesn’t get some sleep soon, he’ll become completely incoherent. He’s so tired that he’s already having trouble expressing his thoughts clearly. • My sister talks a lot in her sleep, but she’s so incoherent then that we can never figure out what she’s saying.

Incoherent means A. calm. B. unclear. C. inconvenient. If Mitch is already having trouble expressing his thoughts clearly, he is likely to become completely unclear. In the second item, if they can never figure out what the sister is saying, she must be unclear when she talks in her sleep.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

4 intercede

– verb

• When the principal said Harry couldn’t play in Friday’s football game, the coach interceded, hoping to change the principal’s mind. • Inez’s parents refused to come to her wedding until her brother interceded and persuaded them to come after all.

Intercede means A. to give in to someone. B. to plead for someone. C. to examine closely.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

4 intercede

– verb

• When the principal said Harry couldn’t play in Friday’s football game, the coach interceded, hoping to change the principal’s mind. • Inez’s parents refused to come to her wedding until her brother interceded and persuaded them to come after all.

Intercede means A. to give in to someone. B. to plead for someone. C. to examine closely. The coach would plead on Harry’s behalf in hopes of changing the principal’s mind. If Inez’s brother persuaded her parents to come to the wedding, he must have pleaded with them on her behalf.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

5 intricate

– adjective

• War and Peace is a long, intricate novel that weaves together the detailed life stories of many individuals. • It’s amazing to see the intricate gold and silver jewelry that ancient Indians made with only simple tools. It obviously required great patience and skill to create such complex ornaments. Intricate means A. simple. B. uninteresting. C. complicated.

Intricate patterns of color on the wings of two butterflies

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

5 intricate

– adjective

• War and Peace is a long, intricate novel that weaves together the detailed life stories of many individuals. • It’s amazing to see the intricate gold and silver jewelry that ancient Indians made with only simple tools. It obviously required great patience and skill to create such complex ornaments. Intricate means A. simple. B. uninteresting. C. complicated.

Intricate patterns of color on the wings of two butterflies

If the novel weaves together the detailed life stories of many individuals, it must be a complicated novel. In the second item, the word complex suggests that intricate means “complicated.”

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

6 sanctuary

– noun

• Old, unused trains in Grand Central Station serve as a nighttime sanctuary for some of New York City’s homeless. • When the houseful of children becomes too noisy, Ned finds the laundry room to be a sanctuary, a place where he can read in quiet.

Sanctuary means A. a reminder. B. a shelter. C. a challenge.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

6 sanctuary

– noun

• Old, unused trains in Grand Central Station serve as a nighttime sanctuary for some of New York City’s homeless. • When the houseful of children becomes too noisy, Ned finds the laundry room to be a sanctuary, a place where he can read in quiet.

Sanctuary means A. a reminder. B. a shelter. C. a challenge.

The Refuge Animal Sanctuary is an organization in Colorado that shelters abused and homeless animals.

The homeless would need a nighttime shelter. If the laundry room is a place where Ned can read in quiet, it is a shelter from the noisy children.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

7 scrutiny

– noun

• Store security guards give careful scrutiny to people carrying large bags, since the bags may be used for shoplifting. • Before being published, a book comes under the scrutiny of a proofreader, who examines it for grammar and spelling errors.

Scrutiny means A. attention. B. protection. C. permission.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

7 scrutiny

– noun

• Store security guards give careful scrutiny to people carrying large bags, since the bags may be used for shoplifting. • Before being published, a book comes under the scrutiny of a proofreader, who examines it for grammar and spelling errors.

Scrutiny means A. attention. B. protection. C. permission. If the bags might be used for shoplifting, the security guards would give them careful attention. If the proofreader examines the book for errors, the book comes under the attention of the proofreader.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

8 sinister

– adjective

• In the movie, a mad scientist thought up the sinister scheme of releasing a deadly virus. His evil plot failed when he died from the virus himself. • The creepy novel The Boys from Brazil tells of a sinister plot to clone dozens of copies of Adolf Hitler who would then take over the world. Sinister means A mask with a sinister expression

A. illogical. B. evil. C. inconsiderate.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

8 sinister

– adjective

• In the movie, a mad scientist thought up the sinister scheme of releasing a deadly virus. His evil plot failed when he died from the virus himself. • The creepy novel The Boys from Brazil tells of a sinister plot to clone dozens of copies of Adolf Hitler who would then take over the world. Sinister means A mask with a sinister expression

A. illogical. B. evil. C. inconsiderate. In the first item, the word evil tells you the meaning of sinister. In the second item, a plot to clone dozens of Hitlers to take over the world would be an evil plot.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

9 suffice

– verb

• The amount of research you’ve done may suffice for a highschool term paper, but not for a college essay. • I forgot to buy something for lunch tomorrow, but the leftover meatloaf will suffice.

Suffice means A. to be wasted. B. to be adequate. C. to be examined.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

9 suffice

– verb

• The amount of research you’ve done may suffice for a highschool term paper, but not for a college essay. • I forgot to buy something for lunch tomorrow, but the leftover meatloaf will suffice.

Suffice means A. to be wasted. B. to be adequate. C. to be examined. The amount of research might be adequate for a high school paper. In the second item, the leftover meatloaf would be adequate for lunch.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

10 vulnerable

– adjective

• Homes in heavily wooded areas are especially vulnerable to termites. • Because they tend to have brittle bones, the elderly are vulnerable to fractures.

Vulnerable means A. open. B. safe. C. attracted.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

10 vulnerable

– adjective

• Homes in heavily wooded areas are especially vulnerable to termites. • Because they tend to have brittle bones, the elderly are vulnerable to fractures.

Vulnerable means A. open. B. safe. C. attracted. A heavily wooded area would make a home open to termites. Brittle bones would make the elderly open to fractures.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. degenerate

B. implausible

C. incoherent

D. intercede

E. intricate

F. sanctuary

G. scrutiny

H. sinister

I. suffice

J. vulnerable

1. Ken’s cartoons __________ for the school newspaper, but they wouldn’t be good enough for the city papers. 2. In the Batman movies, the Joker’s name is misleading, for he’s a(n) ________ man who takes pleasure in doing evil.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. degenerate

B. implausible

C. incoherent

D. intercede

E. intricate

F. sanctuary

G. scrutiny

H. sinister

I. suffice

J. vulnerable

1. Ken’s cartoons __________ suffice for the school newspaper, but they wouldn’t be good enough for the city papers. The words good enough tell you the meaning of suffice.

2. In the Batman movies, the Joker’s name is misleading, for he’s a __________ man who takes pleasure in doing evil. sinister If the Joker takes pleasure in doing evil, he is an evil man.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. degenerate

B. implausible

C. incoherent

D. intercede

E. intricate

F. sanctuary

G. scrutiny

H. sinister

I. suffice

J. vulnerable

3. People who live in big cities are more __________ to muggings than are residents of small towns.

4. The leaves outside the window created a(n) ________ lacy shadow on my bedroom wall.

5. Although it seems __________, the seemingly dead desert really does blossom after a rainstorm.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. degenerate

B. implausible

C. incoherent

D. intercede

E. intricate

F. sanctuary

G. scrutiny

H. sinister

I. suffice

J. vulnerable

3. People who live in big cities are more __________ vulnerable to muggings than are residents of small towns. Living in a big city makes one more open to attack by a mugger.

4. The leaves outside the window created an _________ intricate lacy shadow on my bedroom wall. Leaves can create complex lacy shadows.

5. Although it seems __________, implausible the seemingly dead desert really does blossom after a rainstorm. It is difficult to believe that the seemingly dead desert can blossom.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. degenerate

B. implausible

C. incoherent

D. intercede

E. intricate

F. sanctuary

G. scrutiny

H. sinister

I. suffice

J. vulnerable

6. People who allow an escaped convict to use their home as a __________ may face criminal charges themselves. 7. My brother was so upset that he was __________. It wasn’t until he calmed down that I understood what he was saying: that he had been fired.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. degenerate

B. implausible

C. incoherent

D. intercede

E. intricate

F. sanctuary

G. scrutiny

H. sinister

I. suffice

J. vulnerable

6. People who allow an escaped convict to use their home as a __________ sanctuary may face criminal charges themselves. If you allow an escaped convict to use your home as a place of safety, you may end up facing criminal charges.

7. My brother was so upset that he was __________. incoherent It wasn’t until he calmed down that I understood what he was saying: that he had been fired. If the person couldn’t understand the what the brother was saying until he calmed down, the brother must have been unable to speak in a logical way.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. degenerate

B. implausible

C. incoherent

D. intercede

E. intricate

F. sanctuary

G. scrutiny

H. sinister

I. suffice

J. vulnerable

8. Unclaimed bags at airports receive the __________ of security officers watching for drugs or explosives.

9. When I don’t have company, my apartment tends to __________ into a jumble of papers, clothes, and school supplies.

10. When Dad informed my little sister that she had to be home from her date no later than ten o’clock, Mom ________(e)d and gave her a midnight curfew.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. degenerate

B. implausible

C. incoherent

D. intercede

E. intricate

F. sanctuary

G. scrutiny

H. sinister

I. suffice

J. vulnerable

8. Unclaimed bags at airports receive the __________ scrutiny of security officers watching for drugs or explosives.

Unclaimed bags would receive the careful examination of security officers.

9. When I don’t have company, my apartment tends to __________ degenerate into a jumble of papers, clothes, and school supplies. The apartment would deteriorate into a jumble of papers and clothes.

10. When Dad informed my little sister that she had to be home from her date no later than ten o’clock, Mom __________ interceded and gave her a midnight curfew. Mom made a request on the sister’s behalf that moved the curfew later.