IV4 21r

IMPROVING VOCABULARY SKILLS Fourth Edition

Sherrie L. Nist

© 2010 Townsend Press

Unit Four: Chapter 21 • credible

• interim

• cursory

• latent

• designate

• secular

• deviate

• shun

• improvise

• simulate

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

1 credible

– adjective

• Some jurors doubted the witness’s testimony, but most of them found it credible. • As credible as Mr. Bower’s resumé may seem, I don’t think you should hire him without checking his references.

Credible means A. long. B. boring. C. believable.

“If you really want the keys to the car, you’ll have to come up with a more credible story than that you want to buy your mother a present!”

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

1 credible

– adjective

• Some jurors doubted the witness’s testimony, but most of them found it credible. • As credible as Mr. Bower’s resumé may seem, I don’t think you should hire him without checking his references.

Credible means A. long. B. boring. C. believable.

In contrast with the few jurors who doubted the testimony, most jurors found it believable. In spite of how “If you really want the keys to the car, you’ll have to come up with a more credible story than believable Mr. Bower’s resumé seems, that you want to buy your mother a present!” his references should be checked.

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

2 cursory

– adjective

• Most people do only a cursory job of brushing their teeth. To avoid cavities, however, you must brush for at least two minutes. • Because James had to work late, he had only enough time to give his apartment a cursory cleaning before his parents arrived.

Cursory means A. careful. B. consistent. C. quick.

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

2 cursory

– adjective

• Most people do only a cursory job of brushing their teeth. To avoid cavities, however, you must brush for at least two minutes. • Because James had to work late, he had only enough time to give his apartment a cursory cleaning before his parents arrived.

Cursory means A. careful. B. consistent. C. quick. In contrast with brushing your teeth for two minutes or more, most people do only a quick job. In the second item, the words only enough time suggest that cursory means “quick.”

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

3 designate

– verb

• At the party, Isabel drank soda rather than beer because her friends had designated her as the driver for the trip home. • A coworker was designated to present Vonnie with the “Employee of the Year” award at the company banquet.

Designate means A. to forbid. B. to assign. C. to hire.

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

3 designate

– verb

• At the party, Isabel drank soda rather than beer because her friends had designated her as the driver for the trip home. • A coworker was designated to present Vonnie with the “Employee of the Year” award at the company banquet.

Designate means A. to forbid. B. to assign. C. to hire. Isabel drank only soda because her friends had assigned her the job of driving them home. A coworker was assigned or appointed to the task of presenting the award to Vonnie.

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

4 deviate

– verb

• Having taken the wrong exit off the highway, we had to deviate somewhat from the route marked on the map. • If you deviate even a little from the directions when you write your paper, you might hurt your grade.

Deviate means A. to follow. B. to depart. C. to gain.

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

4 deviate

– verb

• Having taken the wrong exit off the highway, we had to deviate somewhat from the route marked on the map. • If you deviate even a little from the directions when you write your paper, you might hurt your grade.

Deviate means A. to follow. B. to depart. C. to gain.

If they took the wrong exit off the highway, they would have to depart from the route marked on the map. You might get a lower grade if you depart from the instructor’s directions.

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

5 improvise

– verb

• Nadia can improvise accompaniments on the piano to songs she’s never heard before. How can she play so well without any preparation or sheet music? • When I rang the doorbell, I wasn’t expecting Ellen’s father to come to the door, so I had to quickly improvise an explanation for my visit. Improvise means A. to remember. B. to keep away from. C. to make up.

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

5 improvise

– verb

• Nadia can improvise accompaniments on the piano to songs she’s never heard before. How can she play so well without any preparation or sheet music? • When I rang the doorbell, I wasn’t expecting Ellen’s father to come to the door, so I had to quickly improvise an explanation for my visit. Improvise means A. to remember. B. to keep away from. C. to make up. If Nadia plays well without preparation or sheet music, she must be able to make up accompaniments. In the second item, the words wasn’t expecting suggest that improvise means “to make up.”

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

6 interim

– noun

• Cassie hadn’t seen her nephews for years. In the interim, they had grown from troubled boys into serious young men. • After the secretary left, it took two weeks for her replacement to arrive at the real-estate office. In the interim, the agents had to do their own typing.

Interim means A. the time between. B. the future. C. the place.

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

6 interim

– noun

• Cassie hadn’t seen her nephews for years. In the interim, they had grown from troubled boys into serious young men. • After the secretary left, it took two weeks for her replacement to arrive at the real-estate office. In the interim, the agents had to do their own typing.

Interim means A. the time between. B. the future. C. the place. If Cassie hadn’t seen her nephews for years, they would have changed in the time between when she last saw them and now. In the second item, two weeks is the time between the former secretary leaving and the replacement arriving.

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

7 latent

– adjective

• Certain viruses, such as the one for AIDS, can be latent in the body for years before symptoms appear. • After he retired, my father discovered his latent artistic talent. He took up oil painting and now sells much of his work.

Latent means A. partial. B. inactive. C. absent.

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

7 latent

– adjective

• Certain viruses, such as the one for AIDS, can be latent in the body for years before symptoms appear. • After he retired, my father discovered his latent artistic talent. He took up oil painting and now sells much of his work.

Latent means A. partial. B. inactive. C. absent. If it is years before symptoms appear, the viruses must be inactive during that time. If the father didn’t take up oil painting until he retired, the talent was inactive during his working years.

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

8 secular

– adjective

• While our government is secular, some countries are governed according to religious laws. • Devoting himself to a deeply religious life, the Hindu holy man denied himself most secular pleasures.

Secular means A. spiritual. B. reliable. C. nonreligious.

A former church now in secular use as an apartment building

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

8 secular

– adjective

• While our government is secular, some countries are governed according to religious laws. • Devoting himself to a deeply religious life, the Hindu holy man denied himself most secular pleasures.

Secular means A. spiritual. B. reliable. C. nonreligious.

A former church now in secular use as an apartment building

In contrast with countries governed according to religious laws, our government is nonreligious. If the Hindu holy man devoted himself to a deeply religious life, he would deny himself nonreligious pleasures.

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

9 shun

– verb

• I used to see a lot of Tracy, but since our argument, she shuns me whenever possible. • The Amish live without many modern conveniences. For example, they shun automobiles and electric lights.

Shun means A. to keep away from. B. to recognize. C. to observe.

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

9 shun

– verb

• I used to see a lot of Tracy, but since our argument, she shuns me whenever possible. • The Amish live without many modern conveniences. For example, they shun automobiles and electric lights.

Shun means A. to keep away from. B. to recognize. C. to observe. In contrast with seeing a lot of Tracy before the argument, Tracy now keeps away from the speaker. If the Amish live without modern conveniences, they must keep away from automobiles and electric lights.

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

10 simulate

– verb

• The tan plastic of our kitchen table, with its wood-grain design, simulates oak. • Equipment that simulates a human heart can keep someone alive only for a short time, until an actual heart can be substituted.

Simulate means A. to contrast with. B. to imitate. C. to be made of.

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

10 simulate

– verb

• The tan plastic of our kitchen table, with its wood-grain design, simulates oak. • Equipment that simulates a human heart can keep someone alive only for a short time, until an actual heart can be substituted.

Simulate means A. to contrast with. B. to imitate. C. to be made of. The tan plastic with wood-grain design would imitate oak. Equipment would be able only to imitate the activity of an actual heart.

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

B. cursory

C. designate

D. deviate

E. improvise

F. interim

G. latent

H. secular

I. shun

J. simulate

1. Nikki’s _________ ability in basketball became apparent when she turned 12. Her movements had once been clumsy, but now they were smooth and controlled. 2. Presidents __________ as Supreme Court justices people who share their political views.

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

B. cursory

C. designate

D. deviate

E. improvise

F. interim

G. latent

H. secular

I. shun

J. simulate

1. Nikki’s _________ latent ability in basketball became apparent when she turned 12. Her movements had once been clumsy, but now they were smooth and controlled.

Nikki’s ability was hidden by her clumsy movements when she was young.

2. Presidents __________ designate as Supreme Court justices people who share their political views. Presidents would appoint Supreme Court justices who share their views.

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

B. cursory

C. designate

D. deviate

E. improvise

F. interim

G. latent

H. secular

I. shun

J. simulate

3. I hear Andy dropped out of college. What caused him to __________ from his plan of getting his degree? 4. Because his story about a flat tire sounded __________, my parents allowed the stranger to use our telephone.

5. In the __________ between applying to college and getting the letter of acceptance, I spent a lot of time worrying.

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

B. cursory

C. designate

D. deviate

E. improvise

F. interim

G. latent

H. secular

I. shun

J. simulate

3. I hear Andy dropped out of college. What caused him to __________ deviate from his plan of getting his degree? If Andy’s plan was to get his degree but he dropped out, he departed from his plan.

4. Because his story about a flat tire sounded __________, my credible parents allowed the stranger to use our telephone. The parents would allow the stranger to use the phone if his story sounded believable.

5. In the __________ interim between applying to college and getting the letter of acceptance, I spent a lot of time worrying. A period of time passes between sending one’s college application and getting the letter of acceptance.

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

B. cursory

C. designate

D. deviate

E. improvise

F. interim

G. latent

H. secular

I. shun

J. simulate

6. Margo couldn’t identify the driver of the car that had hit her. She’d given him only a(n) _______ glance at the time of the accident. 7. The chorus is known for its gospel music, but it also performs _________ compositions, including show tunes.

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

B. cursory

C. designate

D. deviate

E. improvise

F. interim

G. latent

H. secular

I. shun

J. simulate

6. Margo couldn’t identify the driver of the car that had hit her. She’d given him only acursory __________ glance at the time of the accident.

If Margo couldn’t identify him, she must have given only a quick glance.

7. The chorus is known for its gospel music, but it also performs _________ secular compositions, including show tunes. Show tunes are an example of nonreligious musical compositions.

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

B. cursory

C. designate

D. deviate

E. improvise

F. interim

G. latent

H. secular

I. shun

J. simulate

8. When the actor forgot his lines, he was forced to _________ some dialog until the stage manager whispered to him from offstage. 9. Tony found the hardest part of overcoming his addiction was learning to __________ people and places that would tempt him to use drugs again. 10. The zoo’s exhibits _________ the natural environments of animals. The orangutans, for example, live in a space that looks much like an Asian rain forest.

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

B. cursory

C. designate

D. deviate

E. improvise

F. interim

G. latent

H. secular

I. shun

J. simulate

8. When the actor forgot his lines, he was forced to _________ improvise some dialog until the stage manager whispered to him from offstage. If the actor forgot his lines, he would have to invent some dialogue.

9. Tony found the hardest part of overcoming his addiction was learning to __________ people and places that would shun tempt him to use drugs again. Tony would have to learn to avoid places that would tempt him.

10. The zoo’s exhibits _________ simulate the natural environments of animals. The orangutans, for example, live in a space that looks much like an Asian rain forest. The item gives an example of an exhibit that imitates the orangutans’ natural environment.