1. ADVANCING VOCABULARY SKILLS
Fourth Edition
Sherrie L. Nist
© Townsend Press

2. Unit One: Chapter 5 • charlatan • hoist • corroborate • illicit
• disseminate • irrevocable
• diverge • precipitate
• dormant • proliferation
Page 24 in textbook.

3. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT 1 charlatan –
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 charlatan –
• 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.
Page 24 in textbook.
Answer: C
The next slide explains the answer.

4. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT 2 corroborate –
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 corroborate –
• 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.
Page 24 in textbook.
Answer: B
The next slide explains the answer.

5. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT 3 disseminate –
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 disseminate –
• 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.
Page 24 in textbook.
Answer: A
The next slide explains the answer.

6. Two dirt roads diverging
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 diverge –
• 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.
Page 24 in textbook.
Answer: A
The next slide explains the answer.
Two dirt roads diverging
Photo: Jonathan Billinger

7. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT 5 dormant –
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 dormant –
• 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.
Page 24 in textbook.
Answer: A
The next slide explains the answer.

8. A helicopter hoisting a boat
TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 hoist –
• 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.
Page 24 in textbook.
Answer: C
The next slide explains the answer.
A helicopter hoisting a boat
from the water
Photo: U.S. Navy

9. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT 7 illicit –
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 illicit –
• 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.
Page 25 in textbook.
Answer: B
The next slide explains the answer.

10. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT 8 irrevocable –
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 irrevocable –
• 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.
Page 25 in textbook.
Answer: A
The next slide explains the answer.

11. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT 9 precipitate –
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 precipitate –
• 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.
Page 25 in textbook.
Answer: A
The next slide explains the answer.

12. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT 10 proliferation –
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 proliferation –
• 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.
Page 25 in textbook.
Answer: C
The next slide explains the answer.

13. SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
E. dormant
F. hoist G. illicit H. irrevocable
I. precipitate
J. proliferation
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.
Page 26 in textbook.
Answers: 1. diverge; 2. charlatan
The next slide explains the answers.

14. SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
E. dormant
F. hoist G. illicit H. irrevocable
I. precipitate
J. proliferation
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.
Page 26 in textbook.
Answers: 3. irrevocable; 4. dormant; 5. precipitate
The next slide explains the answers.
5. Rafael’s growth of four inches over the summer _______(e)d a shopping trip for new clothes.

15. SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
E. dormant
F. hoist G. illicit H. irrevocable
I. precipitate
J. proliferation
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.
Page 26 in textbook.
Answers: 6. illicit; 7. hoist
The next slide explains the answers.

16. SENTENCE CHECK 1
Complete each item with the correct word from the box.
A. charlatan B. corroborate C. disseminate
D. diverge
E. dormant
F. hoist G. illicit H. irrevocable
I. precipitate
J. proliferation
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.
Page 26 in textbook.
Answers: 8. disseminate; 9. corroborate; 10. proliferation
The next slide explains the answers.
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.