1. ADVANCING VOCABULARY SKILLS Fourth Edition Sherrie L. Nist © 2010 Townsend Press

2. Unit Five: Chapter 28 deride misconstrue derogatory paramount fabricate quandary impending turbulent macabrevalidate

3. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 1 deride Deride means A. to misunderstand. B. to mock. C. to argue with. One nightclub comedian derides members of the audience, poking fun at their looks, clothing, and mannerisms. He says they know it’s just part of the act. Walter went on a diet after several classmates derided him by calling him “Lardo” and “Blimpy.” – verb

4. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Deride means A. to misunderstand. B. to mock. C. to argue with. One nightclub comedian derides members of the audience, poking fun at their looks, clothing, and mannerisms. He says they know it’s just part of the act. Walter went on a diet after several classmates derided him by calling him “Lardo” and “Blimpy.” If the comedian pokes fun at the looks, clothing, and mannerisms of audience members, he mocks them. By calling Walter “Lardo” and “Blimpy,” his classmates mocked him. 1 deride – verb

5. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 2 derogatory – adjective Derogatory means A. uncomplimentary. B. mistaken. C. provable. Lorenzo’s derogatory remark about his boss—he called her an airhead—caused him to get fired. Charisse makes derogatory comments about Deion behind his back, saying that he’s vain, sloppy, and lazy. But she never says such things to his face.

6. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Derogatory means A. uncomplimentary. B. mistaken. C. provable. Lorenzo’s derogatory remark about his boss—he called her an airhead—caused him to get fired. Charisse makes derogatory comments about Deion behind his back, saying that he’s vain, sloppy, and lazy. But she never says such things to his face. Calling someone an airhead and saying someone is vain, sloppy, and lazy are examples of uncomplimentary statements. 2 derogatory – adjective

7. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 3 fabricate – verb Fabricate means A. to avoid. B. to prove. C. to invent. Supermarket tabloids often fabricate ridiculous stories, such as “Boy Is Born Wearing Green Sneakers.” When she handed in her term paper late, Diane fabricated a story that her computer had crashed. The truth is that she doesn’t even use a computer.

8. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Fabricate means A. to avoid. B. to prove. C. to invent. Supermarket tabloids often fabricate ridiculous stories, such as “Boy Is Born Wearing Green Sneakers.” When she handed in her term paper late, Diane fabricated a story that her computer had crashed. The truth is that she doesn’t even use a computer. A story about a boy born wearing green sneakers has to be an invented (and ridiculous) story. If Diane doesn’t even use a computer, her story was invented. 3 fabricate – verb

9. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Gary never studies until an exam is impending. If he’d start sooner, he wouldn’t have to cram so hard, and he’d get better grades. “Because of the company’s impending move,” the office manager said, “I’m not ordering any supplies until next month, when we’ll be in the new office.” 4 impending Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Impending means A. approaching. B. apparent. C. important. – adjective An impending storm

10. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Gary never studies until an exam is impending. If he’d start sooner, he wouldn’t have to cram so hard, and he’d get better grades. “Because of the company’s impending move,” the office manager said, “I’m not ordering any supplies until next month, when we’ll be in the new office.” Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Impending means A. approaching. B. apparent. C. important. If Gary crams at the last minute, he waits until the exam is approaching. If the company will be in its new office next month, the move is approaching. An impending storm 4 impending – adjective

11. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Macabre means A. confusing. B. mocking. C. gruesome. 5 macabre – adjective Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a macabre tale in which someone is buried alive. The movie opened with a macabre scene: a row of bodies lying in drawers in the city morgue.

12. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Macabre means A. confusing. B. mocking. C. gruesome. Edgar Allan Poe’s story “The Fall of the House of Usher” is a macabre tale in which someone is buried alive. The movie opened with a macabre scene: a row of bodies lying in drawers in the city morgue. A story in which someone is buried alive is a gruesome story. A row of bodies lying in drawers in the city morgue is a gruesome scene. 5 macabre – adjective

13. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Misconstrue means A. to misunderstand. B. to understand. C. to ignore. Many readers misconstrue Robert Frost’s well-known line “Good fences make good neighbors.” They think it’s Frost’s own opinion, but the line is spoken by an unneighborly character. Carla would like to date Matt, but when she told him she was busy last weekend, he misconstrued her meaning, thinking she wasn’t interested in him. 6 misconstrue – verb

14. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Misconstrue means A. to misunderstand. B. to understand. C. to ignore. Many readers misconstrue Robert Frost’s well-known line “Good fences make good neighbors.” They think it’s Frost’s own opinion, but the line is spoken by an unneighborly character. Carla would like to date Matt, but when she told him she was busy last weekend, he misconstrued her meaning, thinking she wasn’t interested in him. Readers who think the character’s opinion is Frost’s opinion misunderstand the line from the poem. If Carla would like to date Matt but Matt thinks she isn’t interested, Matt misunderstood her meaning. 6 misconstrue – verb

15. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Paramount means A. supreme. B. growing. C. successful. When you are driving on rain-slick, icy, or winding roads, good traction is of paramount importance, so always be sure your tires are in top condition. Paramount Pictures must have chosen its name to suggest that its movies were superior to all others. 7 paramount – adjective

16. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Paramount means A. supreme. B. growing. C. successful. When you are driving on rain-slick, icy, or winding roads, good traction is of paramount importance, so always be sure your tires are in top condition. Paramount Pictures must have chosen its name to suggest that its movies were superior to all others. On rain-slick, icy, or winding roads, good traction is of supreme importance. Since the movie studio wanted its name to suggest that its movies were superior to all others, they chose a name that means “supreme.” 7 paramount – adjective

17. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Quandary means A. a state of confusion. B. a state of anger. C. a state of confidence. Bonita was in a quandary—she couldn’t decide whether to return to school, take a job she had just been offered, or move to Alaska with her family. Aaron is in a quandary over financial matters: he is baffled by the problems of making a budget, handling credit, and paying taxes. 8 quandary – noun

18. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Quandary means A. a state of confusion. B. a state of anger. C. a state of confidence. Bonita was in a quandary—she couldn’t decide whether to return to school, take a job she had just been offered, or move to Alaska with her family. Aaron is in a quandary over financial matters: he is baffled by the problems of making a budget, handling credit, and paying taxes. If Bonita couldn’t decide among the three things, she was in a state of confusion. In the second item, the word baffled suggests that quandary means “a state of confusion.” 8 quandary – noun

19. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Turbulent means A. violent. B. distant. C. unusual. The turbulent air made the plane rock so wildly that passengers felt as if they were on a roller coaster. The Warreners’ household tends to be turbulent. Whenever Mr. Warrener gets upset, he yells and throws things. 9 turbulent – adjective Turbulent weather Photo: Justin1569@en.wikipedia

20. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Turbulent means A. violent. B. distant. C. unusual. The turbulent air made the plane rock so wildly that passengers felt as if they were on a roller coaster. The Warreners’ household tends to be turbulent. Whenever Mr. Warrener gets upset, he yells and throws things. If the plane rocked wildly, the air must have been violent. If Mr. Warrener yells and throws things, the household would tend to be violent. 9 turbulent – adjective Turbulent weather Photo: Justin1569@en.wikipedia

21. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Validate means A. to misinterpret. B. to prove. C. to invent. 10 validate Many people believe Columbus sailed west to validate the theory that the world is round. But in 1492, the fact that the world is round was already well known. There is no real doubt about the dangers of smoking; the claim that smoking is a serious health risk has been validated by many studies. – verb

22. TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Validate means A. to misinterpret. B. to prove. C. to invent. Many people believe Columbus sailed west to validate the theory that the world is round. But in 1492, the fact that the world is round was already well known. There is no real doubt about the dangers of smoking; the claim that smoking is a serious health risk has been validated by many studies. Many people believe that Columbus was trying to prove the theory that the world was round. Studies have proved the claim that smoking is a serious health risk. 10 validate – verb

23. SENTENCE CHECK 1 2.We had skipped dinner in order to get to the play on time, so throughout the performance, food—not the drama—was __________ in our thoughts. 1.Mel has a(n) _______ hobby—he visits places where murders were committed. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. derideB. derogatoryC. fabricateD. impendingE.macabre F. misconstrueG. paramountH. quandaryI. turbulentJ.validate

24. SENTENCE CHECK 1 2.We had skipped dinner in order to get to the play on time, so throughout the performance, food—not the drama—was __________ in our thoughts. 1.Mel has a __________ hobby—he visits places where murders were committed. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. derideB. derogatoryC. fabricateD. impendingE.macabre F. misconstrueG. paramountH. quandaryI. turbulentJ.validate macabre paramount Mel’s hobby is a gruesome one. If they had skipped dinner, food would be foremost in their thoughts during the performance.

25. 4.Delia _______(e)d Miguel’s friendliness as romantic interest. She didn’t realize that he already had a girlfriend. SENTENCE CHECK 1 3.Just before I was fired, I had a sense of __________ disaster; I could tell that something bad was about to happen. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. derideB. derogatoryC. fabricateD. impendingE.macabre F. misconstrueG. paramountH. quandaryI. turbulentJ.validate 5.When my friend said her teacher was “different,” I wasn’t sure if she meant the description to be complimentary or __________.

26. 4.Delia ___________ Miguel’s friendliness as romantic interest. She didn’t realize that he already had a girlfriend. SENTENCE CHECK 1 5.When my friend said her teacher was “different,” I wasn’t sure if she meant the description to be complimentary or __________. 3.Just before I was fired, I had a sense of __________ disaster; I could tell that something bad was about to happen. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. derideB. derogatoryC. fabricateD. impendingE.macabre F. misconstrueG. paramountH. quandaryI. turbulentJ.validate impending misconstrued derogatory The words about to happen tell you to choose the word impending. Clearly, Delia misinterpreted Miguel’s friendliness as romantic interest. Calling someone “different” could be complimentary or belittling.

27. SENTENCE CHECK 1 7.In the psychology class, the students were given an interesting team assignment. They had to make some statement about human nature and then __________ it by finding supporting evidence. 6.Dwayne didn’t show up for the final exam because he hadn’t studied, but he _______(e)d a story about having a flat tire. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. derideB. derogatoryC. fabricateD. impendingE.macabre F. misconstrueG. paramountH. quandaryI. turbulentJ.validate

28. SENTENCE CHECK 1 7.In the psychology class, the students were given an interesting team assignment. They had to make some statement about human nature and then __________ it by finding supporting evidence. 6.Dwayne didn’t show up for the final exam because he hadn’t studied, but he __________ a story about having a flat tire. Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. derideB. derogatoryC. fabricateD. impendingE.macabre F. misconstrueG. paramountH. quandaryI. turbulentJ.validate fabricated validate Dwayne made up the story about a flat tire. Supporting evidence is used to prove a statement.

29. 9.The sun may seem to be shining calmly and steadily, but in fact, nuclear reactions inside the sun are causing a seething mass of __________ flames. SENTENCE CHECK 1 8.A critic once ______(e)d a book he disliked by saying, “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. derideB. derogatoryC. fabricateD. impendingE.macabre F. misconstrueG. paramountH. quandaryI. turbulentJ.validate 10.Ivan is in a __________ over his car. He doesn’t know whether to get his old car the major repairs it desperately needs, take out a loan and buy his dream car, or spend the money he has on another used car he doesn’t like.

30. 9.The sun may seem to be shining calmly and steadily, but in fact, nuclear reactions inside the sun are causing a seething mass of __________ flames. SENTENCE CHECK 1 8.A critic once __________ a book he disliked by saying, “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.” Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. derideB. derogatoryC. fabricateD. impendingE.macabre F. misconstrueG. paramountH. quandaryI. turbulentJ.validate The critic’s comment ridicules the book. Nuclear reactions would cause a seething mass of violent flames. Ivan’s three choices have him in a state of confusion over what to do. quandary turbulent derided