1. Level D

2. appreciable (adj) The injured woman lost an appreciable amount of blood before the paramedics arrived. sufficient to be noticed or measured Synonyms: perceptible, detectable, considerable Antonyms: slight, trivial, inconsequential, negligible

3. contend (v) I enjoy watching the four major tennis tournaments in which brilliant players contend for the “grand slam” titles. to fight, struggle; to compete; to argue Synonyms: battle, dispute, vie, maintain, assert Antonyms: yield, acquiesce, submit, relinquish

4. humane (adj) The Humane Society of the United States is responsible for caring for abandoned and abused animals. kind, merciful Synonyms: sympathetic, compassionate, kindhearted Antonyms: cruel, merciless, unfeeling, brutal, heartless

5. intolerable (adj) “The Intolerable Acts were passed in spring 1774, and helped cause the American Revolution.*American Revolution unbearable Synonyms: insufferable, unendurable, outrageous Antonyms: enjoyable, pleasant, pleasing * http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/p/jutland.h tm http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/worldwar1/p/jutland.h tm

6. laborious (adj) After cleaning the gutters, we moved on to the laborious task of raking and bagging the leaves. not easy, requiring hard work; hardworking Synonyms: arduous, difficult, strenuous, wearisome Antonyms: easy, effortless, facile

7. maltreat (adj) The candidates pledged to shut down any factory or manufacturing plant found to maltreat workers. to abuse, use roughly or crudely Synonyms: misuse, mistreat, harm, aggrieve Antonyms: coddle, pamper, indulge

8. ponder (v) I need time to ponder all of my options before deciding how to spend the summer. to consider carefully, reflect on Synonyms: think over, ruminate, contemplate

9. subversive (adj, n) The underground movement circulated subversive pamphlets that criticized the government. (adj.) intended to undermine or overthrow; (n.) one who advocates or attempts to undermine a political system Synonyms: (adj.) treasonous, traitorous; (n) a revolutionary Antonyms: (adj) patriotic, loyal, true-blue

10. temperate (adj) Living in a temperate climate means that much of the time the weather is pleasant. mild, moderate Synonyms: composed, balanced, mellow, fair Antonyms: immoderate, extreme, excessive, harsh

11. venomous (adj) It was only after we rushed the child to the emergency room that we learned he’d been bitten by a venomous spider. poisonous; spiteful, mean Synonyms: nasty, malicious, virulent, malevolent Antonyms: harmless, innocuous, benign