ADVANCED WORD POWER Second Edition B ETH J OHNSON J ANET M. G OLDSTEIN © 2011 Townsend Press

Unit One: Chapter 1 affinity proximity fledgling sagacious hackneyed supplant incessant unassailable opulencevoluminous

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. It is hard for someone with an affinity for warm weather to be happy living in Alaska. My cat has an affinity for small, dark hiding places—I’ve often found her asleep in my dresser drawer, under the footstool, and inside my suitcase. Affinity means A. a preference. B. a fear. C. ignorance. 1affinity – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 1affinity – noun It is hard for someone with an affinity for warm weather to be happy living in Alaska. My cat has an affinity for small, dark hiding places—I’ve often found her asleep in my dresser drawer, under the footstool, and inside my suitcase. Affinity means A. a preference. B. a fear. C. ignorance. If a person has a preference for warm weather he or she would not be happy living in the cold weather of Alaska. If the cat often is found in a drawer, under a stool, or in a suitcase, she must have a preference for small, dark hiding places.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 2fledgling – adjective The short-story class is full of fledgling writers. They’re all enthusiastic, but since they’re beginners, they’re shy about sharing their work. Myra and her sisters are excited about their fledgling catering service, which was booked for three parties during its first week of business. Fledgling means A. old. B. new. C. different. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 2fledgling Fledgling means A. old. B. new. C. different. In the first item, the word beginners tells you that fledgling means “new.” And a catering service that is in its first week of business is a new company. The short-story class is full of fledgling writers. They’re all enthusiastic, but since they’re beginners, they’re shy about sharing their work. Myra and her sisters are excited about their fledgling catering service, which was booked for three parties during its first week of business. – adjective Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 3hackneyed The hackneyed phrase “Have a nice day!” is heard so often that it has become almost meaningless. The worst part of our family reunions is hearing my uncle’s hackneyed jokes—the ones he’s been telling since about Hackneyed means A. worn-out. B. insulting. C. funny. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 3hackneyed The hackneyed phrase “Have a nice day!” is heard so often that it has become almost meaningless. The worst part of our family reunions is hearing my uncle’s hackneyed jokes—the ones he’s been telling since about Hackneyed means A. worn-out. B. insulting. C. funny. A phrase that is heard so often it has become almost meaningless is worn out. Jokes the uncle has been telling since 1980 are worn-out jokes. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 4incessant The children nearly drove their parents crazy on the long car trip with their incessant questions: “Are we there yet?” “Is it much further?” “When can we get out of the car?” Mrs. Soto finally insisted that her husband see a doctor about his incessant snoring. It didn’t bother him, but she wasn’t getting any sleep. Incessant means A. silent. B. wise. C. nonstop. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 4incessant The children nearly drove their parents crazy on the long car trip with their incessant questions: “Are we there yet?” “Is it much further?” “When can we get out of the car?” Mrs. Soto finally insisted that her husband see a doctor about his incessant snoring. It didn’t bother him, but she wasn’t getting any sleep. Incessant means A. silent. B. wise. C. nonstop. If the children nearly drove the parents crazy, their questions must have been nonstop. If Mrs. Soto isn’t getting any sleep, her husband’s snoring must be nonstop. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 5opulence The opulence of the magnificent, luxurious resort was in stark contrast to the poverty of the little fishing village at its gates. The writer Thoreau had no liking for opulence. He wrote in his journal, “That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.” Opulence means A. closeness. B. riches. C. permanence. – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 5opulence The opulence of the magnificent, luxurious resort was in stark contrast to the poverty of the little fishing village at its gates. The writer Thoreau had no liking for opulence. He wrote in his journal, “That man is richest whose pleasures are the cheapest.” Opulence means A. closeness. B. riches. C. permanence. The words magnificent and luxurious suggest that opulence means “riches” or “luxury.” The statement from Thoreau’s journal indicate that he had no liking for riches. – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 6proximity The proximity of the railroad tracks worries neighborhood parents when their children play outside. My brother doesn’t drive a car, so when he was apartment hunting, he had to consider the proximity of public transportation. Proximity means A. similarity. B. contrast. C. nearness. – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 6proximity The proximity of the railroad tracks worries neighborhood parents when their children play outside. My brother doesn’t drive a car, so when he was apartment hunting, he had to consider the proximity of public transportation. Proximity means A. similarity. B. contrast. C. nearness. If the parents are worried about the children’s safety, the railroad tracks must be nearby. Not driving a car would make the it important to live near public transportation. – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 7sagacious The Bible tells the story of King Solomon, who was so sagacious that he knew what to do when two women came to him, both claiming to be the mother of the same child. Often when you are faced with a difficult situation, the most sagacious response is to do nothing right away, but wait to see what happens. Sagacious means A. silly. B. intelligent. C. strong. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 7sagacious The Bible tells the story of King Solomon, who was so sagacious that he knew what to do when two women came to him, both claiming to be the mother of the same child. Often when you are faced with a difficult situation, the most sagacious response is to do nothing right away, but wait to see what happens. Sagacious means A. silly. B. intelligent. C. strong. A king who knew what to do in the situation described must be intelligent. In a difficult situation, waiting to see what happens is often the intelligent thing to do. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 8supplant Acme Company fired its entire accounting staff today. It intends to supplant these employees with part-time workers. An idealistic young revolutionary overthrew the dictator and set up a democratic government. But he too was soon supplanted when a military strongman seized power. Supplant means A. to replace. B. to restore. C. to support. – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 8supplant Acme Company fired its entire accounting staff today. It intends to supplant these employees with part-time workers. An idealistic young revolutionary overthrew the dictator and set up a democratic government. But he too was soon supplanted when a military strongman seized power. Supplant means A. to replace. B. to restore. C. to support. If the company fired the entire accounting staff, it would need to replace these employees in some way. If a military strongman seized power, the young revolutionary must have been replaced. – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 9unassailable The Bradleys’ claim that their house is the oldest in town is unassailable. They have a deed dated 1804, and a copy was filed in the county courthouse that same year. “My opponent may try to attack me,” said the candidate, “but my record is unassailable. On every issue, I’ve voted for the benefit of this city.” Unassailable means A. untrue. B. undeniable. C. unimportant. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 9unassailable The Bradleys’ claim that their house is the oldest in town is unassailable. They have a deed dated 1804, and a copy was filed in the county courthouse that same year. “My opponent may try to attack me,” said the candidate, “but my record is unassailable. On every issue, I’ve voted for the benefit of this city.” Unassailable means A. untrue. B. undeniable. C. unimportant. The deed and the copy filed in the courthouse make the Bradleys’ claim undeniable. If the candidate has always voted for the benefit of the city, his or her record is undeniable. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 10voluminous In the weeks before Christmas, each issue of our newspaper is voluminous, swollen enormously by all the ads. After the holidays, the paper shrinks back to its normal size. Denise chose a wedding dress in a “Southern belle” style, with a long, voluminous skirt. Now she’s worried she’ll trip over all those yards of material. Voluminous means A. valuable. B. cut short. C. large. – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 10voluminous In the weeks before Christmas, each issue of our newspaper is voluminous, swollen enormously by all the ads. After the holidays, the paper shrinks back to its normal size. Denise chose a wedding dress in a “Southern belle” style, with a long, voluminous skirt. Now she’s worried she’ll trip over all those yards of material. Voluminous means A. valuable. B. cut short. C. large. The words swollen enormously suggest that voluminous means “large.” If there are yards of material in the long skirt, it must be large. – adjective