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

2. WORDS IN CONTEXT 1 chide – verb
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
1 chide
– verb
• My parents chided me for getting sunburned, but my blistered skin hurt a lot more than their scolding.
• Elise was right to chide me when I lazily threw the newspapers into the trash instead of stacking and tying them for recycling.
Chide means
A. to command.
B. to criticize.
C. to be cruel to.
D. To question

3. WORDS IN CONTEXT 2 connotation – noun
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
2 connotation
– noun
• For many of us, the word sea has a connotation of salty air and vast openness.
• Sayonara, the Japanese word for “goodbye,” actually means “if it must be so” and thus has connotations of sadness at parting.
Connotation means
A. The real meaning
B. a handicap.
C. a warning.
D. a suggested meaning.

4. WORDS IN CONTEXT 3 coalition – noun
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
3 coalition
– noun
• Four colleges formed a coalition to operate a shared Center of Higher Education.
• A coalition of one sheriff, two horse thieves, three stagecoach robbers, and a couple of crooked gamblers once made up the government of Virginia City.
Coalition means
A. one part of a whole.
B. a neighborhood.
C. Solo effort
D. a partnership.

5. WORDS IN CONTEXT 4 diabolic – adjective
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
4 diabolic
– adjective
• In the musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, the barber is indeed diabolic: he kills his clients by cutting their throats so that his friend Mrs. Lovett can make the victims into meat pies.
• The horror story featured open graves, walking corpses, and a diabolic villain who turned an entire town full of people into zombies.
Diabolic means
A. lazy.
B. frightened.
C. devilish.
D. demented
A diabolic mask

6. WORDS IN CONTEXT 5 dilapidated – adjective
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
5 dilapidated
– adjective
• The dilapidated house must have once been handsome. Some of its broken windows are stained glass, and the loose door hinges are fine metalwork.
• His teddy bear is dilapidated, with its ears hanging by threads and the stuffing coming out, but the little boy won’t let go of it long enough for anyone to repair it.
Dilapidated means
A. out of proportion.
B. flat
C. run-down.
D. strongly desired.
A dilapidated house

7. WORDS IN CONTEXT 6 noxious – adjective Noxious means A. potential.
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
6 noxious
– adjective
Noxious means
A. potential.
B. unhealthy.
C. impossible.
D. annoying

8. WORDS IN CONTEXT 7 integral – adjective
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
7 integral
– adjective
• These two were an integral part of many great movies.
Integral means
A. essential.
B. very small.
C. predicted.
D. unnecessary

9. WORDS IN CONTEXT 8 criterion – noun
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
8 criterion
– noun
Do Bud Light commercials meet the criterion for a good commercial?
Criterion means
A. a standard.
B. a beginning.
C. an answer.
D. a possibility

10. WORDS IN CONTEXT 9 commensurate – adjective
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
9 commensurate
– adjective
• The expression “make the punishment fit the crime” means that a penalty should be commensurate with the degree of wrongdoing.
Commensurate means
A. essential to.
B. Unequal to
C. equal to.
D. delayed by.

11. WORDS IN CONTEXT 10 holistic – adjective
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
10 holistic
– adjective
• A good drug center takes a holistic approach to treatment, seeing each client not just as “an addict” but as a whole person. Along with medical aid, it provides emotional support, individual and family counseling, and follow-up services.
• Eastern cultures tend to take a more holistic view of learning than Western societies, focusing on the whole rather than analyzing parts.
Holistic means
A. easygoing.
B. concerned with the whole.
C. nonfinancial.
D. concerned with pieces.

12. WORDS IN CONTEXT 11 analogy – noun
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
11 analogy
– noun
• To help students understand vision, teachers often draw an analogy between the eye and a camera.
• The commencement address, titled “You Are the Captain of Your Ship,” used the analogy of life as an ocean-going vessel that the captain must steer between rocks.
Analogy means
A. a picture.
B. a comparison.
C. a standard.
D. a contrast

13. Light emanating from the setting sun
WORDS IN CONTEXT
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
12 emanate
– verb
• As the cinnamon bread baked, a wonderful smell emanated from the kitchen.
• The screeching and scraping emanating from Keisha’s bedroom tell me that she is practicing her violin.
Emanate means
A. to disappear.
B. to come out.
C. to expand.
D.To deflate
Light emanating from the setting sun

14. WORDS IN CONTEXT 13 scenario – noun
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
13 scenario
– noun
• “I’ve worked out an overall scenario for the movie,” the screenwriter said, “but I haven’t gone beyond the basic plot.”
Scenario means
A. an outline of possible events.
B. a budget.
C. an actual occurrence.
D. A fake idea

15. WORDS IN CONTEXT 14 yen – noun
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
14 yen
– noun
• Whenever I have a yen for something sweet, I try to eat fruit instead of cookies or candy.
• My yen for garlic bagel chips doesn’t go away even after I’ve eaten a whole bagful.
Yen means
A. Dislike
B. a feeling of disapproval.
C. a memory.
D. a longing.

16. WORDS IN CONTEXT 15 annihilate – verb Annihilate means
Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.
15 annihilate
– verb
Annihilate means
A. to escape from.
B. to build up.
C. to wipe out.
D. to seize.