1. Vocabulary 11B

2. (v.) to interpret wrongly, mistake the meaning of
Misconstrue
(v.) to interpret wrongly, mistake the meaning of
S: misjudge, misinterpret
Young children sometimes misconstrue their parents’ motives.

3. (adj.) highly offensive, arousing strong dislike
obnoxious
(adj.) highly offensive, arousing strong dislike
S: disagreeable, repugnant, hateful, odious
A: agreeable, pleasing, engaging, personable
The speeches Hitler delivered at the Nuremberg rallies were full of racial slurs and other obnoxious language.

4. (v.) to appease, soothe, pacify
placate
(v.) to appease, soothe, pacify
S: satisfy, mollify, allay, conciliate
A: vex, irk, provoke, exasperate, annoy
Sponsors of the controversial bill modified some of its original provisions in order to placate the opposition.

5. placid (adj.) calm, peaceful S: undisturbed, tranquil, quiet, serene
A: stormy, agitated, turbulent, tempestuous
There was no wind to disturb the placid surface of the lake.

6. plagiarism
(n.) passing off or using as one’s own the writing (or other materials) of another person
S: piracy, theft
Theft of an author’s ideas is far more difficult to prove in court than word- for-word plagiarism.

7. (adj.) powerful; highly effective
potent
(adj.) powerful; highly effective
S: mighty, formidable, forceful
A: weak, inept, feckless, powerless, ineffective
Music has been called the most potent agent of inducing people to forget their differences and live in harmony.

8. (n.) a false reason, deceptive excuse
pretext
(n.) a false reason, deceptive excuse
S: pretense, cover story, rationale, evasion
I sought some pretext for excusing myself from the weekly staff meeting I did not want to attend.

9. (v.) to stick out, thrust forth
protrude
(v.) to stick out, thrust forth
S: project, jut out, bulge
Dentists commonly use various kinds of braces to correct the alignment of teeth that protrude or are crooked.

10. (adj.) harsh, unrelieved, desolate; (adv.) utterly
stark
(adj.) harsh, unrelieved, desolate; (adv.) utterly
S: (adj.) sheer, downright, grim, bleak; (adv.) absolutely
A: (adj.) bright, cheerful, embellished, ornate
Many young idealists have found it difficult to accept the stark realities of life.
By the end of his brief reign, the Roman emperor Caligula was clearly stark raving mad.

11. (adj.) on or near the surface; concerned with or understanding
superficial
(adj.) on or near the surface; concerned with or understanding
only what is on the surface, shallow
S: skin-deep, insubstantial, cursory, slapdash
A: deep, profound, thorough, exhaustive
A superficial analysis of a complex problem is not likely to produce a viable or long-lasting solution.