1. Vocabulary 14B

2. Laud (v.) to praise S: hail, extol, glorify, exalt
A: criticize, censure, belittle, disparage
At the assembly the principal lauded both students and teachers for the schoolwide improvement in reading scores.

3. Loll (v.) to act in a lazy manner; to lunge; to recline, droop
S: load, loiter, sag, dangle
There is nothing I would rather do on a hot, humid summer afternoon than loll in a hammock under a tree.

4. loquacious (adj.) talkative, wordy; fond of talking
S: gossipy, voluble, garrulous, long-winded
A: silent, reticent, closemouthed, terse, taciturn
My dinner companion was so loquacious that our conversation quickly turned into a monologue.

5. magnanimous (adj.) generous in forgiving, above small meanness
S: unselfish, charitable, noble, bighearted
A: petty, selfish, unforgiving, spiteful
The general’s victory was so decisive that he could afford to be magnanimous toward his former enemies.

6. mandatory (adj.) required, obligatory
S: compulsory, requisite, imperative
A: optional, voluntary, discretionary
A union contract may stipulate that members are to receive a mandatory annual cost-of-living increase.

7. nondescript (adj.) ordinary, not outstanding; not easily classified
S: plain, unremarkable, unimpressive
A: distinctive, remarkable, vivid, prepossessing
Fashion critics judges the designer’s fall clothing line to be disappointingly nondescript.

8. phlegmatic (adj.) slow moving, sluggish; unemotional
S: lethargic, indolent, torpid, stolid, impassive
A: emotional, sensitive, thin-skinned, excitable
Sloths are such phlegmatic creatures that they have earned the reputation of being the slowest animals on Earth.

9. rescind (v.) to repeal, cancel
S: withdraw, revoke, retract, annul, abrogate
A: affirm, endorse, uphold, ratify
A sitting Congress sometimes rescinds statutes passed by its predecessors

10. vivacious (adj.) lively, sprightly, full of energy
S: spirited, animated, ebullient
A: dull, spiritless, listless, indolent, languid
A vivacious individual will certainly never lack for companions.

11. whet (v.) to sharpen, put an edge on; to make keen or eager
S: hone, excite, stimulate
A: dull, blunt, deaden, stifle, dampen
In most mystery novels, the first chapter is designed to whet your curiosity to find out “who done it.”