1. Advancing Vocabulary Skills
Chapter 8
adept
presumptuous
encompass
sordid
entrepreneur
standardize
See page 88 in textbook
eradicate
stint
stringent
homogeneous

2. Ten Words in Context
1 adept
– adjective
People enjoy visiting my parents, who are adept at making guests feel welcome and at home.
Justin is an adept liar. He always looks so innocent and sincere that everyone believes his lies.
Choose the meaning closest
to that of the boldfaced word.
An adept rock climber
Jabez via Wikimedia Commons
Adept means
A. skillful.
B. profitable.
C. awkward.

3. Ten Words in Context
1 adept
– adjective
People enjoy visiting my parents, who are adept at making guests feel welcome and at home.
Justin is an adept liar. He always looks so innocent and sincere that everyone believes his lies.
An adept rock climber
Jabez via Wikimedia Commons
Adept means
A. skillful.
B. profitable.
C. awkward.
If people enjoy visiting the parents, the parents must be skillful at making guests feel welcome. If everyone believes Justin’s lies, he must be a skillful liar.

4. Ten Words in Context
2 encompass
– verb
Our history teacher’s broad knowledge of the subject encompasses details of life in ancient Egypt, Greece, and India.
Tomorrow’s test will be difficult because it encompasses all the material covered this semester.
Encompass means
A. to suggest.
B. to omit.
C. to include.

5. Ten Words in Context
2 encompass
– verb
Our history teacher’s broad knowledge of the subject encompasses details of life in ancient Egypt, Greece, and India.
Tomorrow’s test will be difficult because it encompasses all the material covered this semester.
Encompass means
A. to suggest.
B. to omit.
C. to include.
A broad knowledge of history would include knowledge of the details of life in ancient Egypt, Greece, and India. The test will include all the material covered this semester.

6. Ten Words in Context
3 entrepreneur
– noun
Glenville has no shopping center, but the city is growing so quickly that smart entrepreneurs are sure to start up new businesses there soon.
My ten-year-old neighbor is already an entrepreneur. He set up a lemonade stand last summer and sold homemade cookies at Halloween.
Two entrepreneurs in front of their
meat market in Oklahoma in 1894
National Archives and Records Administration
via Wikimedia Commons
Entrepreneur means
A. a business initiator.
B. an overconfident person.
C. a conformist.

7. Unit Three/ Chapter 16
Ten Words in Context
3 entrepreneur
– noun
Glenville has no shopping center, but the city is growing so quickly that smart entrepreneurs are sure to start up new businesses there soon.
My ten-year-old neighbor is already an entrepreneur. He set up a lemonade stand last summer and sold homemade cookies at Halloween.
Two entrepreneurs in front of their
meat market in Oklahoma in 1894
National Archives and Records Administration
via Wikimedia Commons
Entrepreneur means
A. a business initiator.
B. an overconfident person.
C. a conformist.
See page 88 in textbook
New businesses would be started by business investors. Someone who sets
up a lemonade stand in the summer and sells homemade cookies at Halloween is a (small) business investor.
Copyright © 2018 Townsend Press. All rights reserved.

8. Ten Words in Context
4 eradicate
– verb
In recent years, smallpox has been eradicated—the first time in history that humans have been able to wipe out a disease.
What makes so many people feel they must eradicate all signs of aging? Why should we have to get rid of our wrinkles and gray hair?
The person above probably wants
to eradicate this mosquito.
Kompak via Wikimedia Commons
Eradicate means
A. to reveal.
B. to regulate strictly.
C. to erase.

9. Unit Three/ Chapter 16
Ten Words in Context
4 eradicate
– verb
In recent years, smallpox has been eradicated—the first time in history that humans have been able to wipe out a disease.
What makes so many people feel they must eradicate all signs of aging? Why should we have to get rid of our wrinkles and gray hair?
The person above probably wants
to eradicate this mosquito.
Kompak via Wikimedia Commons
Eradicate means
A. to reveal.
B. to regulate strictly.
C. to erase.
See page 88 in textbook
The words wipe out suggest that
eradicate means “to erase.” Similarly,
in the second item, the words get rid of suggest that eradicate means “to erase.”
Copyright © 2018 Townsend Press. All rights reserved.

10. The houses in this development
Ten Words in Context
5 homogeneous
– adjective
The student body at the local college appears quite homogeneous, but there are significant social and economic differences among the students.
“Homogenized” milk has been made homogeneous. This means that it’s treated so it will be of uniform consistency, rather than having the cream rise to the top.
The houses in this development
are homogeneous.
Derek Jensen via Wikimedia Commons
Homogeneous means
A. strictly controlled.
B. the same throughout.
C. of high quality.

11. The houses in this development
Ten Words in Context
5 homogeneous
– adjective
The student body at the local college appears quite homogeneous, but there are significant social and economic differences among the students.
“Homogenized” milk has been made homogeneous. This means that it’s treated so it will be of uniform consistency, rather than having the cream rise to the top.
The houses in this development
are homogeneous.
Derek Jensen via Wikimedia Commons
Homogeneous means
A. strictly controlled.
B. the same throughout.
C. of high quality.
In spite of the significant differences among the students, the student body appears to be the same throughout. If homogenized milk has a uniform consistency, it is the same throughout.

12. 6 presumptuous – adjective
Ten Words in Context
6 presumptuous
– adjective
It was presumptuous of Eric to announce his engagement to Phyllis before she had actually agreed to marry him.
If you ask personal questions at a job interview, you’ll be considered presumptuous. So, for example, don’t ask the interviewer, “What are they paying you?”
Presumptuous means
A. too forward.
B. skilled.
C. cautious.

13. 6 presumptuous – adjective
Ten Words in Context
6 presumptuous
– adjective
It was presumptuous of Eric to announce his engagement to Phyllis before she had actually agreed to marry him.
If you ask personal questions at a job interview, you’ll be considered presumptuous. So, for example, don’t ask the interviewer, “What are they paying you?”
Presumptuous means
A. too forward.
B. skilled.
C. cautious.
Since Phyllis had not actually agreed to marry Eric, Eric was being
too forward by announcing their engagement. The second item gives
an example of a question that will make you seem too forward if you
ask it at a job interview.

14. Ten Words in Context
7 sordid
– adjective
Celebrity gossip websites are popular because many people want to know the sordid details of celebrities’ relationships and private lives.
The reformed criminal now lectures at high schools on how to avoid the mistakes that led him into a sordid life as a drug dealer.
Sordid means
A. proud.
B. shameful.
C. natural.

15. Ten Words in Context
7 sordid
– adjective
Celebrity gossip websites are popular because many people want to know the sordid details of celebrities’ relationships and private lives.
The reformed criminal now lectures at high schools on how to avoid the mistakes that led him into a sordid life as a drug dealer.
Sordid means
A. proud.
B. sham eful.
C. natural.
The details of celebrities’ addictions and messy divorces are ugly. A drug dealer’s life is corrupt and ugly.

16. Ten Words in Context
8 standardize
– verb
When the company standardized its pay scale, the salary for each type of job became identical throughout all the departments.
If Jamila begins selling her delicious homemade soup, she’ll have to standardize the ingredients. Now she just puts in whatever she has on hand, so the soup is never the same from one day to the next.
Standardize means
A. to do away with.
B. to make the same.
C. to vary.
In 1862, Congress standardized the size
of railroad tracks throughout the U.S.
Tomwsulcer via Wikimedia Commons

17. Ten Words in Context
8 standardize
– verb
When the company standardized its pay scale, the salary for each type of job became identical throughout all the departments.
If Jamila begins selling her delicious homemade soup, she’ll have to standardize the ingredients. Now she just puts in whatever she has on hand, so the soup is never the same from one day to the next.
Standardize means
A. to do away with.
B. to make the same.
C. to vary.
In 1862, Congress standardized the size
of railroad tracks throughout the U.S.
Tomwsulcer via Wikimedia Commons
If the salary for each type of job became identical, the company must have made its pay scale the same throughout all departments.
In contrast with the soup never being the same from day to day, Jamila will have to make the ingredients the same every day.

18. Ten Words in Context
9 stint
– noun
My stint serving hamburgers and fries at a fast-food restaurant convinced me that I needed to get a college degree.
After traveling during her stint in the Navy, Alise wanted a job that would let her continue to see the world.
A 1909 poster encouraging men
to sign up for a stint in the Navy
United States Navy via Wikimedia Commons
Stint means
A. a period of time.
B. a risky undertaking.
C. future work.

19. Ten Words in Context
9 stint
– noun
My stint serving hamburgers and fries at a fast-food restaurant convinced me that I needed to get a college degree.
After traveling during her stint in the Navy, Alise wanted a job that would let her continue to see the world.
A 1909 poster encouraging men
to sign up for a stint in the Navy
United States Navy via Wikimedia Commons
Stint means
A. a period of time.
B. a risky undertaking.
C. future work.
Spending a length of time serving hamburgers would convince one to
get a college degree. Alise spent
a length of time in the Navy.

20. Ten Words in Context
10 stringent
– adjective
Ms. Jasper has the most stringent standards in the English department. Passing her course is difficult; getting an A is next to impossible.
Elected officials should be held to a stringent code of ethics, requiring them to avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing.
Stringent means
A. different.
B. flexible.
C. demanding.

21. Ten Words in Context
10 stringent
– adjective
Ms. Jasper has the most stringent standards in the English department. Passing her course is difficult; getting an A is next to impossible.
Elected officials should be held to a stringent code of ethics, requiring them to avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing.
Stringent means
A. different.
B. flexible.
C. demanding.
If passing Ms. Jasper’s course is
difficult, she must have demanding standards. A requirement to avoid even the appearance of wrongdoing would
be part of a demanding code of ethics.

22. Name: __________________________Class: ___________________Date: _____________Period: _____
Quiz: Sentence Check. Complete the item with the correct word from the box.
A. adept B. encompass C. entrepreneur
D. eradicate
E. homogeneous
F. presumptuous G. sordid H. standardize
I. stint
J. stringent
Joyce and Steven’s adopted son was neglected in an earlier home. They’re working hard to __________ the lingering effects on him of that experience.
My grandfather held many jobs during his life. He even did a __________ as a circus performer.
In the novel Oliver Twist, innocent young Oliver falls into the hands of a gang of pickpockets, who teach him their __________ trade.
It takes years of study and practice to become __________ at acupuncture.
It’s ____________ of Amy to assume she got the job when others are still being interviewed.
Should the high-school curriculum be __________(e)d throughout the state? Or should each school district be
free to design its own courses?
Ramon has just opened an auto repair shop. Now that he’s an ____________, he can join the National Association for the Self-Employed.
My sister applied to several colleges, some with very high admission standards for their students and others with less __________ requirements.
The articles in our small newspaper __________ local and statewide news, but not national or international events.
The town is so close-knit and __________ that newcomers feel out of place. Many of the residents are even related to each other.