1. 1. Adept(adj) thoroughly skilled 2. aspire (v.) to work toward a higher goal 3. bleak (adj.) dreary, bare, depressing 4. chide (v) to blame, to criticize 5. despicable (adj.) hateful, disgraceful

2. 1.This long, ______winter has everyone really wishing for Spring. 2.If you _______to do well in life, you must work hard to achieve your goal 3. The boy was given OSS for his ________behavior in class. 4. He has won many awards, and is viewed by others as one of the most ________actors of our time 5. Please do not _____me for making an honest mistake!

3. 6. diminutive (adj.) small, smaller than most others of its type 7. emancipate (v.) to free from slavery or servitude 8. erroneous (adj.) incorrect 9. exploit (v) to make improper use of 10. extemporaneous (adj) unrehearsed, unplanned

4. 6. Lincoln decided that it was only fair to _______the slaves. 7. It’s ironic that the most _______girl has the loudest voice. 8. If the government continues to ________all of our natural resources, we will have to depend on other countries to provide for us. 9. It is not easy to make an _________speech. 10. The answer was marked wrong because it contained_______information.

5. 11. impair (v) to damage or to harm 12. invincible (adj) not able to be defeated, unbeatable 13. languid (adj) without energy, sluggish 14. mire (n) mud, swampy ground (v) to get stuck 15. obtrusive (adj) undesirably obvious or noticeable.

6. 11. At 9 months pregnant, she knew her _______belly could no longer be hidden. 12. Listening to very loud music may ______your hearing. 13. Superman is not really ________because he can be harmed by Kryptonite. 14. On a hot day in June, everyone is feeling _______by 9 th period. 15. Sometimes we see pigs in the ________, giving us the impression that they are dirty animals.

7. 16. preamble(n) an introduction to a speech or a piece of writing. 17. render(v) to cause to become; to perform 18. rugged (adj.) rough 19. skeptical (adj.) slow to accept something as true 20. slipshod (adj.) messy, careless, sloppy

8. 16. The President was asked to ___________a speech to all those who were displaced by Hurricane Sandy. 17. Driving too fast on a ________road, I got a flat tire. 18. He seemed __________of the new computer program that was supposed to make everything easier. 19.The brief ______to Romeo and Juliet is also called a prologue. 20. It’s not likely that anyone will hire him with all of his ______habits.