Academic Vocabulary: Academic Words - Olsen Amy E. 2012
Chapter 12. Review
Focus on Chapters 7-11
The following activities give you the opportunity to further interact with the vocabulary words you've been learning. By taking tests, answering questions, using visuals, doing a crossword puzzle, and working with others, you will see which words you know well and which ones need additional study.
Self-Tests
1 Match each word with its synonym in Set One and its antonym in Set Two.
2 Pick the word that best completes each sentence.
1. It was a(n)... gesture on my neighbor's part to give me his tickets to the sold-out play after he heard how much I was in love with the lead actor.
a. du jour
b. derogatory
c. magnanimous
d. conventional
2. The speaker's ... gave me a chance to see whether I had written down all the major points he had made.
a. summation
b. fortitude
c. norm
d. faux pas
3. Gerald amused his dinner companions with a … about a recent film.
a. testimony
b. hon mot
c. status
d. plateau
4. The ... of the candidate's statements was called into question when the newspaper printed an article with different statistics than had been given at the town hall meeting.
a. expedition
b. verity
c. zeitgeist
d. stratification
5. Methods of ... differ among cultures; for example, many societies have special initiation ceremonies into adulthood.
a. terrain
b. doppelganger
c. levity
d. socialization
3 Complete the following sentences using the vocabulary words. Use each word once.
testimony
escapade
carpe diem
status
faux pas
1. I'm going to go online and check the ... of the package I sent yesterday. I have the tracking number, so I can check on its progress across the country.
2. The sun is finally shining. This weekend I'm going to follow the motto ... and take advantage of the good weather to go camping in the mountains.
3. My mother would have been disappointed in me. She considers it a(n) ... to not bring the host or hostess of a party a small gift. I meant to buy flowers on the way, but I ran out of time.
4. Because the man mumbled throughout his ...., no one on the jury believed what he said.
5. My sister should be sending me an e-mail on my nephew's latest ... . He and his friends are bicycling across the country and having some great adventures.
4 Complete the following sentences that illustrate collocations for the vocabulary words. The other word(s) that make up the collocation are in italics.
plateau
du jour
conventional
derogatory
deviate
1. I don't go to my favorite cafe on Tuesdays because the soup ... is always minestrone, which I can't stand.
2. I am never inviting the Thomsons over again. They made one ... remark after another, such as calling the sofa shabby and the color of the kitchen hideous.
3. I need to up my exercise level. I have reached a ..., and I need more vigorous exercise to help me lose weight.
4. I have to ... from my original plan and leave a day later due to a family matter.
5. I know that ... wisdom says not to spoil one's child, but I just can't help buying my daughter more and more clothes. I find the styles for toddlers so cute.
5 Fill in the missing meaning for the underlined word part.
large
to live
stand
lift
flow
1. It was kind of Pam to bring over several comedies to watch in order to ... my spirits and alleviate my pain while I recover from surgery.
2. I plan... la dolce vita, so I am going to find a profession I love and make time to take long vacations.
3. My investments in the stock market continue to fluctuate daily, so to lessen my stress I am going to have to learn how to go with the ... .
4. The college has never before received such a ... donation; it was magnanimous of Senator Garcia to leave our institution so much in his will.
5. My status seems secure, but I don't know where I will ... in a few months. The last vice-president was highly regarded for nine months before he was fired.
6 Finish the story using the vocabulary words. Use each word once.
Vocabulary list
burgeoned
du jour
levity
alleviate
deviate
pristine
la deice vita
voila
fluctuated
visualization
ostracize
ramifications
Life on a Farm
To (1)... the boredom that had set into my life, I decided to live on a farm for a year. My friends tried to convince me that it was not going to be (2)... that I had in mind. Most of them who had grown up on farms didn't feel that it would be my definition of the good life, and they cautioned me that things were not often (3) ... . They were worried because I keep my apartment extremely neat. However, part of the change I was looking forward to was getting dirty.
I headed off to the farm. My enthusiasm (4) ... when I saw the horses, cows, and ducks. Everything looked so different and peaceful. My excitement (5) ... several times over the next few weeks. I was not pleased with the sound of roosters at 5 a.m., nor the clatter of pots and pans as the owners of the house began getting breakfast ready at 5:30. I had to learn to (6) ... from my city schedule of getting up at 8 or 9. But change is what I wanted from this escapade. I found that a bit of (7) ... in the morning helped my mood, so the family and I enjoyed sharing jokes at the breakfast table. I also liked discovering what the activity (8) ... would be. I hadn't realized how far the (9)... of living on a farm would extend. I had to learn a variety of skills, from driving a tractor to milking a cow. I also learned how to pick fruit, plant a vegetable garden, bake bread, and collect eggs, among other things.
I didn't want to totally (10) ... myself from my friends, so I invited them to visit a few times. They came for a picnic in the summer filled with fruits and vegetables from the farm, and they loved swimming in the nearby lake. They came again in the fall and joined in the apple picking. That's when they admitted that it looked like I was doing well and having fun. Finally, they came in the spring and saw the newborns. They adored the lambs and calves. And, (11) ...! The year was over before I was ready for it to be. It was a great change, and I went back to the city revitalized. I may even return to life on a farm in the future, but for now I will have to use (12) ... to put myself back on the farm when I yearn for the outdoor life.
Interactive Exercise
Answer the following questions to further test your understanding of the vocabulary words.
1. Name two norms for classroom behavior.
2. Name two situations where levity would be appropriate.
3. Are you the type of person who can throw an impromptu party? Explain why or why not.
4. What kind of expedition would you like to be invited to join?
5. How would you describe the Zeitgeist at the beginning of a term? Is there a different Zeitgeist at the end of the term?
To answer these questions, refer to the photograph.
1. How pervasive is sledding in your area?
2. What kind of escapade might the kids have while playing?
3. What words best describe foe terrain?
4. Which of the following words best applies to the scene: carpe diem, la dolce vita, voila, or alfresco? Explain why.
5. Create an anecdote the kids can tell their parents when they go inside or write a ben mot that fits the photograph.
Crossword Puzzle
Across
3. wearing shoes to school in the U.S., for example
6. a picnic in the park
9. to exclude from society
11.the spirit of the time
13. spontaneous
15.a consequence
18. Baja is one
19. the formation of mental images
20. flowers in the spring do this
Down
1. found in royalty and the military
2. a ghostly double
4. unspoiled; pure
5. a stable state
7. There it is!
8. important to have if an astronaut
10. How dare he question the ... of my statements!
12. "Wash your hands before dinner," for example
14. to the point
16. forbidden from use or mention
17. nothing
Use the following words to complete the crossword puzzle. You will use each word once.
Vocabulary list
alfresco
burgeon
doppelganger
fortitude
impromptu
nada
norm
ostracize
peninsula
plateau
pristine
ramification
relevant
socialization
stratification
taboo
verity
visualization
voila
zeitgeist
Finding a Place and Time to Study
To concentrate on what you are studying, you need to find the right environment for you. Because most people concentrate better in a quiet space, turn off the television and radio to see if you can better focus on your work. Also look for a place with good light; you don't want to strain your eyes. You should be comfortable, so find a chair you like, or if you need to take notes, sit at a table. For some people, sitting outside in a park or the back yard provides a pleasant and productive place to read. See what works best for you depending on what you are studying. Change your environment if you can't focus. To further make your studying effective, find the time of day that you are most productive. Decide whether you are a morning, afternoon/or night person. Don't try to get up early to study if you won't really be awake at that time. Or don't stay up late trying to read if all you want to do is close your eyes. Understand how your body works by paying attention to the times of the day when you feel the most tired and the most alert. Your study routine will be improved if you pay attention to your body clock.
Mix It Up
Matching Meanings
Get four to six classmates together, and make teams of two to three people. You will need two sets of flash cards. Lay out a rectangle of 20 flash cards with the words face up. Lay out another rectangle of the same 20 words with the definitions face up. (You can make larger or smaller rectangles, but it is best to have at least fifteen words and no more than forty.) One person on a team picks up a word and fries to find the matching definition in the other rectangle. Teammates can help the person. If the person is right, he or she gets to keep both cards. If the person is wrong, he or she returns the cards to their places. A team can keep going until it misses a match. When all the words and definitions are matched, the team with the most cards wins. This activity can also be played with pairs, or you can test yourself individually if you have two sets of flash cards (or you can write the words on slips of paper and match them to the definition side of your flash cards).
