Active Vocabulary General and Academic Words - Amy E. Olsen 2013
Chapter 15. Review
Part 2 Academic Words
Focus on Chapters 11-14
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 term with its synonym in Set One and its antonym in Set Two.
Synonyms
Set One
1. impose a. end
2. decipher b. decode
3. defraud c. assist
4. moratorium d. force
5. facilitate e. cheat
Antonyms
Set Two
6. advocate f. firm
7. lax g. retreat
8. circumspection h. opponent
9. impede i. assist
10. encroachment j. carelessness
2 Pick the word that best completes each sentence.
1. Whenever I hear the ... "A stitch in time saves nine," I think about the time I didn’t fix my leaky sink right away and ended up having to repair my whole bathroom floor.
a. moratorium b. habitat c. adage d. potential
2. Bears are ... animals who feast on berries and salmon.
a. susceptible b. omnivorous c. potential d. endemic
3. Gianna was ... to silly suggestions, so it wasn’t surprising when she wore her pajamas to the opera.
a. lax b. omnivorous c. susceptible d. innate
4. The unusual-looking platypus is ... to Australia.
a. innate b. lax c. endemic d. susceptible
5. Fraud is a huge problem on the Internet. Users need to be especially aware of Web sites that look real but are used for ... .
a. phishing b. nurture c. zoology d. encroachment
6. Zebras are one of my favorite ... because of their black and white coloring.
a. habitats b. ordeals c. advocates d. mammals
7. Pessimism seems to be a(n) ... quality in Gus. Even as a child, I rarely saw him
cheerful.
a. lax b. innate c. endemic d. susceptible
8. I would never respond to ... related to medicine. Who knows what I would get if I ordered medicine online from an unknown company.
a. spam b. nurture c. credibility d. encroachment
3 Pick the vocabulary word that best completes the sentence. Use each word once.
nurture
facilitate
elicit
defraud
avert
1. If your forms and receipts are organized, it will ... our preparing your tax return.
2. The doctor tried to ... a response from the patient, but he was too dazed to answer her.
3. I believe that it is important to ... a love of nature in children, so I take my kids to the park, beach, or mountains every week.
4. We were able to ... a catastrophe when Keri grabbed Jimmy just before the pan filled with hot oil was about to fall on him.
5. When the boy tried to ... his neighbor by saying he had mowed her lawn every week, she fired him. She knew he had only been by once that month.
4 Complete the following sentences that illustrate collocations. The rest of the collocation is in italics. Use each word or phrase once.
to
on
face the
of
a response
progress
1. It is important to check the validity ... a Web site before you use the information on it in a research paper.
2. The school put a moratorium ... cell phone use because students were texting during classes.
3. Constant arguing at City Hall continues to impede ... on the plans to redevelop downtown.
4. Ernesto adheres ... a strict study plan of an hour every day from four to five in the afternoon.
5. I pounded on the door, rang the doorbell a dozen times, and shouted for ten minutes, but I couldn’t elicit ... from anyone in the house.
6. After forty job interviews, I am uncertain whether I can ... ordeal of another one.
5 Fill in the missing meaning for the underlined word part.
around
a person who
hold
to turn
the study of
call
to believe
all
1. The habitat of the koala bear has to ... eucalyptus trees because the animals eat the leaves of the trees and live in the branches.
2. I had to avert my eyes when I saw my daughter hiding “treasures” around the living room for me to find. I decided ... around and head back to the kitchen until she called
me to play.
3. I consider myself a conservationist; I am ... cares about the environment and works to protect it.
4. I am an advocate for smaller class sizes in elementary schools. I regularly ... members of local and state political groups and let them know why it is an important issue.
5. I thought it wise to use circumspection when I spoke about marriage. I wanted to be careful ... the topic because Leena and her husband are having problems with their marriage.
6. I love my zoology class. I am finding ... animals to be a fascinating subject.
7. It seems to me that omnivorous animals have a better chance of survival since they can eat ... kinds of food, not just meat or vegetables.
8. The man's credibility was called into question when he said he lived in Florida, but it was hard ... him when he didn’t know that Tallahassee is the capital.
6 Finish the story using the vocabulary words below. Use each word once.
Vocabulary list
surpass
zoology
lax
potential
credibility
innate
nurture
habitat
ordeal
decipher
In South America
I was excited when my parents announced that we were taking a trip to Chile and Peru. They said they felt I had the (1)... to be an archeologist or historian. They wanted to (2)... my interests in both areas by exposing me to ancient cultures and historic sites. My usual summer (3)... was the couch in front of the television, so this was going to be an exciting adventure. My parents had carefully checked out the (4)... of the tour operator, so we knew our travel arrangements would be handled well. I had been (5)... with my Spanish lessons in high school, so I was a bit confused when we got to the airport in Santiago, Chile. I was, however, able to (6)... the departure board and find our flight to the Atacama Desert. I was also able to order us each a cafe con leche.
We live on the coast in Oregon, so I was excited to see the desert. Parts of the Atacama Desert have never received recorded rainfall. It is the driest desert in the world. One of our daytrips was to the geysers at El Tatio. To avert any possible effects of altitude sickness (we would be at 14,000 feet), we ate a light dinner the evening before the trip. The biggest (7)... of the whole vacation for me was getting up at 4 a.m. and then frying to catch more sleep on the bumpy ride to the geysers. We arrived at 7 a.m., which our guide said was the best time to see the geysers. On the way back, we saw flamingos, llamas, and a beautiful guanaco. I was especially thrilled to see the guanaco. While I was admiring it, my mother remembered that I had a(n) (8)... skill with animals. As a kid, I befriended every dog and cat in our neighborhood. My parents decided to add (9)... to the areas I might major in.
I didn’t think it was possible but the trip went on to (10)... my expectations. Other highlights were seeing the remains of mummified people, visiting the poet Pablo Neruda’s house, and exploring the ruins at Machu Picchu. It was a summer filled with adventure. And my parents were right: the trip did develop in me a desire to study archeology, though I haven’t ruled out zoology.
Interactive Exercise
Answer the following questions to further test your understanding of the vocabulary words.
1. What is one thing society should put a moratorium on?
2. List four foods that would illustrate what an omnivorous person might eat.
3. What can you do to surpass your goals for a course?
4. What would a friend have to do to destroy his or her credibility with you?
5. What are two things you are susceptible to?
6. Name two mammals you like.
7. What is one way you can protect yourself from phishing?
8. What are two goals you adhere to?
9. What are two rules your parents imposed on you as a child?
10. What would you want to check the validity of before making a decision on whether to buy it or to take action on it?
Person, Place, or Thing
Use the three photos to write two sentences about each person, place, and thing. Use at least one of the vocabulary words below in each sentence. In total, you will use at least six different vocabulary words from the list.
Vocabulary list
adhere
impose
nurture
potential
surpass
avert
conservationist
encroachment
endemic
mammal
adage
defraud
lax
spam
validity
1. ...
2. ...
3. ...
4. ...
5. ...
6. ...
Crossword puzzle
Use the following words to complete the crossword puzzle. Use each word once.
Vocabulary list
adage
habitat
advocate
impede
circumspection
innate
conservationist
omnivorous
credibility
ordeal
decipher
phishing
elicit
potential
encroachment
spam
endemic
susceptible
facilitate
zoology
Across
3. junk e-mail
5. to make easier
6. for dolphins, the ocean
7. An e-mail looks like it is from your bank, but it asks for your Social Security number.
10. possessed at birth
11. eating all types of food
12. opposite of pleasure
16. "You can’t come in here."
17. getting closer and closer
19. a person who supports a cause
20. believability
Down
1. to draw or bring out
2. what code breakers do
4. "It is quite possible."
8. H. D. Thoreau, John Muir, Rachel Carson, or Jacques Cousteau, as examples
9. the study, of animals
13. The early bird catches the worm.
14. open to an influence
15. watchfulness
18. for example, the giant tortoise to the Galapagos Islands
Test-Taking Strategies
Of course. studying is essential to do well on a test. but for some people that isn't enough to ease the stress that testing can bring. A few strategies may help you deal with test anxiety. A healthy body leads to a good test-taking experience. so get a good night's rest, and eat a healthy breakfast. lunch. or dinner before the exam. Exercise before the exam. Take a walk or do some stretching to help you relax. When you get to the classroom. take a few deep breaths and visualize yourself in a soothing spot such as hiking in a forest or taking a bath. Also picture yourself as being successful at the test; don't focus on any negatives. Being a bit nervous can help during a test by keeping you alert. but too much stress can ruin even the most prepared student's chances of success. If test anxiety becomes a serious problem for you. contact your college's counseling center for advice.
Mix It Up
Category Race
Get together with a dozen classmates or so and form three to four teams. Each team needs a set of flash cards for the words to be studied and a blank sheet of paper. Each team thinks of a category, writes it on the top of the sheet of paper, and places flash cards that fit in that category underneath the heading. Alternatively, you can writethe words on the paper. After ten minutes, call time. Each group reads its category and words aloud. There may be some disagreement on whether a word fits the category; discuss the word and its meanings to decide these issues. The team that supplies the most words wins. Another way to play is to give each team the same category and seven minutes to record its words. You can also do this activity with each person making his or her own category list. If you do it individually, you can compete with just three or four people.
Possible categories:
1. travel
2. sports
3. health-related
4. history
5. love-life
6. crime-related
7. business-related
8. undesirable qualities
Sample sheet:
