Interactive Vocabulary - Amy E. Olsen 2017
Chapter 10. Review
Part II. The Unusual
Focus on Chapters 6-9
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
For Set One, match each term with its synonym. For Set Two, match each term with its antonym.
Synonyms
Set One
1. symbolize a. motivating
2.opportune b. sharp
3. elusive c. favorable
4. incentive d. represent
5. keen e. mysterious
Antonyms
Set Two
6. evident f. kind
7. tenuous g. unclear
8. impartial h. depart
9. malevolent i. strong
10. converge j. prejudiced
2 Pick the word that best completes each sentence.
1. It was ... that my nephew was visiting; I saw a pile of toys as soon as I opened the door.
a. implausible b. incentive c. diligent d. evident
2. Unfortunately, my ... of the problems in the accounting department came too late, and I lost my best worker to another company.
a. maneuver b. awareness c. contention d. fray
3. I want to ... membership in my gym, so I will continue to pay the dues although I will be gone for six months.
a. access b. envision c. retain d. verify
4. Ted's upcoming ten-year high school reunion was the ... he needed to lose weight.
a. incentive b. awareness c. quandary d. access
5. For some Americans, owning a house ... the American Dream.
a. converges b. symbolizes c. retains d. baffles
6. I was in ... for first place in the spelling bee until I was given the word rendezvous, and I forgot the "s" at the end.
a. access b. quandary c. surmise d. contention
7. The ... woman easily jumped over the mud puddle without getting wet.
a. nimble b. evident c. opportune d. impartial
8. I didn't want to enter the ... at work, but one day I was pulled into the battle
about overtime when I made what I thought was an innocent observation.
a. maneuver b. surmise c. fray d. incentive
3 Complete the following sentences using the vocabulary words. Use each word once.
intercede envision verify converge surmise
1. I called my mother to ... my time of birth. My friends and I were comparing times, and I wasn't sure if I remembered mine correctly.
2. The manager decided to ... when the group's discussion moved from talking to yelling.
3. I ... a summer filled with great books to read, long hikes to take, and extended visits to see distant friends, but I don't know if it will really turn out that way.
4. I ... that Maxine is late because she usually takes Broad Street, and I heard on the radio that a stalled car has backed up traffic in that area.
5. The crowd will ... on the concert site starting Friday afternoon, so we need to have everything set up by early Friday.
4 Complete the following sentences by adding the word with the appropriate word ending. Decide if the sentence needs an adverb (-ly ending) to describe a verb, or for the verbs, decide if the action happened in the past or is ongoing (-ed or -ing). Use each word once.
accessing
nimbly
laboriously
appeased
thwarted
maneuvering
1. The man ... the robbery by tripping the thief as he was headed out the door.
2. Becky ... dodged the boss's question on whether she had finished her report by asking him how his golf game went.
3. Lucinda ... her daughter's hunger by giving her a cheese sandwich and a bowl of grapes.
4. I have been ... through crowds at the mall all day. I need to sit down and take a break.
5. I spent the day ... looking through financial papers for a tax document I had misplaced.
6. I won't be ... my e-mail for two weeks while I go on vacation. I am going to be hiking in the woods without my computer or phone.
5 Fill in the missing meaning for the underlined word part.
to say
not
between
hold
look
see
capable of
1. Geraldo was tenacious. He kept ... of his goal to graduate even when he faced challenging classes like chemistry and anatomy.
2. I ... our vacation as a restful week to lounge on the beach, but my husband envisions us keeping busy with scuba diving, volleyball games, and horseback riding.
3. I decided to intercede on behalf of the students. Someone needed to come ... them and the administration to explain why they were shouting in the halls.
4. I won't speculate on what is in the box from your uncle. On your birthday tomorrow you can ... inside to see what unusual present he has found for you this year.
5. I got contradictory stories from my employees on why the project was behind schedule. They each had something different ... about what was causing the delay.
6. It seemed implausible that Amanda was late because of a tank slowly moving down the street in front of the restaurant, but she does ... seem ... telling a lie, so it must have happened.
6 Finish the story using the vocabulary words below. Use each word once.
Vocabulary list
access tenuous elusive contention quandary
baffled awareness contradictory keen speculate
On the Edge
There is a lovely spot in my hometown, but I always had a(n) (1)... that there was something mysterious about the place. I was (2)... as to what made me feel that way. I would often (3)... on whether it was the history of the lake, the color of the water, or just the way the wind blew in the trees that gave the area its slightly spooky feel. I asked around town and got (4)... stories about mysterious incidents near the lake. Most people said nothing special ever happened in the area, a few told tales of secret meetings between lovers, and I heard three stories of ghostly sightings. The story, however, that really attracted my attention was Fred's (5)... that he had seen a purple creature arise from the lake on the fifteenth of August for five out of the last eight years. I was (6)... to see if it would appear this year. I decided to meet Fred as he closed up his shop and headed home on the fifteenth.
When I told people my intention, a few shared a tale about a creature that allowed 7... to its treasure, buried deep in the lake, to those who saw it three times in a row. I didn't necessarily believe them, but I was even more excited to see what would happen. On the fifteenth, Fred and I walked along the lake and came to the spot where he had seen the creature. We stood there, quietly looking down at the water, for twenty minutes—nothing happened. Then Fred shrugged and said the creature could certainly be (8)... . He didn't seem at all upset. I was in a(n) (9)... as to whether Fred had actually ever seen a creature. Did Fred have a (10)... hold on reality or did I for wanting to believe his story? Fred
smiled at me and walked on. Then he turned back and shouted, "Come on, my wife has a special dinner waiting for us!" I shrugged too: Maybe next year.
Interactive Exercise
Answer the fo((owing questions to further test your understanding of the vocabulary words.
1. What do you most like to eat to appease a hungry stomach?
2. What would be an implausible reason for missing a class?
3. What is a task you completed that you considered laborious?
4. Which malevolent force of nature (such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and hurricanes) do you consider most dangerous? Why?
5. What are three activities you can do to thwart boredom?
6. In what type of situation would it be best to be impartial?
7. What do you consider the opportune time to study? Why?
8. When was a time that you were tenacious?
9. What are two obstacles you have had to maneuver to attend college?
10. How could you prevent angry friends from getting into a fray?
Art Gallery
Within the rectangles draw a picture for six of the words below. Your artwork can be simple and even
use stick figures. Your goal is to remember the words by envisioning your own version of them. Your instructor may ask you to redo one of your drawings on a larger sheet of paper. The larger drawings can be shared with the whole class to see if people can guess what words they represent. Suggestion: Before you write the words on the lines below, switch pages with a classmate to see if he or she can identify the word each drawing shows. Alternate method: Use your own photos, magazines, or the Internet to find photographs that illustrate six of the words. Print, photocopy, or cut out the photos (if you own the magazines), and bring them to class. Or you can mix and match the two methods.
Vocabulary list
access awareness baffle converge elusive
envision fray incentive malevolent nimble
quandary retain surmise symbolize verify
Crossword Puzzle
Across
1. in a disagreement, for example
4. Witness 1: The thief was tall. Witness 2: The thief was short.
6. requiring hard work
9. Judges and umpires should be this.
11. to keep
12. I can't wait to go!
15. hold on reality, position in a company, as examples
16. well-timed
18. I will need to confirm that.
19. raining penguins
20. to guess or suspect
Down
2. to prevent
3. a dog that won't let go of a bone
5. an argument or opinion
7. the opposite of irritate
8. to confuse
10. a skillful move
13. join friends at the ball game or stay home to write a paper due on Monday
14. I wonder about that.
17. easily seen
Use the following words to complete the crossword puzzle. Use each word once.
VOCABULARY LIST
appease baffle
contention contradictory
evident impartial
implausible intercede
keen laborious
maneuver opportune
quandary retain
speculate surmise
tenacious tenuous
thwart verify
Make Your Own Tests
A great way to study is to make your own tests in the same style of the tests that you will have in class. Making the tests puts you in the instructor's frame of mind and makes you think about what is important to study.
✵ Before the first test (or quiz), ask your instructor what format(s) the test will be in-true/false, multiple choice, matching, essay.
✵ Create a test in the same format(s) with questions that you think will be asked, neatly handwritten or typed.
✵ Set the test aside for a day.
✵ The next day, take the test and correct yourself. How much did you remember?
✵ Make a test for a friend and exchange with each other. Did you come up with similar questions?
✵ If you examine the first in-class test, you will have a better idea of what the instructor is looking for, and then your homemade tests will be even more useful.
Mix It Up
Drama
Get together with a few classmates to play charades. Use the words below or any of the vocabulary words you want to study. You can write the words on slips of paper and pick them out of a bowl or use your flash cards. One person picks a word, and the other people try to guess what word the person is acting out. You cannot talk or use sounds as you act out the word.
