Interactive Vocabulary - Amy E. Olsen 2017

Chapter 6. Odd Places
Part II. The Unusual

Journey Beyond the Ordinary

ODD PLACED TO RS

If you are inquisitive about the unusual, this is the opportune moment to travel. Join us for an Odd Places Tour. Enjoy leafing through this brochure and discovering the innovative programs on our tours. Past participants have declared our tours the best they have ever taken. Don't procrastinate—sign up now!

Winchester Mystery House\San Jose, California

Sarah Winchester had this house built to appease the spirits after inheriting millions of dollars from her husband's interest in the manufacturing of Winchester rifles. Trying to cope with the death of her husband, she went to a psychic who told her that the malevolent spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles wanted revenge; however, they couldn't harm her if she bought a house and maintained continuous construction. Mrs. Winchester's grasp of reality must have been a bit tenuous at this period because she did as the spiritualist recommended. From 1884 to 1922 for twenty-four hours a day workers built and demolished sections of her house. The result is a house that continues to baffle visitors, if not the spirit world. Among the bizarre features you will see are stairways that end at ceilings and doors that open onto walls or into one-inch closets. The house at one time had 750 rooms, but many were torn down as the building plans changed daily to soothe the spirits. Join us for an exclusive tour of the house.

Departures: monthly

Easter lsland\Pacific Ocean

With its fantastic statues, Easter Island will be an adventure for all. We have also been lucky to retain one of the top experts on Easter Islands' history and people. He will help us speculate on the methods the islanders used to move the immense statues, called moai, from the quarry to locations throughout the island. He has even interceded on our behalf to arrange a demonstration of how a dozen islanders could have lifted a statue simply using logs and stones. We will also examine the island's strange wooden tablets, and our guide will provide ideas on what the mysterious writing on the tablets might symbolize. One theory is that the shapes do not represent a language, but are memory aids for events in religious celebrations. During our week long stay, you will have access to bus, bicycle, and hiking tours to explore the locations of the more than 800 moai in the manner that fits your style. The unusual thrives on Easter Island—join the journey.

Departures: April 17 and May 19

Predicting

For each set, write the definition on the line next to the word to which it belongs. If you are unsure, return to the reading on page 42, and underline any context clues you find. After you've made your predictions, check your answers against the Word List on page 47. Place a checkmark in the box next to each word whose definition you missed. These are the words you'll want to study closely.

Set One

to confuse

weak

to soothe

favorable

mean

□ 1. opportune (line 2) ...

□ 2. appease (line 9) ...

□ 3. malevolent (line 13) ...

□ 4. tenuous (line 18) ...

□ 5. baffle (line 23) ...

Set Two

to be able to reach or open

to suppose 

to hold  

to represent

requested something for someone else

□ 6. retain (line 34) ...

□ 7. speculate (line 36) ...

□ 8. interceded (line 39) ...

□ 9. symbolize (line 45) ...

□ 10. access (line 49) ...

Self-Tests

1 Circle the correct meaning of each vocabulary word.

1. baffle:   frustrate  quiet

2. intercede:   to ignore  to request for another

3. appease:   excite   calm

4. access:   get into   stop

5. malevolent:  kind   mean

6. opportune:  convenient  ill-timed

7. speculate:   wonder   know

8. tenuous:   slight   powerful

9. symbolize:  represent  hide

10. retain:   to remember to forget

2 Finish each sentence using the vocabulary words below. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

retain opportune  baffle  tenuous  access

intercede malevolent appease symbolize speculating

1. I have ... to my client files on the computer.

2. Let me ...; I speak Italian. They want directions to the Washington Monument.

3. The number of candles on a birthday cake ... the person's age.

4. The king's control of the country was ... . The people were rebelling, and only the promise of greater freedom could stop them.

5. I was able to ... the hungry child with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of milk.

6. I felt I picked the ... moment to visit my sister; her family was just sitting down to dessert.

7. I was able to ... a dozen words of Swedish even after traveling through four other countries.

8. How the murder was committed continued to ... the police ten years after the crime.

9. Zeke said his intention was not to be ..., but telling my boyfriend that I was at a party with another man and failing to mention that it was my cousin didn't seem nice to me.

10. My friends and I spent the spring ... on possible uses for the new building down­ town. None of us had supposed it would be a fitness center.

3 Replace the underlined synonym with the correct vocabulary word. Use each word once.

Vocabulary list

intercede access  symbolize appease  speculate

retain tenuous  baffles  opportune malevolent

1. An unexplained face on a palm tree in Hawaii confuses visitors and scientists.

2. Some airlines attempt to calm delayed passengers with free food and drinks.

3. Online availability to health information while traveling has been improved.

4. Now is a favorable time to visit Australia; airfares have never been lower.

5. A local tour company is offering a "keep your sanity" tour with an escape to a Greek island for a week.

6. Scientists continue to wonder about the causes of unusual behavior observed among a few penguins this past year in Antarctica.

7. An evil ghostly voice has been terrorizing tourists at a hotel in Vermont.

8. Officials in Kenya intervene on behalf of a tour group stuck in a border dispute.

9. The probability of Quest Tours running its trip to historic sites in Asia is slight as a mysterious virus has broken out in several countries.

10. Tourists in France are amazed by an ancient cave painting believed to represent a rocket ship.

4 For each set, finish the analogies. See Completing Analogies on page 6 for instructions and practice.

Set One

1. doubt : believe ::   a. a writer : composes

2. gate : access ::   b. malevolent: ex-lover

3. baffle : confuse ::   c. pen : write

4. a scientist : speculates :: d. opportune : inappropriate

5. controlling : boss ::  e. hard : difficult

Set Two

6. calm : appease ::   f. standard : standardize

7. laugh : joke ::   g. sleep : rested

8. symbol: symbolize ::  h. strong : tenuous

9. study : retain :.    i. escort : accompany

10. dark : light ::    j. intercede : argument

Identify the two vocabulary words represented in the photographs.

Interactive Exercise

Let's travel: It's time for a mini-vacation. You have three days and $700 to spend. Decide where you would like to go, and prepare the following items.

1. Select a travel companion. What might this person do that would baffle you on the trip? What could you do to appease the person if there is a problem?

2. Imagine a malevolent force (natural or human) that you might encounter on your trip. Who might be able to intercede and help deal with this problem?

3. List two places you want access to on your trip. How do these places symbolize your interests?

4. Speculate on what you will do each day. Make a list of activities you plan to do, keeping in mind the most opportune time for each activity. Circle the activity your interest is most tenuous in.

5. What memories do you think you will retain from this trip?

Context Clue Mini-Lesson 2

This lesson features antonyms—words that mean the opposite of the unknown word—as the clues. In the paragraph below, circle the antonyms you find for the underlined words, and then write a word that is opposite of the antonym as your definition of the word.

Hal's new neighbor gave him a nebulous description of his job. It wasn't clear whether he was in a rock band, managed a band, or studied rocks. Whatever he did, he worked from home with people coming and going all day, and there was usually a raucous gathering by sundown. It was impossible for Hal to have a quiet night with Sid as his neighbor. Hal went to see his neighbor Gloria for solace. He was, however, shocked by the abuse he got when he suggested the neighbors sign a petition to have a ban on loud noises after nine at night. It turned out that Gloria wanted to perpetuate the parties. She often went to them, and she didn't want to see them stop.

Your Definition

1. Nebulous ...

2. Raucous ...

3. Solace ...

4. Perpetuate ...

Words to Watch

Which words would you like to practice with a bit more? Pick 3-5 words to study, and list them below. Write the word and its definition, and compose your own sentence using the word correctly. This extra practice could be the final touch to learning a word.