Ultimate word success - Peterson's 2009

Day 12 Tune into Test-worthy Words About the Arts
Part IV Unlock Key Words

As you’ve learned in this book, arranging words into related groups is an effective way to learn new vocabulary. Giving the words a common frame of reference makes them easier to memorize, recall, and use correctly—especially in a high-stakes pressurized test situation.

The words in this chapter are grouped around the common theme of “the arts” to help them stick in your mind. So hum a happy tune, and get to work learning these words!

Learn Ten Words About the Artistic Culture

A dilettante (dih-luh-tahnt) is someone who only dabbles in a field. As a result, a dilettante has only a superficial knowledge of the area, such as painting, sculpture, or opera. When you finish this chapter, however, you’ll have the words you need to be an expert—on standardized tests, that is!

The following words all describe the general culture of the arts:

It’s Your Turn: Find the Right Definition

Write the definition for each word in boldface. The definitions are found in the boxes. You will have boxed words left over. The answers appear on here.

Give It a Try: Synonyms and Antonyms

Complete the chart below by writing a synonym and antonym for each of the following words. The answers appear on here.

Tune Up the Band to Master Fifteen Words About Music

The Italian phrase prima donna (literally “first woman”) refers to the principal female singer in an opera or concert company. Prima donnas are notorious for their unwillingness to share the stage, and so the term prima donna is often used to describe a temperamental show-off. The term is used whether or not the person is in the arts.

The following fifteen test-worthy words all concern music. Study them carefully because test writers often include them on standardized tests.

Explore Ten More Musical Words

Everyone needs inspiration, especially musicians and other artists. When capitalized, the word Muse refers to a source of inspiration. The term comes from the mythological Greek Muses, the nine children of Zeus (king of the gods) and Mnemosyne (the goddess of memory). Each Muse was said to rule over a certain art or science. For instance, the Muse Terpischore inspired dancers, while the Muse Polymnia inspired sacred songs. When written in lowercase, the word muse means “to ponder, brood, or contemplate.”

Here are ten more important test-worthy words that concern music:

1. bravo (brah-vo) well done, good

2. cantata (can-tah-tah) type of choral music

3. duet (doo-et) musical composition for two voices or instruments

4. finale (fih-nal-ee) the last piece, division, or movement in a musical work

5. maestro (my-stro) a famous conductor

6. mandolin (man-doh-lin) stringed instrument with a pear-shaped body

7. quartet (quar-tet) group of four musicians

8. solo (so-low) a song or other musical composition for one person

9. soprano (so-prah-no) the highest singing voice

10. tarantella (tar-en-tell-uh) a rapid, whirling Italian dance

Discover Five More Musical Terms

Everyone knows the word “fan,” an enthusiastic supporter of a performance or person. It’s a clipped word—a word formed by shortening another word. Fan comes from fanatic, which originally meant “a person inspired by a divinity.” At first, the word meant “a man mad with wild notions of religion.” Winston Churchill defined a fan as someone “who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.” From Churchill’s definition comes our present-day meaning: “an unreasonably zealous person.”

Study the following five musical terms below. You’ll likely see them on a standardized test.

Seventh-Inning Stretch: Multiple-Choice #1

Select the word that best completes each sentence. Then, write the letter of the word in the space.

The answers appear on here.

1. The audience shouted __________ to show their appreciation of the soprano’s magnificent performance.

(A) “Bravo!”

(B) “Anthem!”

(C) “Chorale!”

(D) “Coda!”

(E) “Libretto!”

2. Harry Chapin’s __________ “The Cat’s in the Cradle” tells a sad story about a blighted father-son relationship.

(A) chorale

(B) coda

(C) libretto

(D) ballad

(E) reprise

3. Latecomers were seated during the opera’s __________, because the action had not yet begun.

(A) coda

(B) conclusion

(C) overture

(D) nocturne

(E) finale

4. During medieval days, the __________ was a traveling troubadour who made a living wandering from town to town, singing and playing musical selections.

(A) anthem

(B) minstrel

(C) chorale

(D) libretto

(E) coda

5. Frustrated at his lack of progress with the song, the __________ threw the paper across the room.

(A) coda

(B) librettist

(C) chorale

(D) libretto

(E) reprise

6. The two singers performed a lovely __________ together.

(A) solo

(B) trio

(C) mandolin

(D) quartet

(E) duet

7. Verdi wrote a famous __________, a somber funeral mass.

(A) anthem

(B) requiem

(C) chorale

(D) coda

(E) reprise

8. The __________ was so fast that the dancers were getting dizzy from all the twirling and whirling!

(A) chorale

(B) quartet

(C) coda

(D) reprise

(E) tarantella

9. The audience hoped the __________ would come soon because it was late and they wanted to get home.

(A) anthem

(B) finale

(C) chorale

(D) reprise

(E) mandolin

10. The concerto was too __________ and elaborate for the audience’s taste, for they were expecting a much more simple piece.

(A) benevolent

(B) aria

(C) baroque

(D) anthem

(E) bipartisan

Give It a Try: Word Scramble

To complete the following acrostic, first unscramble each of the vocabulary words so that it matches its definition. Then, use the words to fill in the appropriate spaces on the corresponding lines. When you have completed the entire puzzle, another vocabulary word will read vertically in the circles. The answers appear on here.

Enjoy Ten Words About the Theater

A performer’s repertory (reh-per-tor-ee) is his or her collection of roles. It’s also a theatrical company. The following ten words that entered English from French describe entertainment. As you read each word for the first time, cover the definition and try to guess the word’s meaning.

1. burlesque (bur-lesk) a ludicrous parody

2. cabaret (ka-buh-ray) a dinner show

3. debut (day-byoo) an actor’s first performance

4. histrionics (his-tree-ah-niks) overly dramatic acting

5. impresario (im-preh-sahr-ee-oh) a person who organizes or manages public entertainment

6. marquee (mar-kee) a sign on the front of a theater advertising a play

7. pantomime (pan-tuh-mym) acting without dialogue; often abbreviated “mime”

8. pirouette (peer-oo-et) to whirl on one foot

9. proscenium (pro-see-nee-um) the front part of a stage

10. vaudeville (vawd-vil) a variety show consisting of light, amusing acts

Time for Fun: Word-Find Puzzle

There are sixteen words hidden in this word-find puzzle. Many of the words have already been introduced in this chapter, but a few are new. To complete the puzzle, locate and circle all the words. (See the word list.) The words may be written forward, backward, or upside down. The answers appear on here. Good luck!

Word List

1. burlesque: a ludicrous parody

2. reprise: the repetition of a musical phrase

3. librettist: a writer of a song lyric for a musical

4. marquee: a theater sign

5. pantomime: acting with gestures rather than words

6. pirouette: whirling on one foot

7. vaudeville: a variety show consisting of light, amusing acts

8. impresario: a person who organizes or manages public entertainment

9. histrionics: overly dramatic acting

10. debut: an actor’s first performance

11. anthem: a short, serious song

12. aria: a song in an opera

13. coda: a passage added to the final section of a musical piece

14. baroque: ornate, elaborate

15. canon: a musical round (repeated verse)

16. aesthetic: the appreciation of beauty

Paint Words About Art

By 1759, the Seven Years’ War and Louis XV’s costly mistress, Madame de Pompadour, had left France on the brink of bankruptcy. Hoping for a miracle, Madame de Pompadour convinced Louis XV to replace the finance minister with a friend of hers, Étienne de Silhouette. The new appointee immediately instituted a series of stringent reforms. The nobility poked fun at many of the petty regulations, especially the rules calling for coats without folds and snuffboxes made of wood (instead of ivory and gold). At the same time, there had also been a revival of the ancient art of tracing the outlines of shadows. Since these shadow profiles replaced many costly paintings, they sneeringly came to be called à la Silhouette. Étienne de Silhouette lost his job within the year, but his name has become permanently attached to this art form.

Below are additional test-worthy words about art. Study them by using the method or methods that best work for you.

Seventh-Inning Stretch: Multiple-Choice #2

Select the correct meaning for each of the following boldfaced words. Circle your choice. The answers appear on here.

1. gilded

(A) covered with money

(B) covered with a green finish

(C) worthless

(D) covered with a gold finish

(E) antique

2. caricature

(A) protective coating over paint

(B) a decorative design of looped, curved lines

(C) cartoon in which the character is ridiculed or parodied through exaggeration

(D) shading to give a three-dimensional appearance

(E) a skeleton of a sculpture

3. arabesque

(A) varnish

(B) fresco

(C) elaborate dance

(D) protective coating over paint

(E) fanciful interlaced patterns

4. emboss

(A) to circumscribe

(B) to shade to give a three-dimensional appearance

(C) to etch

(D) to engrave a design with acid

(E) to create raised figures or designs on a surface

5. chiaroscuro

(A) shading to give a three-dimensional appearance

(B) damaged art work

(C) a decorative design of looped, curved lines

(D) fresco

(E) Spanish folk dance

6. curator

(A) person in charge of the artwork in a museum

(B) docent

(C) museum tour guide

(D) artist’s paints

(E) protective coating over paint

7. mosaic

(A) combination of several pictures

(B) tiled art work

(C) varnish

(D) montage

(E) artist’s paints

8. fresco

(A) miniature

(B) mural painting on plaster

(C) artist’s paints

(D) patina

(E) relief

9. medium

(A) bas-relief

(B) not rare

(C) material used to create a picture or sculpture

(D) armature

(E) patina

10. burnish

(A) varnish

(B) to discard through burning

(C) to praise

(D) to frame

(E) to rub or polish to a high gloss

Build Up Words About Architecture

In the Middle Ages, the short upright columns that supported handrails were made in circles, swelling to a pear-shape on the bottom. The handrails looked like the flowers of the wild pomegranate, called balaustra in Italian. Because of the flower-like appearance of the handrails, they came to be called balaustras. The French took the name and spelled it balustra, which became baluster in English. Careless speech soon turned the word into the familiar term banister.

Below are some challenging words about architecture. They tend to appear on standardized tests. Use some of the mnemonic skills (memory tricks) that you learned on Day 3 to remember them. Write the words on word cards to study in your spare moments.

Don’t confuse pizza and piazza. To set the record straight, pizza is the delicious bread, sauce, and cheese pie; piazza is a plaza.

Seventh-Inning Stretch: Word-Definition Match

Match each word with its definition. Then, write the letter of your choice in the space provided. The answers appear on here.

Answers and Explanations

Find the Right Definition (here)

1. a category of artistic achievement

2. true-to-life artistic representation

3. a very skilled artist

4. an assortment

5. travesty; satire

6. made up of a variety of sources and styles

7. large painting applied directly to a wall

8. modern; current; up-to-date

9. selected portion of a passage

10. the appreciation of beauty

Synonyms and Antonyms (here)

(Possible answers)

Multiple-Choice #1 (here)

1. A

2. D

3. C

4. B

5. B

6. E

7. B

8. E

9. B

10. C

Word Scramble (here)

baroque

anthem

librettist

libretto

aria

duet

Reading down: ballad

Word-Find Puzzle (here)

Multiple-Choice #2 (here)

1. D

2. C

3. E

4. E

5. A

6. A

7. B

8. B

9. C

10. E

Word-Definition Match (here)

1. c

2. h

3. g

4. i

5. d

6. b

7. f

8. j

9. a

10. e