Day 17 Practice Makes Perfect - Part VI Go for the Gold! Puzzles and Games to Win with Words

Ultimate word success - Peterson's 2009

Day 17 Practice Makes Perfect
Part VI Go for the Gold! Puzzles and Games to Win with Words

It’s obvious that you can’t use a new word in your speech and writing until you learn it. Learning new words doesn’t have to be arduous. (Notice the test-worthy synonym for difficult!) In fact, learning new words can be a lot of fun. Have some fun now with these vocabulary puzzles. Most of the words in these puzzles have already been introduced in this book, but some are new, so you can learn even more words.

In 1812, the governor of Massachusetts, Elbridge Gerry, conspired with his political party to change the boundaries of the voting districts to enhance his own political power. When a newspaper editor noticed that one such rigged district looked like a salamander, he coined the term gerrymander to describe the practice of dividing a state, or any other geographic district, into election districts to give one political party a majority.

Puzzle #1

Complete the following crossword puzzle with twenty test-worthy words you have already learned. The clues are on the next page. If you’re feeling smug, do the puzzle in ink rather than pencil. The answers appear on here.

ACROSS

3. A word or phrase describing a person; a derogatory word or phrase used to show contempt

6. Inclination

7. Noisy fight

9. Fiery, passionate

12. Following or occurring after death

16. Made worse

17. Businessperson

18. Corner

19. Large, roomy

20. Light brown

DOWN

1. Profusion of words

2. Hairpiece

4. Voice box

5. Tomb

8. Carefree

10. Soiled; made filthy

11. A waterfall

13. Swamp

14. Payment

15. Leadership

Puzzle #2

In the space provided, write T if the definition is true and F if it is false. The answers appear on here.

1. debacle

a disastrous failure, disruption

2. conciliatory

friendly, agreeable

3. denude

to strip bare

4. solvent

able to pay one’s debts

5. misnomer

a wrong name or designation

6. fastidious

exact; meticulous

7. zenith

the highest point, culminating point

8. bountiful

plentiful

9. vocation

occupation or profession

10. pragmatic

practical

11. promulgated

publish or disseminate widely

12. abstemious

moderate, sober

13. hierarchy

a group organized by rank

14. embellish

to decorate or make beautiful

15. allegation

assertion, claim

Puzzle #3

There are twenty words hidden in this word-find puzzle. Every word begins with “S.” To complete the puzzle, locate and circle all the words. (See the word list on the next page.) The words may be written forward, backward, diagonally, or upside down. The answers appear on here. Good luck!

s

o

l

i

l

o

q

u

y

k

q

j

k

m

t

v

m

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The Twenty Hidden Words for Puzzle #3

1. secede

2. sect

3. soliloquy

4. solo

5. soluble

6. somnolent

7. sophomoric

8. soprano

9. sovereign

10. spurious

11. stupefy

12. subliminal

13. subsidy

14. supersede

15. surplus

16. swindle

17. symbiosis

18. symmetrical

19. synopsis

20. syntax

Puzzle #4

Complete this chart by finding the prefix in each word, defining the prefix, and then using that clue to define each word. The answers appear on here.

Word

Prefix

Prefix Meaning

Word Meaning

amoral


catalyst


circumference


cohabit


discredit


disinter


extraterrestrial


intractable


malcontent


misnomer


multifaceted


multiform


philharmonic


polyglot


reacquaint


Puzzle #5

To complete this puzzle, match each word to its definition. Then, write your answers in the space provided. The answers appear on here.

1. nomenclature

a. to talk together; prattle

2. font

b. bubbling; lively

3. meticulous

c. statement

4. ignominious

d. system of naming

5. prolix

e. a long, usually abusive, argument

6. extradited

f. precise

7. vacillation

g. to give up a fugitive from one state or nation to another

8. diatribe

h. needlessly prolonged or drawn out

9. herbivore

i. clever, pithy saying; aphorism

10. assertion

j. indecision

11. effervescent

k. typeface

12. cogent

l. disgracing one’s name

13. epithet

m. convincing; compelling

14. confabulate

n. plant eater

15. epigram

o. nasty word or phrase used to show contempt

Puzzle #6

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 test-worthy word will read vertically in the circles. The answers appear on here.

lmbativaen

uncertain

treplee

filled to capacity

vbneneolet

generous

annei

silly or nonsensical; vacuous

enstuou

weak

tnaaleocmri

to make new again

mplea

a large amount

ibarld

obscene; indecent; mocking

eny

desire; urge

Puzzle #7

Match each occupation in the left column with the definition in the right column. Write the matching letter on the line next to each entry in the left column. The answers appear on here.

1. actuary

a. missionary

2. apostle

b. teller, cashier

3. bard

c. storyteller

4. barrister

d. clerk

5. concierge

e. troubadour

6. conservator

f. handyman

7. courtesan

g. statistician

8. curator

h. hotel employee

9. despot

i. wine dealer

10. factotum

j. farmer

11. impresario

k. mistress

12. incumbent

l. sponsor

13. osteopath

m. lawyer

14. purser

n. chiropractor

15. raconteur

o. fiduciary

16. scrivener

p. candidate

17. vintner

q. docent

18. yeoman

r. potentate

Puzzle #8

Complete the following crossword puzzle with ten test-worthy words that begin with “B.” Every one of these words has appeared in the book, so you’re getting a great review! The answers appear on here.

ACROSS

1. Self-service meal

3. A ludicrous parody

4. Feast

5. Floating marker

7. Cooperation between political parties

8. Infinite

DOWN

1. Abrupt, impatient

2. Blessing

6. Prejudiced

7. Well done

Puzzle #9

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

1. permeated

a. silly or nonsensical

2. omnipotent

b. humble

3. novice

c. absorbed

4. naïve

d. to soothe

5. mollify

e. wildly excited

6. modest

f. average

7. mediocrity

g. beginner

8. maverick

h. all powerful

9. inane

i. lacking sophistication

10. frenetic

j. nonconformist

Puzzle #10

Select the correct meaning for each of the following boldfaced words. Circle your choice.

The answers appear on here.

1. delude

(A) deceive

(B) exhort

(C) ingratiate

(D) gambol

(E) reproach

2. colloquial

(A) bourgeois

(B) cryptic

(C) gauche

(D) informal

(E) genteel

3. malign

(A) to speak badly of another with the intent to harm

(B) to redress

(C) to soothe

(D) to talk together

(E) to strip bare

4. dementia

(A) a faux pas

(B) a predilection

(C) a loss of mental abilities or powers

(D) a raconteur

(E) a bon mot

5. denouement

(A) factotum

(B) privation

(C) conclusion

(D) touchstone

(E) contagion

6. malcontent

(A) a consequential event

(B) a potable drink

(C) a refractory individual

(D) an untoward event

(E) a dissatisfied person

7. amoral

(A) copious

(B) unscrupulous

(C) restive

(D) wizened

(E) impassive

8. perdition

(A) largess

(B) guile

(C) nexus

(D) polemic

(E) ruin

9. premonition

(A) a forewarning

(B) a remnant

(C) an actuary

(D) an entrepreneur

(E) a pundit

10. dialectic

(A) compendium

(B) insectivore

(C) argument through critical discussion

(D) fraud

(E) jurisprudence

Answers and Explanations

Puzzle #1 (here)

Puzzle #2 (here)

Every answer is true.

Puzzle #3 (here)

Puzzle #4 (here)

Word

Prefix

Prefix Meaning

Word Meaning

amoral

a

not

not moral

catalyst

cata

down, against, or wholly

reactant

circumference

circa

around

the outer boundary of something

cohabit

co

with

live together

discredit

dis

not

to cause to be doubted

disinter

dis

not

to unearth

extraterrestrial

extra

more than

alien (not of this place)

intractable

in

not

hard to handle; unmanageable

malcontent

mal

evil

a dissatisfied person

misnomer

mis

not

wrong name

multifaceted

multi

many

having many sides or aspects

multiform

multi

many

having many different forms

philharmonic

phil

love of

fond of music

polyglot

poly

many

speaking many languages

reacquaint

re

again

meet again

Puzzle #5 (here)

1. d

2. k

3. f

4. l

5. h

6. g

7. j

8. e

9. n

10. c

11. b

12. m

13. o

14. a

15. i

Puzzle #6 (here)

ambivalent

replete

benevolent

inane

tenuous

reclamation

ample

ribald

yen

Reading down: arbitrary

Puzzle #7 (here)

1. g

2. a

3. e

4. m

5. h

6. o

7. k

8. q

9. r

10. f

11. l

12. p

13. n

14. b

15. c

16. d

17. i

18. j

Puzzle #8 (here)

Puzzle #9 (here)

1. c

2. h

3. g

4. i

5. d

6. b

7. f

8. j

9. a

10. e

Puzzle #10 (here)

1. A

2. D

3. A

4. C

5. C

6. E

7. B

8. E

9. A

10. C