ADVANCING VOCABULARY SKILLS Fourth Edition Sherrie L Nist

Unit Four: Chapter 16 • disparity • obsequious • forestall • omnipotent • insidious • opportune • insinuate • permeate • interrogate • retribution

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 1 disparity – noun • There’s an enormous disparity between the multi-million-dollar incomes of top executives and the modest paychecks most people earn. • Shirley and Jason don’t let the disparity in their ages weaken their marriage, but Jason’s mother isn’t happy with a daughter-inlaw her own age. Disparity means There is a disparity between the height of the man in the red coat and that of the girl in the blue shirt. A. a combination. B. a gap. C. a closeness.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 1 disparity – noun • There’s an enormous disparity between the multi-million-dollar incomes of top executives and the modest paychecks most people earn. • Shirley and Jason don’t let the disparity in their ages weaken their marriage, but Jason’s mother isn’t happy with a daughter-inlaw her own age. Disparity means A. a combination. B. a gap. C. a closeness. There is a disparity between the height of the man in the red There is a large gap between multicoat and that million-dollar incomes and modest of the girl in paychecks. If Shirley is the same age the blue shirt. as Jason’s mother, there must be a gap between her age and Jason’s age.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 2 forestall – verb • The owners of the failing store hoped that the huge sale would bring in enough cash to forestall bankruptcy. • When the environmentalists were unable to forestall the destruction of the forest by legal means, they lay down in front of the developer’s bulldozers. Forestall means A. to keep from happening. B. to predict. C. to pay for.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 2 forestall – verb • The owners of the failing store hoped that the huge sale would bring in enough cash to forestall bankruptcy. • When the environmentalists were unable to forestall the destruction of the forest by legal means, they lay down in front of the developer’s bulldozers. Forestall means A. to keep from happening. B. to predict. C. to pay for. The owners would hope to bring in enough cash to keep bankruptcy from happening. If the environmentalists lay down in front of the bulldozers, they must have been trying to keep the destruction from happening.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 3 insidious – adjective • Lyme disease is insidious because although it is very serious, it starts with a nearly invisible tick bite, and its early symptoms are mild. • Many people fear that farm chemicals have insidious effects. The chemicals don’t seem harmful, but cancer rates have started to increase. Insidious means A. badly timed. B. subtly harmful. C. all-powerful.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 3 insidious – adjective • Lyme disease is insidious because although it is very serious, it starts with a nearly invisible tick bite, and its early symptoms are mild. • Many people fear that farm chemicals have insidious effects. The chemicals don’t seem harmful, but cancer rates have started to increase. Insidious means A. badly timed. B. subtly harmful. C. all-powerful. Since the cause of Lyme disease is nearly invisible and the early symptoms mild, the disease is subtly harmful. If the farm chemicals don’t seem harmful but eventually cause cancer, the chemicals are subtly harmful.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 4 insinuate – verb • He didn’t come right out and say it, but Mr. Shriber insinuated that someone in the class had gotten hold of the test ahead of time. • “You always find time to help Sandy with her homework, ” my sister said to me, as if to insinuate that I was flirting with Sandy. Insinuate means A. to hint. B. to wish. C. to state directly.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 4 insinuate – verb • He didn’t come right out and say it, but Mr. Shriber insinuated that someone in the class had gotten hold of the test ahead of time. • “You always find time to help Sandy with her homework, ” my sister said to me, as if to insinuate that I was flirting with Sandy. Insinuate means A. to hint. B. to wish. C. to state directly. If Mr. Shriber didn’t actually say it, he must have only hinted someone had gotten hold of the test. In the second item, the sister’s doesn’t say the speaker is flirting—she only hints at it.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 5 interrogate – verb • Before the police interrogated the suspect, they informed him of his right not to answer their questions. • “You never just ask me if I had a nice time with my date, ” Tyrell complained to his parents. “Instead, you sit me down at the kitchen table and interrogate me. ” Interrogate means A. to ask questions. B. to delay. C. to abuse.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 5 interrogate – verb • Before the police interrogated the suspect, they informed him of his right not to answer their questions. • “You never just ask me if I had a nice time with my date, ” Tyrell complained to his parents. “Instead, you sit me down at the kitchen table and interrogate me. ” Interrogate means A. to ask questions. B. to delay. C. to abuse. In the first item, the word questions indicates that interrogate means “to ask questions. ” In the second item, in contrast with just asking Tyrell if he had a nice time, he says they ask him many questions.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 6 obsequious – adjective • Each of the queen’s advisers tried to be more obsequious than the others, bowing as low as possible and uttering flowery compliments. • Marge constantly flatters the boss, calls him “sir, ” and agrees loudly with everything he says. However, her obsequious behavior only annoys him. Obsequious means A. unequal in rank. B. overly eager to please. C. methodical. “Being obsequious will get you nowhere with me, Wilson!”

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 6 obsequious – adjective • Each of the queen’s advisers tried to be more obsequious than the others, bowing as low as possible and uttering flowery compliments. • Marge constantly flatters the boss, calls him “sir, ” and agrees loudly with everything he says. However, her obsequious behavior only annoys him. Obsequious means A. unequal in rank. B. overly eager to please. C. methodical. “Being obsequious will get you nowhere with me, Wilson!” If the queen’s advisors bow as low as possible and utter flowery compliments, they seem overly eager to please. The description of Marge’s actions suggests that she is overly eager to please the boss.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 7 omnipotent – adjective • The American government is designed so that no one branch can be omnipotent. Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court share power and hold each other in check. • Small children think of their parents as omnipotent—able to do anything, control everything, and grant whatever a child might wish for. Omnipotent means A. totally good. B. willing to serve. C. all-powerful.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 7 omnipotent – adjective • The American government is designed so that no one branch can be omnipotent. Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court share power and hold each other in check. • Small children think of their parents as omnipotent—able to do anything, control everything, and grant whatever a child might wish for. Omnipotent means A. totally good. B. willing to serve. C. all-powerful. If the three branches of the government share power, no one branch is all-powerful. People who can do anything, control everything, and grant all wishes are all-powerful.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 8 opportune – adjective • Althea thought that her parents’ anniversary would be an opportune time to announce her own engagement. They could have a double celebration. • The job offer came at an especially opportune time. I had just decided that I might like to work for a year or so before returning to school. Opportune means A. appropriate. B. difficult. C. early.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 8 opportune – adjective • Althea thought that her parents’ anniversary would be an opportune time to announce her own engagement. They could have a double celebration. • The job offer came at an especially opportune time. I had just decided that I might like to work for a year or so before returning to school. Opportune means A. appropriate. B. difficult. C. early. Althea’s parents’ anniversary would be an appropriate time for her to announce her own impending marriage. If the speaker has just decided that he or she wants to work, the job offer came at an appropriate time.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 9 permeate – verb • The strong scent of Kate’s perfume soon permeated the entire room. • The weather was so rainy and damp that moisture seemed to permeate everything: curtains hung limply, towels wouldn’t dry, and windows were fogged over. Permeate means A. to harm. B. to penetrate. C. to make unclear.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 9 permeate – verb • The strong scent of Kate’s perfume soon permeated the entire room. • The weather was so rainy and damp that moisture seemed to permeate everything: curtains hung limply, towels wouldn’t dry, and windows were fogged over. Permeate means A. to harm. B. to penetrate. C. to make unclear. If the scent of the perfume was strong, it would penetrate the whole room. In the second item, if the curtains hung limp, the towels wouldn’t dry, and the windows were fogged over, the moisture seems to have penetrated everything.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 10 retribution – noun • Some “sins” in life have their own built-in retribution. For example, if you get drunk, you’ll have a hangover; if you overeat, you’ll gain weight. • For much of human history, before science could explain diseases, many people believed that any illness was a retribution for immoral behavior. Retribution means A. an inequality. B. an obstacle. C. a penalty.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. 10 retribution – noun • Some “sins” in life have their own built-in retribution. For example, if you get drunk, you’ll have a hangover; if you overeat, you’ll gain weight. • For much of human history, before science could explain diseases, many people believed that any illness was a retribution for immoral behavior. Retribution means A. an inequality. B. an obstacle. C. a penalty. A hangover is a built-in penalty for getting drunk and gaining weight a built-in penalty for overeating. Many people used to believe that illness was a penalty for immoral behavior.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. disparity B. forestall C. insidious F. obsequious G. omnipotent H. opportune D. insinuate E. interrogate I. permeate J. retribution 1. When our dog was sprayed by a skunk, the smell soon _______(e)d the house. 2. To _____ complaints about unrepaired potholes, the township set up a “pothole hotline” and promised to fill in any reported hole within two days.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. disparity B. forestall C. insidious F. obsequious G. omnipotent H. opportune D. insinuate E. interrogate I. permeate J. retribution 1. When our dog was sprayed by a skunk, the smell soon _____ the house. permeate The smell of the skunk would spread throughout the house. 2. To _____ complaints about unrepaired potholes, forestall the township set up a “pothole hotline” and promised to fill in any reported hole within two days. By quickly filling potholes the township is trying to prevent complaints.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. disparity B. forestall C. insidious F. obsequious G. omnipotent H. opportune D. insinuate E. interrogate I. permeate J. retribution 3. Because no one else’s hand was raised, I considered it a(n) _______ moment to ask a question. 4. In many countries, political prisoners who are being _______(e)d by the secret police are likely to be tortured in an attempt to force answers from them. 5. When the Earl of Essex plotted against his queen, Elizabeth I of England, _____ was swift and harsh: she had him beheaded for treason.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. disparity B. forestall C. insidious F. obsequious G. omnipotent H. opportune D. insinuate E. interrogate I. permeate J. retribution 3. Because no one else’s hand was raised, I considered it an _____ moment to ask a question. opportune If no one else had a question, it was a suitable moment to ask one. 4. In many countries, political prisoners who are being _____ by the secret police are likely to be tortured in interrogated an attempt to force answers from them. If the police want answers, they must be questioning the prisoners. 5. When the Earl of Essex plotted against his queen, Elizabeth I of England, _____ was swift and harsh: she had him retribution beheaded for treason. Being beheaded was the punishment the queen gave Essex for his treason.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. disparity B. forestall C. insidious F. obsequious G. omnipotent H. opportune D. insinuate E. interrogate I. permeate J. retribution 6. “There seems to be quite a _____, ” Shannon objected to the car dealer “between your cost and the sticker price. ” 7. The effects of certain prescription drugs, such as Valium, can be _____. People who take them may slip into addiction without being aware of it.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. disparity B. forestall C. insidious F. obsequious G. omnipotent H. opportune D. insinuate E. interrogate I. permeate J. retribution 6. “There seems to be quite a _____, ” Shannon objected disparity to the car dealer “between your cost and the sticker price. ” There is a difference between the dealer’s cost and the sticker price. 7. The effects of certain prescription drugs, such as Valium, can be _____. People who take them may slip into insidious addiction without being aware of it. A drug that addicts people without their being aware of it is subtly harmful.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. disparity B. forestall C. insidious F. obsequious G. omnipotent H. opportune D. insinuate E. interrogate I. permeate J. retribution 8. According to legend, King Canute—an ancient ruler of England, Denmark, and Norway—thought he was _____. He actually ordered the tide to stop rising. 9. Instead of directly saying “Buy our product, ” many ads use slick images to _____ that the product will give the buyer sex appeal, power, or prestige. 10. The headwaiter’s manner toward customers who looked rich was _____. Ignoring the rest of us, he gave them the restaurant’s best tables and hovered over them, all smiles.

SENTENCE CHECK 1 Complete each item with the correct word from the box. A. disparity B. forestall C. insidious F. obsequious G. omnipotent H. opportune D. insinuate E. interrogate I. permeate J. retribution 8. According to legend, King Canute—an ancient ruler of England, Denmark, and Norway—thought he was _____. He omnipotent actually ordered the tide to stop rising. Ordering the tide to stop rising shows he thought he was all-powerful. 9. Instead of directly saying “Buy our product, ” many ads use slick images to _____ that the product will give the insinuate buyer sex appeal, power, or prestige. The slick ads try to suggest slyly that the product will offer these things. 10. The headwaiter’s manner toward customers who looked rich was _____. Ignoring the rest of us, he gave them the obsequious restaurant’s best tables and hovered over them, all smiles. The headwaiter’s actions show he is overly eager to please the rich customers.