Choosing the Right Word

The fact that Abraham Lincoln was able to _________ the handicap of a limited education does not mean that you should quit school.

• surmount
• eminent

Unless we repair the _______ in our party and present a united front, we will go down in crushing defeat in the upcoming election.

• trite
• rift

It is the sacred duty of all Americans to oppose any attempt to _________ or deny the rights guaranteed to us in the Constitution

• abridge
• condone

I do not entirely _________ your misconduct, but I can understand, to a degree, why you behaved the way you did.

• trite
• condone

His speech was so _________ that one could almost anticipate the phrases he would use next.

• rift
• trite

I am very much flattered that you have referred to me as an "an _________ educator", but I prefer to think of myself as just a good teacher.

• abridged
• eminent

I feel like a _________ now that my part-time job has come to an end and I no longer have any spending money.

• altercation
• pauper

The fact that many citizens are _________ over the new taxes does not mean that these taxes are unjustifiable.

• trite
• irate

My cousin has so much imagination that he can _________ an excuse that even an experienced principal would believe.

• surmount
• fabricate

What began as a minor quarrel grew into a serious _________ and then into an ugly brawl.

• altercation
• fabricate