Vocabulary Unit 8, Level C Test

The dry, windy plains of Patagonia, in South America, are as beautiful as they are barren. But did they once teem with life? Paleontologists (scientists who study fossils) have proved that this rugged region is a rich repository of reptile remains. Campus out in the filed for weeks at a time, these scientific scavengers search with unflagging curiosity and dedication for new clues to some of the cryptic mysteries of the long-extinct dinosaurs. Their tools are rock hammers, brushes, and hand lenses.

What is the meaning of scavengers as it is used in the paragraph above.

• climbers

• campers

• rummagers

• doctors

The dry, windy plains of Patagonia, in South America, are as beautiful as they are barren. But did they once teem with life? Paleontologists (scientists who study fossils) have proved that this rugged region is a rich repository of reptile remains. Campus out in the filed for weeks at a time, these scientific scavengers search with unflagging curiosity and dedication for new clues to some of the cryptic mysteries of the long-extinct dinosaurs. Their tools are rock hammers, brushes, and hand lenses.

What does unflagging most likely mean as it is used in the paragraph above?

• tireless

• occasional

• diminishing

• thorough

The dry, windy plains of Patagonia, in South America, are as beautiful as they are barren. But did they once teem with life? Paleontologists (scientists who study fossils) have proved that this rugged region is a rich repository of reptile remains. Campus out in the filed for weeks at a time, these scientific scavengers search with unflagging curiosity and dedication for new clues to some of the cryptic mysteries of the long-extinct dinosaurs. Their tools are rock hammers, brushes, and hand lenses.

Cryptic comes from the Greek word kryptos. Kryptos most likely means...

• made-up

• known

• obvious

• hidden

Being on a dig is not easy for the members of a research team, even if they are rewarded with exciting results. To endure the harsh conditions in the field, the scientists need to have a stocial attitude and a good sense of humor. Even the most experienced and hardy dinosaur hunters limit their fieldwork to about a month at a time. They then return to their laboratories, where they record, classify, and analyze their latest specimens. But most paleontologists eventually feel the strong urge to explore again despite the

What is the meaning of stoical as it is used in the above paragraph?

• emotional

• self-controlled

• logical

• scientific

Digs in Patagonia have revealed the existence of a dozen previously unknown dinosaur species, including Argentinosaurus, the largest plant eater ever found, and Giganotosaurus, the newest monarch of meat eaters. The arid conditions of the region, so hostile to life today, have preserved the prehistoric past. Recently, in an area where rocky cliffs adjoin ancient mud flats, researchers made a remarkable find: hundreds of thousands of fossilized dinosaur eggs. In days, they harvested eighty undamaged eggs, all nestled together in regularly spaceed clusters. Scientists consider this find perceptible evidence of dinosaur behavior. They think that mothers may have dug bowl-shaped nests, carefully spaced apart to protect the previous eggs. What other wonders remain hidden in the dusty Patagonian desert?

Whish word means the opposite of perceptible in the above prargraph?

• abstract

• observable

• invisible

• reliable

Match the following

• abut

• To be of use; use, benefit, or value

• attire

• to declare publicly or officially

• proclaim

• to be next to or join at the one end; to support, prop up

• avail

• to dress or adorn, clothes, apparel

Choose the item that means the SAME as the UNDERLINED word.

cheered by FERVENT fans ​ ​ (a)  

• ardent
• bored
• lackadaisical
• disinterested

Choose the item that means the SAME as the UNDERLINED word.

words that RANKLE ​ (a)  

• irritate
• impress
• haunt
• persist

Choose the item that means the SAME as the UNDERLINED word.

my father's CRONIES ​ (a)   ​

• buddies
• hobbies
• tastes
• things

Choose the item that means the SAME as the UNDERLINED word.

INFILTRATED by the CIA. ​ ​​ (a)  

• penetrated
• exposed
• disregarded
• betrayed