Week 13-Core 2 & 3

Which of the following would most likely be considered whimsical?

• a heavy rainstorm

• a ride on a rollercoaster

• a piece of meatloaf

• a charming fairy tale

He withdrew the picture and scrutinized it himself for a moment.

Source: The Girl on the Train

In this sentence, scrutinized means:

• praised

• grimmaced

• examined

• copied

So terrified was I that some irregularity would interfere with enlistment—some unforeseen objection—I perhaps answered with too great an exactitude, too punctilious a range of detail—desperate for approbation.

Source: The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves

In this sentence, punctilious means:

• potential

• powerful

• precise

• preposterous

He flattered Bellow, went for long walks with him, started up a literary journal with him, and generally insinuated himself into Bellow’s life.

Source: The New Yorker

In this sentence, insinuated means:

• scolded or reprimanded

• introduced or inserted in a subtle manner

• harassed with respeated requests

• bound or secured by means of a pledge

Which of the following would best be considered fawning?

• a worker flattering his boss

• a journalist reporting on a war

• a chef explaining his recipe

• a hunter tracking a deer

He was merely groping his way as best he might; and he felt that Miss Ludolph could teach him so much, if she would only condescend to the task!

Source: Barriers Burned Away

In this sentence, condescend means to:

• formulate a plan of attack to accomplish a specific purpose

• strive and make a concerted effort to reach a goal

• have a tendency or disposition to do or be something

• do something that one considers to be below one's dignity

At a boisterous rally for one of them in Arequipa in December, Odria's police panicked and fired rifles, wounding ten men.

Source: Time Magazine Archive

In this sentence, a boisterous means:

• an official

• a political

• a disorderly

• a spontaneous

He was, I would ascertain, not especially smart, and his slow wits and mild manner were no match for the chaos swirling around him.

Source: Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing

In this sentence, ascertain means to:

• repeat

• learn

• worry

• pretend

Though Amelia cajoled and Mrs. Bedlow made announcements at mealtime, Lyddie did not attempt to go to church.

Source: Lyddie

In this sentence, cajoled means:

• worried

• rejoiced

• persuaded

• shrieked

A New York State School Superintendent’s PhD project also corroborated the importance of exercise to the functioning of the brain.

Source: New York Times

In this sentence, corroborated means:

• assume sponsorship of

• support with evidence or authority or make more certain

• cause to be immobile

• lose or lose the right to by some error, offense, or crime