Vocabulary Ch. 1 Part 1

detriment

*Loni's purple hair may be a detriment when she goes for a job interview.

*Smoking is a detriment to your health. It's estimated that each cigarette you smoke will shorten your life by one and a half minutes.

detriment means _____

• an aid

• a discovery

• a disadvantage

dexterous

*The juggler was so dexterous that he managed to keep five balls in motion at once.

*Although he has arthritis in his hands, Phil is very dexterous. For example, he builds detailed model airplanes.

dexterous means _____

• skilled

• educated

• awkward

discretion

*Ali wasn't using much discretion when he passed a police car at eighty miles an hour.

*Small children haven't yet developed discretion. They ask embarrassing questions like "When will you be dead, Grandpa?"

discretion means _____

• skill

• good sense

• courage

facetious

*Professor Segura has a facetious sign on his office door: "I'd like to help you out. Which way did you come in?"

*My boss always says, "You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps." I hope she's just being facetious.

facetious means _____

• serious

• dishonest

• inappropriate humor

gregarious

*Melissa is so gregarious that she wants to be with other people even when she's studying.

*My gregarious brother loves parties, but my sister is shy and prefers to be alone.

gregarious means _____

• attractive

• outgoing

• humorous

optimum

*The road was so icy that the optimum driving speed was only about ten miles an hour.

*For the weary traveler, optimum hotel accommodations include a quiet room, a comfortable bed, and efficient room service.

optimum means _____

• ideal

• hopeful

• questionable

ostentatious

*My show-off aunt has some ostentatious jewelry, such as a gold bracelet that's so heavy she can hardly lift her arm.

• To impress customers, the manager's office is ostentatious, with fancy furniture and a thick rug. The rest of the department looks cheap and shabby.

• ostentatious means _____

• humble

• showy

• clean

scrupulous

*The judge was scrupulous about never accepting a bribe or allowing a personal threat to influence his decisions.

*The senator promised to run a scrupulous campaign, but her ads were filled with lies about her opponent's personal life.

scrupulous means _____

• ethical

• economical

• unjust

sensory

*Since our sensory experiences are interrelated, what we taste is greatly influenced by what we smell.

* A person in a flotation tank has almost no sensory stimulation. The tank is dark and soundproof, and the person floats in water at body temperature, unable to see or hear and scarcely able to feel anything.

sensory means _____

• of the senses

• social

• intellectual

vicarious

*I don't like to take risks myself, but I love the vicarious thrill of watching death-defying adventures in a movie.

*If you can't afford to travel, reading guidebooks can give you a vicarious experience of traveling in a foreign countries.

vicarious means _____

• thorough

• indirect

• skillful