Vocabulary Ellen Marie Pack

71. I think it would help our basketball team, if we allowed girls to play. I’ve seen how Patty has a knack for making the tough shots when they’re needed most. She wants to play on our team and we’d win more games with her help. What does “knack” mean?

• a. to throw or toss

• b. a hard punch

• c. a kind of sports bag

• d. an ability

72. Connie is never happy when everyone is getting along. She always instigates fights and then acts like little Miss Innocent. When you instigate something, you __________.

• a. check it out

• b. protect it

• c. get it started

• d. ignore it

73. I like that store. All the employees strive to make the customers feel right at home. Which word is a synonym of “strive”?

• a. complain

• b. try

• c. fail

• d. clean

74. This is a clandestine operation. It is extremely important that no one discovers what you’re doing! A clandestine operation is supposed to be __________.

• a. dangerous

• b. harmful

• c. exciting

• d. secret

75. If you don’t recover quickly from your condition, it could become chronic. Then you might have to take medicine for the rest of your life. If something is chronic, it __________.

• a. is very painful

• b. won’t go away

• c. makes you smell bad

• d. isn’t real

76. David hoped that nobody would know that he was in the building. Didn’t he realize that parking his new car in the driveway made his presence rather conspicuous? If something is conspicuous, it is __________.

• a. important

• b. expensive

• c. unfortunate

• d. noticeable

77. Prunella and Paula are sisters, but they’re very different. Just look at how they dress. Prunella doesn’t care what she wears. Paula, on the other hand, is quite chic [sheek].

• a. intelligent

• b. stylish

• c. full of feathers

• d. dressed in old clothes

78. I looked at the plans for your new house. This is earthquake country. You need to fortify the frame or you’ll have a disaster with the first tremor.

• a. shake

• b. build

• c. strengthen

• d. destroy

79. Helen’s attitude toward dealing with criminals has changed over the years. She used to believe that everyone can change and deserves a second chance. She now believes that some crimes are so heinous that those responsible should be shown no mercy.

• a. guilty

• b. terrible

• c. accidental

• d. unimportant

80. There may be some parts of my plan to arrest the thieves that should be changed. But I feel very strongly that renting the apartment over their headquarters is the linchpin of the scheme. We must do that immediately!

• a. part that everything else depends on

• b. piece of metal used to connect things

• c. place where people live

• d. a computer designed for police work