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WorksheetsVocabulary in Context
Total questions: 22
Worksheet time: 15mins
"On her daughter's birth: "When you were ready to come out into the world, at that very moment, the last song ended, and the next one started. It was "God Bless the Child," and the whole room started to swoon. We all knew that it could not have been more auspicious. What a miracle!"
showing or suggesting that future success is likely
bringing some good thing not foreseen as certain
receiving some unexpected good
a sign of future good or prosperity
"It was a moment to decompress and yet be accosted by giant raining insects."
harassed or attacked
to approach and speak to (someone) in an often challenging or aggressive way
to set upon or work against forcefully
to assail with unfriendly or bitter words
"I thought Ben would have killed me for being a weak starlet who couldn't hack the harsh realities of these surroundings [Kenya]. I just stayed stoic and kept writing things down in my notebook and making notes."
a member of a school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium about 300 b.c. holding that the wise man should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submissive to natural law
one apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain
not affected by or showing passion or feeling
firmly restraining response to pain or distress
"The tribe seemed stubborn and insular.
I had never seen such a world." (Her first visit to Nairobi, Kenya)
characteristic of an isolated people
being, having, or reflecting a narrow provincial viewpoint
of, relating to, or constituting an island
dwelling or situated on an island
"I didn't have parents to shame me, so I was doing that to myself. And that really was the crux of the problem. I was still a kid with no guidance. I only had myself."
a puzzling or difficult problem : an unsolved question
an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an outcome
a main or central feature (as of an argument)
the primary or most important consideration
"Rearview mirror: lifeless gate. Windshield: party. It was a polarity like no other."
the quality or condition inherent in a body that exhibits opposite properties
attraction toward a particular object or in a specific direction
diametrical opposition
the particular state either positive or negative with reference to the two poles or to electrification
"Pippi seemed the most excited.
She had that wry smile and that mischievous look in her eye."
made by a deliberate distortion of the facial muscles often to express irony or mockery
cleverly and often ironically or grimly humorous
to pull out of or as if out of proper shape : make awry
snarky
"It is not who I am to harbor any anger for the fact that our life together was so incredibly unorthodox." (On growing up with her mother.)
not orthodox
conforming to established doctrine especially in religion
Not conventional, typical, or expected
lacking originality or individuality
"They were good people, and they were straightforward
in a town that was full of cryptic lives."
having or seeming to have a hidden or ambiguous meaning
marked by an often perplexing brevity
serving to conceal
mysterious and confusing
"I was actually proud that these single moms could provide a two-bedroom situation for us kids. To all have our own rooms was nothing to scoff at."
an expression of scorn, derision, or contempt
an object of scorn, mockery, or derision
to show contempt by derisive acts or language
to treat or address with derision
The soldier was given medicine to abate the pain in his leg after the war was over. He was in intense pain when he went to the hospital. What does abate mean?
become more intense
become less intense
remain the same
The man became belligerent when he thought no one was willing to help him. All of the bystanders were scared he would try to start a fight with them. What does belligerent mean?
unwilling to help
hostile or aggressive
friendly
The docile horse made its way along the beginner's trail. He was easily led by the farmhand. What does docile mean?
easily led or controlled; obedient
new with little knowledge
hostile; not easily controlled
When they were finally rescued, the men were famished. They had spent four days lost at sea with no supplies. What does famished mean?
full; satisfied
needing nothing
very hungry
Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was a beautiful oration discussing the need for equal rights, regardless of the color of a person's skin. What does oration mean?
a device for giving speeches
a brief conversation
a formal speech
After failing her history final, Kayla was sullen for a whole week. Not even her new puppy could cheer her up. What does sullen mean?
being in a great mood
gloomy
even-tempered; unaffected
What does stationary mean?
.
Read the lines from the poem:
"The lamentable days are come, the saddest of the year,
Of wailing winds, and naked woods, and meadows brown and sear.
Heaped in the hollows of the grove, the autumn leaves lie dead;
They rustle to the eddying gust, and to the rabbit's tread;"
Which phrases from the lines provide the best clues about the meaning of the word lamentable?
"saddest of the year" and "wailing winds"
"Heaped in the hollows" and "eddying gust"
"woods, and meadow" and "autumn leaves"
"days are come" and "rabbit's tread"
