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WorksheetsVocabulary Unit 7, Level C
Total questions: 17
Worksheet time: 21mins
You probably don't think there is anything exotic about ice. Today, most homes have freezers and automatic ice-making machines that provide a ready supply of ice. You just have to go to your refrigerator to get some ice cubes to cool off a drink. But there was a time when only nature could provide ice.
What does exotic most likely mean as it used in the paragraph above?
strange
tacky
lofty
familiar
In ancient Rome, when excess was at its acme, lavish banquets and elaborate parties were the juncture where the upper classes met. The best and wealthiest hosts would provide great quantities of ice or snow for guests to add to their goblets.
Juncture comes from the Latin word iungere. Iungere most likely means...
to repate
to join
to separate
to divide
Not everyone approved of the Roman appetite for cold drinks. Philosophers saw the growing popularity of consuming snow and ice as a sure sign that Roman culture was declining. Doctors attributed all sorts of physical ailments to chilled food and drink. But this did not stop those who could afford it. For example, one emperor ordered workers to build an enormous mountain of snow in the garden of his villa to cool him during hot Roman summers!
What is the meaning of attributed as it is used in the above paragraph?
treated
ascribed
attracted
diagnosed
How did Romans get such large quantities of the cold stuff? They imported it from high mountains that were snowcapped all year long. Containers of fresh mountain snow were painstakingly conveyed by donkey to local "snow shops" and ice cellars, where they were insulated with straw for protection from the intense Roman heat. Eventually, the snow would melt, but it would conveniently freeze into ice when it dripped into deeper, colder layers of the ice cellars. This simple technology called for large teams of menials to gather and transport the snow and to tend the ice cellars. Their bosses enjoyed great profits because rich Romans would pay almost any price for these cool products. Snow and ice were the hottest thing in town.
What is the meaning of conveyed as it used in the paragraph above?
carried
carved
returned
melted
How did Romans get such large quantities of the cold stuff? They imported it from high mountains that were snowcapped all year long. Containers of fresh mountain snow were painstakingly conveyed by donkey to local "snow shops" and ice cellars, where they were insulated with straw for protection from the intense Roman heat. Eventually, the snow would melt, but it would conveniently freeze into ice when it dripped into deeper, colder layers of the ice cellars. This simple technology called for large teams of menials to gather and transport the snow and to tend the ice cellars. Their bosses enjoyed great profits because rich Romans would pay almost any price for these cool products. Snow and ice were the hottest thing in town.
Which word means the OPPOSITE of menials as used above?
servants
artisans
farmers
masters
Turncoat
A person who switches sides
Unassuming
Not putting on airs; modest
Wallow
to roll about in a clumsy way
Predatory
preying on, plundering, or piratical
Select the item that means the SAME as the underlined word.
waver in a decision (a)
Select the item that means the SAME as the underlined word.
belief in the Monroe Doctrine (a)
Select the item that means the SAME as the underlined word.
parried the blow (a)
Select the item that means the SAME as the underlined word.
her stance on the proposal (a)
Select the item that means the SAME as the underlined word.
tawdry furnishings (a)
Select the item that means the SAME as the underlined word.
a haggard face (a)
Select the item that means the SAME as the underlined word.
ravaged by floods (a)
Select the item that means the OPPOSITE of the underlined word.
belittle my athletic ability (a)
Select the item that means the OPPOSITE of the underlined word.
the acme of her career (a)
Select the item that means the OPPOSITE of the underlined word.
excise the passage (a)
Select the item that means the OPPOSITE of the underlined word.
a jaunty outlook on life (a)
