It is difficult to imagine a surfeit of talent in one individual, yet Leonard Bernstein simply does not have the time to make complete use of his talent as conductor, performer, writer, and lecturer.

There is a large demand all over the United States for plants indigenous to the desert. Many people in Arizona have made a good business of growing and selling cacti and other local plants.

After the Romans left, a millennium and a half passed before people again lived in such comfort. Churchill wrote, “From the year 400 until the year 1900 no one had central heating and very few had hot baths.”

Many years before, Caesar's men had tried and failed to invade Britain. No doubt this contributed to the xenophobia of the Romans. They were cautious about

strangers who entered their country.

Such are the vicissitudes of history. Nothing remains the same. Three hundred years of peace ended in darkness and confusion.

The purpose of the psychiatrist is to mitigate the suffering of the patient.

We knew he couldn’t hold out much longer, because he had been doomed from the beginning. One night he met his ineluctable fate.

A toxic combination of fog and industrial smoke, called smog, has vitiated the air in and around many big cities.

No matter where you go, the Internet is following you. Almost every portable device is being made with an Internet connection. Most new TVs and many other appliances come with Internet connections as well. The Internet is truly ubiquitous.

If something is ubiquitous, __________.

Speaking rudely to the judges was rash behavior. You really hurt your chances of winning!

In the above context, what does “rash” mean?

Some people are always bashing the president just like others bashed the one before him. Wouldn't you think that everyone could find something to praise him for, at least once in a while?

What does “bashing” mean in the above selection?

Wherever he goes, the esteemed Dr. Sanchez is applauded for his life saving research.

What does “esteemed” mean?

I believe that if you lower taxes so that people can keep more of the money they earn, it will be an incentive for them to work harder.

What is the meaning of “incentive”? __________.

Based on the context clues in the sentence below, ornate means:

The large vase was covered from top to bottom in a hand carved and ornate design. It must have taken weeks, or even months to create!!

Sunshine said, "Amber, why are you making such a big deal about Robert's hair? Yes, he did dye it purple. It is rather unusual for a guy to have purple hair. On the other hand, it's not exactly going to change the course of world history. It's really quite a trivial matter." What does trivial mean?

Unlike my frugal mother, I don't shop bother shopping at sales or clipping coupons. What does frugal mean?

Based on the context clues in the sentence below, ecstatic means:

They were ecstatic at the birth of their baby. They couldn't stop smiling for days.

Based on context clues in the passage below, truncated means ______________.

I was upset that the ebook file was truncated because I couldn't find out how the story ended.

The mellifluous voice of the robin sang smoothly and pleasantly, marking the beginning of the spring.

In his first novel, the mysterious post man is the perfect example of a lugubrious character, always seeming to

be ready to cry and never smiling.

During the hottest days of summer, I feel so lethargic that all I want to do is drink iced tea and sit on the porch.

Even thinking about going out makes me tired!

“Oh, frabjous day!” she exclaimed. “I can’t believe I got the job!”

The retired man looked forward to receiving his diurnal newspaper, delivered each morning at promptly 10 a.m.

I wanted to understand the wild woman as she explained her problem, but what she said was such piffle that I

just couldn’t follow her reasoning.

Despite how much his statement sounded like a lie, the committee believed Marco’s testimony because he was

known to be such a veridical man.

They completed the robbery with complete sang-froid, never even breaking a sweat or showing any signs of

stress.

Though Joseph was the true king, his uncle usurped the throne and was now ruling the land quite cruelly.

Bruce did not want to help clean up the trash by the river but went anyway because the principal told him that

since he chose to skip classes on Friday, his participation in the event would be compulsory.

The storm clouds never lifted as a cold rain fell all day, making it a dismal Saturday afternoon.

Janie felt gratified when the teacher used her science project as an example of excellence for other classes.