CHAPTER 3 / BUILDING AN IMPRESSIVE VOCABULARY 101
Vocabulary Unit 2 Exercise Set I
Time—8 minutes
For each question, select the best answer among the choices given. Note any vocabulary words to
review on the Hit List below.- The emotional outburst was quite unusual for
Peter; he is typically one of the most ------ indi-
viduals you could ever meet.
(A) stoic
(B) demonstrative
(C) extroverted
(D) irascible
(E) inimical - Ayn Rand, whose writing is considered by some
awkward and contrived, is nevertheless ------ by
many as ------ of individualism and objectivism,
the cornerstones of her philosophy.
(A) lionized.. a stalwart
(B) repudiated.. a protagonist
(C) censured.. an advocate
(D) praised.. an antagonist
(E) extolled.. a skeptic - Fearing ------ from officials in their home coun-
try, the dissidents sought ------ in the American
embassy.
(A) veneration.. solitude
(B) oppression.. sanctuary
(C) impotence.. asylum
(D) calumny.. disparagement
(E) judiciousness.. salvation - Because female authors were not treated as
equals in the 19th century, many women used
------ in an effort to disguise themselves as males.
(A) influxes
(B) anachronisms
(C) pseudonyms
(D) diatribes
(E) amalgams - The newly implemented tax cut was not as ------
as its supporters had hoped in ------ the economy
by spurring investment and growth.
(A) formidable.. enervating
(B) efficacious.. invigorating
(C) delicate.. stimulating
(D) ruthless.. lauding
(E) incongruous.. encouraging
6. After many said that her last novel was too -----,
she included a bizarre and shocking ending to
her newest book in an effort to ------ her critics.
(A) banal.. support
(B) elegant.. pacify
(C) spurious.. silence
(D) mundane.. appease
(E) contrived.. endorse
7. When unhappy, Richard quickly becomes ------,
picking fights with anyone around him.
(A) sadistic
(B) pious
(C) capricious
(D) belligerent
(E) fallacious
8. Although sparrows appear to be weak and
harmless, they can actually be quite ------ when
their nest is threatened.
(A) redoubtable
(B) furtive
(C) evanescent
(D) fickle
(E) laconic
9. Many societies detest ------, and as a result the
------ among them are often treated as outcasts.
(A) compatibility.. antagonistic
(B) idiosyncrasy.. callous
(C) duplicity.. perfidious
(D) superficiality.. profound
(E) potency.. sacrosanct - The ------ remarks made by the press hurt
Kendra’s feelings, but she vowed to ignore the
------ and continue toward her goal.
(A) derogatory.. consecrations
(B) inimical.. conciliations
(C) sanctimonious.. predilections
(D) venerable.. harangues
(E) caustic.. denigrations