Unit Four: Chapter 20

• averse • endow

• detract • expulsion

• disdain • mortify

• divulge • nullify

• elation • ominous

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

1 averse

Averse means

A. opposed.

B. accustomed.

C. open.

– adjective

• That little boy was once so averse to tomatoes that the very sight of them made him gag.

• Being averse to screaming crowds, I’d rather just listen to my iPod than go to a rock concert.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

1 averse

Averse means

A. opposed.

B. accustomed.

C. open.

– adjective

• That little boy was once so averse to tomatoes that the very sight of them made him gag.

• Being averse to screaming crowds, I’d rather just listen to my iPod than go to a rock concert.

If the sight of tomatoes made the boy gag, he must have had an extreme distaste for them (been opposed to them). Being opposed to screaming crowds could make one prefer to listen to an iPod rather than go to a concert.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2 detract – verb

Detract means

A. to result.

B. to benefit.

C. to take away.

• Julius thinks the scar on his cheek detracts from his good looks, but it’s barely noticeable.

• All of the litter in the park certainly detracts from the beauty of the trees and flowers.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2 detract – verb

Detract means

A. to result.

B. to benefit.

C. to take away.

• Julius thinks the scar on his cheek detracts from his good looks, but it’s barely noticeable.

• All of the litter in the park certainly detracts from the beauty of the trees and flowers.

A scar would take away from a person’s good looks. Litter takes away from the beauty of trees and flowers.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3 disdain• The snobby server in the French restaurant viewed Tanya with

disdain because she couldn’t pronounce anything on the menu.

• I was afraid my request to see the state senator would be treated with disdain. Instead, the senator’s secretary politely made an appointment for me.

– noun

Disdain means

A. pride.

B. disrespect.

C. sorrow.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3 disdain• The snobby server in the French restaurant viewed Tanya with

disdain because she couldn’t pronounce anything on the menu.

• I was afraid my request to see the state senator would be treated with disdain. Instead, the senator’s secretary politely made an appointment for me.

– noun

Disdain means

A. pride.

B. disrespect.

C. sorrow. If Tanya couldn’t pronounce the names of the dishes correctly, the snobby server would view her with disrespect. In the second item, instead of being treated with disrespect, the person was treated politely.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

• My father wouldn’t divulge the type of car he had bought, saying only, “It’s a surprise.”

• It’s against the law to ask people to divulge their age at a job interview.

4 divulge

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Divulge means

A. to hide.

B. to recall.

C. to tell.

– verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

• My father wouldn’t divulge the type of car he had bought, saying only, “It’s a surprise.”

• It’s against the law to ask people to divulge their age at a job interview.

4 divulge

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Divulge means

A. to hide.

B. to recall.

C. to tell.

– verb

If the father wanted it to be a surprise, he would not tell what type of car he bought. People cannot be asked to tell their age in a job interview.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Elation means

A. anger.

B. confusion.

C. happiness.

5 elation – noun

• The principal shouted with elation when the football team scored the winning touchdown.

• Roy had expected to feel elation at his graduation. Instead, he felt sadness at the thought of not seeing his high-school friends every day.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Elation means

A. anger.

B. confusion.

C. happiness.

5 elation – noun

• The principal shouted with elation when the football team scored the winning touchdown.

• Roy had expected to feel elation at his graduation. Instead, he felt sadness at the thought of not seeing his high-school friends every day.

The principle would shout with happiness when the team scored the winning touchdown. The sadness Roy felt is contrasted with the happiness he expected to feel.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Endow means

A. to equip.

B. to curse.

C. to threaten.

• Nature has endowed hummingbirds with the ability to fly backward.

• The author Oscar Wilde was endowed with the ability to find humor in any situation. While dying, he said of the ugly wallpaper in his hotel room, “One of us had to go.”

6 endow – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Endow means

A. to equip.

B. to curse.

C. to threaten.

• Nature has endowed hummingbirds with the ability to fly backward.

• The author Oscar Wilde was endowed with the ability to find humor in any situation. While dying, he said of the ugly wallpaper in his hotel room, “One of us had to go.”

6 endow – verb

Nature has equipped humming birds with the ability to fly backward. Oscar Wilde’s deathbed remark demonstrates that he was equipped with the ability to find humor in any situation.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Expulsion means

A. being canceled.

B. being forced out.

C. being embarrassed.

• The manager told us we risked expulsion from the theater if we continued to talk on our cell phones during the movie.

• Expulsion from school is supposed to be a punishment, but some students may consider not being allowed to attend classes a reward.

7 expulsion – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Expulsion means

A. being canceled.

B. being forced out.

C. being embarrassed.

• The manager told us we risked expulsion from the theater if we continued to talk on our cell phones during the movie.

• Expulsion from school is supposed to be a punishment, but some students may consider not being allowed to attend classes a reward.

7 expulsion – noun

Talking on cell phones in a theater during the movie can cause you to be forced to leave the theater. If a student is not allowed to attend classes, he or she must have been forced out of school.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Mortify means

A. to shame.

B. to insult.

C. to delay.

• It would mortify me if my voice cracked during my choir solo.

• I doubt anything will ever mortify me more than the streamer of toilet paper that clung to my shoe as I returned from the ladies’ room to rejoin my date in a fancy restaurant.

8 mortify – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Mortify means

A. to shame.

B. to insult.

C. to delay.

• It would mortify me if my voice cracked during my choir solo.

• I doubt anything will ever mortify me more than the streamer of toilet paper that clung to my shoe as I returned from the ladies’ room to rejoin my date in a fancy restaurant.

8 mortify – verb

Having one’s voice crack while singing a solo would make one feel shame and embarrassment. Trailing a streamer of toilet paper through a fancy restaurant would also make one feel shame and embarrassment.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Nullify means

A. to renew.

B. to reveal.

C. to cancel.

• The college will nullify my student ID at the end of the term unless I update it with a new sticker.

• A soft-drink company decided to nullify its contract with a well-known athlete because he was convicted of drunken driving.

9 nullify – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Nullify means

A. to renew.

B. to reveal.

C. to cancel.

• The college will nullify my student ID at the end of the term unless I update it with a new sticker.

• A soft-drink company decided to nullify its contract with a well-known athlete because he was convicted of drunken driving.

9 nullify – verb

If one does not update one’s student ID, the college will cancel it. If the athlete was convicted of drunk driving, the company would cancel its contract with him.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Ominous means

A. embarrassing.

B. threatening.

C. unworthy.

10 ominous • To many, cemeteries have an ominous quality, particularly at

night or on Halloween, when the threat of ghosts can seem very real.

• The sore’s failure to heal was ominous, a possible sign of cancer.

– adjective

An ominous sky

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Ominous means

A. embarrassing.

B. threatening.

C. unworthy.

10 ominous • To many, cemeteries have an ominous quality, particularly at

night or on Halloween, when the threat of ghosts can seem very real.

• The sore’s failure to heal was ominous, a possible sign of cancer.

– adjective

To someone for whom the threat of ghosts seems very real, a cemetery would have a threatening quality. A possible sign of cancer would be threatening.

An ominous sky