Unit One: Chapter 3

• acclaim • exploit

• adjacent • methodical

• elicit • obsolete

• engross • tangible

• escalate • terminate

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

1 acclaim

Acclaim meansA. criticism.B. praise.C. change.

• Any subway system that is clean, quiet, and safe deserves acclaim.

• Although Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings are now worth millions of dollars, the artist received little acclaim in his lifetime and died in poverty.

– noun

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

Acclaim meansA. criticism.B. praise.C. change.

• Any subway system that is clean, quiet, and safe deserves acclaim.

• Although Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings are now worth millions of dollars, the artist received little acclaim in his lifetime and died in poverty.

A clean, quiet, safe subway system would deserve praise. If Van Gogh died in poverty, he must have received little praise as an artist during his lifetime.

1 acclaim – noun

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

2 adjacent – adjective

Adjacent meansA. close.B. similar.C. separated.

• Because their desks are adjacent, Jeff and Kellie often exchange looks and comments.

• If you keep your dishes in a cupboard that’s adjacent to the dishwasher, you won’t have to walk too far when putting away the clean dishes.

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

Adjacent meansA. close.B. similar.C. separated.

• Because their desks are adjacent, Jeff and Kellie often exchange looks and comments.

• If you keep your dishes in a cupboard that’s adjacent to the dishwasher, you won’t have to walk too far when putting away the clean dishes.

Jeff and Kellie would be able to exchange looks and comments if their desks were close to one another. If the cupboard were close to the dishwasher, you wouldn’t have to walk too far to put away the dishes.

2 adjacent – adjective

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

3 elicit• The movie star’s violet eyes always elicit admiration and

wonder.

• The basketball player’s three-point shot to win the game in its final seconds elicited a roar of delight from the excited fans.

– verb

Elicit meansA. to stop.B. to follow.C. to bring out.

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

• The movie star’s violet eyes always elicit admiration and wonder.

• The basketball player’s three-point shot to win the game in its final seconds elicited a roar of delight from the excited fans.

Elicit meansA. to stop.B. to follow.C. to bring out.

Violet eyes would bring out admiration and wonder. A game-winning shot in the final seconds would bring out a roar of delight from the fans.

3 elicit – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

• The suspenseful TV movie so engrossed Bryan that he didn’t even budge when he was called to dinner.

• The fascinating single-file march of black ants along the sidewalk engrossed me for several minutes.

4 engross

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Engross meansA. to hold the interest of.B. to disgust. C. to bore.

– verb

A chocolate maker engrossed in his work

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

• The suspenseful TV movie so engrossed Bryan that he didn’t even budge when he was called to dinner.

• The fascinating single-file march of black ants along the sidewalk engrossed me for several minutes.

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Engross meansA. to hold the interest of.B. to disgust. C. to bore.

If Bryan didn’t budge when called for dinner, the suspenseful movie must have held his interest. If the ant march was fascinating, it would hold a person’s interest.

A chocolate maker engrossed in his work

4 engross – verb

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

Escalate meansA. to expand.B. to delay. C. to weaken.

5 escalate – verb

• The fight between the two hockey players escalated into an all-out battle among members of both teams.

• “We need to escalate our fund-raising efforts,” the theater manager said. “Otherwise, the company won’t survive.”

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

Escalate meansA. to expand.B. to delay. C. to weaken.

• The fight between the two hockey players escalated into an all-out battle among members of both teams.

• “We need to escalate our fund-raising efforts,” the theater manager said. “Otherwise, the company won’t survive.”

If the fight began between two players and ended as an all-out battle among the members of both teams, it expanded. If the company’s survival is in danger (for lack of funds), the company would need to expand its fund-raising efforts.

5 escalate – verb

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

Exploit meansA. to forget.B. to take advantage of. C. to be sad about.

• At the turn of the century, factory owners exploited children by making them work in terrible conditions for as many as eighteen hours a day.

• Although Ricky is the English teacher’s son, he refuses to exploit his status. He works as hard as anyone else in the class.

6 exploit – verb

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

Exploit meansA. to forget.B. to take advantage of. C. to be sad about.

• At the turn of the century, factory owners exploited children by making them work in terrible conditions for as many as eighteen hours a day.

• Although Ricky is the English teacher’s son, he refuses to exploit his status. He works as hard as anyone else in the class.

To make children work in terrible conditions for eighteen hours a day is to take advantage of children. If Ricky works as hard as anyone else, he is refusing to take advantage of his status.

6 exploit – verb

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

Methodical meansA. accidental.B. out-of-date. C. orderly.

• A methodical way to store spices is to shelve them in alphabetical order.

• Juanita is so methodical about her diet that she classifies the foods in each meal into different nutritional categories.

7 methodical – adjective

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

Methodical meansA. accidental.B. out-of-date. C. orderly.

• A methodical way to store spices is to shelve them in alphabetical order.

• Juanita is so methodical about her diet that she classifies the foods in each meal into different nutritional categories.

Putting spices in alphabetical order is an orderly way to store them. If Juanita classifies the foods in nutritional categories, she is being orderly.

7 methodical – adjective

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

Obsolete meansA. popular. B. useful. C. extinct.

• Cell phones are so common now that they have made pagers almost obsolete.

• In the United States, the automobile quickly made travel by horse and carriage obsolete.

8 obsolete – adjective

Obsolete farm equipment

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

Obsolete meansA. popular. B. useful. C. extinct.

• Cell phones are so common now that they have made pagers almost obsolete.

• In the United States, the automobile quickly made travel by horse and carriage obsolete.

Because of cell phones, pagers are almost extinct. Travel by horse and carriage became extinct when automobiles took over.

8 obsolete – adjective

Obsolete farm equipment

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

Tangible meansA. clever.B. solid. C. hidden.

• The sculptor loved making her ideas tangible by giving them form in metal and stone.

• Corn-chip crumbs, empty soda bottles, and dirty napkins were tangible evidence that a party had taken place the night before.

9 tangible – adjective

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

Tangible meansA. clever.B. solid. C. hidden.

• The sculptor loved making her ideas tangible by giving them form in metal and stone.

• Corn-chip crumbs, empty soda bottles, and dirty napkins were tangible evidence that a party had taken place the night before.

Transforming ideas into metal and stone sculptures would make those ideas solid. Corn-chip crumbs, empty soda bottles, and dirty napkins are solid evidence of the party.

9 tangible – adjective

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

Terminate meansA. to end.B. to revive. C. to begin.

10 terminate • As the clock’s hands inched toward 3:00, the students waited

impatiently for the bell to terminate the last class before spring vacation.

• The referee should have terminated the boxing match when he first saw the weaker fighter losing the ability to defend himself.

– verb

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

Terminate meansA. to end.B. to revive. C. to begin.

• As the clock’s hands inched toward 3:00, the students waited impatiently for the bell to terminate the last class before spring vacation.

• The referee should have terminated the boxing match when he first saw the weaker fighter losing the ability to defend himself.

The 3:00 bell would end the last class before vacation. If the boxer was losing the ability to defend himself, the fight should have been ended.

10 terminate – verb