Spelling and Adjective Practice

Synonyms

The following exercise lists vocabulary words from this chapter. Each word is followed by five answer choices. Four of them are synonyms of the vocabulary word in bold. Your task is to choose the one that is NOT a synonym.

21. feisty
    1. energetic
    2. rambunctious
    3. frisky
    4. touchy
    5. laid-back
22. demure
    1. prudish
    2. graceful
    3. shy
    4. solemn
    5. modest
23. dolorous
    1. demure
    2. sorrowful
    3. unpleasant
    4. painful
    5. distressful
24. flippant
    1. careless
    2. flexible
    3. disrespectful levity
    4. rudely casual
    5. pert
25. ornate
    1. showy
    2. flowery
    3. epicurean
    4. highly decorated
    5. excessively ornamented
26. jaunty
    1. dapper
    2. buoyant
    3. self-confident
    4. athletic
    5. stylish
27. palpable
    1. substantial
    2. touchable
    3. weighable
    4. tangible
    5. sensitive
28. sardonic
    1. sarcastic
    2. prodigious
    3. cynical
    4. caustic
    5. scornfully mocking
29. vehement
    1. fervid
    2. passionate
    3. relevant
    4. zealous
    5. forceful
30. myriad
    1. plenty
    2. numerous
    3. indefinite
    4. countless
    5. oblique

Antonyms

31. conservative, restrained, reserved, timid
32. polite, poised, tractable, malleable
33. respectful, mindful, serious, courteous
34. joyful, blissful, happy, mirthful
35. finite, numerical, limited, homogenous
36. clear, straight, honest, direct
37. plain, unadorned, modest, simple
38. irrelevant, disconnected, moot, unrelated
39. intangible, imperceptible, subtle, untouchable
40. boastful, uplifting, positive

TIP

When using adjectives, it's important to keep in mind a word's connotation, as different adjectives have different feelings associated with them.

Choosing the Right Word

Circle the word in bold that best completes the sentence.

41. I found your casual, (flippant, feisty) attitude during the formal ceremony very disrespectful
42. "Might makes right!" declared the (facetious, imperious) dictator.
43. It's difficult to know whether you are serious when you are so (facetious, jaunty) with me
44. It was very (audacious, churlish) to stand up before the crowd and recklessly begin speaking without having prepared at all.
45. I can't work with you in this professional environment when you are so (extenuating, churlish).
46. How can you afford your (epicurean, extenuating) tastes; they are so lavish and luxurious!
47. Can't you forgive me considering the (extenuating, feisty) circumstances?
48. Did you notice how (dolorous, feisty) she became when the touchy subject came up?
49. His (oblique, jaunty) answers to my simple questions left me at a loss for understanding.
50. She became (prodigious, prone) to illness when her immune system began to fail her.

Practice Activities

Go to your favorite magazine and, while reading an article, story, or any considerably lengthy feature, circle all the adjectives (words that describe or qualify nouns) you come across. Take note of the nouns (people, places, things) they describe or qualify, and then ask yourself how the presence of adjectives contributes to the piece in specific cases, and also as a whole.

The next time you write an e-mail or an old-fashioned letter to a friend, see what happens to the quality and character of your prose when you make a point of including carefully selected adjectives, including those you learned in the vocabulary list.

Crossword Puzzle

Choose the word from the vocabulary list that best fits into the crossword puzzle. You can check your answers at the end of the chapter following the answers to the questions.

Answers

Words in Context

Tanya's move of bringing home the puppy was seen as audacious, or bold and even reckless, considering both the size of her family's apartment and the fact that her sister is prone, or susceptible, to allergies. Yet Tanya's reasonable mother is willing to consider the relevant (having bearing on the matter at hand) extenuating circumstances, which allow her to make an exception. All things considered (namely her family's palpable, or tangible gloom when the neighbor's dog died), it wouldn't be a bad idea for this feisty puppy—so obviously playful and full of spirit—to stay

Completing the Sentence

1. demure. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
2. audacious. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
3. extenuate. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
4. churlish. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
5. feisty. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
6. dolorous. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
7. facetious. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
8. flippant. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
9. epicurean. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
10. palpable. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
11. myriad. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
12. prone. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition
13. imperious. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
14. oblique. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
15. jaunty. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
16. vehement. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
17. ornate. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
18. prodigious. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
19. sardonic. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
20. relevant. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.

Synonyms

21. e. laid-back. Feisty means frisky or spunky, so laid-back is not a synonym of the word.
22. b. graceful. Demure describes modest and reserved behavior. Graceful describes pleasing, attractive movement, and though one may find modesty graceful, it would not be a synonym for demure.
23. a. demure. Dolorous means exhibiting pain, grief, or sorrow. Demure means mildmannered or shy and would not be a synonym.
24. b. flexible. Flippant means marked by disrespect ful levity. Being overly casual in a disrespectful manner or being pert or careless would also describe this attitude. Flexible means able to bend, change, or move, and would not be a synonym.
25. c. epicurean. Ornate means elaborately and excessively ornamented. Something ornate may also be considered showy or flowery. Epicurean means devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasures and thus would not be a synonym.
26. d. athletic. Jaunty means having a buoyant or self-confident air. It also means having a crisp, dapper, stylish appearance. Athletic, meaning good at sports, would not be considered a synonym.
27. e. sensitive. Palpable means capable of being handled, touched, or felt. All the words in the group except sensitive denote this characteristic. Sensitive means highly receptive to senses (including, but not exclusively to, touch) and is not a synonym.
28. b. prodigious. Sardonic means scornfully or cynically mocking. All the words and groups of words suggest this disposition except for prodigious. Prodigious means extraordinary or impressively great in size or force and would not be a synonym.
29. c. relevant. Vehement means characterized by forcefulness or intensity. The word choices are all useful vocabulary terms that have similar meanings to vehement except for relevant, which means having a connection with the matter at hand. Relevant would not be a synonym.
30. e. oblique. Myriad means constituting a very large or indefinite number. Oblique would not be considered a synonym, as it means indirect or evasive.

Antonyms

31. audacious. Audacious means bold, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
32. churlish. Churlish means vulgar or difficult to work with, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
33. flippant. Flippant means marked by disrespectful levity or casualness, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
34. dolorous. Dolorous means marked by sorrow, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
35. myriad. Myriad means indefinite, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group
36. oblique. Oblique means slanting or misleading, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
37. ornate. Ornate means elaborately ornamented, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
38. relevant. Relevant means having a bearing on, or a connection with, the matter at hand, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
39. palpable. Palpable means capable of being touched or felt, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
40. sardonic. Sardonic means scornfully or cynically mocking, the opposite of the words in the group.

Choosing the Right Word

41. flippant. Context clue is that flippant means marked by disrespectful casualness. Though being overly feisty may also be considered disrespectful, considering the context clues, flippant is the stronger choice.
42. imperious. Context clue is that imperious means dictatorial and domineering.
43. facetious. Context clue is that facetious means playfully jocular; when one is facetious, it may sometimes be difficult to determine whether one is joking or not.
44. audacious. Context clue is that audacious means recklessly daring.
45. churlish. Context clue is that churlish means difficult to work with, specifically on the grounds of vulgarity (that would be problematic in the mentioned "professional" environment).
46. epicurean. Context clue is that epicurean means devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially fine food.
47. extenuating. Context clue is that extenuating means lessening the magnitude or seriousness of (in this case, whatever the speaker did for which she asks forgiveness).
48. feisty. Context clue is that feisty means touchy or quarrelsome (argumentative being a synonym thereof).
49. oblique. Context clue is that oblique means indirect or evasive; such responses would not yield clarity or understanding.
50. prone. Context clue is that prone means susceptible or inclined toward.

Crossword Puzzle Solution