Read the following study guide for a concept review: Vocabulary and Prefix Help
Vocabulary and Prefix Practice
Words in Context
The following exercise will help you figure out the meaning of some words from the vocabulary list by reading context clues. After you have read and understood the paragraph, explain the context clues that helped you with the meaning of the vocabulary word. Refer to the answer section at the end of this chapter for an explanation of the clues.
In our country, the use of nuclear power as a viable source of energy has been an ongoing controversy. During the gas and oil shortages of the 1970s, energy prices were exorbitant. The federal government supported nuclear power as a new energy source that would be cost effective. Now, the president's National Energy Policy Report lists nuclear power as a safe and affordable alternative. Today, however, as in the past, many people have voiced their antipathy toward nuclear power plants, especially in the wake of the 1979 partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant. At that time, scientists scrambled to circumvent a total meltdown in a facility that was designed to be fail-safe. There was great fear that the meltdown would be complete and decimate the area. Now, the federal government is once again promoting this alternative energy source.
TIP
The next time you see a word you don't know, try to figure out its meaning based on the context in which it is used. Then, check to see if you're right.
Sentence Completion
Insert the correct word from the vocabulary list into the following sentences.
- There has been a local _____ over the proposed plans for the renovation of a neighborhood park.
- At the Cradle of Aviation Museum, a(n) _____ of man's first trip to the moon in 1969 will include a restored lunar module.
- Soon after the war began in Bosnia in April 1992, the damaged buildings and burned homes reduced the country to ruins and _____ the landscape.
- Scientists have discovered what could be the closest _____ to man, an upright apelike creature.
- The stock market has on average declined over the past year, with _____ periods of growth.
- Oprah Winfrey was able to _____ her humble roots to become one of the nation's most respected, wealthy, and powerful women.
- The police department's crime stopper's unit placed a drawing and description of the _____ kidnapper in the newspaper.
- Errors caused by physicians' _____ handwriting have sparked proposals to add handwriting courses to medical school curricula.
- After the implantation of a heart pacemaker, the patient's _____ was good.
- "Downsizing a company" is a(n) _____ for letting go or firing employees.
- Different ethnic groups' _____ toward each other has resulted in many wars throughout the world.
- Because of the _____ price and gas consumption of the sports utility vehicle, the first-time buyer selected a small, energy efficient sedan.
- After the _____ successfully increased the company's sales and production, the chief executive officer promoted her to regional sales manager.
- Environmentalists and energy analysts have not reached a(n) _____ about how best to meet America's growing energy needs in a safe and financially sound manner.
- Due to his mistreatment of fellow officers, the captain was _____ to the rank of sergeant.
- The famous actor seemed _____ in fame and the constant media attention he received; he continued to live his life in the same way as before his rise to fame.
- A patchwork quilt is the result of the _____ of many smaller pieces sewn together to make a unique design.
- In order to _____ the impending storm, the pilot changed his flight plan to avoid turbulence and lightning.
- My _____ were some of the first colonial activists in the United States; they took part in the Boston Tea Party.
- What some may consider _____ or unimportant ideas sometimes blossom into good business ventures.
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.
- controversy
- dispute
- quarrel
- consensus
- d. debate
- disputation
- disinterested
- selfish
- impartial
- neutral
- objective
- unbiased
- antipathy
- aversion
- dislike
- hatred
- sympathy
- abhorrence
- exorbitant
- reasonable
- excessive
- overpriced
- inflated
- steep
- intermittent
- sporadic
- alternating
- recurring
- occasional
- continual
- malevolent
- malicious
- spiteful
- nasty
- disinterested
- wicked
- transcend
- exceed
- descend
- excel
- surpass
- outdo
- precursor
- successor
- forerunner
- ancestor
- antecedent
- predecessor
- consensus
- agreement
- harmony
- disagreement
- consent
- unity
- decimate
- demolish
- annihilate
- build
- slaughter
- kill
Antonyms
Choose the word from the vocabulary list that means the opposite, or most nearly the opposite, of the following groups of words.
- descendant, successor, progeny, heir
- readable, decipherable, comprehensible, clear
- direct, face, aim, confront
- disorganization, chaos, decomposition, separation
- promote, encourage, sponsor, support
- benevolent, caring, compassionate, kindly
- leading, chief, primary, foremost
- trail, follow, tail, drag
- significant, major, important, noteworthy
- continuous, constant, nonstop, incessant
Matching Questions
Match the word in the first column with the corresponding word in the second column.
- circumvent a. dispute
- retrospect b. combination
- euphemism c. excessive
- precursor d. destroy
- synthesis e. skirt
- antipathy f. predecessor
- disinterested g. hindsight
- exorbitant h. pleasant substitute words
- controversy i. hatred
- decimate j. neutral
Practice Activities
Write ten words that begin with the same prefixes as the words in this unit. Write your definition of each word based on what you already know about each pre- fix. Be sure to check your answers with a dictionary definition of each word.
Example: preactivity means a warm-up activity that comes before the main activity.
Create a personal "pictionary" prefix book. List common prefixes along with their definitions and create drawings that remind you of their meanings.
Example:
| Prefix |
Definition |
Illustration |
| anti |
against |
(draw a no-smoking sign)  to show you are against smoking |
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
We learn that nuclear energy has its supporters and opponents who continually debate each other; therefore, controversy means a public dispute. We read that energy prices were exorbitant and the government began to promote nuclear power as a financially reasonable alternative. The implication is that exorbitant is excessive. After reading what has gone wrong with one particular power plant, we can infer that antipathy refers to the negative feelings of a significant portion of the population who oppose and intensely dislike the idea of nuclear power plants. After the disaster, we learn that scientists tried to circumvent, or prevent, a total meltdown. Finally, it was necessary for the scientists to stop a complete meltdown because it would decimate, or totally destroy, the area. The partial meltdown of the reactor was disastrous enough, so the result of a total meltdown would be unimaginable destruction.
Sentence Completion
- controversy. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- retrospect. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- decimated. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- precursor. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- intermittent. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- transcend. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- malevolent. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- illegible. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- prognosis. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- euphemism. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- antipathy. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- exorbitant. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- subordinate. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- consensus. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- demoted. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- disinterested. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- synthesis. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- circumvent. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- antecedents. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
- trivial. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
Synonyms
- c. consensus. Controversy is a discussion where opposing views clash. Therefore, consensus would not be a synonym of the word because it means to come to an agreement.
- a. selfish. Disinterested means not motivated by personal interest. Therefore, selfish would not be a synonym of the word because it means the opposite—to have a personal interest.
- d. sympathy. Antipathy means to have a feeling of hatred toward someone or something. Since sympathy means to have feelings of compassion for someone or something, it cannot be a synonym of the word.
- a. reasonable. Exorbitant means excessive; thus, reasonable is the opposite in meaning and cannot be a synonym.
- e. continual. Intermittent means to happen at regular intervals, whereas continual means without stopping; therefore, it cannot be the synonym of the word.
- d. disinterested. Malevolent means to have evil feelings and intentions toward someone or something. Disinterested means to be neutral about someone or something; thus, it cannot be the synonym of the word.
- b. descend. Transcend means to go beyond, whereas descend means to go below and cannot be a synonym of the word.
- a. successor. A precursor is something that comes before. Successor cannot be a synonym because it means something that comes after.
- c. disagreement. Consensus is an agreement, so disagreement cannot be a synonym.
- c. build. Decimate means to destroy; therefore, build cannot be a synonym of the word.
Antonyms
- antecedent. Antecedent means ancestors, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
- illegible. Illegible means unreadable, the opposite of the words in the group.
- circumvent. Circumvent means to go around, the opposite of the words in the group.
- synthesis. Synthesis means the combination of two or more items to become a whole, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
- demote. Demote means to downgrade, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
- malevolent. Malevolent means evil, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
- subordinate. Subordinate means secondary, the opposite of the meaning of the words group.
- transcend. Transcend means exceed, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
- trivial. Trivial means unimportant, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
- intermittent. Intermittent means interrupted, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
Matching Questions
- e
- g
- h
- f
- b
- i
- j
- c
- a
- d
Crossword Puzzle
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From Vocabulary & Spelling Success in 20 Minutes A Day. Copyright © 2009 by LearningExpress, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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