Spelling and Suffix 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 choose the one that is NOT a synonym.

21. relentless
    1. unstoppable
    2. persistent
    3. unyielding
    4. capitulate
    5. inexorable
22. laudable
    1. praiseworthy
    2. worthy
    3. commendable
    4. creditable
    5. furtive
23. parity
    1. equity
    2. inequality
    3. par
    4. fairness
    5. evenhandedness
24. venerate
    1. respect
    2. honor
    3. minimize
    4. revere
    5. worship
25. puerile
    1. childish
    2. juvenile
    3. mature
    4. infantile
    5. babyish
26. furtive
    1. stealthy
    2. secret
    3. sly
    4. honest
    5. surreptitious
27. copious
    1. scarce
    2. abundant
    3. numerous
    4. plentiful
    5. profuse
28. rectify
    1. revise
    2. correct
    3. fix
    4. destroy
    5. remedy
29. provocative
    1. challenging
    2. inciting
    3. stimulating
    4. confrontational
    5. conciliatory
30. mutation
    1. static
    2. changing
    3. transformation
    4. metamorphosis
    5. alteration

TIP

Sometimes associating a word with a synonym can help you remember its meaning.

Antonyms

Choose the word from the vocabulary list that means the opposite, or most nearly the opposite, of the following groups of words.

31. curtail, shorten, curb, limit
32. tolerance, broadmindedness, open-mindedness, acceptance
33. impracticality, uselessness, fruitlessness, pointlessness
34. clear, obvious, apparent, straightforward
35. scarce, limited, inadequate, scant
36. protagonist, leader, hero, supporter
37. inequality, inequity, discrimination, disparity
38. urban, city, metropolitan, cosmopolitan
39. despise, loathe, scorn, hate
40. magnify, intensify, enhance, overplay

Choosing the Right Word

Circle the word in bold that best completes the sentence.

41. Since I grew up on a ranch in Montana, I appreciate the constant struggle of the (antagonist, agrarian) lifestyle.
42. She filled an entire notebook with the (copious, laudable) notes that she took during the class.
43. The car salesman wanted to (consummate, rectify) the car deal before the customers changed their minds.
44. Her (cryptic, puerile) behavior made her seem childish and immature.
45. The automotive industry builds a certain amount of (pragmatism, obsolescence) into cars so that they will need to be replaced in a few years.
46. Language interpreters can even decipher (provocative, cryptic) phrases that most people wouldn't understand.
47. In order to eliminate (bigotry, geology) many schools have included programs to reduce hatred of others and increase tolerance.
48. The Coast Guard's (relentless, furtive) search for any survivors of the airplane crash lasted three weeks.
49. In some cultures, people (minimize, venerate) their elders by seeking their wisdom.
50. Scientists can monitor the (mutation, deferment) of certain bacteria by watching them change form over time.

Practice Activities

List all the words in this chapter and try changing the part of speech of each word by changing its suffix. For instance, change deferment to deferred or defer. Be sure to check the definition of the altered word.

Example: Venerate changed to veneration means a feeling of deep respect.

Find words in the newspaper that have the same suffixes as the words in this unit. Write them next to the chapter words and take a guess at their meanings. Check your definition with a dictionary definition.

For example, one of the suffixes in the vocabulary list is -tion, which means state of or action of. You might find in the newspaper the word evolution, meaning the act of changing over a period of time.

Choose the word from the vocabulary list that best fits into the crossword puzzle. You will use 17 of the words from the vocabulary list to solve the puzzle. You can check your answers at the end of the chapter following the answers to the questions.

Crossword Puzzle

Answers

Words in Context

After reading the paragraph, we learn that the movie Planet of the Apes is an upside-down world where apes rule over humans and believe them to be inferior creatures whose only use are to be slaves; thus, we may conclude that bigotry means intolerance. Since the humans are slaves, their ape owners would not want them to achieve parity; therefore, the inference is that parity means equality. Leo, the central character, is the protagonist. Therefore, we know that antagonist must mean someone who is opposing him, because Thade mounts an attempt to exterminate humans, and we know that Leo is a human. The story shows the antipathy, the hatred, between apes and humans. The apes venerate, show respect, and honor their leaders. They respect their species and reward laudable deeds such as capturing escaped humans. We can infer that laudable means praiseworthy.

Sentence Completion

1. venerated. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
2. bigotry. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
3. consummate. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
4. puerile. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
5. copious. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
6. cryptic. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
7. relentless. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
8. antagonist. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
9. minimize. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
10. pragmatism. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
11. rectify. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
12. mutation. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
13. provoked
. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
14. parity. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
15. obsolescence. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
16. deferment. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
17. geology. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
18. laudable. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
19. furtive. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.
20. agrarian. If you got this question wrong, refer back to the word's definition.

Synonyms

21. d. capitulate. Relentless means to never give up, so capitulate would not be a synonym of the word, since it means to surrender.
22. e. furtive. Laudable means worthy of praise, so furtive would not be a synonym of the word, since it means sneaky.
23. b. inequality. Parity means equality, thus inequality would not be a synonym of the word because it means to not be equal.
24. c. minimize. Venerate means to hold in the highest regard, so minimize would not be a synonym of the word, since it means to play down or keep to a minimum.
25. c. mature. Puerile means childish, so mature would not be a synonym of the word, since it means grown-up.
26. d. honest. Furtive means sneaky and underhanded, so honest would not be a synonym of the word, since it means open.
27. a. scarce. Copious means plentiful, so scarce would not be a synonym of the word, since it means in short supply.
28. d. destroy. Rectify means to make right or correct, so destroy is not a synonym.
29. e. conciliatory. Provocative means inciting to action, so conciliatory would not be a synonym of the word, since it means appeasing.
30. a. static Mutation means to change in form, so static would not be a synonym of the word, since it means unchanging.

Antonyms

31. consummate. Consummate means to complete, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
32. bigotry. Bigotry means narrow-mindedness, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
33. pragmatism. Pragmatism means common sense, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
34. cryptic. Cryptic means hidden, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
35. copious. Copious means plentiful, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
36. antagonist. An antagonist is opposition or an adversary, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
37. parity. Parity means equality, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
38. agrarian. Agrarian means having to do with farming and agriculture, the opposite of the words in the group.
39. venerate. Venerate means to honor, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.
40. minimize. Minimize means to play down or keep to a minimum, the opposite of the meaning of the words in the group.

Choosing the Right Word

41. agrarian. Context clue is the ranch in Montana; life on a ranch would have to do with agriculture and farming.
42. copious. Context clue is that she filled a notebook with her notes.
43. consummate. Context clue is that the car salesman wanted the customers to finish the transaction by buying a car.
44. puerile. Context clue is that her behavior appeared childish and immature.
45. obsolescence. Context clue is that the car industry makes cars that eventually must be replaced.
46. cryptic. Context clue is that most people wouldn't understand the phrase.
47. bigotry. Context clue is that many schools have programs to reduce hatred.
48. relentless. Context clue is that the Coast Guard searched for three weeks.
49. venerate. Context clue is that people in some cultures seek their elders' wisdom.
50. mutation. Context clue is that the bacteria change over time.

Crossword Puzzle Solution