Level 1
Some people are always bashing the president just like others bashed the one before him. Wouldn't you think that everyone could find something to praise him for, at least once in a while?
What does bashed mean?
talking negatively
Your cousin claimed to be late because the doors of his house were frozen shut. Even though I have my doubts, his explanation is plausible. It got really cold last night. I'll just have to take his word for it.
What does plausible mean?
believable
If you don't curtail your spending, you'll be broke in no time at all!
What does curtail mean?
reduce
The election could actually end up being decided in the U.S. Congress. Al Gore’s vice presidential running mate, Joe Lieberman, and perhaps Mr. Gore himself, would be able to vote on the matter. Some would argue that they should recuse themselves, but they would probably exercise their right to vote.
What does recuse mean?
step aside; stop involvement
It is difficult to imagine a surfeit of talent in one individual, yet Leonard Bernstein simply does not have the time to make complete use of his talent as conductor, performer, writer, and lecturer.
What does surfeit mean?
an excess amount
As the summer sun sent scattered rays through the maple and oak leaves overhead, the young deer stood frozen, making it almost impossible for the hikers to see her.
In this context, what does frozen mean?
not moving
Put this medicine on your arm and rub it into your skin until it's invisible. It will inhibit the infection's attempt to spread.
What does inhibit mean?
block or slow down
Mr. Burke stood before his employees. They had never seen him in such a serious mood. “I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that your future with this company depends on how hard you work,” he stated firmly.
What does remiss mean?
irresponsible; neglectful
Ashlee was not happy with her friend Samantha. “I’ve been waiting here for an hour!” she growled into her cell phone. “You’d better hie over here,” she continued, “or we’ll leave without you.
What does hie mean?
move quickly; hurry
A combination of fog and industrial smoke, called smog, has vitiated the air in and around many big cities.
contaminated; polluted
When they heard the good news about the court’s decision, the angry crowd cheered and then began to disperse. “It looks like everyone is going home,” one reporter stated.
What does disperse mean?
scatter; leave
“I am going to rescind the permission I gave you to use my toys!” T. J. announced angrily. “I thought you would take good care of them, but I was wrong!”
What does rescind mean?
Kathy was looking for a strong but light material to use for making her water jugs. Unfortunately, she chose noodelite. It proved to too porous to hold jelly
What does porous mean?
penetrable; leaky
When your plan brings us great wealth, you will be rewarded for your sagacity.
What does sagacity mean?
intelligence
The lugubrious wails of the lost spirits matched the dreary whistling of the wind in the all but-deserted cemetery.
What does lugubrious mean?
I want you to weigh his words carefully. He seems sincere and presents his arguments well. There is, however, something that doesn’t quite ring true about the candidate.
In this context, what does weigh mean?
consider carefully
Both sides in the election contest are throwing accusations at each other. The Gore supporters claim that Governor Bush is trying to thwart the will of the people. The Bush supporters say that Mr. Gore is trying to create votes or assign choices to people who did not really cast votes for president.
What does thwart mean?
block; prevent
The signal from the cable is too strong for our television. We’ll have to use a filter to attenuate it.
What does attenuate mean?
We knew he couldn’t hold out much longer, because he had been doomed from the beginning. One night he met his ineluctable fate.
What does ineluctable mean?
Inevitable; bound to happen
My brother said, “I just freed myself from a very loquacious history professor. All he seemed to want was an audience and his classes lasted for hours!”
What does loquacious mean?
talkative
Their vociferous chatter made me wish I had ear plugs.
What does vociferous mean?
noisy; loud
The ambiguity of Joe’s directions made it almost impossible to find his house.
What does ambiguity mean?
vagueness
There is a large demand all over the United States for plants indigenous to the desert. Many people in Arizona have made a good business of growing and selling cacti and other local plants.
What does indigenous mean?
local; native
Flooded with spotlights, the new Miss America began her year-long reign when the crown was placed atop her head. She was the cynosure of all eyes for the rest of the evening.
What does cynosure mean?
focus; center of attention
Such are the vicissitudes of history. Nothing remains the same. Three hundred years of peace ended in darkness and confusion.
What does vicissitudes mean?
Changes