Word Meanings In Context

Word Meanings From Context
Use the context to help you determine the meaning of each highlighted word.
1.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.
If a statement is plausible, __________.
a. you must always believe itb. you should never believe itc. it's hard to understand because it makes no sensed. it's believable enough to possibly be true
2. If you don't curtail your spending, you'll be broke in no time at all!
Which word is a synonym of "curtail"?
a. reduceb. followc. behindd. buy
3. No word must ever leak out about this military action! It has to be a clandestine operation in order to succeed.
Which word is a synonym of "clandestine"?
a. familyb. usefulc. dangerousd. secret
4. 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?
a. live in a certain placeb. block or slow downc. itch or burnd. help to do something important
5.Fortunately, the dizzy spell was transient. He was able to continue playing within seconds and had no trouble winning the match.
When you describe an event as “transient,” you are saying that __________.
a. it sounds like a trainb. it is quite harmfulc. it helps you wind. it doesn't last long
6. Brea and Elizabeth are having a dispute over which radio station to play at work. It would be so much simpler if they both liked the same kind of music.
A dispute is a __________.
a. musical instrumentb. choice of musicc. discoveryd. disagreement
7. 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.
Which would be the opposite of “disperse”?
a. come togetherb. smilec. fly like a birdd. sing
8. It’s a wonder to me how anyone can still be undecided about this election. These two candidates are certainly distinct. Each would lead our nation in opposite directions.
What does “distinct” mean?
a. needing a bathb. dishonestc. clearly differentd. about the same age
9. Mr. Huge was very proud of his auto superstore. “We have such an extensive selection of cars,” he said, “so everyone should find a vehicle that he or she will love!”
The word “extensive” means __________.
a. costing a lot of moneyb. large amountc. having no colord. not enough
10. Friendship is a priceless thing. If Chris put a price, or conditions, on her friendship, it’s no longer priceless. In fact, it’s not real friendship at all!
If something is priceless, __________.
a. it has a missing tagb. it has no valuec. it has great valued. it is made out of rice
11. The news story was based on a letter that was a fabrication. Now the reporter who wrote the story is in big trouble. Will anyone believe him again?
A fabrication is __________.
a. made of clothb. full of long wordsc. funnyd. fake
12. The reporter insisted that the letter he used was authentic. He said that he had shown it to many experts before he used it in his story.
When something is authentic, it’s __________.
a. genuine, or realb. carefully writtenc. full of tasty wormsd. very old
13. In 1975, Governor James promised to do something about the high taxes in our state. She didn’t present a tax cut bill to lawmakers until 1985. It took her a decade to keep her promise, but better late than never.
How long is a decade?
a. 75 yearsb. 85 yearsc. a centuryd. 10 years
14. Your plan looks good. I hope it will really work. It’s time to implement it and see if it’s as brilliant as you claim.
a. instrumentb. take apartc. changed. carry out
15. If your plan fails, we’ll have to find someone who can devise a better one.
a. designb. dislikec. applianced. to use peanut butter as toothpaste
16. Of course, I’m not saying that your plan is no good. I tend to be optimistic, so I won’t be surprised when you succeed.
a. expecting the best to happenb. needing glasses to seec. full of gasd. unselfish

17. When your plan brings us great wealth, you will be rewarded for your sagacity.
a. good looksb. mistakesc. intelligenced. huge appetite for herbs
18. No matter what happens, I assure you that I will not forget how hard you have worked on this project.
a. dareb. promisec. act like a donkeyd. forget
Ryan is a great inventor. However, I don’t think that his latest invention, edible socks, is likely to be too successful. Not many people want to eat socks. There are some things in life that should remain inedible.
19. Which word in the passage means “fit to be eaten”?
20. Which word in the passage means “not fit to be eaten”?
Marsha is really an introvert. When I took her to Jason’s party, she sat in a corner without speaking to anyone. All she did was eat most of the snacks. The only reason she hangs out with me is because I never try to force her to be sociable. She would never forgive me if I introduced her to anyone.
21 An introvert is usually _____.
a. friendlyb. hungryc. uncleand. shy
Sunshine said, “Amber, why are you making such a big deal about Robert’s hair? Yes, he did dye it purple. It is rather unusual for a guy to have purple hair. On the other hand, it’s not exactly going to change the course of world history. It’s really quite a trivial matter.”
22. What does “trivial” mean?
a. strangeb. unimportantc. disgustingd. dangerous
The United States has a new president. Americans are hopeful that George W. Bush will succeed in dealing with some of the major problems that our nation faces. Some feel that the task will be made extremely difficult by the controversial way that the election ended. Others are very confident that our new leader is a man who will bring people together to get things done.
President Bush’s top priority will be to improve education in our country. He is determined to see that no child will ever fail. He believes that local school districts should decide how to meet national standards. The president insists that parents should have greater choices about which schools their kids attend. He will work hard to find areas of agreement between the opposing parties so that important education reforms will become law.
23. Which word in the selection is a synonym of “important”?
24. Which word in the selection is an antonym of “succeed”?
25. Which word in the selection means to make better?
Use a word from the selection to complete the following sentence.
Kedah and Pahang will be the ___________ teams in the Premier League.
26. Which word in the selection is a synonym of “nation”?
27. Which word in the selection means the rank (place in order) of importance?
28. Which word in the selection means having a lot of disagreement.
Megan was determined to finish her homework before bedtime. She still had to start her math assignment; it would take at least an hour to complete. She sighed and thought, “I’ve been working really hard since right after dinner!”
29. Which word in the paragraph is an antonym of “complete”?
30. Which word in the paragraph is an antonym of “before”?
There are some very different opinions about the outcome of the presidential election. James insists that Al Gore really won the election and that the U.S. Supreme Court took it away from him. He didn’t have the same kind of objections when the Florida Supreme Court ruled for his candidate. Is James right, or is he just a sore loser?
In my opinion, the final decision was correct. The Supreme Court of the United States ruled against a very bad and unequal process. Votes weren’t being counted, they were being assigned to people who hadn’t cast legal votes. George W. Bush was the true winner of the presidential election.
31. Which word in the selection is an antonym of “same”?
32. Which word in the selection is an antonym of “against”?
33. Which word in the selection is an antonym of “loser”?
Harold is a hard worker who helps our company succeed. We would be well advised to pay him more money before some other corporation snatches him away. It’s always wise to compensate employees fairly if you want your business to thrive.
34. Which word in the selection is a synonym of “compensate”?
35. Which word in the selection is a synonym of “corporation”?
Santa just can’t expect his elves to manufacture all the presents he needs to deliver to good little boys and girls. That task could never be done in time. The elves do make many of the toys in Santa’s own shop. The rest of the toys are outsourced to major companies around the world. Santa requires a lot of help to get his job accomplished.
36. Which word in the selection is a synonym of “manufacture”?
37. Which word in the selection is a synonym of “accomplished”?
38. Which word in the selection is a synonym of “needs”?
39. Which word in the selection is a synonym of “job”?
40. 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?
a. helpb. figure outc. blockd. tickle
41. There is a legal battle raging and the judges are concerned that time is running out. Lawyers are being asked to expedite the matter by getting their paperwork in early.
What does “expedite” mean?
a. quickenb. agree onc. sued. discuss
42. The Florida legislature believes that it has the power to choose the winner of the election if the courts haven’t finished their work by December 12. Both houses are controlled by Republicans and they would surely resolve the matter in Bush’s favor.
What does “resolve” mean?
a. cancelb. considerc. debated. settle
43. 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?
a. step aside and not be involvedb. admit that you are wrongc. leave the countryd. insist on being heard
44. If you count all the votes in an area that heavily supports candidate A, and only some of the votes in an area that heavily supports candidate B, you’ll skew the results in favor of candidate A.
What does “skew” mean?
a. roastb. ignorec. slantd. ask
45. The home team made sure that the officials were on their side. They won a close game and the championship with many questionable decisions from the officials. However, no one from any other town would accept the winners as legitimate champions.
What does “legitimate” mean?
a. realb. talentedc. sneakyd. good looking
46. Some people believe that lawyers are always working to see that justice is done. On the other hand, some believe that lawyers only want to manipulate the legal system to get what they want. Could both sides be right?
What does “manipulate” mean?
a. control in a dishonest wayb. give helpc. teach about or explaind. disagree with
47. Both sides battled for years. They were very far apart and could find no way to make a lasting peace. When the fighting finally came to an end, everyone was exhausted and embittered.
What does “embittered” mean?
a. very angry, resentful
b. sour tasting
c. humorous
d. Annoyed



We walked slowly down the trail with great trepidation. No one who had gone this way had ever been heard from again. Had they simply found a better place to settle on this dark planet? We doubted that.
48. Which word is a synonym of “trepidation”?
a. movementb. worryc. enjoymentd. laughter
Only an hour or so had passed before a tremendous roar shook the ground. At that very moment, a strange grey creature materialized before our eyes. It resembled a lizard in shape. It was about ten feet high at the shoulders and at least fifty feet long.
49. What did the creature do?
a. It whipped its tail back and forth.b. It stamped its feet.c. It showed its sharp teeth.d. It appeared.
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.
50. A porous material _____.
a. is good for holding things that you pourb. protects you in pouring rainc. allows liquids to flow through itd. is necessary for making bowling balls
We have rather lofty expectations for you, son. You will attend college. You will become rich and famous. You will be elected president of the United States before you turn forty.
51. Which word is a synonym of “lofty”?
a. highb. shakyc. smalld. lowly