Level G, Unit 4: Completing the Sentence, Level G. Unit 4:

(ant.) RELEASE the trapped bat

incarcerate

(syn.) IMMURED for years in a dank dungeon

incarcerated

Even critics of our penal system admit that as long as hardened criminals are ____________ they can't commit further crimes.

incarcerated

It is ________________ on all of us to do whatever we can to help our community overcome this crisis.

incumbent

(ant.) a HUMORLESS manner

jocular

(syn.) a WITTY conversation

jocular

It was pleasant to see the usually quiet and restrained Mr. Baxter in such a(n) ________________ and expansive mood.

jocular

Since I had only one year of high-school French, my attempts to speak that language on my trip to Paris were pretty _________.

ludicrous

Shakespeare's Timon of Athens is a disillusioned misanthrope who spends his time hurling ____________ barbs at the rest of mankind.

mordant

I regret that Nancy was ______________ by my unfavorable review of her short story, but I had to express my opinion honestly.

nettled

(syn.) IRKS her coworkers with senseless chatter

nettles

(syn.) received FINANCIAL conpensation

pecuniary

Despite all their highfalutin malarkey about helping the poor, I suspect that their interest in the project is purely _____________.

pecuniary

(ant.) made a DARING attempt

pusillanimous

(syn.) CRAVEN behavior

pusillanimous

Most people regarded the government's attempt to avert a war by buying off the aggressor as not shameful but ____________.

pusillanimous

(ant.) stayed UPRIGHT without moving

recumbent

(syn.) PROSTRATE on a hospital bed

recumbent

I get my best ideas while lying down; the _____________ position seems to stimulate my brain.

recumbent

(syn.) the ill-conceived RUSE

stratagem

The purpose of our ______________ was to draw in the safety so that Tom could get behind him to retrieve a long pass.

stratagem

Mordant

(adj.) Biting or caustic in through, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh. (SYN: acrimonious, acidulous, sardonic, scathing) (ANT: bland, mild, gentle, soothing)

Consummate

(adj.) Complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) To bring to a state of completion or perfection. (SYN: masterful, clinch, conclude) (ANT: launch, initiate, begin, kick-off)

Pecuniary

(adj.) Consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money. (SYN: monetary)

Pusillanimous

(adj.) Contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited. (SYN: lily-livered) (ANT: stouthearted, courageous)

Frenetic

(adj.) Frenzied, highly agitated. (SYN: frantic, overwrought) (ANT: calm, controlled, relaxed, leisurely)

Jocular

(adj.) Humorous, jesting, jolly, joking. (SYN: waggish, facetious, droll) (ANT: solemn, grave, earnest, grim)

Recumbent

(adj.) In a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting. (SYN: prone, supine, inactive) (ANT: erect, energetic, dynamic)

Incumbent

(adj.) Obligatory, required. (n.) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of. (SYN: mandatory, necessary) (ANT: optional, unnecessary)

Ludicrous

(adj.) Ridiculous, laughable, absurd. (SYN: risible, preposterous) (ANT: heartrending, poignant, pathetic)

Bastion

(n.) A fortified place, stronghold. (SYN: citadel, rampart, parapet)

Nettle

(n.) A prickly or stinging plant; (v.) To arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely. (SYN: peeve, annoy, incense, gall) (ANT: please, delight, soothe, pacify)

Stratagem

(n.) A scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end. (SYN: trick, ploy, subterfuge)

Concord

(n.) A state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant. (ANT: disagreement, strife, discord)

Grouse

(n.) A type of game bird; a complaint; (v.) to complain, grumble. (SYN: kvetch, bellyache)

Disarray

(n.) Disorder, confusion. (v.) To throw into disorder. (SYN: disorganization, dishevel, mess up) (ANT: organization, order, tidiness)

Flotsam

(n.) Floating debris; homeless, impoverished people. (SYN: floating wreckage)

Atrophy

(n.) The wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) To waste away. (SYN: degeneration, deterioration, wither) (ANT: growth, mature)

Exigency

(n.) Urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency. (SYN: requirement, crisis)

Glean

(v.) To gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers. (SYN: cull, pick up)

Incarcerate

(v.) To imprison, confine, jail. (SYN: intern) (ANT: liberate, free)

exigencies

A born leader is someone who can rise to the __________ of any crisis that he or she may be confronted with.

consummate

All that I needed to __________ the most important deal of my career was her signature on the dotted line.

concord

Before the ceremony began, we all bowed our heads and prayed for unity, peace, and __________ among all nations.

recumbent

Comforably __________ in the shade of the elm tree, I watched the members of the football team go through a long, hard workout.

jocular

Do you really think that those __________ remarks are appropriate on such a solemn occasion?

grouse

During the 19th century, it was fashionable to spend a few weeks in the fall hunting __________, pheasants, and other game birds.

bastions

I have always regarded our schools and colleges as citadels of learning and __________ against ignorance and superstition.

mordant

I noticed with approval that his __________ remarks were intended to deflate the pompous and unmask the hypocritical.

incarcerated

In Victorian times, fashionable ladies __________ their waists in tight corsets to achieve a chic "hourglass" figure.

flotsam

In the shelter, I saw for the first time people who'd been beaten and discouraged by life - the so-called derelicts and __________ of the great city.

nettle

It has been said that the only way to handle a __________, or any difficult problem, without being stung is to grasp it firmly and decisively.

incumbents

Of the ten Congressional seats in our state, only one was won by a new member; all the other winners were __________.

disarray

The affair of our city are in such __________ that the state may have to intervene to restore some semblance of order.

atrophy

The huge influx of wealth that resulted from foreign conquests led in part to the physical and moral __________ of the Roman ruling class.

pecuniary

The only way we'll really be able to increase productivity is to offer our employees a few solid __________ incentives to work harder.

ludicrous

There are few things in life as __________ as an unqualified person trying to assume the trappings of authority.

pusillanimous

To feel fear in difficult situations is natural, but to allow one's conduct to be governed by fear is __________.

glean

We were able to __________ only a few shreds of useful information from his long, pretentious speech.

frenetic

We were fascinated by the __________ scene on the floor of the stock exchange as brokers struggled to keep up with sudden price changes.

strategems

What we need to cope with this crisis is not cute __________ but a bold, realistic plan and the courage to carry it out

(ant.) enthusiasm that DEVELOPED

atrophied

Almost every case of muscle or tissue ___________ is the result of disease, prolonged disuse, or changes in cell nutrition.

atrophy

(syn.) a longtime BULWARK of resistance

bastion

The high ground east of the river formed a natural __________, which we decided to defend with all forces at our disposal.

bastion

Peace is not just the absence of war but a positive state of ____________ among the nations of the world.

concord

As soon as he struck the opening chords of the selection, we realized that we were listening to a(n) ______________ master of the piano.

consummate

The defeated army fled in such ______________ that before long it had become little more than a uniformed mob.

disarray

The ____________ of my present financial situation demand that I curtail all unnecessary expenses for at least a month.

exigencies

The _____________ that we observed here and there in the harbor bore mute testimony to the destructive power of the storm.

flotsam

People who are used to the unhurried atmosphere of a country town often find it hard to cope with the ____________ pace of big-city life.

frenetic

Though next to nothing is known about Homer, historians have been able to _________ a few odd facts about him from studying his works.

glean

(syn.) COLLECTED tidbits of information

gleaned

I have yet to meet an adult who did not __________ about the taxes he or she had to pay.

grouse

(syn.) GRIPES about every change in the routine

grouses