Level H. 1 completing the sentence

bellwether

a handful of self-appointed ''leaders'' served as the _______ who induced the mob to surge through the barriers

hidebound

advocates of equal rights maintain that we must reject the _______ prejudices that bar the physically impaired from many occupations

oblivious

as a rule, i am not a particularly proud of combative person, but i cannot be _______ to the fact that you have deliberately insulted me

chimerical

as late as the seventeenth century, researchers called ''alchemists'' devoted their lives to the pursuit of ________ schemes for turning iron into gold

mirage

cynics may say that the goal of universal and lasting peace is no more than a _______, but we must continue to hope and strive for it

poltroon

don quixote dismissed as a mere ______ anyone who refused to join in his crusade against the forces of evil

morass

ever since she learned of the failure of her project, she has been mired in a _______ of disappointment and self-recrimination

supine

failure in itself is no disgrace, but the ________ acceptance of failure certainly is.

raillery

i detected an undertone of hostility and ridicule in the remarks, which we ostensibly no more than good-natured ________

fait accompli

i regret fred's resignation as much as anyone, but i think that we must regard it as an _______ and find someone to take his place

caterwaul

i think that the critic was a little harsh when he observed that the band's lead vocalist did not sing so much as __________

Ribald

if you think that the literature of earlier ages was always staid and proper, take a look at some of the ________ stories in the Decameron, written more than 600 years ago

noisome

polluted by the spill from a nearby chemical plant, the once beautiful lake had become a foul pool, ____

hierarchy

she used talent, charm, energy, and determination to fight her way up the corporate _________ until she attained the highest position in the company

quasi

since the smithsonian institution is only partly under the control of the united states goverment, it is considered a _________ governmental institution

proselyte

taking advantage of the young man's naive idealism, that sought to make him an _________ to serve in their wild revolutionary plots.

adjunct

the local parents' association has on many occasions served as a willing _____ to the administration and staff of our school.

vignettes

the newspaper published a series of charming ______ by my aunt alice- brief sketches of the town she grew up in

liturgy

the use of english rather than traditional languages in religious ceremonies is evidence of efforts to modernize and revitalize the ______ of various denominations

effete

their youthful enthusiasm for literature had degenerated over the years into a _____ preoccupation with quibbling criticism and minor details.