Unit 6 Level H Sadlier Oxford Vocab

something that is portentous is a. awe-inspiring b. alluring c. immense d. miniscule

a

Prior to the Wright brothers' first successful airplane flight in 1903, all of mankind's efforts to fly had been (internecine, abortive)

abortive

antonym of- successful

abortive

her (abortive, contumelious) attempt to ruin our plans was malicious but unsuccessful

abortive

synonym of- premature

abortive

the coach devised a clever strategy, but it proved to be ________ when our team failed to execute it properly

abortive

a touchstone is a(n) a. interior b. criterion c. foresight d. opening

b

antonym of- conceal

bruit

synonym of- broadcast

bruit

i certainly have no intention of turning my back on them simply because it has been _____ about town they are involved in some sort of scandal

bruited

the decline in the value of the company's stock was attributed to the fact that rumors of a contract cancellation had been widely (bruited, vitiated)

bruited

an internecine war is a. abbreviated b. interminable c. deleterious for all d. injurious to a few

c

synonym of- scurrilous

contumelious

the speaker paid no attention to the __________ remarks of a few hecklers in the crowd but went right on with her speech

contumelious

a modulated sound is a. systematic b. divided c. fortified d. adjusted

d

a result that is vitiated is not a. spoiled b. debased c. impeded d. improved

d

my plan to run in the primaries will not be diverted by the (touchstone, dicta) of so-called experts who assert that I have no chance of winning

dicta

it is one thing to offer a personal opinion; it is quite another to issue a(n) ______ as though you are the only one with any knowledge of the subject

dictum

my mother passed on her greatest wisdom with the following (prescience, dictum): treat others the way you want to be treated

dictum

antonym of- displace

ensconce

synonym of- nestled

ensconce

and such are the quirks of fate that there Maria was, after all her mishaps and blunders, firmly _________ as the persident of the firm

ensconced

the cat (ensconced, bruited) herself in the safety behind the coats

ensconced

with her elegance and remarkable feel for style is it any wonder she soon became (modulated, ensconced) as the arbiter of fashion?

ensconced

some people seem to be natural nonconformists; for them (prescience, iconoclasm) is not just a mood or an affection but a way of life

iconoclasm

as she thoroughly enjoys taking potshots at sacred cows, i'd describe her attitude as definitely _________

iconoclastic

Willy-nilly, parents often enter (in medias res, waggishly) into a quarrel between siblings, especially when lasting damage seems about to occur

in medias res

homer's iliad begins (quid pro quo, in medias res) with a dramatic argument between Agamemnon and Achilles during the Trojan War

in medias res

to gain the immediate attention of the reader, the short-story writer sometimes begins a narrative _____________, rather than at the very beginning of events

in medias res

warfare has become too (internecine, saturnalian) to risk

internecine

what we are facing in this organization is not healthy competition among the executives but a(n) ____________ struggle that will destroy the company

internecine

antonym of- skillful

maladroit

if you are so ________ in handling your own personal affairs, how can you presume to advise others how to manage their lives?

maladroit

synonym of- clumsy

maladroit

their efforts to settle the differences between the two factions were so (portentous, maladroit) that what had begun as a rift became a chasm

maladroit

in that situation, I don't know which was more distressing the callous indifference of some of my friends or the (maudlin, contumelious) sympathy of others

maudlin

synonym of- sentimental

maudlin

the deathbead scene might have been effective if it had been played with restraint, but their woefully ham-handed acting turned it into a(n) _________ tearjerker

maudlin

in spite of my extreme nervousness, i made every effort to (modulate, bruit) my voice and speak the first lines in a calm, controlled manner

modulate

while the organizations;s goal is ultimately free trade, each state must have the freedom to (modulate, vitiate) trade based on interests

modulate

though the critic still has nothing good to say about modern art, age and experience have somewhat ________ the intensity of his disapproval

modulated

i felt that i had stated my case with sincerity and conviction but my heart sank when they reacted with a (maladroit, portentous) silence

portentous

in her volume of fairy tales, the great creatures of (portentous, salubrious) size were both gentle giants and dragon

portentous

though the guests at the gala benefit tried to maintain a n air of cheer, the _________ news of the international crisis hung like a pall over the gathering

portentous

for years, churchill's warnings about hitler were dismissed as alarmism; only after the outbreak of ww2 did people appreciate his ________

prescience

synonym of- foresight

prescience

they survived the critical years due to their uncanny (prescience, touchstone) that enabled them to anticipate the moves of their enemies

prescience

The concessions that we are making are manifest but I do not perceive a reasonable (prescience, quid pro quo) from the other side

quid pro quo

how can you expect them to cooperate with us unless they receive some reasonable _______ for their efforts

quid pro quo

in our bored and depressed mood, her buoyant personality had a most _____ effect

salubrious

synonym of- beneficial

salubrious

their cool and detached skepticism now struck me as a(n) (iconoclastic, salubrious) factor in that highly emotionalized situation

salubrious

when the miners arrived with all their back pay and intent upon having fun, our town soon took on the aspect of a frontier (saturnalia, quid pro quo)

saturnalia

a group of elderly people sitting about sipping tea and discussing the weather of scarcely my idea of _______ revelry

saturnalian

a strict sense of honesty, marked by a refusal to take refuge in clever ambiguities, has been the (touchstone, dictum) of my career in politics

touchstone

more than anything else, the ability to create distinctive characters and make them come alive on the page is the ________ of a great novelsit

touchstone

Historians believe that the Civil War had a collective (traumatic, salubrious) impact, which was not healed until a new generation had grown to maturity

traumatic

i was an extremely sensitive child, and the death of my beloved mother certainly had a(n) _______ effect upon me

traumatic

All the snide rumors that have been spread about them do not (vitiate, ensconce) their solid reputation for authentic kindness and decency

vitiate

all the evidence presented at such length by their lawyers does not seriously _______ the case against the accused

vitiate

synonym of- undermine

vitiate

Although those supposedly (abortive, waggish) remarks were dressed in the guise of humor, they betrayed a strong undertone of resentment

waggish

antonym of- dour

waggish

if he would only devote more time in school to serious study and less to _____ pranks, his grades would probably improve

waggish

synonym of- jocular

waggish