Vocab Unit 1 CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORD

Aerial (reconnaissance, encomium) of he enemy's positions provided the general with information he needed to plan his attack.

reconnaissance

The historian needed to scrutinize additional handwriting samples before he could (eschew, substantiate) he signature on the document.

substantiate

What evident can you offer to (substantiate,eschew) the assertion that capital punishment does not deter potential murderers?

substantiate

Famous for his monosyllabic replies to questions and a somber and (taciturn,germane) nature, President Coolidge had the nickname "Silent Cal"

taciturn

The new batting champion in our softball league is a (insatiable, taciturn) young man who prefers to let his bat do his talking for him.

taciturn

Ethelred the Unready was so reluctant to face the Vikings who invaded his kingdom that in effect he (arrogated, temporized) himself off the throne.

temporized

When the evidence of his misconduct became irrefutable, he saw that his position was not (banal, tenable) and resigned.

tenable

Aristotle had such a (tenable, acquisitive) mind that his writings are a veritable gold mine of odd and interesting information.

acquisitive

The Constitution is uniquely designed to provide protection against those who might seek to (substantiate, arrogate) undue power to themselves.

arrogate

In that moment of grief, the conventional expression of sympathy I had always considered (tenable, banal) were surprisingly comforting.

banal

Suddenly a band of ruffians set upon us and began to (congeal, belabor) us with blows and curses.

belabor

Because this committee has (belabored, emulated) the issue of zoning laws for months, we will not invite public comments on it again in tonight's meeting.

belabored

After the editor read the story he returned it to the author with only a few (carping, coherent) criticisms of minor faults penciled in the margin.

carping

The poor woman was in such a state of shock after the accident that she couldn't give a (coherent, taciturn) account of what had happened.

coherent

Instead of opening voter's minds to new ideas, the debate actually (arrogated, congealed) their previous objections to the proposed legislation.

congealed

The mood of easy cordiality with which we began the meeting soon (congealed, temporized) into icy politeness.

congealed

Even a very imperfect human being may sometimes have virtues of mind or character that are worthy of (carping, emulation)

emulation

The speech was so filled with (encomiums, reconnaissance) that I found it hard to believe that the subject of all this acclaim was plain old me.

encomiums

In our attempt to improve the quality of life in America, we should not be too quick to (eschew, cohere) old ideas simply because they are old.

eschew

Your critical comments about my "lack of social background" may be true, but they are not (coherent, germane) to my qualifications for office.

germane

His figure bears witness to his (acquisitive, insatiable) appetite for the pleasures of the table.

insatiable

I am proud to have it said of me that i am stubborn and (invidious, intransigent) when genuine moral issues are involved.

intransigent

"That word has such (invidious, germane) connotation in modern American parlance" I said, "that I would hesitate to use it, even in jest."

invidious

After I mowed the lawn for an hour, he gave me a while dollar with the air of a feudal lord bestowing (largesse, intransigence) on a grateful serf.

largesse

The (carping, largesse) of grateful patients made the clinic's expression possible.

largesse