Unit 15 Vocabulary Choosing the Right Word

Pandemonium

(Pandemonium/Defamation) erupted when the nervous theater manager announced to the waiting crowd that the rock concert was canceled.

fracas

A (fracas/chagrin) between rival groups on the floor of the convention was swiftly quelled by security guards.

concurred

After a lot of persuading, our parents (repressed/concurred) with our plan to make a bicycle tour of New England.

raucous

After spending a month in the country, we found the sounds of rush-hour traffic in the big city more (raucous/grotesque) than ever.

concur

Although some people would disagree, many more would (concur/renounce) that the Beatles were the most influential rock band of all time.

explicate

Economists have spent years attempting to (acclimate/explicate) the causes of the 1929 stock market collapse and the years of economic depression that followed it.

explicate

For centuries scholars have argued over how to (explicate/renounce) certain cryptic passages in Milton's plays and poems.

receptive

Gloria's kind words put me in a such a (receptive/savory) fame of mind that I agree to work on the committee before I knew what I was doing.

abrasive

He has a good deal of ability, but his (zealous/abrasive) personality has prevented him from getting ahead in the business world.

vehemence

I was startled not so much by your disapproval of my proposal as by the (fracas/vehemence) with which you denounced it.

renounce

In unforgettable words, the soothsayer called on mankind to (acclimate/renounce) the use of armed force.

acclimated

It's not surprising that after so many years of military service, he has found it difficult to become (acclimated/vehement) to civilian life.

complacent

Kim attributed her failure to get the leader role in the play to the director's poor judgement and remained (raucous/complacent) about her acting abilities.

defaming

Lacking a positive program of his own, he hoped to gain the support of the voters by (explicating/defaming) the other candidates.

voluble

Mr. Sanderson is usually a man of very few words, but he was certainly (abrasive/voluble) when we asked him about his operation.

savory

Rosemary is preferred in this soup due to its (savory/voluble) qualities.

savory

Some people seem to relish every (somnolent/savory) morsel of gossip that comes their way.

zealous

Some politicians are more (zealous/voluble) in promoting their own careers than in seeking to help the people who elected them.

complacent

The (voluble/complacent) expression on the antique doll's porcelain face seemed to proclaim, "All's right with the world."

grotesque

The figures in the surrealistic painting had the (grotesque/reticent) appearance of characters in a nightmare.

reticent

The workers were (vehement/reticent) to speak about the bank robbery, frightened that the thieves might later seek retaliation.

repress

We all have impulses to violence, but we must learn to (repress/concur) them if we are to live in a civilized society.

reticent

Why is it that some people are so talkative about most things but so (complacent/reticent) about their own personal backgrounds?

somnolent

Will I ever again sleep as deeply as I did on those deliciously (raucous/somnolent) afternoons on that hot, quiet beach?

chagrin

With deep (chagrin/pandemonium), I must confess that I was the one who neglected to hire the orchestra for the class dance.