Vocab Level G Unit 4: Choosing the Right Word

Recent polls confirm a widespread ______ in small business owner's abilities to secure bank loans at reasonable rates.

atrophy

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

atrophy

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

bastions

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

concord

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

consummate

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

disarray

The undisciplined puppy ______ the boxes in the garage.

disarrayed

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

exigencies

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

flotsam

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

frenetic

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

glean

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

grouse

Although most of diners' comments were favorable, several ______ about the soggy salads dismayed the chef.

grouses

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

incarcerated

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

incumbents

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

jocular

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

ludicrous

Why did my grandparents feel it necessary to show the ______ photo of me dressed as a chicken to my new girlfriend?

ludicrous

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

mordant

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

nettle

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

pecuniary

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

pusillanimous

Comfortably ______ in the shade of the elm tree, I watched the members of the football teams go through a long, hard workout.

recumbent

In his 1907 paint The Sick Child, Edvard Munch's depiction of a ______ adolescent creates a mood of despair.

recumbent

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

stratagems