Unit 3 Level H Choosing the Right Word

A truly great leader must possess both the inspiration of a visionary and the (quizzical/pragmatic) skills of an experienced politician.

pragmatic

Your (virtuosity/pragmatism) as an orator may earn you votes, but it cannot make up for your lack of experience in and knowledge of public affairs.

virtuosity

They can't force you to do anything, but it is quite possible that they will be able to (condescend/cozen) you into actions against your best interests.

cozen

Because he sees life as a pattern of ambiguities and contradictions, he likes to express himself in the form of (quizzical/ancillary) witticisms.

quizzical

Many of the celebrated composers of classical pieces were (icons/virtuosos) long before they were even teenagers.

virtuoso

In the great crises of life, you must depend basically on yourself; the help you get from others can only be (pragmatic/ancillary).

ancillary

We did drop a few objectionable words from the dialogue, but this does not justify the critic's claim that we (cozened/bowdlerized) the play.

bowdlerized

The teacher's (condescending/bowdlerized) tone inspired many students to drop the course.

condescend

The sun left its mottled imprint on the wall as the rays filtered through the (enclaves/interstices) of the iron grating.

interstice

A theory that seems valid in the confines of a small family group may be proved useless when applied in the (macrocosm/interstice) of society at large.

macrocosm

A political candidate who promises to solve all our social problems without ever mentioning higher taxes would certainly be dismissed as a (mountebank/schism).

mountebank

Though acupuncture has been practiced in Eastern medicine for centuries, its (therapeutic/quizzical) value has only recently been acknowledged in the West.

therapeutic

If you find those people so unpleasant, why do you (cozen/condescend) to associate with them?

condescend

Our little group of would-be writers, painters, and musicians formed an (enclave/ancillary) of culture in what we considered a hostile world.

enclave

Her easygoing attitude and resilience, far from being weaknesses, proved to be her (mountebank/forte) in surviving during that trying period.

forte

The dictum "There's no such thing as free lunch" means that nothing worthwhile in life comes to us (forte/gratis).

gratis

The introductory membership letter stated that the monthly magazine was delivered (ancillary/gratis) but, nonetheless, the membership fees were exorbitant.

gratis

A(n) (macrocosm/icon) of urban Australia, the Sydney Opera House is a building of unique and masterful construction.

icon

In sandpainting, an art still practiced by the Navajos and Pueblos of the American Southwest, designs are created of (icons/fortes) representing animals, deities, and natural phenomena.

icon

After the great victory, his quiet and modest statements were far more impressive than the most effusive (paean/interstice) could have been.

paean

The clash of wits between those two brilliant columnists was no mere (persiflage/paean) , but an exchange of clever insults.

persiflage

In this situation, when I desperately needed material help, I was deluged with a(n) (plethora/enclave) of glib and gratuitous advice.

plethora

We exchanged agitated and (quizzical/pragmatic) looks after the customs agent instructed us to carry our luggage to a special table for a thorough investigation.

quizzical

It is a common mistake to assume that shrewdness in business affairs must be accompanied by extreme (rapacity/mountebank).

rapacity

The first (schism/enclave) in the Communist world of the postwar era occurred in 1948, when Yugoslavia began in earnest to distance itself from the Soviet Union.

schism