Unit Five: Chapter 29

• avid • mediate

• dwindle • muted

• esteem • nurture

• evoke • pacify

• legacy • transient

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

1 avid

Avid means

A. likable.

B. devoted.

C. helpful.

• Suki, an avid reader, enjoys nothing more than a good science-fiction novel.

• Artie is such an avid sports fan that he has two televisions tuned to different sporting events so he doesn’t miss any action.

– adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Avid means

A. likable.

B. devoted.

C. helpful.

• Suki, an avid reader, enjoys nothing more than a good science-fiction novel.

• Artie is such an avid sports fan that he has two televisions tuned to different sporting events so he doesn’t miss any action.

If Suki enjoys nothing more than a good science-fiction novel, she must be a devoted reader. If Artie watches two sporting events at once, he must be a devoted sports fan.

1 avid – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

2 dwindle – verb

Dwindle means

A. to make sense.

B. to drop suddenly.

C. to decrease.

• As the number of leaves on the tree dwindled, the number on the ground increased.

• Chewing nicotine gum helped Doreen’s craving for cigarettes to dwindle. She smoked fewer and fewer cigarettes each day until she quit altogether.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Dwindle means

A. to make sense.

B. to drop suddenly.

C. to decrease.

• As the number of leaves on the tree dwindled, the number on the ground increased.

• Chewing nicotine gum helped Doreen’s craving for cigarettes to dwindle. She smoked fewer and fewer cigarettes each day until she quit altogether.

In the first item, the word increased tells you that the word dwindle means, in contrast, “decrease.” In the second item, if Doreen smoked fewer and fewer cigarettes each day, her craving for cigarettes must have decreased.

2 dwindle – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

3 esteem – noun

Esteem means

A. concern.

B. admiration.

C. curiosity.

• When Mr. Bauer retired after coaching basketball for thirty years, his admiring students gave him a gold whistle as a sign of their esteem.

• The critics had such esteem for the play that they voted it “Best Drama of the Year.”

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Esteem means

A. concern.

B. admiration.

C. curiosity.

• When Mr. Bauer retired after coaching basketball for thirty years, his admiring students gave him a gold whistle as a sign of their esteem.

• The critics had such esteem for the play that they voted it “Best Drama of the Year.”

In the first item, the word admiring tells you that esteem must mean “admiration.” In the second item, if the critics voted the play “Best Drama of the Year,” they must have had admiration for it.

3 esteem – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

• Music can evoke powerful feelings. A sweet violin solo often moves its listeners to tears.

• The smells of cider and pumpkin pie evoke thoughts of autumn.

4 evoke

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Evoke means

A. to bring out.

B. to shelter.

C. to follow.

– verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXT

• Music can evoke powerful feelings. A sweet violin solo often moves its listeners to tears.

• The smells of cider and pumpkin pie evoke thoughts of autumn.

Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Evoke means

A. to bring out.

B. to shelter.

C. to follow. If a violin solo can move listeners to tears, music must bring out powerful feelings. In the second item, the smells of cider and pumpkin pie would bring out thoughts of autumn.

4 evoke – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Legacy means

A. a memory.

B. a high hope.

C. an inherited gift.

5 legacy – noun

• Ana’s great-grandfather, grandmother, and mother were all musicians. She must have inherited their legacy of musical talent because she’s an excellent piano and guitar player.

• One of the richest legacies that my mother handed down to me is the love of nature. I’ve inherited her interests in growing flowers and in hiking.

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Legacy means

A. a memory.

B. a high hope.

C. an inherited gift.

• Ana’s great-grandfather, grandmother, and mother were all musicians. She must have inherited their legacy of musical talent because she’s an excellent piano and guitar player.

• One of the richest legacies that my mother handed down to me is the love of nature. I’ve inherited her interests in growing flowers and in hiking.

In both items, the word inherited suggests that legacy means “an inherited gift.”

5 legacy – noun

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Mediate means

A. to avoid.

B. to settle.

C. to observe.

• My father refused to mediate quarrels between my sister and me. He would say, “Settle your own fights.”

• Each of the farmers claimed the stream was part of his property. Finally, they agreed to let the town council mediate their conflict.

6 mediate – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Mediate means

A. to avoid.

B. to settle.

C. to observe.

• My father refused to mediate quarrels between my sister and me. He would say, “Settle your own fights.”

• Each of the farmers claimed the stream was part of his property. Finally, they agreed to let the town council mediate their conflict.

In the first item, the word settle tells you the meaning of mediate. In the second item, the farmers agreed to let the town council settle their conflict.

6 mediate – verb

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Muted means

A. soft.

B. temporary.

C. boring.

• When I put in my earplugs, the yelling from the next apartment becomes muted enough so that it no longer disturbs me.

• The artist used muted rather than bright colors, giving the painting a quiet, peaceful tone.

7 muted – adjective

A picture painted in a muted colors

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Muted means

A. soft.

B. temporary.

C. boring.

• When I put in my earplugs, the yelling from the next apartment becomes muted enough so that it no longer disturbs me.

• The artist used muted rather than bright colors, giving the painting a quiet, peaceful tone.

Earplugs would make the yelling become soft. In the second item, the word bright suggests that muted means, by contrast, “soft.”

A picture painted in a muted colors

7 muted – adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Nurture means

A. to inspect.

B. to seek out.

C. to care for.

• Although I often forget to water or feed my plants, my sister carefully nurtures her many ferns and violets.

• Many animals feed and protect their babies, but female fish, in general, do not nurture their young. The female only lays the eggs, which are guarded by the male until they hatch.

8 nurture – verb

A bird nurturing her young

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Nurture means

A. to inspect.

B. to seek out.

C. to care for.

• Although I often forget to water or feed my plants, my sister carefully nurtures her many ferns and violets.

• Many animals feed and protect their babies, but female fish, in general, do not nurture their young. The female only lays the eggs, which are guarded by the male until they hatch.

To water and feed plants is to care for them. Similarly, in the second item, to feed and protect one’s offspring is to care for one’s young.

8 nurture – verb

A bird nurturing her young

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Pacify means

A. to amuse.

B. to encourage.

C. to soothe.

• When I’m feeling nervous or upset, I often pacify myself with a soothing cup of mint tea.

• Not only did I anger Roberta by calling her boyfriend “a creep,” but I failed to pacify her with my note of apology: “I’m sorry I called Mel a creep. It’s not always wise to tell the truth.”

9 pacify – verb

A baby pacifierPicture courtesy of DailyClipArt.net

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Pacify means

A. to amuse.

B. to encourage.

C. to soothe.

• When I’m feeling nervous or upset, I often pacify myself with a soothing cup of mint tea.

• Not only did I anger Roberta by calling her boyfriend “a creep,” but I failed to pacify her with my note of apology: “I’m sorry I called Mel a creep. It’s not always wise to tell the truth.”

In the first item, the word soothing suggests that pacify means “to soothe.” In the second item, a note of apology would usually be intended to soothe a person one had angered.

9 pacify – verb

A baby pacifierPicture courtesy of DailyClipArt.net

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Transient means

A. dull.

B. short-lived.

C. hard to notice.

10 transient • The drug’s dangers include both permanent brain damage and

transient side effects, such as temporarily blurred vision.

• Julia wants a lasting relationship, but Rico seems interested in only a transient one.

– adjective

TEN WORDS IN CONTEXTChoose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word.

Transient means

A. dull.

B. short-lived.

C. hard to notice.

• The drug’s dangers include both permanent brain damage and transient side effects, such as temporarily blurred vision.

• Julia wants a lasting relationship, but Rico seems interested in only a transient one.

In the first item, the example given (“temporarily blurred vision”) tells you that the blurred vision is a short-lived side effect. In the second item, in contrast with a lasting relationship, Rico wants a short-lived one.

10 transient – adjective