Improving Vocabulary Skills

Improving Vocabulary Skills Chapter 21

1. credible (adj.) - ___________ Some jurors doubted the witness’s testimony, but most of them found it credible. credible means: • long • boring • C. believable

2. cursory (adj.) - ___________ Because James had to work late, he had only enough time to give his apartment a cursory cleaning before his parents arrived. cursorymeans: • careful • consistent • C. quick

3. designate (verb) - ___________ At the party, Betty drank soda rather than beer, so her friends designated her as the driver for the trip home. designatemeans: • to forbid • to assign • C. to hire

4. deviate (verb) - ___________ If you deviate even a little from the test’s directions, you might hurt your grade. deviatemeans: • to follow • to depart • C. to gain

5. improvise (verb) - ___________ When I rang the doorbell, I wasn’t expecting Ellen’s father to come to the door, so I had to quickly improvise an explanation for my visit improvisemeans: • to remember • to keep away from • C. to invent

6. interim (noun) - ___________ Cassie hadn’t seen her nephews for years. In the interim, they had grown from troubled boys into serious young men. interimmeans: • the time between • the future • C. the place

7. latent (adj.) - ___________ Certain viruses, such as the one for AIDS, can be latent in the body for years before symptoms appear. latentmeans: • partial • inactive • C. absent

8. secular (adj.) - ___________ While our government is secular, some governments are directly tied to a religion. secularmeans: • spiritual • reliable • C. nonreligious

9. shun (verb) - ___________ I used to see a lot of Tracy, but since our argument, she shuns me whenever possible. shunmeans: • to keep away from • to recognize • C. to observe

10. simulate (verb) - ___________ The tan plastic of our kitchen table, with its wood-grain design, simulates oak. simulatemeans: • to contrast with • to imitate • C. to be made of

Improving Vocabulary Skills