Vocabulary Tests ( 23 ) Test Twenty Three

23 - ] Vocabulary Tests  

Test Twenty Three

1 .] Read the sentence or short passages . Then write the letter for the best answer to each question on the line provided .

The oldest preeminent authors of an African American family are Annie Elizabeth (Bessie) and Sarah (Sadie) Delany . They were 102 1nd 104 when they wrote Having Our Say : The Delany Sisters’ First Hundred Years .

1 . Which word could best replace preeminent ?

( A ) familiar  ( B ) outstanding

( C ) simple  ( D ) exclusive                                                                    1 . ---------------------

The annals of the authors’ life together comprise a best-selling book that offers remarkable insight into what it means to live for over a century .

2. The word annals could best be explained as --------------

( A ) historical accounts  ( B ) rumors

( C ) necessary lessons ( D ) predictions                                                2 . --------------------

They were confounded by the racial prejudices they encountered as they ventured into the outside world .

3 . Which word could best replace confounded ?

( A ) honored ( B ) escaped

( C ) humbled ( D ) confused                                                                   3 .--------------------

During the era of Jim Crow segregation was enforced by legal sanctions .

4 . The word sanctions could best be explained as --------------

( A ) arguments ( B ) unexpected entanglements

( C ) authorizations ( D ) announcements                                               4 . --------------------

It was a shock to be relegated to the back of the trolley and to drinking fountains labeled “colored” .

5. Which word could best replace relegated ?

( A ) assisted ( B ) promoted

( C ) banished ( D ) discarded                                                                  5 . -------------------

Bessie , feisty and outspoken , believed in confrontation at any cost . She was on the front lines of double battles for equal rights .

6 . Which word could best replace feisty  ?

( A ) foolish ( B ) quiet

( C ) clumsy ( D ) quarrelsome                                                                 6 . ------------------

After being threatened by the Ku Klux Klan on Long Island , Bessie became more militant.

7 . A militant person could best be described as someone who ---------------

( A ) fights for a cause ( B ) avoids conflict

( C ) ignores tradition ( D ) follows a leader                                            7 . -------------------

Sadie , more serene and easygoing than her sister learned to navigate through the system .

8 . Which word could best replace serene ?

( A ) spellbound ( B ) calm

( C ) charitable ( D ) opposite                                                                     8 . -------------------

Still hale and fiercely independent , the Delany sisters handle their own finances , prepare their meals , and look after the home that they have always shared .

9 . Which word could best replace hale ?

( A ) available ( B ) vague

( C ) vigorous ( D ) obedient                                                                         9 .---------------------

They attribute their longevity to a routine of morning yoga , a concoction of chopped garlic and cod liver oil , and a diet dominated by vegetables and boiled tap water .

10 . Longevity could best be described as ----------------

( A ) adaptability ( B ) a quest for equal rights

( C ) standard behavior ( D ) length of life                                                   10 . --------------------

Answer Key

1 . B 2. A 3 . D 4 . C 5 . C 6 . D 7 . A 8 . B 9 . C 10 . D

2- ] Read the sentences or short passages below . Write the letter for the correct definition of the underlined vocabulary word

1. Beatrice is a brilliant musician , but her habits are so erratic that she may never have the discipline for a professional career .

( A ) strictly uniform ( B ) wrong or sinful

( C ) reliable ( D ) lacking consistency and regularity                                   1. ------------------

2 . That performer is known for her outlandish costumes and elaborate hairdos . In her last performance she wore her jacket backward .

( A ) conspicuously unconventional ( B ) plain or simple ( C ) offensive to decency and morality ( D ) from the wilderness or hinterland                                           2 . ------------------

3 . When our family plays the game , we deviate from the instructions and give each player more turns than the rules state .

( A ) separate into parts , sections , groups , or branches ( B ) depart from a set course

( C ) misuse , break , or destroy ( D ) hide                                                       3 . -----------------

4 . The ugly characters , twisted scenery , and pointless actions in the bizarre movie haunted us for weeks .

( A ) foreign ( B ) wicked , evil , sinister

( C ) odd , grotesque ( D ) painful                                                                     4 . ------------------

5 . Emily Dickinson displayed a number of eccentricities. For years she wore only white dresses and rarely left her house .

( A ) odd or peculiar ( B ) childlike actions

( C ) lively personality traits ( D ) costumes                                                      5 . -----------------

6 . I will keep Aunt Sophie’s big , overstuffed chair though it may look a little incongruous with the rest to my sleek , modern furniture .

( A ) unreliable ( B ) wild , out of control

( C ) simple ( D ) inconsistent or inappropriate                                                 6 . ---------------- 

7 . Isabella Stewart Gardner liked to shock the proper society of Boston with idiosyncratic habits such as walking a tame leopard on a leach .

( A ) illegal ( A ) irritating

( C ) peculiar ( D ) dangerous                                                                               7 . ---------------

8 . Aberrant behavior is often the first noticeable symptom of a mental illness .

( A ) unique ( B ) differing from the normal

( C ) attractive ( D ) humorous or witty                                                               8 . ---------------

9 . The veterinarian said that our cat , who has one green eye and one blue eye , is something of an anomaly .

 ( A ) something different from the usual or expected ( B ) eerie stranger

( C ) something not acceptable ( D ) ghostly shape                                             9 . --------------

10 . Sir Gawain was an errant knight who was almost killed by the tricky Green Knight . If you look for trouble , you usually find it .

( A ) invisible ( B ) out of control

( C ) lost ( D ) wandering in search of an adventure                                 10 . -----------------

Answer Key                 

1 . D 2. A 3. B 4 . C 5 . A  6 . D 7 . C 8 . B 9 . A 10 . D

3 . ] Decide which word in parentheses best completes the sentence . Then write the sentence , adding the missing word

1 . Michael’s sarcastic tone and his --------------remarks about the quality of the food would have hurt the feelings of our hostess .

( gratuitous , sartorial )

2 . Hattie McDaniel , the first African American to win an Academy Award for the performance in Gone With The Wind , was a ------------------ performer who could sing as well as act .

( staunch , versatile )

3 . Beau Brummell , known for his --------------- elegance , refused to tip his hat to the ladies out of fear that he might mess up his wig .

( hallowed , sartorial )

4 . Although never the ------------- leader of Argentina , Eva Peron had immense influence over her husband and achieved enormous popularity among her people .

( extrinsic , legitimate )

5 . Copies of designer merchandise , such as watches and handbags , have become important -------------to street vendors and to shoppers looking for a bargain .

( commodities , strategies )

6 . As the convicted robber was led from the courtroom , he --------------- denied his guilt to the judge and jury .

( dexterously , vehemently )

7 . As the forest fire came closer , you could see hundreds of prairie dogs ------------- from their underground homes .

( palpitate , sally )

8 . “We will put an end to government waste!” With those -------------- words the senator opened the committee meeting .

( dexterous , resolute )

9 . The doctor warned her that the medication might cause heart ----------------.

( incursions , palpitations )

10 . Before the ---------------- of the financier’s estate can take place , the will must go to a probate court to establish its validity .

( disposition , repository )

Answer Key

1 . gratuitous 2 . versatile 3 . sartorial 4 . legitimate 5 . commodities 6 . vehemently 7 . sally 8 . resolute 9 . palpitations 10 . disposition