Question

underline the meaning of the italicized word in each excerpt.
(1) \every change of weather... produces some change in the magical hues...\
a. mists b. feelings c. rays d. colors
(2) \it is a little village of great antiquity...\
a. oldness b. value c. importance d. ruin
(3) \it could not be from the want of assiduity or perseverance...\
a. thoughtfulness b. mercy c. diligence d. respect
(4)
ip van winkle... was one of those happy mortals, of foolish, well - oiled dispositions...\
a. way of acting b. occupation c. attitude d. standing
(5)
ips sole domestic friend was his dog wolf...\
a. close b. living with man c. constant d. faithful
(6) \a green knoll... crowned the brow of the precipice.\
a. mountaintop b. river’s edge c. small hill d. steep cliff
(7)
ip now felt a vague apprehension stealing over him...\
a. definite b. fearful c. not clear d. come and go
(8) \... you only caught glimpses of the azure sky...\
a. vast b. blue c. gray d. darkening
(9) \in the center was a company of odd - looking personages...\
a. animals b. houses c. important people d. judges
(10) \on waking, he found himself on the green knoll...\
a. a flat plain b. cliff edge c. small round hill d. valley
(11)
ip felt famished...\
a. starved b. sick c. defeated d. undernourished
(12) \they... invariably stroked their chins.\
a. sometimes b. in various ways c. in one direction d. always
(13) \the very village was... larger and more populous.\
a. famous b. full of people c. vacant d. popular
(14) \... from it was fluttering a flag, on which was a singular assemblage of stars and stripes...\
a. famous b. unusual c. neat d. bright

Explanation:

This is a vocabulary - meaning matching problem, which belongs to the sub - field of Linguistics in the Arts discipline. We need to analyze the context of each sentence to determine the correct meaning of the italicized word.

1. For "hues", in the context of weather changing and affecting "magical hues", "colors" (option d) makes the most sense as weather can change the colors of things like the sky, landscape etc.
2. For "antiquity", when describing a village, "oldness" (option a) is appropriate as "antiquity" refers to the quality of being ancient or old.
3. For "assiduity", the sentence is about the lack of something related to perseverance. "Diligence" (option c) is a synonym of perseverance in terms of being hard - working.
4. For "dispositions", when talking about a person's (Rip Van Winkle's) nature, "way of acting" (option a) or "attitude" (option c) are close, but "way of acting" (option a) is more about a person's general behavior tendency which fits "dispositions" here.
5. For "domestic", when referring to a dog as a "domestic friend", "living with man" (option b) is the correct meaning as "domestic" in this context means related to the household or living with humans.
6. For "precipice", "steep cliff" (option d) is the standard meaning of "precipice".
7. For "vague", in the context of "apprehension stealing over him", "not clear" (option c) is the correct meaning as "vague" means not clearly defined.
8. For "azure", "blue" (option b) is the color associated with "azure" sky.
9. For "personages", in the context of a "company of odd - looking personages", "important people" (option c) is a bit of a stretch, but among the options, it is the best fit as "personages" can refer to people of some significance or note.
10. For "knoll", "small round hill" (option c) is the correct meaning of "knoll".
11. For "famished", "starved" (option a) is the direct synonym of "famished" which means extremely hungry.
12. For "invariably", "always" (option d) is the correct meaning as "invariably" means without variation, i.e., always.
13. For "populous", "full of people" (option b) is the correct meaning as "populous" refers to a place with a large population.
14. For "singular", in the context of an "assemblage of stars and stripes" on a flag, "unusual" (option b) makes sense as it is describing a unique or singular (unusual) arrangement.

Answer:

(1) d. colors
(2) a. oldness
(3) c. diligence
(4) a. way of acting
(5) b. living with man
(6) d. steep cliff
(7) c. not clear
(8) b. blue
(9) c. important people
(10) c. small round hill
(11) a. starved
(12) d. always
(13) b. full of people
(14) b. unusual