Question

vocabulary in context
in 1911, roald amundsen of norway and robert falcon scott of england determined to be the first man to reach the south pole. both arrived at the pole only one and returned.
on december 14, 1911 five men arrived at the south pole aboard three sleds. the sleds were drawn by a total of seventeen dogs and carried ample food supplies. the men were in good health and fine spirits as they planted the norwegian flag in the snow—they were the first humans ever to set foot in this desolate place. they left provisions and a message in a tent and began the 800 - mile journey back to base camp. they arrived on january 25, 1912 completing the round trip ten days earlier than planned.
on january 17, 1912 captain robert falcon scotts five - man british party discovered the tent. they were on foot, and each man hauled a heavy sled. they were suffering from exhaustion, severe malnutrition, and, in two cases, scurvy. after resting a bit, they headed north. scott kept his journal up to the end. in his last entry, dated march 29, 1912, he blamed bad weather and worse luck for the failure of his team to reach base camp. recent researchers dissent from scotts self - exculpatory verdict and conclude that the men starved to death.
its easy to make trite assumptions about scotts recklessness when he lacked the benefits of modern nutritional science. he also lacked a good cook and relied on canned food while amundsens cook, adolf lindström, made tasty, well - balanced meals that promoted norwegian good health and cherubic faces. manhauling a sledge required at least 7,000 calories a day, which for an average person is gluttony. but on their paupers ration of 4,400 calories scotts men lost, on average, 55 pounds of bodyweight. even in his final journal entries, scott insisted that his food supplies were sufficient—a claim that is impossible to condone.

1. to dissent from a verdict is to

a. defer
b. demur
c. disagree
d. deny

1. to be trite is to be

a. false
b. unfounded
c. stale
d. flippant

1. faces that are cherubic, as the norwegians are said to be, are usually

a. immature
b. chubby
c. good - natured
d. inventive

1. the word gluttony most nearly means

a. overeating
b. hunger
c. austerity
d. jealousy

1. a person is said to be a pauper if he or she is

a. wealthy
b. thin
c. foreign
d. impoverished

1. to condone scotts conduct is to

a. pardon it
b. agree with it
c. like it
d. ignore it

Explanation:

1. "Dissent" means to hold or express opinions that are at variance with those commonly or officially held, so it means "disagree".
2. "Trite" refers to something that is over - used and lacks freshness, which is "stale".
3. "Cherubic" is often used to describe someone with a round, plump, and innocent - looking face, similar to "chubby".
4. "Gluttony" is the overindulgence and over - consumption of food, which is "overeating".
5. A "pauper" is a very poor person, so it means "impoverished".
6. "To condone" means to accept or allow behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive, which is similar to "pardon it".

Answer:

1. c. disagree
2. c. stale
3. b. chubby
4. a. overeating
5. d. impoverished
6. a. pardon it