Question

circle the boldface word that more satisfactorily completes each of the following sentences.

1. all those who (decreed, collaborated) with the enemy in the hope of gaining special favors will be punished severely.
2. the assembly speaker may have been boring, but that was no excuse for the students (laggard, churlish) behavior toward him.
3. i have always regarded our colleges and universities as (citadels, plaudits) of learning and bastions against ignorance and superstition.
4. the fact that he was found guilty of a felony many years ago doesnt (preclude, evolve) his running for mayor.
5. when i fumbled the ball on the three - yard line, the (plaudits, excerpts) of the crowd suddenly turned into jeers and catcalls.
6. i refuse to accept the excuse that the pressures of a new job caused you to (revert, grope) to your old habit of cigarette smoking.
7. after the operation, we sat in the hospital lounge, keeping a nightlong (bonanza, vigil) until we heard from the doctor.
8. for weeks an anxious world (wrangled, hovered) between war and peace as diplomats desperately struggled to resolve the crisis.
9. every time he quotes an old (vigil, adage), he looks as though he has just had a brilliant new idea.
10. she raised so many objections to attending the dance that it was obvious she was (groping, precluding) for an excuse not to go.
11. a president needs people who will tell him frankly what they really think, rather than just offer (servile, discordant) approval of everything he does.
12. there are times when we all need to be (jostled, reverted) away from old, familiar ideas that may no longer be as true as they once seemed.
13. the principal was quick to approve new programs for our club but (servile, laggard) in providing financial support for them.
14. the little club that they set up to talk over community problems (evolved, jostled) over the years into a national political organization.
15. the \broken - down furniture\ that the woman left to her children turned out to be a (bonanza, rubble) of valuable antiques.
16. the committee found it impossible to reach any agreement on the matter because the views of its members were so (churlish, discordant).
17. after i had broken curfew for the third time in one week, my angry parents (decreed, precluded) that i was grounded for the rest of the term.
18. as we searched through the rubble of the earthquake, it was heartbreaking to find such articles as a teakettle and a childs doll.
19. from the hundreds of newspaper items, the lawyer carefully (excerpted, collaborated) three short paragraphs that supported his case.
20. under the articles of confederation, the thirteen states (hovered, wrangled) so much that the nation seemed to be in danger of breaking up.

26 - unit 1

Explanation:

1. "collaborated" means to cooperate with an enemy, which fits the context of being punished for seeking special favors.
2. "churlish" describes rude and ill - mannered behavior, which is appropriate for students' behavior towards a speaker.
3. "citadels" are fortified places, and colleges are seen as strongholds of learning, contrasting with ignorance and superstition.
4. "preclude" means to prevent from happening, and a past felony doesn't necessarily prevent one from running for mayor.
5. "excerpts" are short extracts, and the crowd's reaction when the ball is fumbled would be jeers and catcalls, not "plaudits" (praise).
6. "revert" means to return to a previous habit, like returning to cigarette - smoking.
7. "vigil" means a period of watchful attention, which is what is done in a hospital lounge after an operation.
8. "hovered" means to remain in an uncertain state, which is appropriate for a world on the verge of war and peace.
9. "adage" is a proverb or saying, and quoting an old one makes one seem to have a new idea.
10. "groping" means searching around, and she was looking for an excuse not to go to the dance.
11. "discordant" people don't always approve of everything a president does.
12. "jostled" means to be pushed away from old ideas.
13. "service" is appropriate for providing financial support.
14. "evolved" means to develop over time, which is what the little club did.
15. "bonanza" means a valuable find, and the "broken - down furniture" turned out to be valuable antiques.
16. "discordant" means not in agreement, which is why the committee couldn't reach an agreement.
17. "decreed" means to order or command, and parents would decree a punishment like being grounded.
18. "excerpted" means to take out extracts, which is what the lawyer did from newspaper items.
19. "excerpted" is correct as the lawyer took out paragraphs to support his case.
20. "wrangled" means to argue and disagree, which is what the thirteen states did under the Articles of Confederation.

Answer:

1. collaborated
2. churlish
3. citadels
4. preclude
5. excerpts
6. revert
7. vigil
8. hovered
9. adage
10. groping
11. discordant
12. jostled
13. service
14. evolved
15. bonanza
16. discordant
17. decreed
18. excerpted
19. excerpted
20. wrangled