Saturday, July 28, 2007

July 28th, 2007 [Rescue Words 8]

Lesson 9

anachronism: anything that is out of place in time. It is formed by the combination of the Greek roots ana (“against”) and chronos (“time”)

anon: soon; shortly. Used as an abbreviation, anon. means “anonymous”

antebellum: before the war; especially before the American Civil War. This word is formed from the Latin Prefix ante (“before”) and the root bellum (“war”)

antediluvian: old-fashioned; before the flood. The Latin word for “flood” is diliuvium.

atavism: reversion to a primitive type; resemblance to a remote ancestor. The Latin atavus means “father of a great-grandfather.”

augury: the art of prophecy; an omen. The original Latin word augur means “priest who presides at fertility rituals.”

betimes: early; promptly; before it is too late.

biennial: happening every two years. Biennial should not be confused with biannual, which means “twice a year”

diurnal: daily; of the daytime. Diurnal is contrasted with nocturnal

eon: long, indefinite period of time; thousand years.

ephemeral: short-lived; transitory. Ephemeros is a Greek word meaning “for the day”

epoch: noteworthy period. It comes form a Greek word meaning “pause” – almost as if mankind takes time out before entering a new important phase

generation: the period of time between the birth of one group and that of its offspring. A generation is about 30 years.

score: twenty people or objects; twenty years. It comes from the Greek word for a “scratch” or “mark” used in keeping tallies.

tercentenary: a period of 300 years. Ter is the Latin prefix for “three” and centenary means “hundred”

Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?

In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

A woman wearing a style of dress that is completely out of date
(epoch, antediluvian, diurnal)
Emperor Nero looking at his wristwatch
(tercentenary, ephemeral, anachronism)
A young man following in his grandfather’s footsteps
(anon, atavism, score)
You meet your old classmates every two years at a reunion
(antebellum, betimes, biennial)
Your fortune is told by a gypsy
(augury, generation, eon)
They had been married for two decades
(eon, score, diurnal)
The painter believed that everyone was entitled to fifteen minutes of fame
(ephemeral, epoch, tercentenary)
Many inventions were introduced during the industrial Revolution
(anon, epoch, atavism)
Plantation life was a feature of the South in the early 1800s
(antebellum, generation, anachronism)
My family chore is to walk the dog each day
(biennial, antediluvian, diurnal)
II. True or False?

In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.

____ 1. Abraham Lincoln’s “Fourscore and seven” was 87 years

____ 2. Ephemeral is the opposite of “permanent”

____ 3. Someone who comes to you betimes takes his time about it

____ 4. Cotton was the great crop of the antebellum South

____ 5. The United States will have its tercentenary celebration in 2076

____ 6. An entire generation has grown up using personal computers

____ 7. To show a modern man driving up in a new car is an anachronism.

____ 8. Dinner will be served anon

____ 9. The frightening augury lashed out at the startled travelers.

____ 10. Our previous biennial reunion was in 1997 so we expect the next one in 1999

III. Fill in the Blank

Insert one of the new words in the proper space in each sentence below.

We spotted an ______________ in the movie when Julius Caesar looked at his wristwatch.
In the next decade, our company will issue five ______________ journals.
Industrialization spelled the end of an era for the ______________ southern states.
The Beatles started a musical _____________ that has gained worldwide acceptance.
Because of the ______________ gap, Roger found it difficult to relate to his grandson.
My grandfather’s _____________ notions need updating.
With the evident power of ____________, Liza could predict the future.
Guido’s interest in philately proved to be _____________ because he sold his entire collection.
It seemed to take an ______________ before the traffic jam allowed us to get moving again.
Breakfast was preceded invariably by a ______________ prayer that helped Roy get through the rest of the day.

IV. What’s the Antonym?

Which of the new words is most nearly opposite in meaning to the one provided?

1. now ________________
2. late ________________
3. modern ________________
4. permanent ________________
5. nightly ________________
6. something relevant ________________
7. nightly ________________
8. postwar ________________
9. an instant ________________
10. an advance ________________

July 27th, 2007 [quant]

1.If a rectangle’s length and width are both doubled, by what percent is the rectangle’s area increased?
A. 50
B. 100
C. 200
D. 300
E. 400

Ans : D

2.On the xy-coordinate plane, points A and B both lie on the circumference of a circle whose center is O, and the length of AB equals the circle’s diameter. If the (x,y) coordinates of O are (2,1) and the (x,y) coordinates of B are (4,6), what are the (x,y) coordinates of A?
A. (3, 3/2)
B. (1, 2/2)
C. (0, -4)
D. (2/2, 1)
E. (-1, -2/2)

Ans : C

3.An empty swimming pool can be filled to capacity through an inlet pipe in 3 hours, and it can be completely drained by a drainpipe in 6 hours. If both pipes are fully open at the same time, in how many hours will the empty pool be filled to capacity?
A. 4
B. 4.5
C. 5
D. 5.5
E. 6

Ans : E

4.Five years ago, Beth’s age was three times that of Amy. Ten years ago, Beth’s age was one half that of Chelsea. If C repre- sents Chelsea’s current age, which of the following represents Amy’s current age?
A. c/6 + 5
B. 2c
C. (c-10)/3
D. 3c-5
E. 5c/3 - 10

Ans : A

5.If the area of two circles are in the ratio 169 : 196 then the ratio of their radii is
A. 10 : 11
B. 11 : 12
C. 12 : 13
D. 13 : 14
E. None of the above

Ans : D

TO DOWNLOAD THIS CLICK HERE

July 25th, 2007 [analogies]

1) refridgerator:food

2) fan:cable

3) schedule:time

4) splurge:money

5) peripheral:edge

6) church:state

7) needle : sew

8) tag:identity

9) car:wheel

10) careless:punctual

11) theatre:play

12) pariah:ostracize

13) vindicated:blame

14) culpable:condemnation

15) coterie:intimates

16) schedule:time

17) bulge:protuberance

18) resignation:office

19) attentive:officious

20) barrage: explosives

21) ruffle:shirt

22) ineradicable:eliminate

23) vaccinate:disease

24) untenable:defend

25) charisma:bore

26) muster:crew

27) incontrovertible:dispute

28) carefree:responsibilities

29) beckon:hand

30) matter:hardness

31) arrogant:defer

32) experience:green

33) date:calender

34) overture:opera

35) striate:grooved

36) magician:legerdemain

37) chasten:humbled

38) knot:solve

39) chortle:glee

40) perfunctory:depth

41) topical:currency

42) fence:livestock

43) terrestrial:earth

44) lock:secure

45) frilll:superfluity

46)saga:poem

47) vivid:intensify

48) infinite:measure

49) judge:laws

50) pelf:impecunious

51) cell:confinement

52) cistern:liquids

TO DOWNLOAD CLICK HERE

July 24th, 2007 [quant]

1 The product of two positive integers m and n is twice their sum. If n is 6, what is the
value of m ?
(A) 8
(B) 6
(C) 4
(D) 3
(E) 2 d

2 If x : y = 2 :3 , y : z = 3: 4 , and x = 8 , then z - y =
(A) 1
(B) 4
(C) 6
(D) 8
(E) 12 b

3 If S is the set of all numbers x such that 1 - 2x £ 3, which of the following is true about
S ?
(A) The least number in S is -1.
(B) The least number in S is 0.
(C) The least number in S is 3.
(D) The greatest number in S is - 2 .
(E) The greatest number in S is -1. a

4 An operation * defined on whole numbers gives results such as the following:
2 * 3 = 7
3 * 4 =13
1* 5 = 6
0 * 6 =1
According to the equations above, which of the following could define the operation * ?
(A) x * y = x + y
(B) x * y = 2x + y
(C) x * y = y2 - x
(D) x * y = x2 + y
(E) x * y = xy + 1 e

5 A loaf of bread and 2 one-pound containers of butter cost a total of $4.95. If a pound of butter costs $0.90 more than a loaf of bread, how much does a pound of butter cost?
(A) $1.05
(B) $1.58
(C) $1.95
(D) $2.03
(E) $2.93 c

TO DOWNLOAD THIS FILE CLICK HERE

July 23rd, 2007 [Rescue Words 9]

1. Overture - An introductory section or part, as of a poem; a prelude; to present as an introduction or proposal; introduction, approach

2. Sanctimonious - Feigning piety or righteousness; of or practicing hypocrisy; self-righteous, hypocritical about one’s own holiness

3. Inanity - Something empty of meaning or sense; total lack of ideas, meaning, or substance

4. Vulgarian - A vulgar person, especially one who makes a conspicuous display of wealth; an unrefined, rude person; a vulgar person (especially someone who makes a vulgar display of wealth)

5. Miscreant - An evildoer; a villain; an infidel; a heretic; evil, immoral; a villain

6. Wretched - So objectionable as to elicit despisal or deserve condemnation; terrible, very bad; of very inferior quality; miserable

7. Epic - An extended narrative poem in elevated or dignified language, celebrating the feats of a legendary or traditional hero; a literary or dramatic composition that resembles an extended narrative poem celebrating heroic feats

8. Mendacious - Lying; untruthful; false; untrue; dishonest; given to or marked by deliberate concealment or misrepresentation of the truth

9. Narrative - A narrated account; a story; the art, technique, or process of narrating; a recounting of past events

10. Appease - To bring peace, quiet, or calm to; soothe; satisfy, pacify

11. Defiant - Marked by defiance; disobedient, disregardful

12. Raucous - Rough-sounding and harsh; boisterous and disorderly; rowdy; noisy; harsh and unpleasant

13. Meager - Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble
14. Flirtatious - Full of playful allure; provocative, teasing; given to flirting

15. Bumptious - Crudely or loudly assertive; pushy; self-assertive offensively self-assertive

16. Assertive - Inclined to bold or confident assertion; aggressively self-assured

17. Trite - Lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition; hackneyed

16. Panegyric - A formal eulogistic composition intended as a public compliment. Elaborate praise or laudation; an encomium

17. Impecunious - Lacking money; penniless

18. Armageddon - The scene of a final battle between the forces of good and evil, prophesied to occur at the end of the world; a decisive or catastrophic conflict

19. Intrigue - A secret or underhand scheme; a plot; arouse curiosity

20. Gullible - Easily deceived or duped; easily imposed on or tricked; naive, trusting

21. Daguerreotype - An early photographic process with the image made on a light-sensitive silver-coated metallic plate

22. Musket - A smoothbore shoulder gun used from the late 16th through the 18th century

22. Hieroglyphic - Of or relating to representation by drawings or pictures

23. Papyrus - The writing paper of the ancient Egyptians, and later of the Romans

24. Pastiche - A mixture of materials, forms, motifs, and/or styles; often incongruous; dramatic, literary, or musical piece openly imitating the previous works of other artists, often with satirical intent; an artistic effort that imitates or caricatures the work of another artist

25. Bust - A sculpture representing a person’s head, shoulders, and upper chest

26. Sacrilege - Desecration, profanation, misuse, or theft of something sacred; irreverence

27. Conscientious - Guided by or in accordance with the dictates of conscience; principled; thorough and assiduous; moral, upright; thorough, careful

28. Daft - Mad; crazy; foolish; stupid; scots; frolicsome

29. Reagent - A substance used in a chemical reaction to detect, measure, examine, or produce other substances

30. Temerity - Foolhardy disregard of danger; recklessness; nerve, audacity; rash or presumptuous daring

31. Menial - Work pertaining to servants; work that is demeaning or insulting to the person performing it; lowly, low-status

32. Miscreant - A wicked or evil person; a scoundrel; something said to be the cause of particular trouble or an evil; a mean, worthless character in a story or play

33. Stultify - To render useless or ineffectual; cripple; to cause to appear stupid, inconsistent, or ridiculous; to allege or prove insane and so not legally responsible

34. Lambast - Censure severely or angrily; beat with a cane

35. Pique - A state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity; a feeling of wounded pride

36. Vociferous - Making, given to, or marked by noisy and vehement outcry; loud, insistent

37. Pariah - An outcast; a member of a low caste or class

38. Raft - A flat structure, typically made of planks, logs, or barrels, that floats on water and is used for transport or as a platform for swimmers; a flat buoyant structure of timber or other materials fastened together, used as a boat or floating platform

39. Buoyant - Having the ability to float; light in weight; lighthearted; gay

40. Unrealizable - Impossible to achieve

41. Renegade - common vagabond; a worthless or wicked fellow; one who deserts from a military or naval post; a deserter; one faithless to principle or party; an apostate from Christianity or from any form of religious faith

42. Ferocious - Extremely savage; fierce; marked by unrelenting intensity; extreme

43. Prolixity - Words or the use of words in excess of those needed for clarity or precision; boring verboseness

44. Mortify - To deprive of esteem, self-worth, or effectiveness; to cause (a person) to be self-consciously distressed; embarrass

45. Pusillanimous - Lacking courage; cowardly; lacking courage and resolution; marked by contemptible timidity; without spirit or bravery

46. Percipient - Having the power of perceiving, especially perceiving keenly and readily; astute; characterized by ease and quickness in perceiving

47. Anachronistic - Something that is out of place and time; erroneous in date

48. Fervor - Great warmth and intensity of emotion; intense heat; excitement, enthusiasm

49. Disinfectant - An agent, such as heat, radiation, or a chemical, that destroys, neutralizes, or inhibits the growth of disease-carrying microorganisms 180. Terseness - Brief and to the point; effectively concise; brief, short

50. Hoarse - Rough or grating in sound; having or characterized by a husky, grating voice; raspy in voice

51. Effusive - Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression; gushy; profuse; overflowing

52. Obliterate - To destroy all traces of; to wipe out, rub off, or erase; to remove completely (a body organ or part), as by surgery, disease, or radiation

53. Index - An alphabetized list of names, places, and subjects treated in a printed work, giving the page or pages on which each item is mentioned; something that serves to guide, point out, or otherwise facilitate reference

54. Laconic - Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise; short, to the point

55. Nimble - Quick, light, or agile in movement or action; deft; dexterous, smart

56. Clumsyness - Lacking dexterity and grace in physical movement; not agile; awkward; clumsily lacking in the ability to do or perform

57. Partisan - A fervent, sometimes militant supporter or proponent of a party, cause, faction, person, or idea; one who supports and adheres to another; exhibiting bias; interested, factional

58. Recuperation - A return to normal health; gradual healing (through rest) after sickness or injury; recovery

59. Doldrums - A period of stagnation or slump; period of depression or unhappy listlessness; region of the ocean near the equator, characterized by calms, light winds, or squalls; feeling or spell of dismally low spirits; depression

60. Cow - To frighten with threats or a show of force; browbeat, intimidate;
any of various chiefly domesticated mammals of the genus Bos, including cows, steers, bulls, and oxen, often raised for meat and dairy products

61. Lop - To decrease, as in length or amount, by or as if by severing or excising; to hang limply, loosely, and carelessly; cut off from a whole

62. Fluvial - Of, relating to, or inhabiting a river or stream. Produced by the action of a river or stream

63. Jejune - Not interesting; dull; lacking maturity; childish; lacking in nutrition

64. Indespensible - Not to be dispensed with; essential; obligatory; unavoidable; necessary

65. Hubris - Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance

66. Vigilance - Alert watchfulness; carefulness

67. Enfeeble - To deprive of strength; make feeble; make very weak

68. Ethereal - Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible; highly refined; delicate; of the celestial spheres; heavenly; spiritual; so light and insubstantial as to resemble air or a thin film

69. Laggard - One that lags; a straggler; hanging back or falling behind; dilatory; falling behind

70. Tarpaulin - Material, such as waterproofed canvas, used to cover and protect things from moisture; a waterproof cloth, esp. one used in large sheets for covering anything exposed to the weather

71. Mottled - Spotted or blotched with different shades or colors; speckled

72. Vault - A room or compartment, often built of steel, for the safekeeping of valuables; a burial place or receptacle for human remains; to move off the ground by a muscular effort of the legs and feet; act of jumping

73. Allay - To reduce the intensity of; relieve; to calm or pacify; set to rest

74. Stature - The natural height of a human or animal in an upright position; achieved level; status; importance

75. Infinitude - The state or quality of being infinite; an immeasurably large quantity, number, or extent; an infinite quantity

76. Hellion - A mischievous, troublesome, or unruly person

77. Lunge - A sudden thrust or pass, as with a sword; a sudden forward movement or plunge; pounce; dive for

78. Garish - Marked by strident color or excessive ornamentation; gaudy. loud and flashy
79. Piquant - Pleasantly pungent or tart in taste; spicy. appealingly provocative: a piquant wit. charming, interesting, or attractive


http://www.file27.com/id840/july%20word2.txt

July 22nd, 2007 [Rescue Words 8]

aficionado: a fan; devotee. Although this word originally described bull-fighting fans, it is now used to refer to devotees of all sports.

barrio: part of the city where Spanish-speaking people live; ghetto.

bonanza: rich pocket of ore; any source of wealth. In Spanish it means “fair weather at sea.” A popular television program of the 1960s was entitled “Bonanza”

bravado: pretended courage

desperado: bold outlaw; dangerous criminal. The relationship to our word “despair” is apparent. One who is without hope can be a dangerous criminal.

flotilla: a small fleet. The Spanish word flota means “fleet” Flotilla, then, is a diminutive form of flota.

grandee: a nobleman of the highest rank

hacienda: large estate; country house. The Old Spanish word facienda meant “estate.” The change from f to h is apparent in many words.

lariat: lasso; a rope used for tethering grazing horses. Reata is “rope” in Spanish.

machismo: manly self-assurance; masculine drive; virility.

manana: tomorrow; at some indefinite time in the future. There is a perjorative twist to manana, suggesting laziness.

palmetto: small palm tree

renegade: deserter; turncoat; traitor. In Spanish, the word renegado means “to deny.”

siesta: midday nap. In Spanish and Latin American countries businesses often close at midday to allow for siesta time.

torero: bullfighter on foot. The toreador was a bullfighter on horseback, but that term is no longer used since all bullfighters today are toreros.

Exercises

I. Which word comes to Mind?

In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

You go to see a performance of the opera “Carmen”
(lariat, flotilla, torero)
The calendar pictures a man asleep under a tree next to a lawn mower.
(barrio, bravado, manana)
A young man starts a fight to impress his girlfriend.
(machismo, siesta, renegade)
You win the lottery
(aficionado, bonanza, palmetto)
There is a wild police chase after the bank robber
(desperado, grandee, hacienda)
The FBI arrests a man for selling U.S. secrets to a foreign country
(aficionado, renegade, grandee)
Stores in Spain close for two hours after lunch
(siesta, hacienda, palmetto)
The Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria
(flotilla, barrio, manana)
David stands up to Goliath
(desperado, lariat, bravado)
A bull-fighting fan shouts, “Ole!”
(bonanza, aficionado, barrio)
II. True or False?

In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.

____ 1. A truly courageous person does not have to resort to bravado.

____ 2. Feminists have contempt for those men who display machismo.

____ 3. Ordinarily a grandee might take a siesta in his hacienda

____ 4. The Spanish Armada was too awesome to be described as a flotilla.

____ 5. A lariat can be the high point of a Spanish meal when it is seasoned properly.

____ 6. The spectators applauded the torero for his fearlessness.

____ 7. We bought an expensive barrio as a wedding gift

____ 8. Our winning lottery ticket proved to be a bonanza

____ 9. General Parker promised amnesty for any renegade who turned himself in.

____ 10. Because of his lifelong philanthropy, the desperado was honored at a White
House ceremony.

III. Fill in the Blank

Insert one of the new words in the proper space in each sentence below.

Since Teddy is an _____________ of baseball, we got him two tickets to the World Series.
Refreshed by her ______________, Maria was ready to go to work.
As fish prices declined, the ______________ of shrimp boats was cut in half.
Our new mayor proposed to tear down sections of the _____________ and build middle-income housing.
The _____________ was caught up on a horn of the bull and badly injured.
With unexpected _______________, the young man confronted the bully.
Movie cowboys generally are proficient with a ________________.
“Au revoir, so long, ciao, _____________” she said as her taxi pulled away.
A photograph of the ______________ appeared on the Most Wanted list in our post office.
On Navy Day, we stood upon the pier to watch the ____________ sail into the
Harbor.

IV. What’s the Antonym?

Which of the new words is most nearly opposite in meaning to the one provided?

1. cowardice _______________
2. patriot _______________
3. today _______________
4. weakness _______________
5. lawman _______________
6. loss _______________
7. state of alertness _______________
8. shack _______________
9. peon _______________
10. wealthy neighborhood _______________