College Vocabulary · Grade 11 · Week 17
20 words for the week · pairs with Composition lesson 5.1.
Reading: the Composition lesson 5.1, "Revision by the Masters: Yeats and Frost," and this week's literature book, Poe, selected tales and poems, the section for Week 17 (public-domain text, Project Gutenberg).
Theme of the week: The potter does not throw the clay away; he makes it again, which is what a poet does with a marred draft. "And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it." (Jeremiah 18:4).
Rhythm: 4 words a day, Monday to Friday. Each day: read the entry aloud, copy the quoted sentence into the writing notebook, and write one sentence of your own. Friday: learn the last 4 words, then take the quiz.
Sources: ★ = quoted exactly from this week's reading (the lesson or the literature book) · ✝ = KJV (1769 text), quoted exactly · ◆ = quoted exactly from another work on the approved booklists (public-domain text) · ✎ = original example sentence
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Relating to the pleasant aspects of country life; pastoral.
From the reading: "“Now when thou sangest the relentless weapons Of the twofold affliction of Jocasta,” The singer of the Songs Bucolic said," (The Divine Comedy)
Root:Latin bucolicus, Greek kal to drive: compare French bucolique. (Webster, 1913)
Part of speech: verb (also a noun)
Definition: To forestall by acting first; to take for oneself before others can.
Context (original sentence): The general preempted the enemy's attack by striking at dawn.
Root:Latin prae-, before + emere, to buy.
Part of speech: noun
Definition: An unfounded rumor or false story.
Context (original sentence): The canard that the bridge was unsafe kept travelers away for a month.
Root:French canard, a duck; also a hoax.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing.
Context (original sentence): Poetry is an aural art, meant to be heard as much as read.
Root:Latin aura air. (Webster, 1913)
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To arrange laws, rules, or practices into a systematic code.
Context (original sentence): Justinian's scholars codified centuries of Roman law into a single body.
Root:Latin codex, a book or code + -fy, to make.
Part of speech: noun (also a verb)
Definition: A gradual increase in loudness or intensity, or the peak of such an increase.
Context (original sentence): The applause rose to a crescendo as the old conductor bowed.
Root:Italian crescendo, increasing, from Latin crescere, to grow.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress.
Context (original sentence): His sartorial taste ran to tweed jackets and well-polished boots.
Root:Latin sartor, a tailor (from sarcire, to patch).
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Relating to walking; able to walk, not bedridden.
Context (original sentence): After surgery the patient was ambulatory within two days.
Root:Latin ambulatorius. (Webster, 1913)
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To shock or excite someone into taking action.
Context (original sentence): News of the flood galvanized the whole town to fill sandbags.
Root:named for Luigi Galvani, Italian physicist (18th century), who studied electricity in nerves.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Unwilling to change one's views or to agree; uncompromising.
Context (original sentence): Both sides were so intransigent that the negotiations collapsed in an hour.
Root:Spanish los intransigentes, the uncompromising ones, from Latin in-, not + transigere, to come to an agreement.
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To make something obscure, unclear, or hard to understand, often on purpose.
Context (original sentence): The witness tried to obfuscate the facts with a flood of irrelevant detail.
Root:Latin obfuscare, to darken (ob-, over + fuscus, dark).
Part of speech: noun
Definition: The formal repeal or abolition of a law, treaty, or agreement.
Context (original sentence): The abrogation of the treaty left the border undefended.
Root:Latin abrogatio, from abrogare: compare French abrogation. (Webster, 1913)
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: So lacking in originality as to be dull and ordinary.
Context (original sentence): The speech was full of banal phrases like "think outside the box."
Root:French banal, common to all, commonplace.
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Not seeming reasonable or probable; hard to believe.
Context (original sentence): His implausible excuse—that a goat had eaten his essay—fooled no one.
Root:Latin in-, not + plausibilis, deserving applause.
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To expose the falseness of an idea, claim, or reputation.
Context (original sentence): The scientist debunked the claim that the spring water cured every disease.
Root:English de- (remove) + bunk, short for "bunkum," nonsense (from Buncombe County, North Carolina).
Part of speech: adjective
Definition: Open to more than one interpretation, often deliberately; ambiguous.
From the reading: "I learned, moreover, at intervals, and through broken and equivocal hints, another singular feature of his mental condition." (The Works of Edgar Allan Poe)
Root:Latin aequivocus, of equal voice (aequus, equal + vox, voice).
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To clear someone from blame or guilt.
From the reading: "I am here neither to exculpate myself nor to blame others.”" (The Talisman)
Root:Latin ex-, out of + culpa, fault or blame.
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To analyze and explain in detail, especially a text or idea.
Context (original sentence): The teacher explicated each line of the sonnet until its meaning was plain.
Root:Latin explicare, to unfold (ex-, out + plicare, to fold).
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To compose, perform, or speak without preparation; to improvise.
Context (original sentence): When the microphone failed, the pastor extemporized a short talk on patience.
Root:Latin ex tempore, out of the moment (ex + tempus, time).
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To perplex or bewilder completely.
Context (original sentence): The riddle flummoxed the whole class until the youngest boy solved it.
Root:of uncertain origin, perhaps English dialect, 19th century.
Part A. Words in context (2 points each). Choose the meaning of the word as used in the sentence.
1. "Now when thou sangest the relentless weapons Of the twofold affliction of Jocasta,” The singer of the Songs Bucolic said," Here bucolic most nearly means
A) To perplex or bewilder completely B) To expose the falseness of an idea, claim, or reputation C) To clear someone from blame or guilt D) Relating to the pleasant aspects of country life
2. "The speech was full of banal phrases like "think outside the box."" Here banal most nearly means
A) So lacking in originality as to be dull and ordinary B) To forestall by acting first C) To compose, perform, or speak without preparation D) Relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress
3. "Poetry is an aural art, meant to be heard as much as read." Here aural most nearly means
A) Relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing B) Not seeming reasonable or probable C) To make something obscure, unclear, or hard to understand, often on purpose D) To perplex or bewilder completely
4. "The canard that the bridge was unsafe kept travelers away for a month." Here canard most nearly means
A) An unfounded rumor or false story B) Open to more than one interpretation, often deliberately C) A gradual increase in loudness or intensity, or the peak of such an increase D) To perplex or bewilder completely
Part B. Sentence completion (1 point each). Each sentence comes from this week's entries; supply the word in the form used there. Word bank: galvanize, implausible, crescendo, exculpate, sartorial, extemporize, ambulatory, equivocal, flummox, codify
5. When the microphone failed, the pastor ______ a short talk on patience.
6. His ______ excuse—that a goat had eaten his essay—fooled no one.
7. The riddle ______ the whole class until the youngest boy solved it.
8. News of the flood ______ the whole town to fill sandbags.
9. Justinian's scholars ______ centuries of Roman law into a single body.
10. After surgery the patient was ______ within two days.
11. "I learned, moreover, at intervals, and through broken and ______ hints, another singular feature of his mental condition."
12. "I am here neither to ______ myself nor to blame others."
Part C. Synonyms and antonyms (1 point each).
13. Synonym of abrogation: (repeal / bucolic / debunk)
14. Antonym of obfuscate: (explicate / crescendo / clarify)
15. Synonym of intransigent: (uncompromising / aural / debunk)
16. Synonym of preempt: (ambulatory / forestall / intransigent)
Part D. Analytical sentence (6 points). In two or three sentences, make a claim about this week's reading, quote it once, and use at least three of these words correctly: crescendo, sartorial, explicate.
1. D 2. A 3. A 4. A
5. extemporized 6. implausible 7. flummoxed 8. galvanized 9. codified 10. ambulatory 11. equivocal 12. exculpate (distractors: crescendo, sartorial)
13. repeal 14. clarify 15. uncompromising 16. forestall
Part D scoring: 2 for a clear claim, 2 for an accurate quotation, 2 for three week words used correctly. (8 + 8 + 4 + 6 = 26.)