Vocab Unit 11 choosing the right word

As the Scottish poet, Robert Burns aptly suggests, even the best-laid plans are often entirely ___ on events we cannot control.

contingent

Disguised as an old hag, the wicked queen gave Snow White a ___ apple, which trapped the young heroine into a prolonged, deathlike sleep.

pernicious

Before we ___ certain principles in young people, let's be sure that these principles are truly desirable for them and their society.

inculcate

During times of extreme economic hardship and war, families often eat ___.

abstemiously

Children are often remarkably ___ in understanding how adults feel about.

perceptive

With the advent of the Internet and e-mail, it is easy to ___ false information and rumors rapidly.

disseminate

Although the essays are highly ___, covering a wide range of topics, the are written with such clarity and grace that they are easy to follow.

discursive

In a series of ___ attacks, now known as the Philippics, Cicero launched his entire battery of political invective against the hapless Mark Anthony.

searing

We are most likely to fall victim to ___ reasoning when we have an emotional desire to believe what are being told.

specious

The article described the success of an undercover sting operation in catching the swindler who was ___ fake diamonds on his customers.

foisting

The most tragic aspect of a forest fire is its destructive effects on the innumerable plant and animal ___ of that environment.

denizens

He thought he was being witty and charming, but I regard his conduct at the party as altogether ___.

gauche

Modern nutritionists emphasize that there is a(n) ___ difference between ¨eating to live¨ and ¨living to eat¨.

palpable

The more we studied the drug problem, the more we became aware of its ___ influence on American people today.

pernicious

The study of history teaches us that many ideas regarded as ___ by one generation are accepted as sound and orthodox by the next.

heresies

Some English rulers were strikingly elegant and imposing figures; others were somewhat ___ and unprepossessing.

dowdy

No doubt his efforts to advance his own interests were ___, but let's try to keep a sense of proportion and not condemn him too much.

censurable

Her ___ writing style, abounding in adjectives and fancy metaphors, is far from suitable for factual newspaper stories.

florid

She was so ___ that she extended her self-control even to her beloved books, and read them no more than an hour each day.

abstemious

All the available evidence ___ my theory that the theft was planned by someone familiar with the layout of the house.

corroborates

Although the Declaration of Independence was framed only to justify a revolution in the British colonies in North America, its ideas and ideals have been ___ throughout the world.

disseminated

Don't you get tired of glossy advertisements that try to ___ short-lived and sometimes absurd fashion trends on the consumer?

foist

Out of all the endless flow of dull verbiage in that long lecture, we could recognize only two or three ___ points.

salient

Though I rather like the better TV game shows, I find that after a certain point, I'm ___ and ready for more substantial fare.

satiated

A passing grade is ___ on your participation in class.

contingent