VOCABULARY WORKSHOP LEVEL G UNIT 10 CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORD

oscillates

A grandfather clock works by gravity; when the pendulum ____, it moves a system of weights attached to the clock's hands.

obsequious

At an autocrat's court, free speech is usually replaced by the ______ twaddle of flunkies and toadies.

benign

We believe that classes taught by teachers with specialized training will have a ______ effect on the troubled children.

foibles

Though I admire the woman's strong points, I find her _____ comic.

luminous

Over the years, her _____ descriptions and scintillating wit have helped her students master the difficult subject she taught.

cavils

Since he didn't want to give me credit for having done a good job, he took refuge in endless _______ about my work.

peremptory

Through the small nation was always ready to settle a conflict peacefully, it was not afraid to use ____ force when necessary.

attenuated

We must never allow our passion for justice to be _____ to mere halfhearted goodwill.

sporadic

I have learned that _____ sessions of intense "cramming" can never take place of a regular study program.

shambles

Somehow or other, a bull got into the china shop and turned it into a complete _______.

oscillates

Since he is not guided by firm principles, he _____ between the rival factions, looking for support from both of them.

decimated

During the civil war the ranks of both armies were ____ as much by disease as by enemy action.

askance

When I found that people that I admired were looking ____ at my unconventional clothing, I resolved to remedy the situation.

penitent

The _____ youths agreed to work without pay until the could make restitution for the damage their carelessness had caused.

rebuff

How could you have the heart to ____ those people's piteous appeals for aid?

inured

Even though my experiences in battle have _____ me to the science of suffering, I was horrified by the devastation wrought by the tornado.

fraught

Their relationship has been so _____ with strife and malice that I don't see how they can ever patch things up.

obtuse

All angles are classified as acute, right, ______, or straight, according to the number of degrees they contain.

charlatan

Imagine the general disappointment when the so-called "miracle cure" was exposed as a fraud promoted by a _________.

reconnoitering

bank robbers often spend a good deal of time ____ the neighborhood where the bank they intend to rob is located

forgo

Do you want to be a ballet dancer enough to _____ all other activities?

cavils

although the judge offered two minor ___ about our choreography, our dance troupe won first place

obsequious

The play featured the stereotypical ______ butler who treated his employer's family with excessive and artificial politeness.

benign

Was it Juan's gentle stroking of the frightened dog's neck that produced a _____ change in the animal's mood

penitent

The ______ young woman begged her mother for forgiveness.