Lesson Five

1. vicinity (va sin' a te) region near a place; neighborhood

a. Living in the vicinity of New York, Jeremy was near many museums.
b. The torrent* of rain fell only in our vicinity.
c. We approached* the Baltimore vicinity by car.
2. century (sen' cha re) 100 years
a. George Washington lived in the eighteenth century.
b. The United States is more than two centuries old.
c. Many prominent* men have been born in this century.
3. rage (raj) violent anger; something that arouses intense but brief enthusiasm
a. Joan's bad manners sent her mother into a rage.
b. In a fit of rage, Francine broke the valuable glass.
c. The mayor felt a sense of rage about the exaggerations* in the press.
4. document (dok' u mant) something handwritten or printed that gives information or proof of
some fact
a. Newly discovered documents showed that the prisoner was obviously* innocent.
b. The documents of ancient Rome have survived* many centuries.*
c. We were reluctant* to destroy important documents.
5. conclude (kan klood1) end; finish; decide
a. Most people are happy when they conclude their work for the day.
b. The gloomy* day concluded with a thunderstorm.
c. Work on the building could not be concluded until the contract was signed.
6. undeniable (un di nl' a bal) not to be denied; cannot be questioned
a. The jury concluded* that the teenagers were undeniably guilty.
b. It is undeniable that most professionals can beat any amateur.*
c. That Leon resented* Rita's good marks in school was undeniable.
7. resist (re zist1) act against; strive against; oppose
a. Totie could not resist eating the chocolate sundae.
b. Tight security* measures resisted Jimmy's entrance into the bank.
c. Harold resisted the opportunity to poke fun at the weird* man.
8. lack (lak) be entirely without something; have not enough
Your daily diet should not lack fruits and vegetables.
His problem was that he lacked a variety* of talents.*
As an amateur* dancer, Vincent knew that he lacked the professional touch.
9. ignore (ig nor') pay no attention to; disregard
a. Little Alice realized that if she didn't behave, her parents would ignore her.
b. The student could not answer the question because he ignored the obvious* facts.
c. Older brothers and sisters often feel ignored when their parents only spend time with a new
baby.
10. challenge (char anj) call to a fight
a. Aaron Burr challenged Alexander Hamilton to a duel.
b. No one bothered to challenge the prominent* lawyer.
c. Trying to become a doctor was quite a challenge, Dick discovered.
11. miniature (min' e 3 tur) represented on a small scale
a. The young boy wanted a miniature sports car for his birthday.
 b. Instead of buying a massive* dog, Teddy got a miniature poodle.
c. We were seeking a miniature model of the bulky* chess set.
12. source (sors) place from which something comes or is obtained
a. The college student knew that he needed more than a basic textbook as a source for his
report.
b. The source of Buddy's trouble was boredom.
c. Professor Smith's speech was a valid* source of information on chemistry.
13. excel (ek sel') be better than; do better than
a. Because he was so small, Larry could not excel in sports.
b. At least Hannah had the security* of knowing that she excelled in swimming.
c. Clarence Darrow wanted to become a prominent* lawyer, but he felt that he must first excel
in the study of history.
14. feminine (fem1 9 nin) of women or girls
a. When my sister wants to look feminine she changes from dungarees into a dress.
b. Aunt Sarah can always be counted on to give the feminine viewpoint.
c. My brother is ashamed to cry at a sad movie because people might think he is behaving in a
feminine manner.
15. mount (mount) get up on
a. Congressman Gingrich mounted the platform to make his speech.
b. The watchman mounted the tower to see if there were any people in the vicinity.*
c. My sister couldn't mount the horse so they gave her a pony instead.
16. compete (kam pet1) try hard to get something wanted by others; be a
rival
a. The former champion was challenged* to compete for the tennis title.
b. The runner was reluctant* to compete in front of his parents for the first time.
c. When the amateur* became a pro he had to compete against better men.
17. dread (dred) look forward to with fear; fear greatly; causing great fear
a. The poor student dreaded going to school each morning.
b. He had a dread feeling about the challenge* he was about to face.
c. I dread going into that deserted house.
18. masculine (mas' ku lin) of man; male
a. The boy became more masculine as he got older.
b. It is undeniable* that his beard makes him look masculine.
c. The girls liked Jerry because of his masculine ways.
19. menace (men' is) threat
a. Irv's lack* of respect made him a menace to his parents.
b. The torrents* of rain were a menace to the farmer's crops.
c. Sergeant Foy's raw language was an obvious* menace to the reputation of the entire police
department.
20. tendency (ten1 den s§) leaning; movement in a certain direction
a. My algebra teacher has a tendency to forget the students' names.
b. His tendency was to work hard in the morning and then to take it easy in the afternoon.
c. The tendency in all human beings is to try to survive.*
21. underestimate (un der es' ts mat) set too low a value, amount, or rate
a. I admit that I underestimated the power in the bulky* fighter's frame.
 b. Undoubtedly* the boss underestimated his employee's* ability to work hard
c. The value of our house was underestimated by at least two thousand dollars.
22. victorious (vik to' re as) having won a victory; conquering
a. Playing in New Jersey, the Giants were victorious two years in a row.
b. Terry faced the challenge* with the bad attitude that he could not be victorious.
c. Our girls' volleyball squad was victorious over a taller team.
23. numerous (noo' mar as) very many; several
a. Critics review numerous movies every week.
b. Dr. Fischer had resisted* accepting money from the poor woman on numerous house calls.
c. The debator* used numerous documents* to back up his statements.
24. flexible (fiek' ss bal) easily bent; willing to yield
a. The toy was flexible, and the baby could bend it easily.
b. Remaining flexible, Nick listened to arguments from both sides.
c. A mouse's flexible body allows it to squeeze through narrow openings.

Fill in the Blanks

Place one of the new words in each of the blanks below

1. Ernesto would constantly ____ his father's questions.

2. My nephew was given a set of_______ soldiers for Christmas.
3. The modest man used to_______ his own strength.
4. Historical _______ are kept in a special section of the library.
5. The massive* wrestler accepted the _____________ of the newcomer.
6. Carole was ten years old before her parents finally let her _______ a horse.
7. "When do you expect to_______ your investigation of the case?"
8. Everyone who lived in the_______ of the bomb test was in peril.*
9. Anita's habit of interrupting him sent her husband into a_______.
10. The massive* tree on the corner was a_______ to traffic.
11. At parties, the shy girl would_______ being asked to dance.
12. My uncle has a_______ to repeat the same story over and over again.
13. Playing with dolls is traditionally* a_______ pastime.
14. It is_____ that this restaurant's food is delicious.
15. Lena showed a_______ of good judgment.
16. The amateur* tennis player completed many matches without being _______ .
17. When Stuart started growing a mustache, it was obvious* he was becoming more _______ .

Synonym Search
Circle the word that most nearly expresses the meaning of the word printed in orange type.

1. century
(a) countless years (b) three score years (c) one hundred years (d) generation
2. document
(a) official paper (b) critical review (c) decree (d) composition
3. undeniable
(a) essential* (b) unforeseen* (c) comprehensive (d) unquestionable
4. vicinity
(a) region near a place (b) division of a city or town (c) residential district (d) metropolitan
area
5. challenge
(a) banish permanently (b) verify easily (c) call to a fight (d) join together
6. lack
(a) take responsibility (b) correct (c) be without (d) give freely
7. miniature
(a) balanced (b) tiny (c) eager (d) forbidden
8. rage
(a) extreme anger (b) foolish explanation (c) rapid movement (d) bad habit
9. conclude
(a) show (b) reorganize (c) examine (d) decide
10. source , (a) origin (b) task (c)
onlooker (d) chart
11. resist
(a) discuss honestly (b) change completely (c) strive against (d) pay attention
12. ignore
(a) disregard (b) complete (c) exaggerate* (d) offer