8th Grade - 2nd Quarter - Vocabulary Test

The author castigated the prime minister as an ineffective leader.

He was castigated in the media for making millions of dollars while the company went bankrupt.

Bustle means to move or go in a busy or hurried way or to have a lot of busy activity. It can also be used as a noun to mean noisy or busy activity.

Belligerent means inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness.

It took very little alcohol to make him belligerent.

An alternate is one that substitutes for or alternates with another.

Examples of usage:
The town has elected five councilors and two alternates.
If that business does not make what we want, we can always find an alternate that does.

Reluctant means feeling or showing aversion, hesitation, or unwillingness.

Examples of usage:
We were reluctant to get involved.
He might agree but seems reluctant to admit it.

Bustle means to move or go in a busy or hurried way or to have a lot of busy activity.

An estuary is a habitat in which the fresh water of a river meets the salt water of the ocean.

The word principle has many meanings; however, school administration is not one of them. The person who is in charge of a school in a principal, not a principle. The word principle means a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption or a rule or code of conduct, a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions. It can also mean the primary source or origin.

Examples of usage:
His investment strategy is based on the principle that the stock market offers the best returns for long-term investors.
As a matter of principle, he would not accept the gift.
It's against my principles to cheat.

Rampant means standing on one hind foot with one foreleg raised above the other and the head in profile, espcially used in heraldic animals.

Chronic means marked by long duration or frequent recurrence.

Other examples:
She has a chronic need for attention.
Inflation has become a chronic condition in the economy.
She has had chronic pain in her back for years.
He is a chronic troublemaker.

Stupor means a daze or a condition of greatly dulled or completely suspended sense or sensibility, for example, a drunken stupor.

Unscathed means completely uninjured.

The correct answer is "summoned". This word implies that the queen called or requested for him to come back to the palace. It suggests that she wanted to see him or speak to him urgently. The other options, scourged, castigated, and alluded, do not fit the context as they do not convey the idea of calling someone back to a specific location.

Semblance means having a false look of truth or genuineness.

Indisposed means slightly ill or prone to illness.

Infallible means not capable of being wrong or making mistakes. Although the word infallible is used correctly in this sentence, the Church does not consider the pope infallible in all matters. It only considers the pope infallible while teaching officially on a matter of faith or morals.

The Catholic Church’s teaching on papal infallibility is one which is generally misunderstood by those outside the Church. People often think infallibility means that popes are given some special grace that allows them to teach positively whatever truths need to be known, but that is not quite correct, either. Infallibility is not a substitute for theological study on the part of the pope.

What infallibility does do is prevent a pope from solemnly and formally teaching as "truth" something that is, in fact, error. It does not help him know what is true, nor does it "inspire" him to teach what is true. He has to learn the truth the way we all do—through study—though, to be sure, he has certain advantages because of his position.

Bustle means to move or go in a busy or hurried way or to have a lot of busy activity.

His handwriting is legible. The anxious mood was clearly legible upon her face.

A pocket guide that provides succinct explanations for rules of grammar and punctuation.

Doggerel means poetry that is poorly written and that often is not meant to be taken seriously.

The word "clarity" is used incorrectly in the sentence "The Duchess's clarity was greatly admired by all." Clarity refers to the quality of being clear or transparent, usually in terms of thought or communication. In this sentence, it doesn't make sense for the Duchess to possess clarity as a trait that can be admired. It would be more appropriate to say that the Duchess's clarity of thought or communication was greatly admired by all.

The phrase "The committee lacked clarity of purpose" means that the committee did not have a clearly stated reason for meeting. This implies that the committee may have been unsure of their objectives or goals, leading to confusion and inefficiency in their meetings. Without a clear purpose, it becomes difficult for the committee to make decisions or achieve any meaningful outcomes.

The sentence "He plans to compensate the money he owes him as soon as he is able" uses the word "compensate" incorrectly. The correct usage of "compensate" is to provide something to make up for a loss or damage. In this sentence, it should be "He plans to repay the money he owes him as soon as he is able."

The word principle has many meanings; however, school administration is not one of them. The person who is in charge of a school in a principal, not a principle. The word principle means a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption or a rule or code of conduct, a moral rule or belief that helps you know what is right and wrong and that influences your actions. It can also mean the primary source or origin.

Examples of usage:
His investment strategy is based on the principle that the stock market offers the best returns for long-term investors.
As a matter of principle, he would not accept the gift.
It's against my principles to cheat.

Concise means using few words; not including extra or unnecessary information.

Pawn has a few meanings. As a noun, a pawn can be a person used by others to serve their own purposes and it is also the least valuable piece in the game of chess. As a verb it means to deposit personal valuables, such as watches and rings, with a pawnbroker in exchange for a loan.

Bustle means to move or go in a busy or hurried way or to have a lot of busy activity. It can also be used as a noun to mean noisy or busy activity. Also as a noun, it can mean a frame, pad, or bunch of material used to make a skirt stick out.

Sedentary means doing or requiring much sitting or not physically active.

Examples:
Editing the dictionary is a sedentary job.
The work is very sedentary.
Their health problems were caused by their sedentary lifestyles/lives.
He became sedentary later on in his life.

A felon is a person guilty of a major crime.

He is an illustrious physicist who is a sure bet for a Nobel Prize.

A meeting to discuss seating arrangements was merely a preliminary to the formal negotiating sessions.
There will be a short briefing about topics to be discussed as a preliminary to the meeting.
Preliminary findings show that the drug could help patients with skin cancer.

Something that is preliminary is not always necessary. Answer E is the definition of prerequisite.

The word "implausible" means not believable or unlikely to happen. In the given sentence, the word "implausible" is used correctly to describe the story as not believable. However, the statement "I didn't believe her" contradicts the correct usage of the word "implausible" because if something is implausible, it means it is not believable, so the speaker shouldn't believe her. Therefore, the sentence uses the word "implausible" incorrectly.

The given poem is an example of doggerel. Doggerel refers to a type of poetry that is characterized by its simplicity, irregular meter, and often humorous or trivial content. In this poem, the rhyme scheme is inconsistent, the meter is irregular, and the content is light-hearted and playful. These characteristics align with the definition of doggerel, making it the correct answer.

The disease continues to be a scourge in the developing world.
Jesus was scourged at the pillar.

The word "oblique" is used correctly in the sentences: "Triangles that do not have an angle that measures 90° are called oblique triangles." This sentence accurately defines oblique triangles. "The oblique muscles can be exercised through crunches or sit-ups." This sentence correctly describes how to exercise the oblique muscles. "She responded to the reporter's question with an oblique reply which dodged the question." This sentence shows the use of oblique to describe a reply that avoids answering the question. "She suggested obliquely that he wasn't telling the truth." This sentence uses obliquely to describe how she indirectly suggested that he was lying.

Timorous means expressing or suggesting timidity.

Examples of usage:
She proceeded with doubtful and timorous steps.
He is a shy and timorous young man.
He spoke with a timorous voice.

That film is full of expletives.
Expletives were deleted from the transcript of their conversation.
Angry expletives filled the air.

Allude means to mention in an indirect way.
Allure means a quality that attracts people.
Elude means to avoid or escape by being quick, skillful, or clever or to fail to be understood or remembered.

Examples of allude:
I'm interested in hearing more about the technology you alluded to a minute ago.
The politician alluded to the idea that she might not run for office again.
Mrs. Simons alluded to some health problems, without being specific.
She alluded to her first marriage.

The dancer enthralls her audiences with the beauty of her movements.
I was enthralled by the beauty of the landscape.
The movie is an enthralling adventure story.

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In the eighteenth century, a cockade was pinned on the side of a man's tricorne or cocked hat, or on his lapel. Women could also wear it on their hat or in their hair. A cockade uses distinctive colors to show the allegiance of its wearer to some political faction, their rank, or as part of a servant's livery.

During the American Revolution, the Continental Army initially wore cockades of various colors as an ad hoc form of rank insignia, as General George Washington wrote:

"As the Continental Army has unfortunately no uniforms, and consequently many inconveniences must arise from not being able to distinguish the commissioned officers from the privates, it is desired that some badge of distinction be immediately provided; for instance that the field officers may have red or pink colored cockades in their hats, the captains yellow or buff, and the subalterns green."

An estuary is a habitat where the freshwater from a river mixes with the saltwater from the ocean. This unique environment is characterized by fluctuating salinity levels, making it a transitional zone between freshwater and marine ecosystems. Estuaries are highly productive areas that support a diverse range of plant and animal species. The mixing of waters creates a dynamic environment with specialized adaptations for organisms to thrive in the changing conditions.

Knell is the sound of a bell, esp. at a funeral: The bells tolled a death knell.

All are correct definitions of rampant. The second choice is a rampart, not rampent.

Examples:
Starvation was rampant in the country after the war.
That weed is rampant in this area.
The mayor promised to put a stop to the rampant crime that plagued the city.