Chapter 2, 3, 4

Question 1

Their travels took them to the Bahamas, ‘thence’ south to Venezuela.

Answer 1

from that place; from that fact or circumstance : therefrom

Question 2

A large and ‘boisterous’ crowd attended the concert.

Answer 2

noisily turbulent : rowdy; marked by or expressive of exuberance and high spirits

Question 3

The car skidded to a ‘halt’.

Answer 3

having a manner of walking that is impaired by a limp : lame

Question 4

1. In the thick, ‘fervent’ air of a tropical afternoon…

2. A ‘fervent’ speech that called for tolerance and compassion for those who are different…

Answer 4

1. very hot : glowing

2. exhibiting or marked by great intensity of feeling : zealous

Question 5

The gravy began to ‘congeal’ in the pan.

The surface of the pond ‘congealed’ after several days of frigid temperatures

Answer 5

to make rigid, fixed, or immobile; to change from a fluid to a solid state by or as if by cold

Question 6

There is nothing quite so ‘forlorn’ as a closed factory.

Answer 6

1. bereft; forsaken; abandoned; deserted

2. being in poor condition : miserable, wretched

Question 7

The ‘dilapidated’ ruins of a large gate…

Answer 7

to bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin

Question 8

As I have ‘oft’ said, you need to look before you leap

Answer 8

often

Question 9

I will answer his letter ‘anon’.

Answer 9

soon; presently

Question 10

Our family enjoyed a 5-day ‘sojourn’ in the mountains.

Answer 10

a temporary stay

Question 11

A lawyer at the ‘meridian’ of his career arguing a case…

Answer 11

1. (archaic) the hour of noon : midday

2. a high point, as of development or prosperity

Question 12

‘Avast’ the ship at once!

Answer 12

a nautical command to stop or cease

Question 13

That statement is completely ‘arrant’!

Answer 13

being notoriously without moderation : extreme

Question 14

1. The old fisherman ‘toped’ as he reminisced his past.

2. A ‘tope’ is an alternate name for the school shark.

Answer 14

1. to drink liquor to excess

2. a small slender cosmopolitan shark (Galeorhinus galeus)

Question 15

The lottery winner was exhausted after a long night of ‘revelry’.

Answer 15

noisy partying : merrymaking

Question 16

The shop is filled with a whimsical ‘farrago’ of antiques.

Answer 16

a confused mixture : hodgepodge

Question 17

Because of their past crimes, everything they do now will be subject to ‘scrutiny’.

Answer 17

1. a searching study, inquiry, or inspection : examination

2. close watch : surveillance

Question 18

The ‘incessant’ noise from an outside repair crew was a great distraction.

Answer 18

continuing or following without interruption : unceasing

Question 19

His father ‘expostulated’ with him about the evils of gambling.

Answer 19

1. (obsolete) discuss; examine

2. to reason earnestly with a person for purposes of dissuasion or remonstrance : debate; argue with

Question 20

This may not be such an ‘outlandish’ idea; in fact, there’s a good precedent.

Answer 20

1. strikingly out of the ordinary : bizarre

2. of or relating to another country : foreign

Question 21

The first, rudimentary, covered the basics of prayer and ‘ablutions’.

Answer 21

the washing of one’s body or part of it (as in a religious rite)