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Quiz on Last Month's Words

March / April 2015                               Volume 16  No. 2

Here are the words that were featured last month:

dudgeon

eschew

intransigent

pariah

taciturn

realpolitik

For each of the eight examples below, select a word from the above list that best fits the blank. Then check your answers at the end. Note that the correct answer could be any of the word forms that were featured -- example: eschew, eschewing, eschewal, and so on.

  1. Mahatma Gandhi symbolized the absolute . . . . . of nonviolence and material possessions.
  2. Because of the high incidence of cancer in her family, my wife fiercely avoids some of the foods that you and I consume regularly. For instance, she . . . . . nectarines and peaches, two items that, according to the eminent Center for Science in the Public Interest, have relatively high content of pesticides.
  3. Erika, you are not the only one without a name badge—they forgot to make one for several of us that are attending this conference. So, cool down! You don't have to be in such high . . . . . over it.
  4. In an angry speech lambasting some high-profile U.S. senators who reject the notion that human activity is contributing to climate change, this author said: “The . . . . . of these influential lawmakers, which is driven solely by their political ambition, is harming the future of my son and the hundreds of millions of other millennials.”
  5. The last time Clarence Thomas, also known as “the silent justice,” asked a question during oral arguments was in February, 2006! Jeffrey Toobin's wonderful piece last year in the New Yorker provides valuable insight on this truly peculiar U.S. Supreme Court justice, especially why Thomas's . . . . . is a disservice to the public.
  6. Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell's extraordinary negotiating skills enabled the two . . . . . warring parties in Northern Ireland to reach a peace accord in 1998.
  7. Sure, lodging a strong and loud protest may well be the most ethical thing to do, but it'll hurt us in the long run. The wise choice would be to stay quiet for now. Remember, we need to think in . . . . . terms.
  8. I'm afraid some of our new sales people are not doing a very good job of networking when they attend chambers of commerce events and the like. They just stand in a corner, doing very little talking. We need to find out why they're being so . . . . ..

_______________________________________________________________

Answers:

1. eschewal    2. eschews    3. dudgeon    4. intransigence

5. taciturnity    6. intransigent    7. realpolitik    8. taciturn

 

Give yourself one point for each correct answer.

A score of 8 = excellent; 7 = very good; 6 = not bad; 5 or less = you may want to revisit these words.

Please let me know by e-mail or phone (281-463-2500) what you think about this quiz and how it can be improved.

© 2017 V.J. Singal
No part of this may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the author.