Monday, March 19, 2012

Monday March 19 Ethan Frome review



Some folks are still struggling with adapting a paper on Ethan Frome to a Prezi. We'll take the time in class today to review the book.And you may ask specific questions. We'll begin the presentations tomorrow.

Remember the thesis question is, Is Ethan Frome an example of Naturalism?

DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS: YOUR ETHAN FROME QUESTIONS

As class time will be taken up with presentations most of this week, your homework is vocabulary 10 and 11. Both are due next Monday.

Vocabulary 10   definitions



1.      askance (adverb)- with suspicion, distrust or disapproval; skeptically; suspiciously

2.      attenuate (verb) – to make thin or slender, to weaken or lessen in force, intensity or value; dilute; water down

3.      benign (adj)- gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant; salutary; salubrious

4.      cavil (verb)- to find fault in a petty way, carp; nitpick, quibble    (noun)- a trivial  objection or criticism

5.      charlatan (noun) – one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, imposter or quack

6.      decimate (verb)- to kill or destroy a large part of; ravage, devastate

7.      foible (noun)- weak point, failing, minor flaw; shortcoming, defect, quirk

8.      forgo (verb)- to do without, abstain from, give up; renounce

9.      fraught (adj)- full or loaded with; accompanied by; charged with

10.  inure (verb)- to toughen, harden’ render used to something by long subjection or exposure; accustom, acclimate

11.  luminous (adj)- emitting or reflecting light, glowing; radiant, bright, refulgent

12.  obsequious (adj)- marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons.

13.  obtuse (adj)- blunt, not coming to the point; slow or dull in understanding; not causing a sharp impression; stupid, dumb, thick

14.  oscillate (verb)- to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm, to fluctuate or waver; vibrate, vacillate

15.  penitent (adj)- regretful for one’s sins or mistakes; (noun) one who is sorry for wrongdoing; repentant; regretful, rueful, sorry

16.  peremptory (adj)- having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial or refusal; high-handed, unconditional

17.  rebuff (verb) to snub; to repel, drive away, spurn, repulse, reject; (noun) a curt rejection; a check; a set back

18.  reconnoiter (verb)- to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection; scout

19.  shambles (noun)- a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess

20.  sporadic (adj)- occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order; intermittent, spasmodic


Vocabulary 10, exercise 1 Use correct form



1.      Life on the family farm has __________________________me to hard physical labor and long hours of unremitting toil.

2.      The general sent scouts on ahead of the army to _________________________ the area for a suitable site to pitch camp.

3.      Although there had been some ____________________________ fighting earlier, the real battles of the Civil War did not begin until Bull Run in July, 1861.

4.      Unless the title Special Aide to the Assistant Section Manager involves a salary increase, I would just as soon _______________________ it.

5.      The riot converted the quiet streets of that suburban community into a ghastly ______________________________.

6.      Although the moon appears to be a(n) ______________________________ body, the fact is that it only reflects light received from the sun.

7.      As all kinds of wild rumors ran rampant through the besieged city, the mood of the populace _________________________ between hope and despair.

8.      Good supervisors know that they can get more cooperation from their staff by making polite requests than by issuing __________________________ orders.

9.      The man’s personality was a strange mixture of strengths and weaknesses, fortes and _____________________________.

10.  I was totally taken aback when they ___________________________ my kind offers of assistance so rudely and nastily.

11.  No doubt he’s very sorry he got caught, but that does not mean that he’s at all _____________________ about what he did.

12.  Any “investment counselor” who promises to double your money overnight must be regarded as a(n) _____________________________ or crook.

13.  Though my childhood recollections have been ______________________________ by the passage of time, they have not been totally effaced from my memory.

14.  In a typical James Bond movie, Agent 007 has a series of adventures that are _____________________________ with tongue-in-cheek peril.

15.  His statements have been so uniformly _______________________ that I get the impression that he is wearing a permanent pair of mental blinders.

16.  Though critics  ________________________ at minor faults in the new Broadway show, the general public loved it.

17.  I was relieved to learn that the tumor on my arm was _________________________ and my worst fears were groundless.

18.  We took _________________________ at the program that makes it harder for city dwellers to get out and enjoy the beauties of nature.

19.  During the 14th century, the Black Death suddenly swept across Europe, ____________________  the population and paralyzing everyday life.

20.  During imperial times, the Roman Senate was little more than a collection of _____________________________ yes-men, intent upon preserving their own lives by gratifying the emperor’s every whim.


Vocabulary 10, exercise 2



1.      The English teacher looked ________________________ at the suggestion that students read compendiums of Dicken’s novels.

2.      Abraham Lincoln’s sensitive stepmother had a _________________________ influence on the lonely boy who had lost his mother.

3.      I suggest that you do not _________________________ over small things but instead focus on what is important.

4.      The Inuit have become ____________________________ to the hardships of the long Arctic winters through years of experience.

5.      The reporter exposed the real estate agent as a __________________________ who routinely deceived her customers.

6.      The terrified narrator in Poe’s story The Pit and the Pendulum watches the dreaded instrument ________________________________ as it slowly moves toward him.

7.      Backbiting is one human _______________________________ not likely to be eradicated.

8.      One of the best, if not the easiest, ways to lose weight is to _____________________________ dessert.

9.      Infantry officers often ask for volunteers to _____________________________ the terrain ahead before ordering their soldiers to advance.

10.  Even with the most advanced equipment, expeditions to the top of Mt. Everest are still ___________________________ with danger.

11.  Walking under that _______________________________ night sky induced in me weighty thoughts not often pondered.

12.  The lieutenant was too _____________________________ to see the danger and led his company right into the hands of the enemy.

13.  In the Middle Ages, ______________________________ often confessed their sins publicly and were publicly punished.

14.  The board members resented the director’s ____________________________tone of voice.

15.  The old man _____________________________ his neighbors by refusing offers of friendship.

16.  After making sure the wound was clean, the doctor took steps to __________________________ the victim’s pain.

17.  The burglars made a complete _________________________ of the apartment in their search for money and jewelry.

18.  Again and again, Napoleon was able to _______________________ the armies of his enemies and lead his men on to further victories.

19.  The soldiers heard _____________________________ gunfire from the other side of the river.

20.  Jane Austin ridiculed characters that were _______________________________ to the aristocracy but condescending to their social inferiors.




Vocabulary 10,  exercise 3



Synonyms

1. quibble over who is at fault                                                   ____________________________

2. exposed him as a complete fraud                                          ____________________________

3. vacillated between two choices                                             ____________________________

4. looked skeptically at their proposals                                     ____________________________

5. accustomed to extremes of temperatures                            _____________________________

6. a storm that ravaged the countryside                                     ___________________________

7. an attempt to scout the interior                                              ____________________________

8. unwilling to renounce her inheritance                                    ___________________________

9. shocked by the mess they had created                                   ___________________________

10. a salutary effect on consumer confidence                           ____________________________

11. full of suspense and tension                                                 ____________________________

12. willing to overlook its defects                                              ___________________________

13. will spurn his offer of marriage                                            __________________________

14. his high-handed challenge to our authority                         ___________________________

15. in the radiant circle of the spotlight                                    ____________________________

Antonyms

16. measures that may strengthen the economy                       ____________________________

17. an entirely unrepentant gambler and thief                         ____________________________

18. her acute handling of the issue                                          _____________________________

19. assumed an overbearing manner                                        ____________________________

20. his constant attention to detail                                            ____________________________


Vocabulary 10, exercise 4

1. We must never allow our passion for justice to be (inured / attenuated) to mere halfhearted

     goodwill.

2. I have learned that (sporadic / preemptory) sessions of intense “cramming” can never take the place of a regular study program.

3. Somehow or other, a bull got into the china shop and turned it into a complete (shambles / foibles).

4. The (decimated / penitent) youths agreed to work without pay until they could make restitution for the damage their carelessness had caused.

5. When I found that people I admired were looking (askance / sporadic) at my unconventional clothing, I resolved to remedy the situation.

6. How could you have the heart to (rebuff / cavil) those people’s piteous appeals for aid?

7. Since he didn’t want to give me credit for having done a good job, he took refuge in endless (foibles / cavils) about my work.

8. Imagine the general disappointment when the so-called “miracle cure” was exposed as a fraud promoted by a (charlatan / cavil).

9. Over the years, her (luminous / obtuse) descriptions and scintillating wit have helped her students master the difficult subject she taught.

10. Their relationship has been so (fraught / benign) with strife and malice that I don’t see how they can ever patch things up.

11. Though I admire the woman’s strong points, I find her (rebuffs / foibles) comic.

12. All angles are classified as acute, right, (obtuse / benign) or straight, according to the number of degrees they contain.

13. Though the small nation was always ready to settle a conflict peacefully, it was not afraid to use (luminous / peremptory) force when necessary.

14. At an autocrat’s court, free speech is usually replaced by the (penitent / obsequious) twaddle of self-serving flunkies and toadies.

15. Do you want to be a ballet dancer badly enough to (oscillate / forgo) all other activities?

16. Bank robbers often spend a good deal of time (reconnoitering / rebuffing) the neighborhood in which the bank they intend to rob is located.

17. During the Civil War the ranks of both armies were (decimated / rebuffed) as much by disease as by enemy action.

18. Even though my experiences in battle have (inured / caviled) me to scenes of suffering, I was horrified by the devastation wrought by the tornado.

19. Since he is not guided by firm principles, he (attenuates / oscillates) between the rival factions, looking for support from both of them.

20. We believe that classes taught by teachers with specialized training will have a (sporadic / benign) effect on the troubled children.


 11  definitions

 1.      abrogate (verb) – to repeal, cancel, declare null and void; revoke

2.      ambient (adj) – completely surrounding, encompassing.

3.      asperity (noun)- roughness, bitterness, tartness; rigor, harshness

4.      burnish (verb)- to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; (noun) gloss, brightness, buff

5.      cabal (noun) -a small group working in secret

6.      delectable (adj)- delightful, highly enjoyable; deliciously flavored, savory

7.      deprecate (verb)- to express mild disapproval; to belittle; deplore, frown upon

8.      detritus (noun) loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; debris, wreckage, ruins, rubble

9.      ebullient (adj)- overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement, boiling, bubbling; exhilarated, elated

10.  eclectic (adj) drawn from different sources; (noun) one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources; synthetic

11.  flaccid (adj)- limp, not firm; lacking vigor or effectiveness, soft, flabby

12.  impecunious (adj)- having little or no money; penniless, impoverished, indigent

13.  inexorable (adj)- inflexible, beyond influence, relentless, unyielding; inescapable, ineluctable, obdurate

14.  moribund (adj)- dying, on the way out, obsolescent

15.  necromancer (noun)- one who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general a magician or wizard; sorcerer, conjurer

16.  onerous (adj)- burdensome; involving hardship or difficulty; oppressive, weighty

17.  rife (adj)- common, prevalent, widespread, happening often, full, abounding, plentiful, abundant, replete

18.  rudiments  (n.plural)- the parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first; the earliest sages of anything.

19.  sequester (verb)- to set apart, separate for a special purpose; or take possession of and hold in custody; seclude, segregate, isolate, closet

20.   winnow (verb)- to get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from wheat by blowing air on it, to fan; to sift, strain, filter, sort


Vocabulary 11, exercise 1 Use the correct form.

                    

1.      I could tell that my boss was really “riled” by the _________________________ of his tone of voice when he summoned me.

2.      I thought the job of revising the manuscript would be a relatively simple matter, but it proved to be a(n) ______________________________ task.

3.      She is a very private person who __________________________ any attempt to honor publicly her great services to humanity.

4.      Though monarchies still exist in some parts of the world, they are more or less a(n)  _____________________ form of government.

5.      Even before they said a word, I could tell from their _______________________ expressions that our team had won.

6.      In a sense, the man is a(n) _________________________ philosopher because his ideas have been influenced by many different schools of thought.

7.      All the facts and figures point to one __________________________ conclusion: we are hopelessly outnumbered.

8.      As air slowly seeped out through the tiny puncture, the inner tube became more and more _________________________________.

9.      Some superstitious Roman emperors consulted __________________________and other dabblers in black magic to find out what the future held.

10.  It is often difficult to hold a conversation while walking on a busy city street because of the high level of __________________________ traffic noise.

11.  The copper pots had been so highly ______________________________ that I could see my face in them.

12.  In order to prevent outside influences from coming into play, a jury is normally __________________________ until it reaches a decision.

13.  Unless you have mastered the ____________________ of French grammar, you will find it difficult to speak the language fluently.

14.  It was then that he began to organize the ________________ that would later depose the king.

15.  The conversation at dinner tables all over town was _______________ with speculation as to the outcome of the big game.

16.  We will never allow anyone to curtail or ________________________ the basic rights and liberties guaranteed to us in the Constitution.

17.  The plot of the novel centers on a(n) __________________________ adventurer who attempts to remedy his financial embarrassment by marrying into money.

18.  One of Darwin’s theories suggests that nature ensures the survival of a species by slowly ____________________________ out the less fit members.

19.  Late that night, we began the heartbreaking task of sifting through the ______________________ of our ravaged home.

20.  There is nothing more _________________________on a hot day than to stretch out in a hammock with a good book and pitcher of icy lemonade.


Vocabulary 11, exercise 2



1.      The new filtering system is capable of cleaning and deodorizing the __________________________ air.

2.      The hotel manager ordered the waiters to ________________________ all the brass candlesticks before the formal banquet.

3.      The eatery attracted customers with a mouth-watering display of ____________________________ in its front window,

4.      The administration _______________________________ such foolish practices as the hazing of new students but it not ban them outright.

5.      After a string of very favorable reviews, the dance company was in a(n)  _____________________ mood for weeks.

6.      Because the injured bodybuilder had not worked out for weeks, his muscles grew __________________________.

7.      In the Greek tragedies, nothing could save characters like Oedipus Rex from their ______________________________ fates.

8.      In the age of electronic communication, writing letters by hand seems to be a _____________________ custom.

9.      Informing patients of bad news is a(n) _________________________  duty that every doctor has to perform.

10.  Often with no legal or moral grounds, the U.S. government would __________________________-- treaties made with Naïve Americans.

11.  The banquet ended with a truly ______________________________dessert made of peaches, raspberries and ice cream.

12.  In my present ______________________________ state, I will not be able to pay for dinner.

13.  Since rumors were ____________________, the president announced that the company had been bought out by its major competitor.

14.  At a very young age, the girl learned the __________________________of chess from her father, a professional player.

15.  Spelling and grammar software programs are designed to help writers   _________________________- inaccuracies from their documents.

16.  The _____________________________ of the drama critic’s statement undermined the young actor’s confidence.

17.  Pieces of people’s homes, furniture and toys could be seen in the ____________________ of the landslide.

18.  The members of the __________________________ met at an unknown location for the purpose of fixing prices and stifling competition.

19.  The parties agreed to __________________________ the disputed funds pending a decision by the court.

20.  When the stock market began to tumble, some desperate investors resorted to ____________________________ for financial advice.


Vocabulary 11, exercise 3



Synonyms

1. sort the good ideas from the bad                                   ________________________________

2. taught us the fundamentals of physics                          ________________________________

3. the encompassing sound of the drums                          ________________________________

4. cleaned up the debris from the parade                           ________________________________

5. fooled by a sorcerer’s tricks                                          ________________________________

6. secluded on a remote country estate                             ________________________________

7. a ruthless clique of gangsters                                        ________________________________

8. could not miss the harshness in his tone                       ________________________________

9. the inescapable consequences of her action                ________________________________

10. rebelled against the oppressive taxation                    _________________________________

11. weeds that were widespread in the  area                     _______________________________-

12. tempted me with delicious treats                                ________________________________

13. a varied collection of opinions                                    ________________________________

14. the exuberant cheerleading squad                             ________________________________

15. sheltered the penniless immigrants                           ________________________________

Antonyms

16. tarnish the silver                                                         ________________________________

17. noticed her firm handshake                                        ________________________________

18. the flourishing downtown area                                   _________________________________

19. will reaffirm his oath to the king                                _________________________________

20.countenanced our peaceful protest                              ________________________________


Vocabulary 11, exercise 4

1.      “The (inexorable / moribund) march of the years,” said the aged speaker, “decrees that this is the last time I will address you.”

2.      Writing so full of soggy clichés, gummy sentence structure and excessive wordiness can best be described as (inexorable / flaccid.)

3.      What appeared to be an informal study group was in a reality a highly organized (detritus / cabal) determined to overthrow the establishment.

4.      (Asperity / Necromancy) and other forms of witchcraft were punishable by death during the Middle Ages.

5.      The investigating committee spent long hours trying to (burnish / winnow) fact from fiction in the witnesses’ testimony.

6.      Though she entered this country as a(n) (impecunious / rife) child, she eventually made a fortune in the garment industry.

7.      Anyone who has the slightest acquaintance with the (rudiments / cabals) of economic theory understands that we cannot solve our financial problems simply by borrowing more and more money.

8.      Though the presidency confers great powers on the person who holds the office, it also saddles that person with (onerous / eclectic) responsibilities.

9.      (Eclectic /Ambient) schools of art are typical of a period when there is a little original inspiration or bold experimentation.

10.  Since archeologists spend a lot of time rummaging through the (detritus / asperity) of vanished civilizations, they bear a striking resemblance to junk collectors or rag pickers.

11.  As we sat in the locker room after our heartbreaking loss, the (ambient / impecunious) gloom was so thick you could almost cut it.

12.  It is one thing to (burnish / deprecate) human follies and pretensions; it is quite another to correct them.

13.  Though skeptics insist that patriotism is (onerous /moribund) in America, I believe that it is alive and well in the hearts of the people.

14.  The old adage that “one man’s meat is another man’s poison” is simply means that what is considered (delectable / onerous) is often quite subjective.

15.  Any political party that is (rife / ebullient) with petty jealousies and backbiting can never hope to present a united front in an election. 

16.  The (moribund / burnished) helmets and breastplates of the warriors gleamed and twinkled in the morning sunlight.

17.  As one veteran aptly observed, a soldier had to be hardy to cope with the (asperities / cabals) of life in the trenches during World War I.

18.  Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. once observed that he did not wish to lead a(n) (sequestered / abrogated) life far from the conflicts of his time.

19.  The charm of this musical comedy lies in its slam-bang pacing, its sprightly music, and its generally (onerous / ebullient) good cheer.
20. No one, however powerful or dominant, can (arrogate / sequester) the basic moral laws on which civilizations rests.






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