ACT Vocabulary Plus

Vocabulary in Context

From the list below, supply the words needed to complete the paragraph. Some words will not be used.

debacle hedonism demeanor quasi- perfunctory

besmirch obloquy sadistic imperative

  1. Advances in technology may have increased our life spans, but they also turned us into a civilization of ______in which people are slaves to entertainment and self-satisfaction. We no longer question the ______parenting techniques that produce children with such pathetic ______that they prefer sitting in living rooms and playing ______shoot-‘em

up video games to going outside and experiencing the most beautiful days of summer. It is ______that we nurture and guide the latest generation to appreciate and embrace the beauty of the natural – the real – world. The misconception of children that success in their digital kingdoms is comparable to real, character-inspired success is one of the great ______of the twenty-first century. Someday, the appropriate ______will be assigned to parents who allow their own children to become ______zombies whose best talent is playing internet role-playing games for six hours a night – every night.

From the list below, supply the words needed to complete the paragraph. Some words will not be used.

hedonism recapitulate besmirch baroque perfunctory fortuitous

  1. The ______interior of Mrs. Adison’s house reflected her life of extravagance and world travel. We wandered through the house in amazement, and occasionally we asked Mrs. Adison to ______the significance of particular items. She told us that some of the items were ______discoveries that barely survived floods, fires, and revolutions; however, the smoke damage, water stains, and bullet holes that ______the appearance of the artifacts only added to their intrinsic value.

From the list below, supply the words needed to complete the paragraph. Some words will not be used.

sacrosanct facetious celibateobloquy imperative

3. Though four years had passed since Jake Bristol had been declared killed-in-action, his ______wife, Georgia, refused to date, even at the urging of her family.

“We all loved Jake,” said Jake’s brother, Robert, “but even the memory of my own brother is not so ______that you should spend the rest of your life alone.” Georgia did not take her eyes off the motionless porch swing.

“Is this a proposal, Bob?” Georgia’s ______reply revealed that she wasn’t as depressed as Robert had assumed.

Complete the sentence in a way that shows you understand the meaning of the italicized vocabulary word.

  1. If you make a facetious remark during a job interview, you might. . .
  2. The congressman experienced obloquy as a result of. . .
  3. Ivan has a bad injury; it is imperative that he. . .
  4. Lori’s demeanor changed from angry to pleasant when. . .
  5. No one expected to find such baroque furnishings in. . .
  6. The failing grade besmirched Ryan’s . . .
  7. The neighborhood is run down and overgrown, but the sacrosanct house of the Jones family is. . .
  8. Opening the classy restaurant in the small town wad a debacle because. . .
  9. People who cannot control their hedonism are likely to. . .
  10. New recruits thought the drill sergeant was sadistic, but he was actually. . .
  11. Pam blamed the contractors for building the home in a perfunctory way when she noticed. . .
  12. In Puritan society, people were expected to remain celibate unless. . .
  13. Jerry made a fortuitous find when. . .
  14. Please recapitulate what you just said, because. . .
  15. Weary of sitting on rocks, the castaway made a quasi-recliner from. . .

Roots, Prefixes, and Suffixes

Study the entries and answer the questions that follow.

The root clin means “to lean” or “to bend.”The rootspon and pos mean “to put” or “to place.”

The root hyper means “excessive.”The root therm means “heat.”

The prefix com means “together.”The prefix im means “into.”

The prefix dis means “apart.”The prefix demeans “down.”

  1. Using literal translations as guidance, define the following words without using any assistance.
  1. deposit b. depose c. impose d. dispose e. compose f. component

2. If your thoughts lean toward a certain activity, then you have a(n) ______for that activity.

If you spend too much time leaning back on the ______, your physical fitness will

______.

3. A(n) ______child might have trouble sitting still, and a(n) ______judge

might upset the contestants of a singing contest.

4. List as many words as you can think of that contain the root therm.