Vocabulary 11 test

Directions: select the word that best completes the sentence.

1. The young woman’s (demure, staccato) smile and flirtatious manner drew admiring glances.

2. (Rivulets, Reeks) of sweat ran down the faces of the men working in that terrible heat.

3. In an attempt to mislead the enemy, the crafty prisoner of war deliberately (divulged, garbled) his account of how the attack had been planned.

4. The speaker’s (enlightened, staccato) delivery truly reminded us of a jackhammer breaking up concrete.

5. She tried to appear calm, but her voice (quavered, squandered), revealing her agitation.

6. A person accused of a crime is not obliged to (divulge, deteriorate) anything that might be incriminating.

7. Once a political leader has lost the confidence of voters, it is almost impossible to (comport, recoup) it.

8. I wish there were a (rivulet, statute) that would prevent people from revealing the ending of a detective story!

9. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t watch TV, but why (recoup, squander) so much of your time on those inane programs?

10. In order to (recoil, forestall) criticism of my proposal, I prepared myself with relevant facts and figures before the meeting.

11. Seeing my childhood friend so gray and infirm, I became keenly aware of the (relentless, demure) passage of the years.

12. When I learned how the air and water were being polluted, I became a strong (brevity, proponent) of ecological reforms.

13. The charitable programs sponsored by this organization (forestall, comport) well with our conception of a just and compassionate society.

14. It’s all very well to build new housing, but we should also rehabilitate neighborhoods that have (deteriorated, garbled) through neglect.

15. “Wear and tear” is the (depreciation, proponent) that results from ordinary use, not from misuse.

16. It’s not surprising that the clothing of firefighters often (quavers, reeks) of smoke and sweat.

17. Early rifles had such a “kick” to them that inexperienced soldiers were often injured by their (recoil, depreciation).

18. In spite of the vast number of details in the United States Constitution, the document is remarkably (relentless, concise).

19. William Shakespeare expressed the tragic (brevity, statute) of life by comparing it to a candle that must soon go out.

20. An old Chinese proverb suggests: “Make a candle to get light; read a book to get (enlightened, concise).”