Question

vocabulary 1.3 quiz
fill in the blanks to the short story using this weeks words.
word bank: abstain, ambivalent, benign, cajole, condone, palatable, quandary, raze, scathing, taciturn
in the small town of brookside, the council voted to ____ the abandoned factory. some residents felt ____—they wanted the jobs it once provided but also hoped for something new to replace it.
dr. lee assured everyone that the leftover chemicals were ____ and posed no danger, which made the idea more __ to the townspeople. still, a few decided to ____ from voting, unsure what was best.
the mayor faced a ____: listen to the angry voices demanding immediate action or wait for more studies. one journalist wrote a __ article accusing the council of stalling, while the mayor tried to ____ the public with promises of parks and shops.
throughout it all, mr. grant, the usually ____ farmer, surprised everyone when he finally spoke: \we cannot ____ rushing into a choice that will affect our childrens future.\

Explanation:

1. "raze" means to completely destroy a building or town, so the council voted to raze the abandoned factory.
2. "ambivalent" describes having mixed feelings, which fits the residents' situation.
3. "benign" means not harmful, so the chemicals were benign.
4. "palatable" means acceptable or pleasant, making the idea more palatable to townspeople.
5. "abstain" means to refrain from doing something, like abstaining from voting.
6. "quandary" is a state of being confused or uncertain, which the mayor faced.
7. "scathing" means severely critical, for the journalist's article.
8. "cajole" means to persuade someone with flattery or gentle urging, like the mayor cajoling the public.
9. "taciturn" means not talkative, which describes Mr. Grant usually.

Answer:

In the small town of Brookside, the council voted to raze the abandoned factory. Some residents felt ambivalent—they wanted the jobs it once provided but also hoped for something new to replace it.
Dr. Lee assured everyone that the leftover chemicals were benign and posed no danger, which made the idea more palatable to the townspeople. Still, a few decided to abstain from voting, unsure what was best.
The mayor faced a quandary: listen to the angry voices demanding immediate action or wait for more studies. One journalist wrote a scathing article accusing the council of stalling, while the mayor tried to cajole the public with promises of parks and shops.
Throughout it all, Mr. Grant, the usually taciturn farmer, surprised everyone when he finally spoke: "We cannot rush into a choice that will affect our children’s future."