Question

1. people who never give any assignment more than a \lick and a promise\ may be said to belong to the (stagnant, slapdash) school of working.
2. on rare occasions, the u.s. senate will (reprimand, prattle) one of its members who has violated the rules.
3. unemployment will stay at a high level so long as a nation’s economy remains (stagnant, paramount).
4. i don’t think it is fair to call him a(n) (incorrigible, morose) person just because he was in a dejected mood when you met him.
5. you may think that his explanation is perfectly clear, but i find it confused and (brazen, opaque).
6. the boss’s (servitude, reprimand) stung his employee especially hard, as it was delivered in front of the entire staff.
7. his (stagnant, brazen) demeanor might help him to be a successful salesperson, but it could also alienate potential customers.
8. the family’s (servitude, catalyst) to the local lords had begun generations earlier, when an ancestor’s misfortunes had resulted in a loss of wealth and status.
9. after the police secured the evidence, it became (paramount, arbitrary) to track down the witnesses before they left the scene
10. i worried that the toddler’s (reprimand, prattle) would continue throughout the film.

synonyms
choose the word from this unit that is the same or most nearly the same in meaning as the boldface word or expression in the phrase. write that word on the line. use a dictionary if necessary.

1. a doleful stare
2. demolished our rivals in the playoffs
3. the emigration of refugees from the war zone
4. chastised them for their discourteous behavior
5. a fetid pond clogged with debris
6. a moving account of life in captivity
7. refused to accept such sloppy work
8. searched for the forger’s confederates
9. chattered about nothing in particular
10. the foremost authority on the subject

Explanation:

Question 16

"Slapdash" means careless or hasty, fitting the context of people who don't put much effort into assignments. "Stagnant" means not moving or developing, which doesn't fit here.

"Reprimand" means to scold or rebuke, appropriate for the Senate disciplining a member. "Prattle" means to talk aimlessly, which doesn't fit.

"Stagnant" describes an economy that's not growing, leading to high unemployment. "Paramount" means most important, which doesn't fit.

Answer:

slapdash

Question 17