Question

directions: answer the following multiple choice questions. highlight the parts of the sentence that provided you context for the word meaning.
life of pi vocabulary practice

1. “the whole shoe disappeared bit by bit, slight tug on the line by slight tug on the line, happy freeloading fish by happy freeloading fish, bare hook by bare hook, until i was left with only the rubber sole and the shoelace. when the shoelace proved an unconvincing earthworm, out of sheer exasperation i tried the sole, all of it. it was not a good idea.”

what is the meaning of exasperation as used in the sentence?
a) deep relief and consolation
b) extreme frustration and annoyance
c) quiet amusement and mirth
d) sudden excitement and exhilaration

1. “this loss did not strike me as a terrible blow. there were other hooks, leader wires and weights in the kit, besides a whole other kit. and i wasn’t even fishing for myself. i had plenty of food in store. still, a part of my mind—the one that says what we don’t want to hear—rebuked me. ‘stupidity has a price. you should show more care and wisdom next time.’”

what is the meaning of rebuked, based on the context of the excerpt?
a) praised and approved
b) ignored and disregarded
c) scolded and chastised
d) dictated and uttered

1. “granted, when he’s on his last legs he probably won’t lift his nose at much. but don’t you think that before he submits to eating puffy, putrefied zebra he’ll try the fresh, juicy indian boy just a short dip away?”

what is the meaning of putrefied as used in the sentence?
a) fresh and new
b) rotten and decayed
c) germinated and burgeoned
d) heavy and dense

Explanation:

1. In the first - sentence, the shoe is disappearing bit by bit and the speaker tries something out of a strong negative feeling. "Exasperation" means extreme frustration and annoyance.
2. In the second - sentence, the internal voice is scolding the speaker about stupidity having a price and showing more care next time. "Rebuked" means scolded and chastised.
3. In the third - sentence, "putrefied" is used to describe a zebra in a state opposite to "fresh, juicy", so it means rotten and decayed.

Answer:

1. B. Extreme frustration and annoyance
2. C. Scolded and chastised
3. B. Rotten and decayed