Question

chapter 2 ten words in context
1 curt (kurt) adjective

• the face - faced manager trained waiters to give polite, full answers to customers. when she’s with other people, she often uses curt sentences, not mean to be curt, but because she’s so shy.
• bees’ queen’s words to them are curt.

options: a. cautious. b. courteous. c. rudely brief.

2 demoralize (di - mor - uh - liz) verb

• cara’s refusal to date my brother demoralized him so completely that for months, he lacked the confidence to ask another woman out.
• when bonnie gained a pound during her diet, it so demoralized her that she ate a banana split.

options: a. to cheat. b. to discourage. c. to excite.

3 dilemma (di - lem’ - uh) noun

• the store manager faced a dilemma: either having a needy elderly man arrested or ignoring store rules about shoplifters.
• the heroine’s dilemma often involves choosing between a rich boy(friend) and the poor man she really loves.

options: a. a hard choice. b. a great danger. c. a benefit.

4 inclination (in - kluh - nay’ - shun) noun

• my inclination is to major in nursing, but i’m going to speak to a few nurses before i make my final decision.
• because lee fears the dentist, his inclination is to wait until he’s in extreme pain before making an appointment.

options: a. a preference. b. a reason. c. a fate.

5 irate (i - rayt’) adjective

• if kate got angry only occasionally, i could take her more seriously, but she’s always irate about something or other.
• ray gets mad when his wife misplaces the tv’s remote control, and she becomes equally irate when he leaves muddy footprints on the freshly mopped floor.

options: a. thrilled. b. selfish. c. furious.

6 retort (ri - tort’) verb

• when i told my parents i’d put the dishes in the dishwasher the next morning, my father retorted, “maybe we should serve you dinner in the mornings, too.”
• “what do you want?” the young woman asked dracula. “only to drink in your charms,” he retorted.

options: a. to approve. b. to reply. c. to ask.

7 sabotage (sab’ - uh - tahj) verb

• terrorist groups train members to sabotage the company’s network by infiltrating it with a computer program.
• “i was hired as a stock boy,” said the company president, “but management was so impressed with my development, they promoted me to sabotage the competition.”

options: a. to develop. b. to increase. c. to do harm to.

8 subsequent (sub’ - si - kwent) adjective

• the first few times james drove us, he got lost; subsequent trips, he felt more relaxed.
• “i was recently hired by the company,” said a new employee, “the first week i was terrified, but on subsequent days, i felt at home.”

options: a. first. b. following. c. previous.

9 wary (wair’ - ee) adjective

• “there’s no such thing as a free lunch,” means that we should be wary about the motives of people who offer us something for nothing.
• i’m a little wary of people who, when they first meet me, treat me as if i’m their best friend.

options: a. careful. b. tired. c. welcoming.

10 zeal (zeel) noun

• velma attacked her food with such zeal that i thought she hadn’t eaten for a week!
• my neighbor has so much zeal about keeping our neighborhood clean that she sweeps our sidewalk if we don’t do it ourselves.

options: a. resistance. b. passion. c. skill.

matching words with definitions
following are definitions of the ten words. clearly write or print each word next to its definition. the sentences above and on the previous page will help you decide on the meaning of each word.

1. a tendency, or preference, to think, act, or behave in a certain way; a leaning
2. rudely brief when speaking to someone; abrupt
3. cautious; on guard
4. to reply, especially in a quick, sharp, or witty way
5. to lower the spirits of; weaken the confidence or cheerfulness of
6. a situation requiring a difficult choice
7. following, in time or order; next, later
8. enthusiastic devotion; intense enthusiasm
9. to deliberately destroy or damage
10. very angry

caution: do not go any further until you are sure the above answers are correct. then you can go to the definition to help you check the meanings of the words. your goal is eventually to know the words well enough so that you don’t need to check the definitions.

Explanation:

Question 1: curt

To determine the meaning of "curt", we analyze the options. The example says the face - faced manager trained workers to give polite, full answers, and when she's with others, she often uses curt responses. Option A (cautious) doesn't fit. Option B (courteous) is the opposite of what's implied (since polite, full answers are different from curt). Option C (rudely brief) makes sense as curt responses would be short and maybe a bit rude compared to the polite, full ones.

For "demoralize", we look at the examples. Cara's refusal to date the brother demoralized him, and when Bonita gained weight during diet, it demoralized her. Option A (to cheat) is irrelevant. Option C (to excite) is the opposite. Option B (to discourage) fits as demoralizing someone would make them discouraged.

For "dilemma", the store manager faced a dilemma with shoplifters, and it involves choosing between options. Option A (a hard choice) matches as a dilemma is a difficult situation where one has to make a hard choice. Option B (a great danger) and Option C (a benefit) don't fit.

Answer:

C. rudely brief

Question 2: demoralize