Vocabulary Quiz #1 March 14th, 2008 Answer Sheet

Use the word from the Word Bank to fill in the blanks:

assuage    cohort    pamphleteer    luminary    scission    nebula    sitzmark    philippic    collegium    dégringolade    mash    whodunit    emulate    benefic    divest    Bonapartism    impromptu    obverse    éclat    errant    pleiad    muckety-muck    wooden    repertoire speculate

1. Mia's abrupt firing caused her coworkers to speculate endlessly about what she might have done wrong.
2. A contingent of hospital muckety-mucks swept into Adelaide's room, peered at her over their glasses, briefly discussed her case, and swept out again.
3. After her son's first fender bender, Patty tried to assuage his feelings of humiliation by sharing tales of her own misadventures behind the wheel.
4.  "A cohort of chambermaids would descend twice daily with mops, brooms, and fresh towels in tow." (Doone Beale, Gourmet, April 1989)
5. Though he is remembered today for his novels and essays, George Orwell was also known to pamphleteer for causes important to him.
6. The front of the science building is engraved with the names of luminaries from various scientific disciplines.
7. Despite the bitter scissions that divided their party, the Republicans dominated the state's political scene throughout the 1990s.
8. The brilliant colors of the nebula were visible through the telescope.
9. Proper skiing etiquette dictates that a skier who falls in the middle of a trail should smooth over his or her sitzmark so it won't pose a hazard to other skiers.
10. The columnist's most recent philippic took the governor to task for her neglect of education reform in light of declining test scores throughout the state.
11. Each paper published by the journal has been approved by a collegium of scientists.
12. The journalist's reputation never recovered from the dégringolade that ensued when it was discovered that he had plagiarized another's work.
13. I think Daisy has a mash on you -- you should ask her to the Valentine's Day dance.
14. Betty packed several romance novels and whodunits to read at the beach.
15. Younger brothers and sisters will often try to emulate the behavior of their older siblings.
16. Simon believes that his meditation practice is a benefic force in his life, helping him to focus and to feel less stressed.
17. When tests revealed that the athlete had been taking steroids, Olympic officials divested him of his medal.
18. Public fears that the new president would shift to Bonapartism were fueled by his early attempts to undermine the parliament.
19. The U.S. Mint has begun releasing a new series of $1 coins, each showing the name and likeness of a former U.S. president on the obverse.
20. The young actor played the role with such éclat that he was nominated for several awards.
21. "'Move! Move! Move!' cried Helen, chasing him from corner to corner with a chair as though he were an errant hen." (Virginia Woolf, The Voyage Out, 1915)
22. During Wolfgang's brief time at the spa, he met a pleiad of writers and intellectuals who also were there to "take the cure," as they say.
23. As the play went on, Alyssa's stage fright dissipated, and her acting became less wooden.
24. "She is a pastry chef whose repertoire ranges from chocolate-filled croissants to old-fashioned scones and chocolate chip cookies."(Linda Giuca, Hartford Courant [Connecticut], January 31, 2008)