DRILL 6

Directions: For each blank select one entry from the corresponding column of choices. Fill all blanks in the way that best completes the text.

Question 1

Dolly Madison, the wife of President James Madison, was known especially for her _______, remaining calm even as the British invaded Washington D.C. during the War of 1812.

Question 2

Seth was extremely _______, and did not enjoy activities that required effort to meet new people.

Question 3

Though Denise’s colleagues occasionally took the distant look on her face to mean that she was (i)________, she was actually thoroughly (ii)________ of what was happening in the office at all times.

Question 4

Some religious leaders have declared inaction on environmental issues to be _______, because it may now be considered a sin to pollute the earth.

Question 5

Julie dismissed DeRay’s weight loss scheme as _______ since it relied upon consuming high-calorie snacks while riding on an exercise bike.

Question 6

Marty could not help but view the glass as half-empty: for example, when the economy turned around and jobs began to (i)________, Marty insisted to all who would listen that the good news would be quite transient, that another recession was (ii)________, and that those who doubted him would later appreciate his unwillingness to celebrate.

Question 7

The recent convert, still a _______ with respect to the rites of her church, did not yet feel completely comfortable in her new faith.

Question 8

Veeder claims that the very notion of the existence of synonyms is (i)________, as words depend on (ii)________, connotation, and linguistic and cultural context for their (iii)________ meanings.

Question 9

Politicians’ tendency to (i)________ their own virtues by demeaning their opponents is (ii)________: what if voters forget the name of the candidate and remember only that of his adversary?

Question 10

Video game enthusiasts know that, while advances in computer graphics have often made games more fun to play, such a result is by no means _______.

Question 11

Middlemarch author George Eliot reportedly bemoaned the dearth of (i)________ women, of which her well-educated main character, Dorothea, was a (ii)________. Therefore, Eliot scholars have long debated the author’s meaning in marrying Dorothea to the elderly preacher Casaubon and having him exploit his bride for (iii)________ needs.

Question 12

Dismissed by the establishment, professing nothing but disdain for the canon, and yet beloved by his followers who trumpet his _______ opinions, the raffish pundit is laughing all the way to the bank.

Question 13

The 1966 opening of the relatively expansive Grace Memorial Bridge signaled a (i)________ improvement in highway safety in the low country of South Carolina; the old bridge had been (ii)________ narrow, creating a (iii)________ driving experience for traders and tourists alike.

Question 14

Thornton explained that Sarah Grand’s short story, “The Tenor and the Boy” should be viewed as a(n) (i)________ version of her popular novel The Heavenly Twins, for it was published years before the novel was completed. Unlike the novel’s characters, who were drawn in rich detail, the short story contained mere (ii)________ caricatures.

Question 15

One might sometimes wonder whether some of the stories passed down through generations are veritable or (i)________; whether the heroes had such endless mettle or were, in their hearts, occasionally (ii)________; and whether the denizens of the times described were really so (iii)________, or were perhaps tinged with a bit of guile.