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Quiz on Last Month's Words
Here are the words that were featured last month:
inveigle
panache
duplicitous
albatross
kaleidoscopic
paucity
For each of the eight examples below, select a word from the above list that best fits the blank. Then check your answers at the end. Note that the correct answer could be any of the word forms that were featured - example: duplicitous, duplicity, duplicities, and so on.
- The company got rid of two of its ........ by firing an employee who had become a source of public controversy, and by selling a business that consistently lost money and had thus become an unnecessary distraction.
- It is not uncommon to hear parents of school-age children complain about the ........ of intelligent and stimulating programs on television.
- American credit rating agencies' ........ were among the main causes of the financial crisis of 2007-2008, according to some of the most respected economists, including Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz.
- During the past three hours, as the hurricane approached landfall, its speed, direction, and barometric pressure have been changing rapidly. Given this ........ of shifting information, there is no telling where it will hit and with what strength. This is one of the reasons that hurricane landfall forecasting is such a touchy business.
- While discussing why Beethoven's music appeals to both the young and the old, famous symphony conductor John Eliot Gardiner said to the interviewer: "Beethoven is so full of rhythm, and excitement, and ........ changes of emotion."
- Yeah, as I was saying earlier, my vacation was a big disappointment. There's no way I would have gone to that part of the world, were it not for all that ........ by my son and daughter.
- Have you noticed how Celia's perfectionist nature becomes a sort of ........ for her in deadline situations, especially when she is required to make quick decisions?
- Joe, who is a midlevel manager, has the ........ of a big-time exec, so he is often mistaken for a big shot by those who don't know him.
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Answers:
1. albatrosses 2. paucity 3. duplicities 4. kaleidoscope
5. kaleidoscopic 6. inveigling 7. albatross 8. panache
Give yourself one point for each correct answer.
A score of 8 = excellent; 7 = very good; 6 = not bad; 5 or less = you may want to revisit last month's edition.
Please let me know by e-mail or phone (281-463-2500) what you think about this quiz and how it can be
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