Vocabulary – Worksheet 1

When Luke was barely two years old, he developed an extraordinary awareness of dinosaurs. This
awareness was unusual not only for the ardent nature of his interest, but also because of the boy's age.

It all began in Luke's preschool. His teachers introduced the children to a set of dinosaur models, which
Luke promptly scrutinized. On the drive home from school, he regaled his mother with tales of triceratops
and tyrannosaurus and velociraptor. She decided to stop at the nearby bookstore to procure a few
dinosaur picture books he might enjoy. Enjoy? He simply devoured them. As his mother read to him, Luke
pondered the miracle of creatures so different from those he knew.

It soon became obvious that Luke's love of dinosaurs would endure. Anything with a dinosaur pattern
elicited from Luke expressions of sheer glee, so nearly every gift from friends or family catered to this
taste. Before long, representations of dinosaurs adorned his bed sheets and pillowcases, his shower

curtain, his bath mat, and even the walls of his room.

When Luke's teachers completed the dinosaur unit and moved on to Native Americans, Luke's passion for
the former did not abate. His parents arranged a trip to various zoos and museums. They visited New
York's Museum of Natural History, whose dinosaur display enthralled the future paleontologist.

Words in Context

Choose the correct word to complete the each sentence. Look for context clues!

The list of words are: extraordinary, ardent, scrutinize, regale, procure, devour, ponder, endure, elicit,
sheer, cater, adorn, former, abate, enthrall.

1. The Brandts look forward all year to their tree-trimming party, where everyone gets a
chance to select a trinket to ______________________________ the tree.
2. The new chief executive knew he'd have a hard time trying to equal the ________________
leader in terms of popularity, effectiveness, and reputation.
3. When his parents showed their son his first bicycle, an expression of ___________________
delight appeared on the boy's face.
4. As the campfire burned, the scoutmaster _________________________ the boys with a
couple of amusing ghost stories.
5. The principal, hoping to ___________________________ a confession, told the student in
great detail all the convincing evidence he had gathered.
6. The restaurant owner knew what his customers liked, and he made a pile of money because
he was smart enough to ________________________ to their tastes.
7. After Philip had been caught cheating, his teacher sent him to detention and encouraged
him to use his time there to __________________ the foolishness of his ways.
8. Before you sign that contract, you had better ______________________ each and every
word.
9. Because Romeo had so ________________ly confessed his true affections, Juliet could find
little reason to hide hers.
10. The New York Yankees began the season in _______________________ fashion by playing a
pair of games in-of all places-Tokyo!
11. Even though you earned only a B on third-quarter report card now is not the time to
____________________ your efforts; with a solid quarter, you can still earn an A in this
class.
12. Yitzhak Perlman's violin solo ______________ the audience, who Could only wonder how so
much lovely sound could emerge from so small an instrument.
13. After having fasted for an entire day, Bill ________________________ the first meal that
was placed before him.
14. When TV first appeared on the scene, some people wondered whether this new invention
would _____________________, but now, many years later, TV is more popular than ever.
15. Terri had so much fun using her friend's Play Station that she was eager to ______________
one of her own.