“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” 57. Set 1: stout, remove (n.

), sentinel, carriage, traversed, stockade, embrasure,

muzzle, dignitary, deference, habit, vulgar, unsteadfast, tolling, knell, apprehension, secessionist, ardently, imperious,
gallant, chafed, perilous, dictum, rustic, summarily, ramification, effaced, luminous, ludicrous
1. The warming of the Arctic Ocean may very well ring the death ____________________of the polar bear.
2. You’d better post an extra ____________________ or two along the perimeter: an attack is very likely tonight.
3. You’ll need a ______________ staff—one that can bear your entire weight—to help you up and down the steep trails.
4. Your idea is ____________________, preposterous, absurd, risible, laughable, bizarre; need I say more?
5. In a democracy, there is no imperative to obey the ____________________ of any one person; in a dictatorship, in
contrast, the declaration of the dictator is equivalent to law.
6. Her eyes ____________________ with love, the mother beamed at her newborn.
7. This ____________________ lodge is the perfect place to escape the trials of the city: here, in the country, you’ll hear no
noise lower than a cow lowing, experience no crowd bigger than two.
8. To be ____________________ hanged is a violation of our rights: everyone deserves a fair hearing, especially if his head
is on the line.
9. Days of torture had ____________________ all trace of his former confidence, rendering him hesitant and tentative.
10. Resentful of the many restrictions placed upon him, he ____________________ irritably until he was released from the
confines of the classroom.
11. Loss of your phone is just one ____________________ of your having accessed pornography; more are to come.
12. ____________________ he proclaimed how much he loved her, but she was unimpressed by his passionate display.
13. While he does want more autonomy for Tibet, he’s no ____________________ and has no desire to leave China.
14. With more than a little _____________, he reached out to get his exam; he knew in his heart that it had not gone well.
15. Though the _______________ of the bell signaled that the church service was over, no one in the congregation stirred.
16. With a(n) ____________________ nod, he signaled to his minion to begin fanning him.
17. Having ____________________ the Sahara on multiple occasions, the Bedouin tribe is an excellent position to be able to
identify where oases lie.
18. If your step is the slightest __________________ as you cross the log bridge, you might plunge into the rapids below.
19. Though the trapeze artist does engage in ___________ acts that test his courage, he is trained to face those dangers.
20. It is a(n) ____________________ ship indeed; no more stately vessel has ever graced our harbour.
21. Sliding the shot into the ____________________ of the cannon, the soldier prepared to fire on enemy lines.
22. In ____________________ to the visitor’s age and position, we seated him right in front.
23. She’s no ____________________ chorus dancer by any means; she’s in a class of her own.
24. Slotting his rifle through the ____________________ in the fortress wall, the sniper got ready to begin his watch.
25. While the ____________________ while corral the wild horses, it is not going to tame their wild spirit.
26. That slump does your lower back no good at all; what you need is an erect ____________________.
27. At this ____________________ we can’t ascertain what happened in Ethiopia; perhaps if we were closer?
28. His ____________________ marked him as a nobleman, but his speech betrayed his low-class origins.
Set 2: apprised, undulation, draught, preternaturally, exalted, gesticulated, report, aspirated, intonation, presaging,
perceptibly, ineffectually, martinet, smitten, grape, commingled, vortex, gyration, giddy, abrasion, roseate, Aeolian,
interminable, uncanny, rift, malign, singular, delirium, ineffable
1. The ____________________ of the waves rocked the boat and put him right to sleep.
2. A _______________ force was clearly at work: the cattle had all sickened and died and the corn lay rotting in the field.
3. Gulping a great ____________________ of cold water, H sputtered, scarcely able to breathe.
4. The lilting _______________ of his voice signaled that the mother tongue of this English speaker was probably Nepali.
5. Our resemblance is ____________________; perhaps we are long-lost sisters?
6. Only the rapid ____________________ of the top keeps it erect; once its spinning slows, it will topple over.
7. Tears ____________________ with snot to ravage the weeping woman’s face.
8. Incoherent in his ____________________, the feverish child mumbled nonsense.
9. Sucked into a(n) ____________________ of hatred and violence, M spiralled deep into a whirlpool which had no exit.
10. Her ____________________ cheeks glowed with apparent good health; L’Oreal blusher had done its job well.
11. The music of a(n) ____________________ harp is a beautiful though it is created by the wind alone.
12. Her ____________________ answers impressed the judges: she, alone, did not spout the conventional.
13. You will not enjoy having that ____________________ as your teacher: she’s more particular than a drill sergeant.
14. She was far less concerned about the ____________________ on her knee than the blood streaming down the face of the
player she’d collided with.
15. If you expect the team to win, you must repair the ____________________ between the defense and the offense.
16. “Lift the right; higher; now down a bit. Stop; it’s straight, or at least not ___________________ crooked,” directed L.
17. “Please form lines,” shouted Y to the milling crowd, ____________________ attempting to organize them.
18. It is ____________________ quiet here, as if lightning is about to strike or the earth to shake.
19. Although her beauty is ____________________, Shakespeare attempted to capture it in words.
20. The ferry crossing was ________________: instead of 50 minutes, it had stretched to five hours and was not over yet.
21. Having just ____________________ all her students that the test was the next day, Miss Q. was surprised that X, who
appeared to be the most attentive of students, raised his hand to ask when the test would be.
22. While the news of her acceptance ____________________ her, and she did screech in joy, it also upset her, for she would
have to move far from home.
23. As volley after volley of ____________________ hit the water, a dense pattern of ripples suffused the lake’s surface.
24. ____________________ with guilt, she turned herself into the police.
25. Too ____________________ to stand, Y keeled over. Spinning Teacups had done her in.
26. In an event ____________________ the actual welterweight fight, Floyd Mayweather insulted Andre Berto, hoping to
provoke his anger and get more fans to buy tickets.
27. “Get over here,” she ____________________, frantically waving her arm and pointing.
28. Startled by the ____________________ of the gun, the flock of ducks took to the skies.
29. The breathless, airy feel of _______________ sounds distinguishes Nepali consonants like ग and घ as well as प and फ.