Defining Twilight

Find each of the following words on the Twilight page number provided. Based on the way each word is used in the book, guess at its definition.

1. Reverent (p. 339) might mean what?
2. Blatant (p. 345) might mean what?
3. Vivid (p. 347) might mean what?
4. Bracken (p. 364) might mean what?
5. Tersely (p. 372) might mean what?
6. Apathy (p. 374) might mean what?
7. Gait (p. 375) might mean what?
8. Urbane (p. 376) might mean what?

Answers

Let's see how you did. Check your answers, write the exact definitions, and reread the sentence in Twilight where each word appears. Then complete the drills.

1. Reverent (p. 339) means deeply respectful. Almost everyone treats Carlisle reverently. This word is easy to remember; it sounds like Reverend — a minister.
2. Blatant (p. 345) means obvious. Blatant was a synonym for conspicuous in Group 31. The other synonym was patent.
3. Vivid (p. 347) means lively, bright, or clear. That makes sense, since in Spanish the verb vivir means to live. "Vive los vampiros!"
4. Bracken (p. 364) means ferns. I lived near the Olympic Peninsula for one year, and there were a plethora (myriad, profusion) of ferns. They love the damp shade. Bella falls a lot, so she must get a lot of mud and bracken on the back of her jacket.
5. Tersely (p. 372) means briefly. Terse was a synonym for curt (brief and rude) in Group 27. The other synonyms (also more rude) were brusque, laconic, and surly (hostile).
6. Apathy (p. 374) means lack of interest. Remember from Group 27 that a- means without and path refers to feeling. This word was a synonym for indifferent in Group 28. The other synonym was dispassionate.
7. Gait (p. 375) means style of walking, like a horse's gait. This word was particularly clear in the context of the sentence, "Their walk was catlike . . . " Remember to look at the context when you see a word that you don't know; usually you can determine its meaning. You've seen a bunch of gaits in this workbook-sauntering, flitting, shambling, lumbering, and ambling.
8. Urbane (p. 376) means courteous and refined. This word comes from the word urban, meaning city, from the notion that city folk are polished and refined. James, Laurent, and Victoria stood like animals, while Carlisle stood like the refined gentleman that he is.

Synonyms

Select the word whose meaning is closest to the word in capital letters.

1. REVERENT

1. offhand
2. flippant
3. cavalier
4. brusque
5. respectful

2. BLATANT

1. subtle
2. muted
3. surreptitious
4. obvious
5. furtive

3. TERSE

1. verbose
2. brief
3. apathetic
4. vivid
5. rhetorical

4. URBANE

1. polished
2. tyrannical
3. impassive
4. vile
5. melancholy

Analogies

Select the answer choice that best completes the meaning of the sentence.

5. Amble is to gait as

1. vivid is to color
2. tyrant is to leader
3. vile is to reverence
4. etiquette is to chasm
5. vampire is to seraph

6. Terse is to verbose as

1. urbane is to impudent
2. lancet is to surgeon
3. alluring is to appealing
4. menacing is to threatening
5. inept is to incompetent

Sentence Completions

Choose the word that, when inserted in the sentence, best fits the meaning of the sentence as a whole.

7. Maria rarely seems ________; her vivid expression and eager gait blatantly demonstrate her excitement.

1. reverent
2. terse
3. urbane
4. apathetic
5. solitary

8. Rui has a deep ________ for nature and steps carefully to avoid the bracken on the forest floor.

1. reverence
2. menace
3. abhorrence
4. scorn
5. malice

Answers

1. E. Reverent means deeply respectful. Offhand, flippant, cavalier, and brusque mean disrespectfully casual.

2. D. Blatant means obvious. Subtle, muted, surreptitious, and furtive all mean not obvious.

3. B. Terse means brief. Verbose means wordy, apathetic means not caring, vivid means bright, and rhetorical means stylistic.

4. A. Urbane means polished. Tyrannical means oppressively controlling, impassive means not divulging, vile means terrible, and melancholy means sad.

5. B. "Amble is a type of gait."

1. Vivid is a type of color . . . no, vivid means bright.
2. Tyrant (oppressive leader) is a type of leader . . . yes.
3. Vile (terrible) is a type of reverence (respect) . . . no.
4. Etiquette (conduct) is a type of chasm (deep gap) . . . no, they are unrelated.
5. Vampire is a type of seraph (angel) . . . depends which vampire.

Remember to make your sentence as specific as possible. However, sometimes a sentence might not work for any of the choices. For example, "amble is a relaxed gait" is an excellent sentence, more specific than "amble is a type of gait," but no answer would seem to work. When that happens, reword your sentence or choose the closest answer choice.

6. A. "Terse (brief) is the opposite of verbose (wordy)."

1. Urbane (polished) is the opposite of impudent (rude) . . . yes.
2. Lancet (surgical knife) is the opposite of surgeon . . . no, a lancet is used by a surgeon.
3. Alluring (appealing) is the opposite of appealing . . . no.
4. Menacing (threatening) is the opposite of threatening . . . no.
5. Inept (incompetent) is the opposite of incompetent . . . no.

7. D. "Maria rarely seems not excited; her vivid expression and eager gait blatantly demonstrate her excitement." Apathetic means not interested.

8. A. "Rui has a deep care/respect for nature and steps carefully to avoid the bracken on the forest floor." Reverence means respect.