Vocabulary Word Builder - Based on "Blindman's Bluff," by Faye Keller Man - Part 1

This is part one of a two part vocabulary challenge based on words from Blindman's Bluff, a crime drama by Faye Kellerman.

If you enjoy word challenges or learning new words, in context, then take a minute to complete this word challenge.

This novel takes you on the long and winding trail to solve the mass murder of a baron and his family. Read Blindman's Bluff to unravel a web of intrigue.

Meanwhile, test your vocabulary on a few of the words from Faye Kellerman's work.

Each vocabulary word will be presented with three alternative definitions. Try to choose the best definition. To make it easier a quoted passage from the book Blindman's Bluff, by Faye Kellerman, follows each vocabulary word. Answers are the end of the vocabulary quiz.

Some of these words are challenging, but some of them you may find familiar. The definitions will remain very basic for the sake of simplicity. Many of these are good SAT words to study and learn! Good luck.

1. Voir dire - A) jury selection, B) disbarment, C) jury duty

"Decker was genuinely perplexed. 'I don't understand how you got past the voir dire.' " p 2

2. Preternatural - A) eternal depth, B) clear and dreamy, C) out of the realm of the ordinary

"Staring back at him was a six-foot-one, devilishly handsome angular man with a surfer mop of sun-kissed hair and preternatural blue eyes, so intense that whenever any woman looked at him, she had to avert her eyes in embarrassment." p 1

3. Gamboling - A) hunting prey, B) running and jumping playfully, C) ambling about mischievously

"The curved walls were covered by black walnut paneling and bookshelves and floor-to-ceiling tapestries of mythological creatures gamboling in the forests." p12

4. Verity - A) explanation, B) reality, C) enlightenment

"Tissue and bone had exploded over the man's face and limbs and what hadn't spilled onto the floor was splattered on the better part of the tapestry, giving the hapless lad and his plight unasked-for verity." p 12

5. Aplomb - A) confidence, B) skill, C) difficulty

"Marge maneuvered the Crown Vic with aplomb, and within a few minutes they were showing their badges at the nurses' station that manned the glassed-in intensive care unit." p 31

6. Moribund - A) waning, B) stuck, C) wasted

"Sounds like something that was born in real estate boom land and is currently moribund in bustville." p 46　

7. Bailiwick - A)enigma, B) problem, C) jurisdiction

"That would be Neptune Brady's bailiwick." p46

8. Riposted - A) grinned, B) positioned, C) responded

"Although her language was clean and innocuous, her tone was full of sexual innuendo. The way she laughed and riposted." p 63

9. Petulant - A) sullen, B) huffy, C) depressed

"The man didn't realize that Decker's pointed comments had included him in the petulant and sulky category." p 157

10. Verdant - A) blooming, B) green, C) burgeoning

"Christmastime presented an ocean of brown or white, but Easter was a time of renewal: verdant fields glistening with morning dew and the perfume of blossoming trees." p 288

Vocabulary Answers: 1 - A, 2 - C , 3 - B, 4 -B , 5 - A, 6 - A , 7 - C , 8 - C, 9 - B, 10 - B

How did you do on the vocabulary quiz?

If you got 8 - 10 correct you are word wise.
5 - 7 correct answers means you have an astute understanding of vocabulary.
If you got 3 - 5 answers correct, take heart, you are resourceful and learning well.
If you got 1 or 2 correct, why not study the words and give yourself a do-over.