Vocabulary Word Builder Part I Based on '˜Early Warning,' by Michael Walsh

This is part I of a II part vocabulary challenge based on words from Early Warning, by Michael Walsh.

If you enjoy word challenges or learning new words, in context, then take a minute to complete this word challenge. The vocabulary words have all been chosen from a contemporary book, in this case the words are selected from Early Warning, by Michael Walsh.

The novel is a political thriller and hard to put down if you are looking for a good read, but if you just want to polish up some of your politically savvy vocabulary this is the word list for you.

Each word will be presented with three alternative definitions. Try to choose the best definition. To make it easier a quoted passage from the book Early Warning, by Michael Walsh will be found below the vocabulary word. Answers are the end of the vocabulary quiz.

Some of these words are challenging, but some of them you may find familiar. We'll keep the definitions very basic and simple. Good luck.

1. Locutim - A) state of mind B) speech style and pattern, C) way of thinking

"For even by Jake Sinclair standards - Sinclair often thought of himself in the third person, although he rarely slipped into that particular locution, at least in public - it was a big deal." p 55

2. Domiciles - A) stocks, B) companies, C) homes

"Skorzeny also had been forced to surrender all his domiciles save Liechtenstein and use his continuing influence in the world's stock market to restore some of the lost capital his machinations had stolen." p 86

3. Solipsistic - A) philosophy of the origins of man, B) philosophy of formation of society, C) philosophy of self

"In the solipsistic world of the Good Gray Lady and other pillars of the Democrat-Media Establishment, everything was about them." p188

4. Carom - A) deflect and spin, B) hit and rebound, C) push off from

"The car hit a mailbox, rebounded, and caromed off a fire hydrant." p 166

5. Zeitgeist - A) general popular culture, B) revolutionaries, C) non-conformists

"The funny part was, Tyler had been hailed in exactly the same way when he first ran for the Senate, but the Zeitgeist had evidently tired of his rustic good looks, folksy ways, and cracker-barrel delivery." p 85

6. Desuetude - A) state of disuse, B) state of ill repair, C) state of having been forgotten

"Few civilians knew that the Hudson River was crisscrossed by tunels, those both successful and in use, and thow failed and long since fallen into desuetude." p 209

7. Endemically - A) present from origin, B) congenitally ill, C) widespread within a certain location

"The U.S. Government was so endemically riddled with moles, sleeper agents, old Soviet illegals, and various other burrowed and semi-dormant creatures that one more wouldn't make any difference; it was a miracle the Republic had lasted this long, what with all the enemies, foreign and domestic." p 92

8. Basilisk - A) sharp and unrelenting, B) reptilian, C0 singularly amazed

" Instead, he focused his basilisk gaze out the window, at a group of buildings looming in the near distance."
p 265

9. Klaxon - A) air brakes, B) sound of screeching tires, C) distinct horn

"Although he was stunned from the impact, Same could still think clearly enough to understand that he had to get out fast, and that he was going to sue the ass off Ford Motor Company one he did. And then he heard the klaxon of a semi, right behind him." p 77

10. Caissons - A) hired mercenaries, B) FBI operatives, C) military munitions

"For his own purposes, he had no desire to see Tyler send in the caissons; as bad as this thing was, they had to let it unfold, to find out who was behind it." p 179

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

　

If you got 8 - 10 correct you are word wise.

5 - 7 correct answers means you are likely an egghead with 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.