week twenty three 1100 words

WEEK 23   DAY 1

NEW WORDS

heterogeneous

gamut

perspicacious

analogous

maladjusted

FROM A TO Z

Ellis Sloane, a teacher of science at a large metropolitan high school, first paid little attention to the fact that his two biology classes were so disparate" in their performance. In most schools the classes are alphabetically heterogeneous, with youngsters' names running the gamut from Adams to Zilch. But Biology 121 had only A's and B's, whereas Biology 128 had Ts, Vs, Ws, Y's, and Z's, Mr. Sloane, a perspicacious teacher, began to perceive" differences between the two groups: while their reading scores and I.Q.'s were roughly analogous. it was apparent that Biology 128 was replete" with maladjusted students, while Biology 121 had the normal ones.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

TODAY'S IDIOM

the distaff side-women (distaff was a staff used in spinning)

The men had brandy on the porch, while the distaff

side gathered to gossip in the kitchen.

WEEK 23   DAY 2

NEW WORDS

phenomenon

mortality

decade

susceptible

neurotic

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

As Mr. Sloane pursued his investigation of the phenomenon, he discovered that a Dr. Trevor Weston of the British Medical Association had corroborated" his findings. Dr. Weston had studied British mortality rates over a decade, finding that people whose names began with letters ranging from "S" to "Z" had a life expectancy that averaged twelve years fewer than the rest of the population. Furthermore, those at the bottom of the alphabet tended to contract more ulcers, were more susceptible to heart attacks, and were more likely to be neurotic than those at the top of the alphabet.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

TODAY'S IDIOM

on the qui vive-on the alert

My mother is always on the qui vive for bargains.

WEEK 23   DAY 3

NEW WORDS

pedagogue

enunciate

inordinate

irascible

introspective

THE PERILS OF THE ALPHABET

Dr. Weston is convinced that the pedagogue is the culprit. • Since teachers seat their pupils in alphabetical order, the ·s· to ·z· child is usually the last to receive his test marks, the last to eat lunch, the last to be dismissed, and so on. As they are the last to recite, these youngsters feel frustrated* because what they had to say had usually been enunciated earlier. The inordinate amount of waiting that this group has to do causes them to become irascible and Jittery. "s" to "Z" people also become quite introspective, convinced that they are Inferior to those at the top of the alphabet.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

TODAY'S IDIOM

to get one's back up-to become angry

Every time his mother mentioned getting a haircut,

the young guitarist got his back up.

WEEK 23   DAY 4

NEW WORDS

perpetuate

mandate

compensatory

neutralize

catastrophic

IN THE NATURE OF EDUCATIONAL REFORM

Mr. Sloane did not want to perpetuate the disorders that stemmed from the alphabetical arrangement. Not only did he reverse the seating in his other classes, but he began to badger* the school's administration for a mandate to bring about such changes throughout the building. He called it a compensatory factor to neutralize the catastrophic effects of the traditional policy. Soon, Mr. Sloane earned the appellation* of "Mr. Backwards.*

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

TODAY'S IDIOM

to bring home the bacon-to earn a living, to succeed

The man's inability to bring home the bacon was the

actual reason for the couple's incompatibility.

WEEK 23   DAY 5

REVIEW

You may not know the alphabet from aardvark to zymurgy, but you can certainly cope" with analogous to susceptible. Match the twenty words with their meanings. write the letter that stands for the definition in the appropriate answer space.