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Page 293

3rd Day

New Words

tyro

sophistry

factitious

encomium

obloquy

A Perfidious* Conqueror

The feuding between the rival sons reached its pinnacle* in 1532; at that moment Francisco Pizarro came onto the scene. A native of Spain, he was sojourning* in Panama when he heard of the riches to be found in that far off land. Overwhelmed with cupidity,* but still a tyro when it came to wresting* power and wealth from hapless* people, he joined with an inveterate* adventurer. They gathered a small band of mercenaries.* The first two attempts failed, and Pizarro returned to Spain to request authority and money in order to conquer the West Coast of South America. Whether by sophistry or cajolery,* he was given the requisite* aid. With a force of 180 men, the dregs* of society, he invaded Inca territory. He reached the city where the current ruler, Atahualpa, was holding court. The Incas welcomed Pizarro who, in a factitious display of friendship, heaped encomiums upon Atahualpa. Unknown to the Incas, Pizarro had brought guns that were still beyond the technology* of these people. The obloquy of his next act, ambushing the Incas and taking Atahualpa prisoner, will live in the history books that are replete* with tales of conquest.

Sample Sentences

Insert the new words in these sentences.

1.Although he was erudite* about a copious* number of things, he was a naive,* callow* __________ when it came to relating to girls.

2.John Wilkes Booth's egregious* act remains an infamous* __________.

3.Her __________ made use of every glib* artifice.*

4.In the office he played the __________ role of a martinet,* while at home he was filled with compassion*.

5.The modest prodigy* treated the fervid* __________ that followed his performance as though they were a mere bagatelle.* Definitions

Match the new words with their definitions.

6. tyro	____ a. high praise
7. sophistry	____ b. beginner, novice
8. factitious	____ c. false reasoning or argument
9. encomium	____ d. sham, artificial
10. obloquy	____ e.disgrace, shame, dishonor

Today's Idiom

to draw in one's hornsto become cautious

He knew he was out of his depth,* so he drew in his horns and quit the poker game.

Answers are on Page 320

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Page 294

4th Day

New Words

hyperbole

munificent

prevarication

charisma

genocide

The End of an Empire

The Machiavellian* Pizarro held the captured Atahualpa for ransom. He was adamant* about receiving a room filled with gold to the height of a man's shoulder. This was taken as a hyperbole at first, but Pizarro knew the gullible* Incas would be munificent when it came to rescuing their sacred ruler. They did not procrastinate,* and a frenetic* collection of gold took place. Pizarro, to whom prevarication* was natural in dealing with the Incas, had no qualms* about executing their ruler as soon as he had the gold. The Inca empire was moribund,* but the charisma that surrounded Atahualpa was such that, after his death, the Incas fought on tenaciously* in his name for several years. Eventually, superior weapons quelled* all opposition. A policy of genocide was adopted by the Spanish conquerors, and almost two million of these proud people died in the carnage* that followed. The saga* of an ancient civilization thus came to an end.

Sample Sentences

Insert the new words in these sentences.

1.Even those who were not fans of the movie star candidly* admit the __________ that surrounded him.

2.The United Nations has outlawed __________ as the ultimate* crime, which must be eradicated.*

3.Her constant __________ made her a pariah* to her friends.

4.The rhetoric* soared into flagrant* __________.

5.He was surprised by the __________ gratuity* given by the usually parsimonious* termagant.* Definitions

Match the new words with their definitions.

6. hyperbole	____ a. quality of leadership inspiring enthusiasm
7. munificent	____ b. planned destruction of an entire people
8. prevarication	____ c. deviation from the truth, lying
9. charisma	____ d. generous
10. genocide	____ e. exaggerated figure of speech

Today's Idiom

to throw cold waterto discourage a plan or idea

I was going to pull up stakes* and move out lock, stock, and barrel,* but my wife threw cold water on the whole thing. Answers are on Page 320

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Page 295

5th Day Review

This is your last week. At this point you have worked with over 1100 of the most useful words and idioms in our language. The final review test will give you some idea of how well you have mastered them. From time to time you should re-read sections of this book to refresh your memory. Remember, keep learning new words at every opportunity!

Review Words	Definitions
____ 1. ascertain	a. lack, scarcity
____ 2. burgeoned	b. favoritism towards relatives
____ 3. charisma	c. novice, beginner
____ 4. dearth	d. artificial, sham
____ 5. derived	e. lying, deviation from the truth
____ 6. disseminate	f. ruler
____ 7. dormant	g. scatter, spread
____ 8. encomium	h. an exclusive power or right
____ 9. factitious	i. dishonor, disgrace, shame
____ 10. genocide	j. high praise
____ 11. hyperbole	k. quality of leadership inspiring enthusiasm
____ 12. internecine	l. asleep, resting
____ 13. munificent	m. grew, flourished
____ 14. nepotism	n. planned destruction of an entire people
____ 15. obloquy	o. false reasoning or argument
____ 16. potentate	p. mutually destructive, involving conflict in a group
____ 17. prerogative	q. received from a source, descended from
____ 18. prevarication	r. generous
____ 19. sophistry	s. exaggerated figure of speech
____ 20. tyro	t. find out about, discover

Idioms
____ 21. to draw in one's horns	u. in a direct, open way
____ 22. straight from the shoulder	v. to discourage a plan or idea
____ 23. to throw cold water	w. to become cautious
____ 24. to rub a person the wrong way	x. to do something to irritate or annoy

Words for Further Study	Meanings
1. _______________	_______________
2. _______________	_______________
3. _______________	_______________
Answers are on Page 320
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