Unit 16: The Brute and the Billionaire

4000 Essential English Words 6 » Unit 16: The Brute and the Billionaire

Word List

amid [əˈmid] prep.

If something is amid something else, then it is in the middle of it.

→ The bee was busily flying amid the flowers in the garden.
backstage [ˈbækˈsteidʒ] adv.

If something happens backstage, it occurs behind a theater’s stage.

→ After the show, the director went backstage and thanked the actors.
billionaire [biljəˈnɛər] n.

A billionaire is someone who has at least one billion dollars.

→ The sale of his inventions made the inventor a billionaire.
brute [bruːt] n.

A brute is someone who behaves or looks like a violent animal.

→ My older brother can act like a brute when he doesn’t get his way.
clumsy [ˈklʌmzi] adj.

If someone is clumsy, then they are awkward in handling things.

→ The businessman was clumsy and dropped his work files.
collide [kəˈlaid] v.

To collide with something means to hit into it while moving.

→ The two cars collided with each other because their drivers were not careful.
culprit [ˈkʌlprit] n.

A culprit is someone who did a crime or other bad deed.

→ The police were still searching for the culprit from the robbery.
evacuate [iˈvækjueit] v.

To evacuate means to leave a place of danger to a place of safety.

→ During the flood, many families were evacuated to higher ground.
flammable [ˈflæməbəl] adj.

If something is flammable, then it is able to catch on fire.

→ Be careful with that blanket near the candle. It is extremely flammable.
mob [mɒb] n.

A mob is a large crowd of people that often wants to cause violence.

→ The copier was destroyed by a mob of angry workers.
premature [ˈprimətʃuər] adj.

If something is premature, then it is done too early or before the proper time.

→ Mark’s celebration was premature because the ball hadn’t fallen in the hole.
resent [riˈzent] v.

To resent something means to have bad feelings about it.

→ She resented the fact that she had never been able to play an instrument.
satire [ˈsætaiər] n.

A satire is a work of art that uses humor and irony to make fun of something.

→ This book is a satire of what life was like in the army.
scrutiny [ˈskruːtəni] n.

Scrutiny is the careful examination of something.

→ A scientist should always practice scrutiny with their work.
segregate [ˈsegrigeit] v.

To segregate something means to place it in a group apart from other things.

→ In gym class, the children were segregated into two groups: boys and girls.
subject [səbˈdʒekt] v.

To subject someone to something means to force them to do or experience it.

→ The officers subjected everyone to a careful search before they left the plane.
testify [ˈtestəfai] v.

To testify means to give evidence as a witness.

→ The judge listened while the victim testified about the robbery.
tumult [ˈtjuːmʌlt] n.

A tumult is a loud and confused noise made by a large crowd of people.

→ She couldn’t hear her friend over the tumult of the other excited guests.
underestimate [ˈʌndərˈestəmeit] v.

To underestimate something or someone means to think they are not important.

→ Ne lost the game because we underestimated the other team’s skill.
uproar [ˈʌprɔːr] n.

Uproar is loud noise caused by people who are very angry or upset.

→ The fans made a great uproar when their team lost the game.

Exercise 1

Choose the one that is opposite in meaning to the given word.

culprit
- a. sewer
- b. engine
- c. victim
- d. muscle
segregate
- a. defend
- b. whisper
- c. combine
- d. improve
uproar
- a. calm
- b. particle
- c. jewels
- d. substance
clumsy
- a. helpful
- b. quick
- c. healthy
- d. graceful
premature
- a. smart
- b. late
- c. near
- d. great

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the word bank.

WORD BLANK

clumsy	billionaire	culprits	flammable
underestimate	premature	uproar	segregated
backstage	amid

When they canceled the show, there was a great ¹___________ from the crowd.
It was so loud that the actors could hear it ²___________ .

He placed the rags ³___________ the pile of logs.
The rags were very ⁴___________ and would help start the fire.

I wouldn’t ⁵___________ that man’s class just by the way he talks and dresses.
I’ve heard that he is actually a(n) ⁶___________ .

It might have been ⁷___________ of her to walk so soon after the operation.
Her movements were very ⁸___________ , and she might have hurt herself.

The police officer ⁹___________ the people into two groups.
One group was innocent people, and the other was the ¹⁰___________ .

Exercise 3

Choose the one that is similar in meaning to the given word.

mob
- a. broom
- b. crowd
- c. gun
- d. choice
tumult
- a. plan
- b. gate
- c. tent
- d. noise
brute
- a. monster
- b. camera
- c. smell
- d. temper
resent
- a. buy
- b. lose
- c. give
- d. hate
scrutiny
- a. tower
- b. part
- c. study
- d. dream
testify
- a. learn
- b. solve
- c. greet
- d. declare
collide
- a. sing
- b. crash
- c. float
- d. bake
subject
- a. force
- b. show
- c. sleep
- d. teach
evacuate
- a. leave
- b. suck
- c. check
- d. share
satire
- a. supper
- b. promise
- c. coffin
- d. comedy

Exercise 4

Write C if the italicized word is used correctly. Write I if the word is used incorrectly.

______ We had very little time to evacuate the building before the earthquake.
______ The guards sometimes subjected the prisoners to unfair punishments.
______ Some people like to watch action movies. But I enjoy a good satire.
______ When we heard the phone collide, we thought it was our uncle calling us.
______ We whispered very quietly in all the tumult, or someone might have easily heard us.
______ The women loved the brute because he was so kind and gentle.
______ My brother was one of the angry people in the mob that day.
______ Her father had to testify in court about the car accident he saw.
______ I tried to solve the math problem several times and finally resented it in the morning.
______ He has several large homes and his own airplane because he’s a billionaire.

Answer Key

Exercise 1

c
c
a
d
b

Exercise 2

uproar
backstage
amid
flammable
underestimate
billionaire
premature
clumsy
segregated
culprits

Exercise 3

b
d
a
d
c
d
b
a
a
d

Exercise 4

C
C
C
I
I
I
C
C
I
C

Answer Key

The Brute and the Billionaire

Hundreds of people had come to see a popular satire, but during the performance a fire started in the theater. The audience and actors evacuated the building. Luckily, no one was hurt, and the fire was soon put out. Immediately, the audience assembled into an angry mob and demanded to know what had happened.

It was soon revealed that the fire had started backstage, and only two people were in the area at the time. One was the husband of the play’s star actress, the billionaire Henry Rich. The other was the theater’s janitor, Bill, a large and strong man who looked like a brute.

The crowd segregated the two men and demanded to know who the culprit was. Most of the crowd thought that Bill was to blame. They felt that he had started the fire without ever subjecting him to any scrutiny. Bill resented this but said nothing.

Luckily, the billionaire’s wife testified in his defense. “Your decision is premature,” she told the crowd. “ I fell down amid the tumult while everyone fled the fire. Bill rescued me and carried me out of the building. I think you underestimate his character. Besides, in order to be close enough to save me, he couldn’t have been near the place where the fire began.”

The crowd then turned their eyes to the billionaire. “ He did it!” they shouted. “Make him pay!”

“Wait,” the billionaire said over the uproar. “ I admit that I started the fire, but it was an accident. I was going backstage to see my wife and was clumsy. I collided with a lamp, and it fell to the floor. The floor was flammable. A fire started, and I fled.”

The mob was surprised. The man they blamed was innocent, and the billionaire was guilty. To pay for his error, the billionaire not only repaired the theater but had it remade to be better than before.

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

_____ The performance was a satire of Communism.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The billionaire and the play’s star actress were the only two people backstage.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ Because Henry looked like a brute, the crowd underestimated his character.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The billionaire fell down amid the tumult while everyone fled the fire.
- _____________________________________________________
_____ The crowd made an uproar when they learned who had started the fire.
- _____________________________________________________

Part B: Answer the questions.

Why did the actors and audience have to evacuate the theater?
_____________
When the mob segregated the two men, who did they first think was the culprit?
_____________
Who testified in the Bill’s defense since the mob didn’t subject him to any scrutiny?
_____________
What was the flammable object that caught fire when Mr. Rich collided with a lamp?
_____________
Because their decision was premature, what was the mob surprised to learn in the end?
_____________

Answer Key

Reading Comprehension

Part A

F / The story never said what the satire was about.
F / The billionaire and the theater's janitor, Bill, were the only two backstage.
F / Because Bill looked like a brute, the crowd underestimated his character.
F / The billionaire's wife fell down amid the tumult.
T

Part B

The audience and actors evacuated the building because there was a fire.
When the mob segregated the two men, most of the crowd thought that Bill was to blame.
The billionaire's wife testified in his defense.
The floor was flammable.
The mob was surprised to learn that the man they blamed was innocent and the billionaire was guilty.

Favorite Books

4000 Essential English Words 1

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 1: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

4000 Essential English Words 2

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 2: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

4000 Essential English Words 3

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 3: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

4000 Essential English Words 4

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 4: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

4000 Essential English Words 5

The activities in "4000 Essential English Words" are specially designed to make use of important learning conditions. Firstly, the words are introduced using sentence definitions and an example sentence. 4000 Essential English Words 5: 600 words (Unit 1 - Unit 30).

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