Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 1 - Day 1

Word List
  • voracious [və rā´ shəs]
    desiring or consuming great quantities
    → "We spent a good number of our waking hours feeding voracious stoves." Jean Stafford, "New England Winter"
  • indiscriminate [in´ dis krim´ ə nit]
    choosing at random without careful selection
    → "The indiscriminate spraying of pesticides add a new chapter, a new kind of havoc." Rachel Carson, Silent Spring
  • eminent [em´ ə nənt]
    of high reputation, outstanding
    → "It was unbelievable that a man so eminent would actually sit in our dining room and eat our food." V.S. Pritchett, "The Saint"
  • steeped [stēpt]
    soaked, drenched, saturated
    → "Edward Francis had steeped himself in the internal mystery of the guinea pig." Paul De Kruif, Hunger, Fighters
  • replete [ri´ plēt´]
    completely filled or supplied with
    → “Edward Francis had steeped himself in the internal mystery of the guinea pig.” Paul De Kruif, Hunger Fighters

The youngster who reads voraciously, though indiscriminately, does not necessarily gain in wisdom over the teenager who is more selective in his reading choices. A young man who has read the life story of every eminent athlete of the twentieth century, or a coed who has steeped herself in every social-protest novel she can get her hands on, may very well be learning all there is to know in a very limited area. But books are replete with so many wonders that it is often discouraging to see bright young people limit their own experiences.

Sample Sentences On the basis of the above paragraph, try to use your new words in the following sentences. Occasionally it may be necessary to change the ending of a word; e.g., indiscriminate to indiscriminately.

  1. The football game was __________ with excitement and great plays.
  2. The __________ author received the Nobel Prize for literature.
  3. My cousin is so __________ in schoolwork that his friends call him a bookworm.
  4. After skiing, I find that I have a __________ appetite.
  5. Modern warfare often results in the __________ killing of combatants and innocent civilians alike.

Definitions Now that you have seen and used the new words in sentences, and have the definitions “on the tip of your tongue,” try to pair the words with their meanings.

  1. a. of high reputation, outstanding
  2. b. completely filled or supplied with
  3. c. choosing at random without careful selection
  4. d. desiring or consuming great quantities
  5. e. soaked, drenched, saturated
  1. voracious __________
  2. indiscriminate __________
  3. eminent __________
  4. steeped __________
  5. replete __________

Answer Key
to eat humble pie — to admit your error and apologize
After his candidate had lost the election, the boastful campaign manager had to eat humble pie.

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