Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 16 - Day 4

Word List
  • virtuosity [vėr´ chü os´ ə tē]
    great technical skill
    → “Employing his virtuosity as an orchestrator of suspense, the author puts Lector in Florence, Italy, speaking impeccable Italian.” Paul Grey, “Dessert, Anyone?,” TIME, 6/21/99
  • temerity [tə mer´ ə tē]
    foolish boldness
    → “In the first month of his service in the House, the young Congressman had the temerity to challenge his party’s Speaker; it was a mistake.” Blanche Kassell, Up on the Hill
  • amorous [am´ ər əs]
    full of love
    → “A complete gentleman ought to dress well, dance well, have a genius for love letters, be very amorous but not overconstant.” Sir George Etherege, The Man of Mode
  • progeny [proj´ ə nē]
    descendants
    → “First, let me tell you whom you have condemn’d: Not me begotten of a shepherd swain, But issued from the progeny of kings.” William Shakespeare, Henry IV
  • saturate [sa-chə-rāt]
    soak, fill up completely
    → “Vanilla sweetens the air, ginger spices it; melting nose-tingling odors saturate the kitchen.” Truman Capote, “A Christmas Memory”

Although the virtuosity of the workers is remarkable, the queen bee is really the main story. Workers choose a few larvae to be queens, feeding them royal jelly, a substance rich in proteins and vitamins. While the queen is changing from a larva to a pupa, a team of workers builds a special cell for her. Soon the young queen hatches, eats the prepared honey, and grows strong. After she kills any rivals who have the temerity to challenge her, an amorous note is injected. She flies from the hive and mates with one or more drones on her first flight. Then the process of egg laying begins. When her progeny saturate the hive, scouts are dispatched to find a new location, and the bees swarm after their leader to begin the amazing cycle again.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences; remember, past tenses may be required.

  1. A landmark* in the history of __________ drama is Romeo and Juliet.
  2. The eminent* artist, famous for his __________ , was admired by classicists and beatniks alike.
  3. The Bantu chief and all his __________ were noted for their valor.*
  4. For having the __________ to declaim* against the majority leader, the freshman senator was given the worst committee assignments.
  5. Television in the new century was __________ with the rebirth of the old quiz shows.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. descendants
  2. b. full of love
  3. c. soak, fill up completely
  4. d. foolish boldness
  5. e. great technical skill
  1. virtuosity __________
  2. temerity __________
  3. amorous __________
  4. progeny __________
  5. saturate __________

Answer Key
to have the upper hand—to gain control
I had him at my mercy, but now he has the upper hand.

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