Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 18 - Day 2

Word List
  • veneer [və nir´]
    thin covering
    → “Since then, she has frequently tried to crack the veneer of role, surface, and pose.” Mark Stevens, “Spice Girls,” New York, 6/21/99
  • myriad [mir´ ē əd]
    countless number
    → “Genius is not born with sight, but blind: it is influenced by a myriad of stimulating exterior circumstances.” Mark Twain, “Saint Joan of Arc”
  • urbane [er bān´]
    polished, witty
    → “Their prose is less ornate, their urbane satire more muted.” Book review, New York Times
  • crave [krāv]
    to desire
    → “It’s the perfect way for the Clintons to hang on to the power, glamour and excitement they both crave.” Bob Herbert, “It Could Happen,” New York Times, 6/6/99
  • irrelevant [i rel´ ə vənt]
    not related to the subject
    → “What has existed in the past seems to him not only not authoritative, but irrelevant, inferior, and outworn.” George Santayana, Character and Opinion in the United States

Washoe, the chimpanzee, has more than a veneer of intelligence; she can signal her desire to eat, go in or out, be covered, or brush her teeth. In addition, she can make signs for “I’m sorry,” “I hurt,” “Hurry,” “Give me,” and a myriad of other terms that are familiar to young children. This urbane animal can indicate that she craves more dessert by putting her fingers together (“more”) and then placing her index and second fingers on top of her tongue (“sweet”). It is irrelevant that Washoe cannot actually talk. What is important, however, is the consummate* ease with which she has mastered her daily assignments.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

  1. Why did Silas Marner __________ wealth and practice cupidity*?
  2. Once the hoax had been concocted*, a __________ of problems arose.
  3. The defendant was alleged* to have been an army deserter, but the judge said that was __________ to the case.
  4. By embellishing* her work with __________ humor, the sophisticated playwright succeeded on Broadway.
  5. The lieutenant confessed to a __________ of ignorance in order to properly evaluate* his corporal’s resourcefulness.*

Definitions Take the bull by the horns* and match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. to desire
  2. b. countless number
  3. c. polished, witty
  4. d. thin covering
  5. e. not related to the subject
  1. veneer __________
  2. myriad __________
  3. urbane __________
  4. crave __________
  5. irrelevant __________

Answer Key
to be at large—not confined or in jail
Since the dangerous criminal was at large, all the townspeople began to buy dogs for protection.

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