Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 21 - Day 1

Word List
  • scion [sī´ ən]
    child, descendant
    → “Al Gore is the Good Son, the early achieving scion from Harvard and Tennessee who always thought he would be President.” Maureen Dowd, “Freudian Face-Off,” New York Times, 6/15/99
  • indoctrinate [in dok´ trə nāt]
    to teach certain principles
    → “Teachers have indoctrinated students in practical subjects like home ec.” Jodie Morse, “Hitched in Home Room,” TIME, 6/21/99
  • opulence [op´ yə ləns]
    wealth, riches
    → “Poirot followed him, looking with appreciation at such works of art as were of an opulent and florid nature.” Agatha Christie, “The Dream”
  • obsequious [əb sē´ kwē əs]
    seeking favor, fawning
    → “and the survivor bound In filial obligation for some term To do obsequious sorrow.” William Shakespeare, Hamlet
  • fulsome [fül´ səm]
    excessive, insincere
    → “I was appreciative of his sincere and fulsome praise.” Ruth McKinney, “A Loud Sneer for Our Feathered Friends”

Prince Siddhartha Gautama was the scion of a family of warrior-kings in northern India. He was being indoctrinated for the time when he would assume his father’s throne. Growing up in an atmosphere of opulence, the young prince was constantly shielded from the cruel realities of the world. An army of obsequious servants and tutors catered to his every desire, providing Siddhartha with instruction in riding, fencing, dancing, and painting—while lavishing fulsome praise upon him. It wasn’t until the prince was thirty that he took the first step that led to his becoming the Buddha, one of the world’s greatest spiritual leaders.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences. (Which two words are almost synonymous?)

  1. It was not until the wreckers began to dismantle* the old edifice* that they discovered its real __________ .
  2. As the __________ of a family of wealthy bankers, Rothschild never had to face the vicissitudes* of life.
  3. Uriah Heep’s __________ manner nettled* all but the most gullible.*
  4. In order to __________ the captive, his jailers repeatedly reviled* capitalism while praising communism.
  5. The actress received __________ compliments from her friends but trenchant* criticism from the reviewers.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. seeking favor, fawning
  2. b. child, descendant
  3. c. wealth, riches
  4. d. excessive, insincere
  5. e. to teach certain principles
  1. scion __________
  2. indoctrinate __________
  3. opulence __________
  4. obsequious __________
  5. fulsome __________

Answer Key
two strings to one’s bow—two means of achieving one’s aim
The salesman had two strings to his bow—if a phone call didn’t get results, he would appear in person.

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