Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 23 - Day 4

Word List
  • perpetuate [pər pech´ ü āt]
    to cause to continue
    → “The laws would often do no more than perpetuate a legislator’s acts of injustice.” Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract
  • mandate [man´ dāt]
    an authoritative order or command
    → “With a federal mandate to convert to digital broadcasting by 2003, public TV stations are facing large capital expenditures.” Ellis Bromberg, “Federal Money Vital to Progress of PBS,” The News Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, 10/21/99
  • compensatory [kəm pen´ sə tô´ rē]
    serving to pay back
    → “The compensatory factor was a new arrival; Anukul had a son born to him.” Rabindramath Tagore, “My Lord, the Baby”
  • neutralize [nü´ trə līz]
    to counteract
    → “The quinine that can neutralize his venom is called courage.” Elmer Davis, But We Were Born Free
  • catastrophic [kat´ ə strof´ ik]
    disastrous
    → “Romeo changes enormously under Juliet’s influence, remains subject to anger and despair, and is as responsible as Mercutio and Tybalt for the catastrophic event.” Harold Bloom, Shakespeare

Mr. Sloane did not want to perpetuate the disorders that stemmed from the alphabetical arrangement. Not only did he reverse the seating in his other classes, but he began to badger* the school’s administration for a mandate to bring about such changes throughout the building. He called it a compensatory factor to neutralize the catastrophic effects of the traditional policy. Soon, Mr. Sloane earned the appellation* of “Mr. Backwards.”

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the following sentences.

  1. Don Ricardo hoped that his son would __________ the family business, but Manuel was too involved with chimerical* schemes to want to run a restaurant.
  2. If the draconian* regulations are to continue unabated,* they will have __________ results.
  3. Dr. Meyers prescribed medication to __________ the acid condition that had incapacitated* my uncle.
  4. As a prelude* to his victory speech, the mayor announced that he considered the large vote to be a __________ from the people.
  5. __________ education may help minority groups to cope* with their plight.*

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. serving to pay back
  2. b. an authoritative order or command
  3. c. to counteract
  4. d. to cause to continue
  5. e. disastrous
  1. perpetuate __________
  2. mandate __________
  3. compensatory __________
  4. neutralize __________
  5. catastrophic __________

Answer Key
to bring home the bacon—to earn a living, to succeed
The man’s inability to bring home the bacon was the actual reason for the couple’s incompatibility.*

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