Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 26 - Day 1

Word List
  • lethargic [lə thär´ jik]
    lazy, indifferent
    → “Ricky Henderson’s lethargic stroll toward second base led the sports reporters to blast him in yesterday’s papers.” Ralph Kiner, baseball announcer, Fox Sports News, 10/4/99
  • prevalent [prev´ ə lənt]
    prevailing, common, general
    → “On the all-news channels the most prevalent images were from a helicopter pursuing the police chase.” New York Post, 7/30/99
  • paramount [par´ ə mount]
    supreme, foremost
    → “For him, winning was paramount; coming in second meant he had swum a poor race.” Len Sussman, “Born to Swim”
  • remiss [ri mis´]
    careless, negligent
    → “If the mayor thought that one of his commissioners had been remiss in following instructions, he would fly into a rage and throw his glasses at him.” David Rockefeller on Mayor LaGuardia, New York Times, 10/10/99
  • hostile [hos´ tl]
    antagonistic, angry
    → “He might commit some hostile act, attempt to strike me or choke me.” Jack London, White Fang

Public opinion has an important place in a democracy. The public, often lethargic, is susceptible* to a wide variety of influences. The most prevalent of these is the mass media. These communications media—the press, radio, and television—have a paramount position in initiating,* influencing, and shaping public opinion. Bearing this responsibility, the mass media are often accused of being remiss in their duty to inform the public. There has been a great deal of hostile comment leveled against these opinion molders.

Sample Sentences Based upon your understanding of the new words as discovered from the context, use them in the spaces provided.

  1. The audience became extremely __________ when the bigot* began to attack minority groups.
  2. Long hair among boys is so __________ today, there is no longer a prohibition against it in most schools.
  3. We are all susceptible* to a __________ feeling after a heavy meal.
  4. A good politician seeks the __________ issue in his community.
  5. We would be __________ if we overlooked the importance of the Internet to the interchange of ideas and information.

Definitions Matching words and definitions will prove you’ve learned them.

  1. a. prevailing, common, general
  2. b. lazy, indifferent
  3. c. antagonistic, angry
  4. d. supreme, foremost
  5. e. careless, negligent
  1. lethargic __________
  2. prevalent __________
  3. paramount __________
  4. remiss __________
  5. hostile __________

Answer Key
to split hairs—to make fine distinctions
The mother and child spent a great deal of time arguing about the hair-splitting question of whether “going to bed” meant lights out or not.

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