Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 26 - Day 4

Word List
  • acute [ə kyüt´]
    sharp, keen, severe
    → “The candidate presented an acute problem for his party because of his independent views.” Jewell Bellush and Dick Netzer, Urban Politics
  • gist [jist]
    essence, main point
    → “The gist of it is . . . love is a great beautifier.” Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
  • transient [tran´ shənt]
    passing, short-lived, fleeting
    → “City championships and national tournaments, however thrilling, are transient moments.” Darcy Frey, The Last Shot
  • terse [tėrs]
    concise, brief, compact
    → “The mayor sent a terse letter to the school’s chancellor over his cancellation of a meeting.” New York Times, 8/5/99
  • cogent [kō´ jənt]
    forceful, convincing, persuasive
    → “This article paints a clear and cogent picture of how to handle blowouts.” Car and Travel, 9/99

The electronic media—television and radio—have more acute problems than does the press when it comes to news reporting. A normal broadcast can cover only a small part of a news day. The object is to transmit the gist of a story without supplying its background. Another difficulty of electronic news broadcasting is its transient nature; the viewers or listeners may miss an important story if their attention wanders. On the other hand, because radio and television present news in a more terse and exciting way, they are accepted as the most cogent presentation of news and are preferred and believed above newspapers by most people.

Sample Sentences A slow and thorough study is needed today.

  1. After the catastrophe,* there was an __________ need for emergency housing.
  2. The young lover was susceptible* to __________ feelings of jealousy when he saw his sweetheart dancing with his best friend.
  3. She tried to get the __________ of her message into a 25-word telegram.
  4. The mayor made a __________ statement in which he rebuked* his election opponent for making a contemptuous* accusation.
  5. The best debater makes the most __________ presentation.

Definitions This day’s work requires careful study.

  1. a. forceful, convincing, persuasive
  2. b. concise, brief, compact
  3. c. essence, main point
  4. d. passing, short-lived, fleeting
  5. e. sharp, keen, severe
  1. acute __________
  2. gist __________
  3. transient __________
  4. terse __________
  5. cogent __________

Answer Key
sleep on it—postpone a decision while giving it some thought
He didn’t want to show his hand* immediately, so he agreed to sleep on it for a few more days.

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