Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 35 - Day 1

Word List
  • parable [par´ ə bəl]
    a moralistic story
    → “When I had trouble keeping the kindergarten class quiet, I found that telling them a parable (the tortoise and the hare, for example) would get their undivided attention.” Lana L. Grossberg, A Teacher’s True Confessions
  • whimsical [hwim´ zə kəl]
    humorous, witty
    → “This is not a whimsical idea—it is a serious plan.” Calvin Klein, New York Magazine, 9/15/95
  • lampoon [lam pün´]
    ridicule
    → “Many new TV shows succeed because they lampoon the behavior of teenagers.” John Leonard, New York, 10/15/97
  • countenance [koun´ tə nəns]
    tolerate,* approve
    → “Behind a most pleasant countenance, this dictator has maintained a most brutal regime.” Newsweek, 2/21/98
  • sanctimonious [sangk´ tə mō´ nē əs]
    hypocritically religious
    → “There has never been a shortage of sanctimonious arguments for starting a war.” Peter Finley Dunne, Mr. Dooley Remembers

The telling of a story in simple terms that has an inherently* important message is a venerable* art form. The parable may be found teaching a moral lesson in the Bible. Aesop is an incontrovertible* master of the fable. This story form is far from antiquated* as shown by the whimsical approach to life taken by the modern Aesop, James Thurber. His stories lampoon the strange behavior of his fellow men. Thurber seems unable to countenance the ideas that permeate* our society regarding the rules by which we should live. Least of all is he able to accept the sanctimonious notion that some people promulgate* that good always wins out against evil. Thurber’s stories often take an exactly opposite point of view.

Sample Sentences Note that some words do not have a one word definition. Frequently, several words, or an entire sentence, is required.

  1. Jonathan Swift was never reticent* to __________ the egotist* in order to bring him down with alacrity.*
  2. What one person finds __________ , the other may find asinine.*
  3. The expression, “Sour grapes,*” is the gist* of a famous __________ about a fox who couldn’t get what he wanted.
  4. We should eschew* our __________ façade;* away with pretext!*
  5. If we want to live in a salubrious* milieu,* we can not __________ the noisome* fumes that are deleterious* to health.

Definitions Note the distinction between countenance as a noun and as a verb.

  1. a. humorous, witty
  2. b. hypocritically religious
  3. c. tolerate,* approve
  4. d. a moralistic story
  5. e. ridicule
  1. parable __________
  2. whimsical __________
  3. lampoon (v.) __________
  4. countenance (v.) __________
  5. sanctimonious __________

Answer Key
to pull up stakes—to quit a place
He could no longer rule the roost* or get the lion’s share,* so he pulled up stakes and moved on.

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