Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 36 - Day 2

Word List
  • epitome [i pit´ ə mē]
    person or thing that embodies or represents the best
    → “My community considers a man in uniform to be the living epitome of heroism.” Lucius Garvin, Collected Essays
  • dexterity [dek ster´ ə tē]
    mental or physical skill
    → “Ali built his career based on his dexterity, both in the ring and in the use of colorful language.” Boxing, 3/95
  • grotesque [grō tesk´]
    strange, bizarre,* fantastic
    → “Nowadays, men have to work, and women to marry for money; it’s a dreadfully grotesque world.” Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
  • compassion
    sympathetic feeling, kindness
    → “In addition to professional skills, patients want a physician who is compassionate.” Advertisement for Maimonides Medical Center, 9/25/95
  • repugnant [ri pug´ nənt]
    distasteful, repulsive
    → “The behavior of the few rioters at the rock concert was repugnant to the huge, peaceful crowd.” “Woodstock Revisited,” TIME, 6/7/99

The epitome of French romantic writers in the nineteenth century was Victor Hugo. With the utmost dexterity he wrote poetry, novels, and drama. His highly popular novels, Notre Dame de Paris and Les Miserables, are replete* with melodramatic situations and grotesque characters. He had a profound* sense of social justice and a compassion for the poor, hapless,* and downtrodden. He could not work under the aegis* of Napoleon III and fled into exile. When the repugnant rule came to an end, the expatriate* returned. He was received with adulation* and acclaim as the idol of the Third Republic.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in these sentences.

  1. He was made up in the most __________ way for his role as a man from outer space.
  2. We all felt deep __________ for the innocent progeny,* who were bereft* of their parents who had succumbed* during the conflagration.*
  3. The Taj Mahal in India is said to be the __________ of grace as an edifice.*
  4. The sight of the corpse was __________ to the squeamish* onlookers.
  5. With __________ he thwarted* the pugnacious* and belligerent* adversary.*

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

  1. a. strange, bizarre,* fantastic
  2. b. person or thing that embodies or represents the best
  3. c. distasteful, repulsive
  4. d. sympathetic feeling, kindness
  5. e. mental or physical skill
  1. epitome __________
  2. dexterity __________
  3. grotesque __________
  4. compassion __________
  5. repugnant __________

Answer Key
to throw the book at someone—to give the maximum punishment
The judge got his back up* and threw the book at the criminal.

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