Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 6 - Day 4

Word List
  • quell [kwel]
    put an end to
    → “He also did not quell the speculation surrounding Van Gundy’s status as coach.” Mike Wise, New York Times, 5/25/99
  • voluble [vol´ ū bəl]
    talkative
    → “He came to hate Ray Gribble and his voluble companions of the submerged tenth of the class.” Sinclair Lewis, “Young Man Axelbrod”
  • confidant(e) [kon´ fə dant´]
    one to whom you confide your secrets
    → “Lecter rents a lavish house not terribly far from the modest duplex of FBI agent Starling, his antagonist/confidant during the period seven years earlier.” Paul Gray, “Dessert Anyone?,” TIME, 6/21/99
  • obsolescence [ob´ sə les´ ns]
    process of wearing out
    → “After five centuries of obsolescence, Roman numerals still exert a peculiar fascination over the inquiring mind.” Isaac Asimov, “Nothing Counts”
  • dubious [dü´ bē əs]
    doubtful
    → “Many scientists say its experimental merits are dubious.” Margaret Wente, “Fifth Column,” Globe and Mail, Toronto, 5/27/99

I guess we’ll never be able to quell those persistent rumors about the invention of auto tires that will never wear out, stockings that cannot tear, and pens that won’t run dry. A voluble economist informed me that such products will never be marketed. “Can you imagine,” he asked, “a manufacturer cutting his own throat? Why would he sell you an item that you will never have to replace? No,” my confidant whispered, “it’s part of their scheme of planned obsolescence to sell you merchandise with a limited life span in order to keep you coming back for more.” I am dubious about the existence of those perfect products, but then I’m from Missouri.*

Sample Sentences Use the new words in the proper blanks.

  1. When the duplicity* was revealed, the jury became __________ about Ed’s innocence.
  2. In order to __________ the riot, the police sallied* forth with tear gas.
  3. A teenage boy’s father should be his true __________ .
  4. The __________ built into many products could be regarded as a flagrant* insult toward the duped* consumer.
  5. I could not doze in the chair because of the __________ barber.

Definitions Match the new words with their meanings.

  1. a. one to whom you confide your secrets
  2. b. talkative
  3. c. process of wearing out
  4. d. put an end to
  5. e. doubtful
  1. quell __________
  2. voluble __________
  3. confidant(e) __________
  4. obsolescence __________
  5. dubious __________

Answer Key
thumb’s down—signal of rejection (Roman emperors could condemn a gladiator who fought poorly by turning their thumbs down)
My father turned thumbs down on our plan to hitchhike to Florida during Easter.

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