Federalist Papers No. 26
by Alexander Hamilton
Vocabulary Study
abeyance (uh BAY uns)
Definition: suspension of action
Synonyms: dormancy, latency, quiescence
Derivatives: abeyant
The judge held his sentence in abeyance until she could verify the documents that proved him guilty.
ameliorate (uh MEE lee o rate)
Definition: to make better, to relieve, to improve
Synonyms: alleviate, mitigate
Derivatives: ameliorated, ameliorating, ameliorable, ameliorant, ameliorative, ameliorator, amelioration
To ameliorate the tension in the testing room, we played soft music.
anarchist (AN ar kist)
Definition: one who believes in the absence of government or law
Synonyms: insurrectionist, mutineer
Derivatives: anarchy, anarchically, anarchical, anarchic, anarchism, anarchistic
In the absence of government, anarchy prevailed in the country.
ardent (AR dunt)
Definition: expressing strong feelings, impassioned, zealous
Synonyms: fervent, fervid, passionate, perfervid
Derivatives: ardently
Our football team enjoys the support of its ardent fans who follow them to every game.
chimera (kuh MEER uh)
Definition: a fantasy; a horrible creature of the imagination
Synonyms: fantasy , vision
Derivatives: chimerical, chimeric, chimerically
In the Greek legend, the body of the chimera monster consisted of a serpent, a goat, and a lion.
countenance (KOUN tuh nuns)
Definition: to condone or to give approval
Synonyms: approve, sanction, endorse
Derivatives: countenanced, countenancing, countenancer
The committee cannot countenance the plan to impose a tax on that item.
derivative (deh RIV uh tiv)
Definition: something that comes from another thing
Synonyms: connate, descendent, procured, subordinate
Derivatives: derive, derivable, derivability, derivate, derivately, derivational, derivationist, derivatist
The word “abatement” is a derivative of the word “abate.”
discern (deh SURN)
Definition: to differentiate between two or more things
Synonyms: ascertain, divine, perceive
Derivatives: discerner, discernible, discernable, discernibleness, discernibly, discernably, discerningly, discernment
Because the twins look exactly alike, it is difficult to discern one from the other.
engender (en JEN der)
Definition: to cause, to produce, to create
Synonyms: beget, develop, spawn
Derivatives: engendered, engenderer, engenders, engendering
This rumor may engender suspicion and mistrust among the board members.
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expedient (ik SPEE dee unt)
Definition: appropriate for a purpose but not necessarily moral, right, or just.
Synonyms: convenient, effective, opportune, pragmatic, suitable
Derivatives: expediate, expedience, expediency, expediential, expedientist, expediently
The student realized that it would be expedient for him to study diligently for the test.
forbearance (fore BARE uns)
Definition: patience, lenience
Synonyms: temperance
Derivatives:
Grandpa always treated us kids with forbearance, no matter how annoying we were.
impute (im PYOOT)
Definition: to blame or to charge
Synonyms: allege, attribute, cite, denounce, implicate, impute, slander
Derivatives: imputability, imputable, imputableness, imputably, imputation, imputational, imputatively,
imputativeness
After hearing the testimony, the jury was willing to impute blame upon the defendant.
inculcate (IN kul kate)
Definition: to teach persistently and earnestly
Synonyms: drill, impart, impress, instill, plant
Derivatives: instill, infix, implant, ingrain
The teacher put the problems on the board in order to inculcate her students.
induce (in DOOS, in DYOOS)
Definition: to bring on or to bring about; cause, effect, influence
Synonyms: persuade, prevail
Derivatives: induced, inducing, inducement, inducer
The scientist tried to induce an effect in the experiment that would prove his point.
invective (in VEK tiv)
Definition: critical or abusive language; violent abuse
Synonyms: vituperation, obloquy, scurrility, billingsgate
Derivatives: invectively, invectives
As we cut in front of the other car, the driver screamed invective out his window.
prevalent (PREV uh lunt)
Definition: generally or widely accepted, current, or practiced
Synonyms: prevailing, victorious, dominant
Derivatives: prevalence, prevalently
In our district, the prevalent assumption is that students will go to college or trade school after graduation.
propriety (pruh PRY eh tee)
Definition: correct conduct
Synonyms: decorum, etiquette, modesty, mores, protocol, rectitude, refinement
Derivatives: proprieties
Those who attend the club meetings should conduct themselves with propriety.
rectify (REK tuh fie)
Definition: to set right or to correct
Synonyms: reform, revise, remedy, emend
Derivatives: rectifiable, rectifier, rectified, rectifying
I appreciate your apology, but how do you plan to rectify the situation you've caused?
salutary (SAL yuh ter ee)
Definition: promoting good health or beneficial effects
Synonyms: salubrious, wholesome
Derivatives: salutarily, salutariness
A brisk stroll around the block after dinner is both pleasant and salutary.
zeal (ZEEL)
Definition: enthusiasm, fervor
Synonyms: alacrity, devotion, gusto, keenness, mania, sincerity, vehemence, verve, zest
Derivatives: zeals, zealless, zealot, zealotic, zealotism, zealotry
His zeal for soccer led him to practice every single afternoon, far into the evening.
Copyright © 2015 by Sharon Serrago, Inc
Page 60
Federalist Papers No. 26
by Alexander Hamilton
Vocabulary Test 1
Directions: Match the vocabulary word to its definition.
Practice 1
_____________1.
abeyance
a.
expressing strong feelings, impassioned, zealous
_____________2.
ameliorate
b.
something that comes from another thing
_____________3.
anarchist
c.
to make better, to relieve, to improve
_____________4.
ardent
d.
appropriate for a purpose but not necessarily moral
_____________5.
chimera
e.
a fantasy; a horrible creature of the imagination
_____________6.
countenance
f.
one who believes in the absence of government or law
_____________7.
derivative
g.
to differentiate between two or more things
_____________8.
discern
h.
to cause, to produce, to create
_____________9.
engender
i.
suspension of action
_____________10.
expedient
j.
to condone or to give approval
_____________11.
forbearance
k.
to blame or to charge
_____________12.
impute
l.
correct conduct
_____________13.
inculcate
m.
to bring on or to bring about; cause, effect
_____________14.
induce
n.
generally or widely accepted, current, or practiced
_____________15.
invective
o.
patience, lenience
_____________16.
prevalent
p.
enthusiasm, fervor
_____________17.
propriety
q.
critical or abusive language; violent abuse
_____________18.
rectify
r.
promoting good health or beneficial effects
_____________19.
salutary
s.
to set right or to correct
_____________20.
zeal
t.
to teach persistently and earnestly
Practice 2
Copyright © 2015 by Sharon Serrago, Inc
Page 61
Federalist Papers No. 26
by Alexander Hamilton
Vocabulary Test 2
Directions: Find the correct word from the box below to complete the sentences that follow.
abeyance
countenance
Practice 1
ameliorate
derivative
anarchist
discern
ardent
engender
chimera
expedient
1. ________________ An _____ wants to destroy his government, but a good citizen wants to improve it.
2. ________________To _____ a strong friendship, you must first create trust if you want the friendship to grow.
3. ________________ I cannot condone your bad behavior, nor can I _______ your actions.
4. ________________The angry crowd was held in ______ by the guards, suspending their hostile actions.
5. ________________ The widower was an ________ supporter of the theatre, carrying on his late wife's passion for
arts.
6. ________________This _____ measure may be useful now, but we cannot employ such unjust methods for long.
7. ________________ Surely your attempts to _____ the conflict made it at least a little bit better.
8. ________________To find out which plant is poisonous, I will have to _____ which one contains the toxin.
9. ________________ The plot of his novel was a ______ of someone else’s story; it clearly wasn’t his own idea.
10. _______________Each night he was plagued by a nightmare, but the _____ vanished with the dawn.
Practice 2
forbearance
prevalent
impute
propriety
inculcate
rectify
induce
salutary
invective
zeal
11. ________________He was ashamed of his sudden burst of _____; he had never used such abusive language before.
12. ________________If you can be patient a little longer, your _____ will be rewarded with the respect of others.
13. ________________We were cautions to behave with ________ at the affair since it required the best of etiquette.
14. ________________After hearing the testimony, the jury was willing to ______ blame upon the defendant.
15. ________________The desire to learn more is _____ in that family; it’s widely accepted that all the members are
super intelligent.
16. ________________Her energy and excitement made her the perfect cheerleader; we all loved her obvious _____.
17. ________________Drinking water is _____, beneficial for the health of the kidneys, brain, and other organs.
18. ________________The teacher's job is to __________ his students; he must be persistent in teaching difficult
concepts.
19. ________________My parents tried to _____ a change in my behavior by increasing my allowance, but it didn't
bring about the effect they had hoped.
20. ________________ If you can't _____ the problem this way, find some other way to correct it.
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Federalist Papers No. 26
by Alexander Hamilton
Answers
Reading Test
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B
C
D
A
A
Voc. Test 1
Voc. Test 2
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i
c
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m
q
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s
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p
Copyright © 2015 by Sharon Serrago, Inc
anarchist
engender
countenance
abeyance
ardent
expedient
ameliorate
discern
derivative
chimera
invective
forbearance
propriety
impute
prevalent
zeal
salutary
inculcate
induce
rectify
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