Word List

• adj. If something is ailing, it is sickly or not doing well.
  Antonio's ailing health caused his head to hurt.
• adj. If two people or things are alike, they are similar to each other.
  The brothers looked so much alike that it was impossible to tell one from the other.
• v. To appall means to disgust someone.
  Minerva was appalled when she read the email from her enemy.
• v. To bathe means to wash oneself with water.
  The mermaid bathed herself in the ocean.
• n. Bounds is the area in a game in which plays are legal.
  If your ball lands outside the lines, it's out of bounds.
• v. To critique means express an opinion about the good and the bad parts of something.
  My job is to critique the food at various restaurants.
• n. Demography is the study of people and populations.
  If you study demography, you'll see huge population growth in some areas of the world.
• n. A diagnosis is a doctor's decision about the cause of an illness.
  The vet's diagnosis was that our dog had a broken leg.
• n. A dip is a decline or a worsening in condition.
  The economy experienced a dip in the 1930s, leading many workers to lose their jobs.
• n. Distress is a feeling of sadness and anxiousness.
  We were in great distress when our home was destroyed during the last hurricane.
• n. A fever is when a body's temperature is higher than normal.
  He had to miss school because he was sick with a fever.
• adj. Something that is grim is worrying, serious, and scary.
  The boy made the grim discovery that he had accidentally deleted his homework.
• n. Someone's gut is their intestines, where food is processed after leaving the stomach.
  Thousands of bacteria live in your gut and help you digest food.
• n. A helmet is a type of hard hat that protects your head.
  When exploring underground caves, it is important to always wear a helmet.
• n. An herb is a plant used for cooking or medicine.
  I couldn't decide which herb I wanted to buy at the market.
• adj. If someone is militant, they are angry and aggressive, and willing to fight easily.
  The woman delivered an angry, militant speech on the floor of the legislature.
• n. A miracle is an unexpected blessing which seems almost impossible, like a gift from heaven.
  A miracle happened when Rosalita won over 60 million dollars in the lottery.
• v. To mourn means to show or feel great sadness when you lose someone.
  The entire family mourned their grandfather's death together.
• n. Nonsense are words or ideas that are silly or foolish.
  The baby was talking nonsense into the phone.
• n. A physician is a doctor.
  The physician was a friendly man who did his best with all of his patients.

Exercise

A ‣ Check(✓) the better response to each question.

B ‣ Circle the two words in each group that are opposites.

C ‣ Write the word from the word bank that best fits each sentence.

Reading Comprehension

Part A: Mark each statement T for true or F for false. Rewrite the false statements to make them true.

Part B: Answer the questions.