Beliefs and Religion

1. agnostic: a thinker who disclaims any knowledge of God. The agnostic does not deny God but denies the possibility of knowing him.

2. apocalyptic: pertaining to a revelation; foretelling imminent disaster and total destruction. Apocalypse refers to the last books of the New Testament.

3. apocryphal: of questionable authority and authenticity; false or counterfeit. The Apocrypha includes the 14 books of the Septuagint found in the Vulgate but considered uncanonical by the Protestant because they are not part of the Hebrew Scriptures.

4. apostate: one who forsakes his faith or principles

5. apotheosis: deification; an exalted or glorified ideal.

6. benediction: a blessing, an invocation of divine blessing, usually at the end of a religious service. A newly married man is called a benedict, suggesting that marriage brings to a bachelor many blessings.

7. blasphemy: any irreverent or impious act or utterance

8. deist: believer in the existence of God as the creator of the universe who after setting it in motion abandoned it, assumed no control over life, exerted no influence on natural phenomenon, and gave no supernatural revelation. Deism is a natural religion based on human reason and morality.

9. infidel: a person who does not believe in any religion; among Christians or Muslims, one who does not accept their particular beliefs. This word infidelity denotes unfaithfulness to moral or martial obligations.

10. mantra: a mystical formula of invocation or incantation in Hinduism and Buddhism. The word comes from mens, the Latin meaning “mind” and the ancient Sanskrit word for “scared counsel” or “formula”

11. ontology: the branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of being

12. pantheism: the doctrine that the universe, conceived of as a whole, is God.

13. sacrilegious: disrespectful or irreverent toward anything regarded as sacred. The term is derived from the Latin sacrilegium, “one who steals sacred things,” which of course is one form of sacrilege.

14. syncretism: the attempt or tendency to combine or reconcile differing beliefs, as in philosophy or religion. It comes from the Greek syn (together) and kret (Cretain) and refers to the uniting of Cretan cities against a common enemy.

15. theodicy: a vindication of divine justice in the face of the existence of evil. Theodicee was the title of a work by Leibnitz in 1710. The word combines the Greek roots for “god” and “judgment”


Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

1. In the Middle Ages this would have brought the harshest punishment
(ontology, blasphemy, apocryphal)
2. God and nature are synonymous
(benediction, pantheism, apocalyptic)
3. This person could be a Christian, Muslim, or Jew, depending on what you are
(infidel, mantra, apotheosis)
4. An attempt to explain why God permitted the rise of Hitlerism
(theodicy, apostate, sacrilegious)
5. If you can’t beat them, join them
(agnostic, syncretism, deist)
6. The absolute best of its kind
(apotheosis, sacrilegious, apocryphal)
7. Doomsday is coming
(blasphemy, apocalyptic, ontology)
8. Belief that differing faiths can be reconciled
(agnostic, pantheist, syncretist)
9. A blessing
(mantra, benediction, blasphemy)
10. An unauthorized version
(sacrilegious, apocryphal, blasphemy)

II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false

____ 1. The apocryphal writings have been universally accepted as part of the Bible
____ 2. An apostate is one who has changed his religious beliefs.
____ 3. Pantheists emphasize the importance of religious services
____ 4. The sacrilegious person holds a place of honor in the community of believers
____ 5. The apocalyptic view is definitely pessimistic
____ 6. The agnostic is inclined to say, “Thank God for my blessings.”
____ 7. The apostate finds solace in his mantra
____ 8. Ontology attempts to answer the question: What is reality?
____ 9. Sacrilegious and blasphemous behavior is typical of an apostate
____ 10. Mantras are part of the worship in Buddhism and Hinduism

III. Synonyms or Antonyms
Find and circle the two words on each line that are either synonyms or antonyms.

1. apostate apocryphal heretic biblical
2. blasphemous apotheosis degradation occult
3. infidel mantra religion invocation
4. canonical apocryphal apocalyptic orthodox
5. laity benediction denominational anathema

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Philosophy and Logic

1. aphorism: a brief statement of principle; a tersely phrased statement of a truth or opinion

2. dogma: a system of principles or tenets as of a church; prescribed doctrine; an established opinion or belief. Dogmas, derived from the Greek dokein, “to seem good,” are sometimes put forth without adequate grounds and arrogantly or vehemently proclaimed.

3. empirical: guided by practical experience and not theoretical

4. epistemology: the branch of theology that is concerned with the ultimate or last things-such as death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

5. eschatology: an idea or opinion founded on mistaken logic or perception. There are several types of logical fallacies: the fallacy of accident, of composition, of decision, of the antecedent, and of the consequences.

6. fallacy: an idea or opinion founded on mistaken logic or perception. There are several types of logical fallacies: the fallacy of accident, of composition, of division, of the antecedent, and of the consequence.

7. hedonism: pursuit of or devotion to pleasure; the ethical doctrine that what is pleasant or has pleasant consequences is intrinsically good. In psychology, hedonism refers to the doctrine that behavior is motivated by desire for pleasure or the avoidance of pain.

8. pragmatism: the theory, developed by Charles S. Peirce and William James, that the meaning of a proposition or course of action lies in its observable consequences, and that the sum of these consequences constitutes its meaning; a method or tendency in the conduct of political affairs characterized by the rejection of theory and precedent and by the use of practical means and expedients. A pragmatic person is practical and active rather than contemplative. He may also tend to be meddlesome and officious.

9. predestination: the doctrine that God has foreordained whatever comes to pass, especially the salvation or damnation of individual souls.

10. ratiocination: the act of reasoning methodically or logically.

11. syllogism: in logic, a form of deductive reasoning consisting of a major premise (all men are foolish), a minor premise (Smith is a man), and a conclusion (therefore, Smith is foolish); a subtle or specious piece of reasoning. Opposed to syllogistic reasoning is inductive reasoning known as the scientific method, which reasons from a part to the whole, from the particular to the general, or from the individual to the universal.

12. teleology: the doctrine that final causes exist; design, purpose, or utility as an explanation of any natural phenomenon. In philosophy, teleology looks upon natural processes as determined by the design of a divine Providence rather than as purely mechanical determinism.

13. tenet: an opinion or doctrine held to be true.

14. theosophy: a system of philosophy or religion that proposes to establish direct, mystical contact with divine principles through contemplation or revelation. The doctrines of the modern Theosophical Societies incorporate elements of Buddhism and Brahmanism.

15. utilitarian: stressing the value of practical over aesthetic values. The theory of utilitarianism, proposed by Jeremy Bentham and John Stewart Mill, held that all moral, social, or political action should be directed toward achieving the greatest good for the greatest number of people.


Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

1. How do we know what we know?
(eschatology, epistemology, pragmatism)
2. If A is B and B is C, then A is C
(fallacy, dogma, syllogism)
3. Sherlock Holmes is a prime example
(tenet, ratiocination, teleology)
4. Don’t do it; it might hurt
(hedonism, aphorism, theosophy)
5. Daniel and Pearl forever
(empirical, utilitarian, predestination)
6. Use it or lose it
(utilitarian, aphorism, fallacy)
7. The quintessential principle that brooks no argument
(theosophy, teleology, dogma)
8. Beyond human comprehension
(eschatology, ratiocination, theosophy)
9. Respect for the old tried and true ways
(ratiocination, tenet, pragmatism)
10. Logic with a twist
(eschatology, teleology, syllogism)

II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.

____ 1. A pragmatist and an empiricist are both more concerned with results than theories.
____ 2. Eschatology is deeply involved with daily rituals
____ 3. The explanation for the lion’s mane, the elephant’s trunk, the leopard’s spots falls in the province of teleology.
____ 4. A tenet is one of the ten basic principles of faith.
____ 5. Aphorism is the belief that natural phenomena can be understood only by a study of original causes.
____ 6. Epistemology is the science of letter writing.
____ 7. The empirical approach relies on observation and experience to determine truth.
____ 8. An assumption based on erroneous premises will inevitably be a fallacy.
____ 9. Theosophists generally spend a great deal of time in contemplation.
____ 10. tenets are those who “dwell in the house of the Lord.”

III. Find the Imposter
Find and circle the one word on each line that is not related to the other three

1. eschatology teleology utilitarian predestination
2. document dogma tenet doctrine
3. pragmatic experiential romantic empirical
4. laconic aphoristic pointed conjectural
5. hedonism affliction malaise paroxysm

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Legal Language

1. abnegation: giving up of rights; self-denial.

2. abscond: to run away and hide in order to escape the law.

3. affidavit: a written statement made on oath, usually before a notary public. In Medieval Latin, the verb affidare meant “he has made an oath.”

4. altercation: a quarrel; an angry or heated dispute. Other synonyms are spat and squabble. Wrangle suggests a noisy dispute.

5. battery: a pounding; illegal beating. A person who commits assault and battery inflicts physical harm upon a victim; an emplacement for artillery; an array of similar things to use together, as “a battery or achievement tests”; baseball term for the pitcher and catcher; in electricity, a cell or cells that produce an electric current.

6. bequest: something given by inheritance; a gift specified in a will. In Middle English, bicewste meant “a saying”

7. cause celebre: a celebrated law case, trial, or controversy

8. caveat emptor: let the buyer beware, one buys at his own risk. The implication is that the vendor is trying to sell inferior merchandise.

9. codicil: an addition to a will; an appendix or supplement. The Latin word codex means “tree trunk” or a “wooden tablet covered with wax for writing.”

10. contiguous: adjacent; touching.

11. contraband: goods forbidden by law to be exported. This word was first used in the sixteenth century to refer to illicit trade with Spanish colonies.

12. contumacious: insubordinate; disobedient. Its original Latin meaning was “to swell up.”

13. disenfranchise: to deprive of the rights of citizenship; to deprive of a privilege. This word is sometimes written as disfranchise.

14. injunction: a command or order; a court order stopping a person or group from carrying out a given action.

15. jurisprudence: the science or philosophy of law; a system of laws.

Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

1. When the financier could not be found, the scandal came to light.
(injunction, codicil, abscond)
2. A soldier is absent without leave
(contumacious, jurisprudence, disenfranchise)
3. The plight of the whales attracts world-wide attention
(cause celebre, caveat emptor, abnegation)
4. Hidden weapons are discovered by the airport’s X-ray machine.
(contraband, contiguous, altercation)
5. Relatives gather to hear the reading of the will
(batter, affidavit, bequest)
6. Heavy artillery trained on the enemy
(altercation, battery, contraband)
7. A notarized statements
(bequest, injunction, affidavit)
8. Swore off smoking
(codicil, abnegation, disenfranchised)
9. What the law requires
(jurisprudence, cause celebre, affidavit)
10. Smuggles goods
(abscond, contraband, caveat emptor)

II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.

____ 1. When a dog displays its contumacious spirit, obedience training is often prescribed.
____ 2. Merchants follow the policy of caveat emptor when competition is fierce.
____ 3. Out houses are contiguous, and I wish we were closer together
____ 4. An important codicil is like the tail that wagged the dog
____ 5. Following the altercation on the field, both players were ejected
____ 6. contiguous lines are necessarily parallel.
____ 7. A battery is a weapon used by the Romans to shatter protection walls.
____ 8. A thief might abscond to avoid prosecution
____ 9. An altercation is similar to a fracas
____ 10. A cause celebre is a reason for celebration

III. Fill in the Blank
Insert one of the new words in the proper space in each sentence below

1. The ___________________ specified that the heir marry within the faith
2. In discovering that the watch he had bought from the street vendor had no mechanism. Fred learned the significance of __________________.
3. Some people live by whim and fancy, others by a rigorous __________________.
4. The charlatan’s modus operandi was simple; ingratiate yourself with a rich widow, many her, then _______________ with the money.
5. To stop the flow of microchip technology out of the country, the government declared them _____________________.
6. The __________________ For the crucial game was changed at the last minute
7. Ted wished he had remembered the warning ______________________, when he was offered the 80 percent discount for the “diamond” ring that turned out to be fake.
8. Pfc. Barton lost his one stripe when his _________________ behavior was discovered.
9. The defense lawyer argued it was wrong to ____________________ his client because he had not renounced his former citizenship.
10. The judge threatened to issue a(n) __________________ if the proposed strike plans were not withdrawn.

IV. What’s the Antonyms?
Which of the new words is most nearly opposite in meaning to the one provided?

1. compliant ______________________
2. reconciliation ______________________
3. permit ______________________
4. self-indulgence ______________________
5. empower ______________________
6. distant ______________________
7. legal trade ______________________
8. an insignificant case ______________________
9. money or property earned by one’s labor ______________________
10. main section of a will ______________________

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History and Government

1. anarchy: the complete absence of government; political disorder and violence; disorder in any sphere of activity. The anarchist opposes all direct or coercive government and proposes the voluntary association of people as the mode of organized society.

2. bourgeois: typical of the social middle class; characterized by selfish concern for material comfort and for properly values. Bourgeois virtues are thriftiness and serious attitude toward life; its faults are a preoccupation with moneymaking and anxiety about respectability. It all depends on one’s point of view.

3. bureaucracy: a system that rigidly adheres to the rules, forms, and routine. In American usage, the term is almost invariable derogatory unless the context establishes otherwise.

4. demagogue: a leader who obtains power by means of impassionate appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace. In ancient Greece, the demagogue was the leader who championed the cause of the common people.

5. ethos: the disposition, character, or attitude that distinguishes a particular group, epoch, or region.

6. gerrymander: to divide an area into voting districts to give unfair advantage to one party in an election. The word comes from a reference to Elbridge Gerry, governor of Massachusetts, whose party redistricted the state in 1812, combined with salamander; because the map of Essex County, Massachusetts, seemed to resemble this animal after the redistricting.

7. imperialism: the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.

8. Machiavellian: acting in accordance with the principles of government in which political expediency is placed above morality; subtly or unscrupulously cunning or deceptive. Nicolo Machiavelli in The Prince expounded the doctrine of political expediency.

9. martial: inclined or disposed to war; brave; warlike. The blood-red planet Mars was named after the Roman god of war.

10. muckraker: one who searches for and exposes real or alleged corruption and scandal. Muckrake, a rake for use on much or dung, was first used in the work of Lincoln Steffens and his contemporaries.

11. partisan: an adherent or supporter of a person, party, or cause; a member of an irregular troop engaged in harassing an enemy.

12. reactionary: a person who favors political conservatism or extreme rightism.

13. schism: a separation or division into factors. The term “The Great Schism” was used in connection with the Christian church to describe the split between the West and Eastern sects.

14. suffrage: the right to vote; a vote given in favor of a proposed measure or candidate

15. totalitarian: of or pertaining to a centralized government in which those in control grant neither recognition nor toleration to parties of differing opinions.


Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

1. The confederacy cotes to secede from the Union
(martial, gerrymander, schism)
2. Vote the party line all the way
(partisan, Machiavellian, reactionary)
3. Russia tries to expand its influence in the Middle East
(anarchy, imperialism, bureaucracy)
4. The Amish object to TV and other modern inventions and conveniences
(ethos, totalitarian, suffrage)
5. A spellbinding speaker
(demagogue, muckraker, bourgeois)
6. Red tape and needles duplication
(anarchy, reactionary, bureaucracy)
7. One form of investigative journalism
(bourgeois, muckraker, gerrymander)
8. Usually associated with Republicans
(Machiavellian, reactionary, imperialism)
9. Tries to crush autonomous institutions
(totalitarianism, ethos, martial)
10. The franchise
(partisan, schism, suffrage)

II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false.

____ 1. Bourgeois manners tend to be different from the manners of those who have been born with “a silver spoon in their mouth.”
____ 2. To gerrymander is to vote on the basis of issue rather than party.
____ 3. Martial refers to a rank in the army.
____ 4. A Machiavellian attitude could lead to power but also to unpopularity.
____ 5. Anarchy is a form of government that is built upon bureaucracy.
____ 6. Anarchy is a form of government that favors gerrymanding.
____ 7. The ethos of a group is measured by its support of the government in power.
____ 8. Imperialism follows the totalitarian approach.
____ 9. “The Great Schism” ended the Papal monopoly over Christianity.
____ 10. For Machiavelli, the bottom line is, who wields the power?

III. Find the Imposter
Find and circle the one word on each line that is not related ot the other three.

1. anarchy narcissism terrorism nihilism
2. demagogue instigator pedant agitator
3. partisan coherent zealot adherent
4. schism disjunction fissure quarry
5. Machiavellian deceptive artistic sinister

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Fun and Frolic

1. antic: odd and funny; ludicrous; a playful or silly act, trick, prank or caper. Shakespeare has Hamlet hide his real intent by assuming an antic disposition.

2. beguile: to charm; to divert attention in some pleasant way; to while away; to deceive.

3. bonhomie: frank and simple good-heartedness; a good-natured manner. The word is a combination of two French words meaning “good” and “man.” Bonhomie was the name given in order of begging friars and finally to French peasants in general.

4. dalliance: a trifling away of time; amorous toying; flirtation. In Hamlet, Ophelia reminds her brother Laertes not to give her moral advice while he follows “the primrose path of dalliance”

5. divertissement: a diversion or amusement; a short belief or other entertainment performed between the acts of a play.

6. euphoria: a feeling of well-being or high spirits, especially one that is groundless, disproportionate to its cause, or inappropriate to one’s life situation.

7. guffaw: a loud, coarse burst of laughter. This is an echoic onomatopoeic word. Laughs range from chuckles, giggles, and titters to snickers and guffaws

8. insouciance: calmness; freedom from anxiety; indifference

9. japery: jesting talk; mockery; a trick or practical joke

10. regale: to entertain by providing a splendid feast; to delight with something pleasing or amusing. The first meaning is related etymologically to the word regal, as it was customary for a king to treat his courtiers to sumptuous feasts.

11. risible: able or inclined to laugh; laughable; funny. Most people are familiar with Leoncavallo’s opera. Pagilacci, in which the major character sings “Ride, Pagilacci.” Our word ridiculous shows the close relationship to risible.

12. roguish: dishonest; unprincipled; pleasantly mischevious.

13. roister: to boast or swagger; to have a noisy; disorderly good time, especially under the influence of alcohol. This word can be traced to rustic and rural, indicating the low esteem in which the country ruffian and boor was held by the sophisticated city dweller.

14. squib: a firecracker that burns with a hissing, spurting noise before exploding; a short, humorous satirirc writing or speech; a short news item or filler.

15. waggish: roguishly merry, playful.


Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle that comes to mind.

1. A pleasant intermission
(insouciance, divertissement, roister)
2. The laughter of the jolly green giant
(guffaw, euphoria, dalliance)
3. A ten-course banquet
(japery, regale, risible)
4. Racy humor
(bonhomie, waggish, beguile)
5. A satire
(antic, roguish, squib)
6. Laughing at the breakup of the marriage
(divertissement, insouciance, euphoria)
7. Honest, I was just kidding
(japery, regale, guffaw)
8. The morning-after hangover
(risible, roguish, roister)
9. A true friend
(bonhomie, squib, waggish)
10. A raging passion that cooled
(risible, dalliance, antic)

II. True or False?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false?

____ 1. You cannot trust a man with bonhomie.
____ 2. A waggish person would be likely to indulge in japery
____ 3. A dalliance is a brightly colored flower
____ 4. A roisterer would be found at a bacchanal
____ 5. A squib is a variety of an octopus that has ten tentacles
____ 6. Euphoria is a ride on cloud nine
____ 7. A guffaw is to a snake as antic is to serious
____ 8. The natural reaction to a risible event is to burst into tears.
____ 9. Waggish is a miler trait than its close synonym, roguish
____ 10. A regal personality is expected to regale his guests.

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Foods and Taste

1. a la carte: by the card or by the bill of fara. It is used to describe a meal that is ordered dish by dish, with each dish having a separate price. The opposite table d’hote, a complete meal of several courses offered at a fixed price.

2. assuage: to satisfy and slake; to lesson (pain or distress; alley; calm (passion); relieve. The Latin root suavis (“sweet”) suggests that sweets play an important role in our eating habits

3. comestible: suitable to be eaten. The plural, comestibles, is used as a noun and means “food”

4. condiment: seasoning or relish for food, such as pepper, mustard, or sauce. The latin root means “to pickle”

5. cuisine: style of cooking or preparing food; the food prepared, as at a restaurant. In French it means “kitchen”

6. culinary: of the kitchen or cooking; suitable for use in cooking. Culinary comes from the Latin word for “kitchen” or “klin,” culina.

7. gastronomic: pertaining to the art and science of good eating; epicurean; pertaining to the enjoyment of food with a discriminating taste. Faster is the Greek word for “stomach” Gastronome is the Russian name for a delicatessen.

8. gourmand: a glutton; a person with a hearty liking for good food and drink and a tendency to indulge in them to excess; a luxurious eater or epicure. Gourmet has only the second meaning, that is, a connoisseur in eating an drinking.

9. manna: food miraculously provided for the Israelites in the wilderness; divine and spiritual sustenance; anything badly needed that comes unexpectedly.

10. palatable: pleasing or acceptable to the taste; acceptable to the mind.

11. piquant: agreeably pungent or stimulating to the taste, pleasantly sharp or bitter; exciting agreeable interest or curiosity; stimulating.

12. refection: refreshment, especially with food or drink. Refection comes form a Latin word meaning “to restore” and refers to alight meal taken after a point of hunger or fatigue.

13. repast: a meal; mealtime. Like other words in this list, repast has nonmaterialistic association as well. Pastor for example is derived from the same Latin word pascere meaning “to feed”

14. subsistence: existence; means of support or livelihood, often the barest.

15. viands: foods of various kinds, especially choice dishes, ultimate root is the Latin vivere, “to live”

Exercises:

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind

1. Catsup, curry, vinegar
(a la carte, refectory, condiment)
2. Pennies from heaven
(cuisine, manna, gourmand)
3. Living on the edge of poverty
(subsistence, assuage, gastronomic)
4. Wake-up flavor
(repast, comestibles, piquant)
5. “Something’s cooking”
(culinary, palatable, viands)
6. Oranges and fruit cakes
(condiments, comestible, manna)
7. Italian, French, and Chinese
(a la carte, subsistence, cuisine)
8. He eats as if food is going out of style
(gastronomic, gourmand, viands)
9. The minister speaking to the grieving widow
(assuage, a la carte, refection)
10. Refers to ways of serving
(condiment, a la carte, palatable)


II. True or False ?
In the space provided, indicate whether each statement is true or false ?

____ 1. A la carte refers to food brought to the table in a wagon.
____ 2. Assuage refers to both hunger and thirst
____ 3. Gourmand can be used with a complimentary or derogatory connotation
____ 4. Palatable applies to foods that can be served on a plate
____ 5. Gastronomic describes a condition caused by excessive indulgence in foods that are rich in fats and carbohydrates
____ 6. Viands refer to choice dishes
____ 7. A la carte refers to payment for food rather than to types of food
____ 8. Both gourmet and gourmand describe good connoisseurs
____ 9. A repast is a snack; reflection is a full meal.
____ 10. The expression “Men does not live by bread alone” suggests that things other than food are palatable.

III. Find the Imposter
Find and circle the one word on each line that is not related to the other three

1. comestible edifying esculent estable
2. slake assuage determine sate
3. sustenance substinance essential aliment
4. palatable pungent toothsome agreeable
5. banquet refection repeat relish

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