The word Halloween is a contraction of ‘All Hallow’s Even’ or ‘All Hallow’s Eve’. It is celebrated on October 31st, that is, the night before ‘All Hallow’s Day’ or All Saints Day, a day for honoring the saints. In Celtic Ireland, in the 5th century BC, summer officially ended on October 31 and this day was observed as Samhain (sow-en), the Celtic New year.
Well, let’s start with a few basic words that you can use in your day-today conversation.
Choose the option that is closest in meaning to the highlighted word and complete the sentence.
1. forebode (fawr-bohd)
A strong earthquake and a sudden rise of the ocean tide _____ an impending tsunami.
(a) portend (b) proffer (c) envision
2. subterfuge (suhb-ter-fyooj)
After robbing the store, the criminals used ____ to escape the police.
(a) responsiveness (b) improvidence (c) deception
3. apparitions (ap-uh-rish-uhns)
One of the amusement park’s attractions was the rollercoaster ride through the tunnel of horror which had many ____ passing through the patrons.
(a) mansards (b) procedures (c) ghosts
4. bloodcurdling (bluhd-kurd-ling)
After seeing the severely mangled cat, the children let out a _____ scream that gathered all the residents of the street.
(a) subtle (b) horrifying (c) snide
5. cryptic (krip-tik)
The tourists feared that they would lose their way in the _____ passages of the abbey.
(a) mysterious (b) straight (c) ornate
6. abhorrent (ab-hawr-uhnt)
The _____ practice of beheading, although abandoned by most of the countries of the world, is still conducted by certain fundamentalist groups.
(a) fascinating (b) despicable (c) manipulative
7. tomfoolery (tom-foo-luh-ree)
Paula was embarrased to see the pictures of her boyfriend’s drunken _____ on a social networking site.
(a) prudence (b) prowess (c) ludicrousness
8. clamor (klam-er)
The principal punished the misbehaving students for the ____ they had created in the absence of their teacher.
(a) peace (b) noise (c) influx
9. hellions (hel-yuhns)
Many night clubs appoint extra police officers to keep ____ likely to cause problems.
(a) troublemakers (b) mendicants (c) communicants
10. canonised (kan-uh-nahys-ed )
Gautam Buddha ,the founder of Buddhism has been _____ as Lord Buddha by his followers.
(a) censured (b) sanctified (c) apprehended
Answers:
1 a B 2 . C 3 . C 4 . B 5 . A
6. B 7. C 8. B 9. A 10. B
Volume 2 Issue 4
