David hoped that nobody would know that he was in the building. Didn’t he realize that parking his new car in the

driveway made his presence rather conspicuous?

If something is conspicuous, it is __________.

Prunella and Paula are sisters, but they’re very different. Just look at how they dress. Prunella doesn’t care what she

wears. Paula, on the other hand, is quite chic [sheek].

I looked at the plans for your new house. This is earthquake country. You need to fortify the frame or you’ll have a

disaster with the first tremor.

Helen’s attitude toward dealing with criminals has changed over the years. She used to believe that everyone can

change and deserves a second chance. She now believes that some crimes are so heinous that those responsible should be shown no mercy.

There may be some parts of my plan to arrest the thieves that should be changed. But I feel very strongly that renting the apartment over their headquarters is the linchpin of the scheme. We must do that immediately!

Amy was feeling low. Every business she tried lost money or made only pennies a day. Her newest idea was selling chocolate covered baby shoes. She was convinced that it would be a lucrative business. Her friends tried to warn her that it was not a certain road to riches.

The signal from the cable is too strong for our television. We’ll have to use a filter to attenuate it.

When you attenuate something, you _______________.

“If you knew the gravity of the situation, you wouldn’t be laughing,” Mr. Farmer said quietly. He didn’t have to say

more to get everyone’s attention.

What does “gravity” mean in this context?

Her cardinal rule is this: Be kind to others! She believes that everything else in life will fall properly into place if one

follows that rule.

What does “cardinal” mean in this context?

The owner of the restaurant wouldn’t allow Samantha to walk through the door. “I’m sorry,” she said, “but you

started a food fight the last time you were here. You may not have ingress to my restaurant!”

What does “ingress” mean in this selection?