Vocabulary Grade 9 — Set 2: In Context flashcards
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Fill the blank: 33 of the Set 2 words, each in a fresh sentence whose clues lead to one word (where a second also fits, the back says so), with a short note on why it fits and the rival that doesn't.
Learn deck · part of Vocabulary Level 4 · Grade 9 · written against: Our own grade placement (VOCABULARY-PLAN.md): word frequency (wordfreq, CC BY-SA 4.0) and editorial review; no publisher's grade or word list is reproduced. Updated 2026-10-10.
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Nobody was surprised when Rex ripped up a younger kid's homemade birthday card and laughed about it, since he had done worse before; they simply found him ______ and stopped inviting him anywhere.despicableCharacter & Behavior
His cruelty earns strong dislike and disgust, so people shut him out. Appalling means shocking, but nobody was shocked, and devious would need sneaky tricks. -
An ______ birdwatcher since age eight, Grandma Lin keeps a notebook of every species she has seen and rises before dawn each spring weekend to spot more.avidFeelings & Attitudes
Years of early mornings and careful notes show she can't get enough of her hobby. "An" rules out zealous, which is about a cause, and earnest would mean sincere seriousness, not love of a pastime. -
Tired of the long drive to work, my parents have begun to ______ moving closer to the city, though they haven't decided anything yet.contemplateThinking & Knowing
They are thinking seriously about doing something but haven't decided. Conceive would need "of" and means imagining an idea, not weighing a move. -
Dr. Varga was an ______ voice against the hospital café's sugary drinks, raising the problem at every staff meeting though some colleagues rolled their eyes, yet always hearing out anyone who disagreed.outspokenSpeaking & Arguing
Dr. Varga speaks up openly about their views, even ones some colleagues dislike. Opinionated would mean they don't listen, but they hear out every objection.
Also right: assertive, earnest, unwavering -
Trying to sweep a beach clean of sand is ______ from the start: the very next wave will bring in more than you could ever remove.futileActions & Effort
"From the start" means it is bound to fail before anyone even tries. Fruitless describes effort that turned out to produce nothing, judged after trying. -
On the fifteen-minute drive to the lake, Theo didn't hum just now and then; his ______ humming, one tune after another until we parked, never had time to bother anyone in the car.continualChange & Growth
The humming goes on and on. "Not just now and then" rules out sporadic and intermittent; perpetual, even in its repeated sense, suggests something endless or annoying, but this humming stopped when they parked after a short drive, before it bothered anyone. -
The cafeteria soup was so ______ of flavor that Noor shook in half the pepper just to taste something.devoidSize & Amount
The soup completely lacks flavor, and this is the word that pairs with "of" to say so. Meager would need "a small amount," not none at all. -
The ______ lights of the TV studio were so harsh and hot that the guest's makeup had to be touched up between every segment.glaringQuality & Judgment
Harsh, bright light is the clue. Luminous means glowing with light of its own, which shows up best in darkness; it says nothing about light that beats down on a guest. -
To protect its own cheese makers, the country placed a ______ on cheese from abroad, a charge at the border that made foreign brands cost nearly twice as much.tariffSociety & Power
The answer is a tax paid to bring foreign products into the country. Veto is the power to reject a law, not a charge on imports. -
Long before printed calendars, farmers watched ______ signs such as the phases of the moon and the rising of certain stars to decide when to plant.celestialNature & Time
The farmers read these signs in the sky, from the moon to the stars. Stellar means "of the stars" or "excellent," and the moon is not a star.
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Senses, parts of speech and sense order checked against Merriam-Webster.com, the American Heritage Dictionary and the frequency-ordered Oxford, Longman and Cambridge learner's dictionaries; all definitions, notes and example sentences are original.
- Grade placement is our own, from wordfreq frequency data (CC BY-SA 4.0) and editorial review; no publisher's grade or word list is reproduced.
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