Source: Unit 4 Grid Notes
Tags: peccadillo, impeccable, peccant, pejorative, impair, malign, malinger, malaise, negligent, negligible, negate, vocabulary practice, fill-in-the-blank, multiple choice, answer key
Practice exercises drawn from the Unit 4 vocabulary set, covering fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice formats. Full answer key with explanations at the end. Work through the exercises first before checking answers.
Word bank: peccadilloes, negligible, impeccable, malaise
Q: In order to get along in the cramped cabin, we had to ignore one another's ___.
A: peccadilloes – minor faults or offences that you overlook to keep the peace.
Q: After the series of economic and natural disasters, many citizens of Squalley's Gulch fell into a deep ___.
A: malaise – a vague, pervasive feeling of unease or discomfort.
Q: The effect of Chemical X on the human brain was once thought disastrous, but it is now considered ___.
A: negligible – so small as to not be worth worrying about.
Note: "impeccable" is the unused word in this set.
Word bank: malign, negligent, pejorative, malingering, impeccable
Q: Leigh explained that her remark was not meant to be ___, regardless of how offensive it had sounded.
A: pejorative – she did not intend to express contempt.
Q: Andy's ___ study skills ensured that he never missed a day's homework.
A: impeccable – his study habits were faultless.
Q: Although other writers ___ Craig for his strange style, he continues to write in an experimental fashion.
A: malign – they speak badly of him, but he carries on.
Q: Stu's habitual ___ exasperated his boss and cost him his job.
A: malingering – he kept faking illness to avoid work.
Note: "negligent" is the unused word in this set.
Word bank: negligible, impair, negligent, peccant, negate
Q: Studies have found that missing breakfast in the morning may ___ a child's ability to pay attention in class.
A: impair – it weakens or damages the child's concentration.
Q: A(n) ___ camper had left a pit fire burning, and the flames soon spread to the nearby forest.
A: negligent – the camper failed to take proper care.
Q: The nun scolded her group of children, warning them to mend their ___ ways.
A: peccant – their sinful or offending behaviour.
Q: Molly's mother warned her that all the regret in the world could not ___ a hurtful word or deed.
A: negate – regret cannot nullify or undo the harm.
Note: "negligible" is the unused word in this set.
Q: The priest says that minor trespasses and ___ may be considered ___, but they can be dangerous because they lead to greater wrongdoing.
A: (b) peccadilloes; negligible. Minor sins (peccadilloes) that seem too small to matter (negligible) can still lead to bigger problems.
Q: Charlie was shocked to find his ___ academic record ___ by a hostile professor.
A: (c) impeccable; maligned. His faultless record was spoken ill of by the professor.
Q: The ___ under which Ivan had been suffering for weeks made it difficult for him to pay attention; as a result, he was ___ in several areas of his job.
A: (d) malaise; negligent. His vague unease led to carelessness in his work.
Q: Was Steve's ability to walk really ___, or was he simply ___ to get out of any heavy lifting?
A: (d) impaired; malingering. Was his ability genuinely weakened, or was he faking it?
Q: No amount of flattery can ___ the hurtful and ___ term you used to describe me.
A: (a) negate; pejorative. Flattery cannot nullify the contemptuous language.
⚠️ Each fill-in-the-blank set has one unused word. On an exam, process of elimination is your friend: fill in the ones you are certain of first, then use the leftover words for the harder blanks.
⚠️ Multiple-choice questions test word pairs in context. Read the whole sentence before looking at the options; both blanks need to fit for the answer to be correct.
⚠️ Pay attention to grammatical clues. Adjective slots (e.g. "___ study skills") need adjective-form words (impeccable, negligent, peccant), while verb slots ("may ___") need verb-form words (impair, negate, malign).
⚠️ "Malingering" and "malingered" appear as verb forms. If the blank needs an -ing form, only malinger from the mal- family works that way in this unit.
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