The World of Words: Vocabulary for College Success ... - eLibrary

394 Chapter 12 Word Elements: Speech and WritingREVIEWChapters 9–12■ Passage for Word ReviewComplete each blank in the passage with the word or phrase that makesthe best sense. Use each choice only once.WHY MY STEPFATHER WAS COURT-MARTIALEDa. affect e. conspicuous i. effectb. audit f. destitute j. given carte blanchec. beneficial g. deviating k. maliciousd. centigrade h. dictated l. verifyBackground: This is a memorial tribute to the author’s stepfather, MiltonMarkman. A few hours after this story was told to the author’s vocabularyclass, the elderly Mr. Markman collapsed unexpectedly and died.In 1941, when my stepfather was drafted into the U.S. Army, he had nointerest or experience in cooking. Therefore, he was surprised when toldthat his results on a written aptitude test (1)thathe become a chef. Army officials offered him a six-week course in cooking.My stepfather accepted because he was sure he would be able to eatlots of leftovers.As things turned out, he received good grades in cooking school. Hebecame head chef of an army kitchen and was (2)to run things as he wanted. All went well until he had to deal with spinach.Because spinach contains many vitamins that are (3)to human health, the army supplied it several times per week.Unfortunately, the soldiers refused to eat it.After many hours spent cooking spinach, my stepfather realized thathe was throwing all of it away. To save time and effort, he decided simplyto dispose of the hated vegetable before it was cooked.Unfortunately, one day a visiting army officer, passing through thecamp, noticed a large, (4)pile of raw spinach in thegarbage. Another officer was sent out to (5)thatthe first officer had seen everything correctly. Then an army accountantCopyright © Cengage Learning. All Right Reserved.