1.After a brief and violent ______ that ousted the president ,General Monsanto declared himself the dictator of the country.
a) nuance
b) coup
c) solicitation
d) upbraiding

2.The movie offended many of the parents of its younger viewers by including unnecessary ______ in the dialogue.
a) vulgarity
b) verbosity
c) vocalizations
d) garishness

3.Over the years the Wilsons slowly ______ upon the Jacksons’property, moving the stone markers that divided their lots farther and farther onto the Jacksons’ land.
a) encroached
b) jettisoned
c) conjoined
d) repudiated

4.Kendrick’s talent ______ under the tutelage of Anya Kowalonek,who as a young woman had been the most accomplished pianist in her native Lithuania.
a) bantered
b) touted
c) flourished
d) embellished

5.The mock graduation ceremony—with a trained skunk posing as the college president—was a complete ______ that offended many college officials.
a) tempest
b) epitome
c) quintessence
d) travesty

6.The governor-elect was hounded by a group of ______ lobbyists and others hoping to gain favor with her administration.
a) facetious
b) abstruse
c) magnanimous
d) fawning

7.The curious crowd gathered to watch the irate customer ______ about the poor service he received in the restaurant.
a) antiquate
b) trivialize
c) rant
d) placate

8.The high-profile company CEO was given an ______ for speaking at the monthly meeting of the area business leaders’ society.
a) expiation
b) honorarium
c) inoculation
d) interpretation

9.Calvin reached the ______ of his career in his early thirties when he became president and CEO of a software company.
a) zephyr
b) plethora
c) vale
d) zenith

10.Through ______, the chef created a creamy sauce by combining brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon in a pan and cooking them over medium-high heat.
a) impasse
b) decadence
c) diversion
d) liquefaction