Reader's Digest

WORD POWER

- By Sarah Chassé

The poet T. S. Eliot once wrote, “What we call the beginning is often the end ... The end is where we start from.” That’s certainly true of these words: Each begins and ends with the same letter. Start with the quiz below, then come full circle by checking the answers on the next page.

1. epitome n.

(ih-'pih-tuh-mee)

A exact center

B first edition

C ideal example

2. armada n.

(ar-'mah-duh)

A long pause

B fleet of ships

C expensive suit

3. tacit adj.

('tass-it)

A unspoken

B so-so

C sticky

4. rapier n.

('ray-pee-er)

A gang of thieves

B mountain climber

C two-edged sword

5. loll v.

(lahl)

A laugh

B lounge

C lick

6. hairsbread­th n.

('hairs-breth)

A short distance

B musty smell

C flower bud

7. nickelodeo­n n.

(nih-kuh-'loh-dee-un)

A discount store

B early movie theater

C amusement park

8. caustic adj.

('kaw-stik)

A sealed tight

B resulting from

C cruelly sarcastic

9. oratorio n.

(or-uh-'tor-ee-oh)

A choral work

B shell-shaped pasta

C official speech

10. magnum n.

('mag-num)

A hunter's rifle

B free thinker

C large wine bottle

11. winnow v.

('wih-no)

A zigzag

B persuade

C narrow

12. gulag n.

('goo-lahg)

A fool

B labor camp

C vegetable stew

13. incubi n.

('in-kyew-by)

A starlet's posse

B spider's eggs

C evil spirits

14. devoid adj.

(dih-'voyd)

A lacking

B cunning

C invalid

15. synthesis n.

('sin-thuh-sis)

A blend

B copy

C rebirth

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