Lesson 24: CLAM / CLAIM

Practice 1: Multiple Choice

Choose the word that best completes each sentence.

1. The mayor issued an official __________ declaring March 15th to be Community Service Day.

a) exclamation
b) disclaimer
c) proclamation
d) counterclaim

2. "Watch out!" she __________, grabbing my arm before I stepped into traffic.

a) disclaimed
b) exclaimed
c) reclaimed
d) declaimed

3. The company included a __________ stating they were not responsible for misuse of the product.

a) proclamation
b) acclaim
c) counterclaim
d) disclaimer

4. Public __________ for police reform grew louder after the incident.

a) disclaimer
b) clamor
c) exclamation
d) declamation

5. The actor __________ Shakespeare's sonnets with dramatic gestures and booming voice.

a) exclaimed
b) disclaimed
c) declaimed
d) reclaimed

6. The novel received widespread critical __________ and won three major awards.

a) disclaimer
b) clamor
c) acclaim
d) proclamation

7. She worked to __________ her reputation after the false accusations.

a) disclaim
b) exclaim
c) reclaim
d) declaim

8. The defendant filed a __________, arguing that the plaintiff owed him money.

a) disclaimer
b) exclamation
c) counterclaim
d) proclamation

9. He __________ any involvement in the scandal, despite evidence to the contrary.

a) acclaimed
b) disclaimed
c) exclaimed
d) proclaimed

10. The king __________ that all debts would be forgiven in honor of his coronation.

a) disclaimed
b) exclaimed
c) reclaimed
d) proclaimed

11. The __________ protesters refused to leave the building until their demands were heard.

a) declamatory
b) clamorous
c) acclaimed
d) disclaimed

12. Environmental groups have been working to __________ polluted industrial sites for new parkland.

a) declaim
b) disclaim
c) reclaim
d) acclaim

Practice 2: Fill in the Blank

Use each word from the word bank exactly once.

Word Bank: claim, exclaim, proclaim, acclaim, reclaim, disclaim, clamor, clamorous, declaim, exclamation, proclamation, disclaimer

1. The insurance company denied her __________ for water damage.

2. "I can't believe it!" is a common __________ of surprise.

3. The government issued a __________ of emergency after the earthquake.

4. Websites often display a __________ about the accuracy of their content.

5. Residents organized to __________ the abandoned lot as a community garden.

6. The CEO tried to __________ responsibility for the company's wrongdoing.

7. She couldn't help but __________ with joy when she saw the surprise party.

8. The politician stood on the steps to __________ victory, though votes were still being counted.

9. The restaurant received national __________ for its innovative cuisine.

10. The __________ crowd demanded answers from city officials.

11. In the old theater, actors would __________ their lines to reach the back row without microphones.

12. There was a __________ for justice outside the courthouse.

Practice 3: Reading Passage

The town hall meeting quickly became clamorous. What was supposed to be an orderly discussion about the new highway devolved into dozens of people exclaiming at once, their voices rising into a general clamor that the moderator could barely control.

Developer Marcus Webb tried to proclaim the project's benefits, but critics shouted him down. "We disclaim your so-called facts!" one woman yelled. Others waved their hands and exclaimed about traffic, noise, and lost homes.

Retired teacher Ellen Garcia finally stood. She didn't declaim or shout—she simply raised her hand and waited. The room quieted.

"I taught here for forty years," she said calmly. "This community has a claim on its own future. We shouldn't be clamorous about that. But we should be clear." She asked for data, for environmental studies, for real community input—not just a proclamation from officials that this was good for everyone.

Her words won acclaim from both sides. Even Webb nodded. "That's a fair counterclaim," he admitted.

The disclaimer on the meeting agenda said the session was "informational only." But by the end, the crowd had reclaimed something larger: their voice in decisions that shaped their lives.

Questions

1. What does "clamorous" mean in this passage?

a) Quiet and orderly
b) Loud and insistent
c) Confused and uncertain
d) Small and intimate

2. When people "exclaim," they are:

a) Speaking calmly and logically
b) Crying out suddenly with emotion
c) Reading prepared statements
d) Whispering to each other

3. What does it mean that the community has a "claim" on its future?

a) They want money
b) They have a rightful stake in the decision
c) They are shouting loudly
d) They filed a lawsuit

4. Ellen Garcia did not "declaim." This means she:

a) Spoke theatrically and dramatically
b) Spoke in a quiet, calm manner
c) Refused to speak at all
d) Read a prepared script

5. The crowd "reclaimed" their voice. This means they:

a) Filed an insurance claim
b) Took back something they had lost or given up
c) Shouted more loudly
d) Received public acclaim