The motion to impeach the treasurer had spread faster than the evidence. (impeach: formally accuse, bring charges against) His critics called him a reprobate. (reprobate: scoundrel, rogue, unprincipled person) His supporters insisted his conduct was irreproachable. (irreproachable: blameless, faultless, unimpeachable) To impel a decision, an ambitious chairman announced that silence would count as support for removal. (impel: propel, drive, motivate)
An orderly pupil objected that the vote would set a precedent. (precedent: example, model, prior case) Was the chairman permitted to overrule someone who had explicitly asked for more time? (overrule: reverse, overturn, override) What statute gave an officer impunity for such a high-handed act? (statute: law, legislative act, enactment; impunity: immunity from punishment, exemption from penalty, exemption; high-handed: overbearing, arbitrary, dictatorial) She had come to reprove the treasurer for a missing receipt and found a larger problem. (reprove: rebuke, admonish, reprimand)
They recovered the receipt, changed the voting rule and retained the treasurer. The chairman was permitted to abstain on the new rule. (abstain: refrain, desist, forbear) His abstention, recorded without comment, was the clearest sign that the rule worked. (abstention: nonparticipation, abstaining, refraining)