For state employees, who go months without pay and often steal Government property or resort to bribery, the counterfeit scheme provoked little surprise.

Mr. Snow also provoked surprise in the financial markets by asserting, in the same interview, that he expected interest rates to rise.

It provoked surprise and confusion on the men's faces, but Cailech's tone suggested it would be imprudent to argue.

The sight of an oil tanker ablaze provoked little surprise along the Texas coast, where many people have struck a bargain with industries that can bring both wealth and danger.

He did complete one poem, the first of his tutorial exercises, on which he spent comparable time, and which provoked surprise and applause.

A Glum Response Mr. Seidman's admission provoked little surprise from at least one private financial consultant.

That usually provoked surprise that any father would bother teaching such subjects to a girl.

The news that Superman is about to die has provoked anger and surprise, much of it from people who haven't read his comic book adventures in decades.

Muammar Qaddafi's march forward following his avowed acceptance of a United Nations-mandated ceasefire provoked surprise in much of the civilized world.

This fake demonstration of psychokinesis is intended to provoke surprise and merriment.