Lesson 5 - "A Quilt of a Country" - English 9

conundrum

a difficult problem

undercurrent

a feeling or tendency that is not explicitly expressed

pluralism

a social organization in which diversity is tolerated

apartheid

a social policy of racial segregation

cold war

a state of political hostility between countries

counterargument

an opinion offered in opposition to another position

mongrel

derogatory term for a variation that is not genuine

Balkanize

divide a territory into small, hostile states

improbable

having a chance of occurring too low to inspire belief

disparate

including markedly dissimilar elements

discordant

lacking in harmony

interwoven

linked, laced, or locked closely together

coalesce

mix together different elements

diversity

noticeable variety

overwhelm

overcome by superior force

refute

overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof

delineate

represented accurately or precisely

subjective

taking place within the mind and modified by individual bias

psyche

that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings

ostracism

the act of excluding someone from society by general consent

objective

the goal intended to be attained