SAT Questions

Grammar (Identify the underlined parts of speech) DISTRESSED by the effect of apartheid on South Africa's blacks, Desmond Tutu RESIGNED his teaching position in order TO BECOME a minister PREACHING equal rights for all the children of God.

Distressed is a participle or verb form (it functions like an adjective) the participial phrase Distressed by the effects of apartheid on South Africa's blacks modifies the proper noun Desmond Tutu Resigned is a verb (it is in the past tense) To become is an infinitive Preaching is a participle or verb form (it functions like an adjective) The participial phrase preaching equal rights for all children of God modifies the noun minister

Grammar (Identify the underlined parts of speech) IN the editorial section of today's newspaper, one columnist MAKES some VERY SCATHING comments about the proposed new budget.

In is a preposition Makes is a verb (it is in the present tense) Very is an adverb (it modifies the adjective scathing) Scathing is an adjective (it modifies the noun comments)

Math What is an integer?

Integers are (....., -3, -2, -1, 0, 2, 3...) Positive integers are

Grammar (Identify the underlined parts of speech) the RECENT WINNER of the Nobel Peace Prize DENOUNCED the racially biased POLICIES of his native country.

Recent is a descriptive adjective (it modifies the noun winner) Winner is a noun (it is the subject of the sentence) Denounced is a verb (it is in the past tense) Policies is a noun (it is the direct object of the verb denounced )

What cannot stand alone as the main verb of a sentence or clause

a participle

Vocabulary Discriminating (adjective) Context Clue: "a discriminating collector of antiques" Used in a sentence: A superb interpreter of Picasso, she was sufficiently discriminating to judge the most complex works of modern art. The firm was accused of discriminating hiring practices that were biased against women.

able to see subtle differences; treating people unequally

Vocabulary Prolific (adjective) Context Clue: "prolific breeders" Used in a sentence: My editors must assume I'm a prolific writer; they expect me to revise six books this year.

abundantly fruitful; highly productive; fertile

Vocabulary Resigned (adjective) Context Clue: "resigned to losing" Used in a sentence: Resigned to his downtrodden existence, the day laborer was too meek to protest his supervisor's bullying.

accepting one's fate; unresisting; patiently submissive

Vocabulary Solution (noun) Context Clue: "a solution to the problem" Word Parts Clue: Solut- or Solv- means loosen Used in a sentence: If you get a foreign object in your eye, one possible solution to the problem is to try to flush the object out of your eye with clean water or saline solution.

act of solving (a problem, difficult situation, etc.); liquid mixture whose components are uniformly distributed

Vocabulary Concentration (noun) Context Clue: "needing total concentration" Used in a sentence: As Ty filled in the bubbles on his answer sheet, he frowned in concentration. Oakland has one of the largest concentrations of Tagalog speakers in California. Fertilizers contain high concentrations of nitrogen to help promote the growth of crops.

action of focusing one's total attention; gathering of people or things close to one another, relative amount of substance (in a mixture, solution, volume of space, etc.)

Vocabulary Plausible (adjective) Context Clue: "a plausible liar" Used in a sentence: Your mother made you stay home from school because she need you to set up her new iPhone? I'm sorry, but you'll have to come up with a more plausible excuse than that.

appearing to be worth believing (but often not)

Vocabulary Acclaim (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "acclaim the conquering hero" Word Parts Clue: Clam- or Claim means shout or cry out Used in a sentence: Covering the Olympic Games, the sportscasters acclaim every American victory and grumbled about every American defeat.

applaud; announce with great approval

Vocabulary Ratify (verb) Context Clue: "ratify an agreement" Used in a sentence: Because of the lack of quorum, Congress failed to ratify measures that had been passed by the Senate, including the Freedom of Information Act.

approve formally

Vocabulary Endorse (verb) Context Clue: "endorse a plan" Used in a sentence: Everyone waited to see which of the rival candidates for city council the mayor would endorse.

approve; give public support

Vocabulary Contend (verb) Context Clue: "contending for the championship" Used in a sentence: Sociologist Harry Edwards contended that some colleges exploit young African American athletes, supporting them as athletes contend against one another in sports, but failing to support them as students working toward a degree.

argue earnestly; struggle in rivalry

Vocabulary Incite (verb) Context Clue: "inciting a riot" Word Parts Clue: Cit- means start or rouse Used in a sentence: In a fiery speech, Mario incited his fellow students to go out on strike to protest the university's anti-affirmative action stand.

arouse to action; goad; motivate; induce to exist

Vocabulary Hierarchy (noun) Context Clue: "a corporate hierarchy" Used in a sentence: To be the low man on the totem pole is to have a decidedly inferior place in the hierarchy.

arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body organized into ranks

Vocabulary Symmetry (noun) Context Clue: "the perfect symmetry of rows of matching pillars" Used in a sentence: Something lopsided by definition lacks symmetry. In choreographing, we strive for symmetry so that a movement performed by one couple will balance a similar movement performed by another pair.

arrangement of parts so that balanced proportions are obtained; state of having pleasing proportions

Vocabulary Aesthetic (adjective) Context Clue: "aesthetically pleasing" Used in a sentence: The beauty of Tiffany's stained glass appealed to Esther's aesthetic sense.

artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating beauty

Grammar (identify the underlined parts of speech) AT the off-Broadway festival, the acclaimed actor-playwright PRESENTED a HIGHLY IMPRESSIVE performance of his latest dramatic monologue.

at is a preposition because it shows location presented is a verb (past tense) highly is an adverb (it modifies the adjective impressive) Impressive is an adjective (it modifies the noun performance)

Vocabulary Reserve (noun) Context Clue: "fuel reserves" Used in a sentence: Australia supplies much of the world's uranium form its abundant uranium reserve. Reluctant to enlist in the regular army, Don considered joining the reserve. On a safari, Tom visited a fascinating big game reserve. Although Mark's air of reserve attracted some girls, Judy found him aloof and cold.

backup supply; body of troops not part of the regular military forces; place set aside for specific purpose; formal but distant manner

Vocabulary Hypothetical (adjective) Context Clue: "a hypothetical question" Used in a sentence: Suppose you are accepted by Harvard, Stanford, and Yale. Which one would you attend? Remember, this is only a hypothetical situation.

based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed; theoretical; speculative; uncertain

Vocabulary Disparage (verb) Context Clue: "disparaging a rival candidate" Used in a sentence: A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son's childish finger paintings than to disparage them

belittle; run down; sneer at

Vocabulary Censure (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "severely censured" Used in a sentence: The senator was censure for behavior inappropriate to a member of Congress.

blame; harshly criticize; officially rebuke

Vocabulary Concise (adjective) Context Clue: "a concise explanation" Used in a sentence: When you send a message on Twitter, be concise; a tweet cannot be more than 280 characters long.

brief and compact; terse; clear and succinct; covering a great deal in few words

Vocabulary Succinct (adjective) Context Clue: "a succinct summary" Used in a sentence: Don't bore your audience with excess verbiage; be succinct.

brief; terse; compact; without wasted words

Vocabulary Brevity (noun) Context Clue: "the brevity of a text message" Word Parts Clue: Brev-means brief Used in a sentence: While most of the history professors drone on and on about insignificant details, lectures given by Professor Phillips are known for their brevity, much to the pleasure of her students.

briefness; conciseness

Vocabulary Prompt (verb) Context Clue: "prompted an investigation" Used in a sentence: Being cast as the lead in the school play prompt Dan to consider acting as a career. Unfortunately, he had trouble remembering his lines and had to be prompt from the wings.

bring about or cause an action or feeling; encourage someone to speak

Vocabulary Generalization (noun) Context Clue: "sweeping generalizations" Used in a sentence: It is foolish to make generalizations based on insufficient evidence: that one woman defrauded the welfare system of thousands of dollars does not mean all recipients of welfare are cheats. I would rather propose solutions to problems than make vague generalizations.

broad statements derived from specific instances; indefinite idea

Vocabulary Negate (verb) Context Clue: "negating the effects of the drug" Word Parts Clue: Neg- means not Used in a sentence: A sudden surge of adrenalin can negate the effects of fatigue: there's nothing like a good shock to wake you up.

cancel out; deny the truth of

Grammar (identify the underlined parts of speech) CHALLENGING popular beliefs about baseball's color barrier, the study SUGGESTS that the first black professional baseball player MAY HAVE BEEN John Fowler, who PLAYED for minor league teams in Massachusetts in 1878

challenging is a participle or verb form (it functions like an adjective) the participial phrase challenging popular beliefs about baseball's color barrier modifies the noun study Suggests is a verb (present tense) May have been is a verb phrase Played is a verb (it is in the past tense)

Vocabulary Volatile (adjective) Context Clue: "volatile explosive" Word Parts Clue: Vol- means fly Used in a sentence: Acetone is an extremely volatile liquid; it vaporizes instantly

changeable; explosive; tending to vaporize readily

Vocabulary Attribute (noun) Context Clue: "her physical attributes" Used in a sentence: The resort has always had one outstanding attribute: an excellent location on one of the best ocean-sports bays along the Kohala Coast.

characteristic, trait

Vocabulary Vindicate (verb) Context Clue: "vindicated by the results of lab tests" Used in a sentence: The lawyer's goal was to vindicate her client and prove him innocent of all charges. The critics' uniformly negative reviews vindicated my opinion that Prince of Persia is a lousy movie.

clear from blame; provide justification or support for

Vocabulary Scrutiny (noun) Context Clue: "public scrutiny" Used in a sentence: At evening block inspection, the recruits' bunk room, washroom, and gear come under the inspecting officer's close scrutiny.

close and critical examination; inspection; a searching look

Vocabulary Synthesis (noun) Context Clue: "protein synthesis" Used in a sentence: Combining their masters' Catholicism with their own West African beliefs, Haitian slaves created a synthesis now know as Voodoo. The synthesis of aspirin involves the reaction of salicylic acid and acetic anhydride in the presence of a catalyst.

combination of different parts (ideas, styles, genres) to create a connected whole; production through chemical processes of a more complex substance from simpler substances

Vocabulary Integrity (noun) Context Clue: "unimpeachable integrity" Used in a sentence: Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a civil war to maintain the integrity of the Republic, that these United States might remain undivided for all time.

commitment to moral and ethical principles; sate of being whole

Vocabulary Obscure (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "clouds obscure the sun" Used in a sentence: At times he seemed to purposely obscure his meaning, preferring mystery to clarity.

conceal; make unclear

Vocabulary Rhetorical (adjective) Context Clue: "a rhetorical question" Used in a sentence: To win his audience, the speaker used every rhetorical trick in the book.

concerned with the persuasive use of language; pertaining to effective communication; used merely for style; bombastic

vocabulary abridge (verb) Context Clue: "abridging a text" Used in a sentence: Because Webster's dictionary had grown so large and unwieldy, the publishers decided to abridge it and bring out a condensed version.

condense; shorten

Vocabulary Disparity (noun) Context Clue: "the disparity between rich and poor" Word Parts Clue: Dis- means not; par- means equal Used in a sentence: Their disparity in rank made no difference at all to the prince and Cinderella.

condition of inequality; difference; dissimilarity

Vocabulary Assertion (noun) Context Clue: "the assertion of her legal rights" Used in a sentence: Malcolm made the assertion that his brother Reece always acted like a wimp; Reece's lack of self-assertion made him a target for every bully in town.

confident statement, declaration; demand for other people's acceptance or respect, assurance

Vocabulary Corroborate (verb) Context Clue: "witnesses corroborating an alibi" Used in a sentence: Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.

confirm; make more certain; support with evidence; strengthen with facts

Vocabulary Compliance (noun) Context Clue: "legal compliance" Used in a sentence: The architect realized that her design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield

Vocabulary Erroneous (adjective) Context Clue: "an erroneous assumption" Word Parts Clue: Err- means wander Used in a sentence: Reasoning from insufficient data, Sherlock Holmes found he had reached an entirely erroneous conclusion. What an embarrassing mistake!

containing a mistake; incorrect

Vocabulary Document (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "documenting assets" Used in a sentence: As a young photographer, Johnny Seal document the Occupy Oakland demonstrations in his hometown. Sue kept all the receipts form her business trip in order to document her expenses for the Internal Revenue Service.

create a detailed record; provide written evidence

Vocabulary Predator (noun) Context Clue: "a predator stalking its prey" Used in a sentence: Not just cats, but a wide variety of predators- owls, hawks, weasels, foxes- catch mice for dinner.

creature that seizes and devours another; person who robs or exploits

Vocabulary Guile (noun) Context Clue: "cunning and guile" Used in a sentence: Othello's false friend lago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into believing that his wife, Desdemona, has been unfaithful to him

deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning

Vocabulary Inference (noun) Context Clue: "drawing inferences from evidence" Word Part Clues: Fer- means bring or bear Used in a sentence: From the glazed looks on the students' faces, it was easy for me to draw the inference that they were bored out of their minds.

deduction; conclusion

Vocabulary Exploit (noun) Context Clue: "courageous exploits" Used in a sentence: Raoul Wallenberg won fame for his exploit in rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces.

deed or action, particularly a brave deed

Vocabulary Digression (noun) Context Clue: "going off on a digression" Word Parts Clue: Gress- means go or step Used in a sentence: Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their official theme: his digression were always more fascination than the topic of the day.

departure from the main subject; wandering off-topic; aside

Vocabulary Depict (verb) Context Clue: "depicting a scene" Used in a sentence: Some newspaper accounts depict the movie star as a reclusive prima donna; others portray her as a sensitive artist harassed by the media

describe in words; show by using a picture

Vocabulary Delineate (verb) Context Clue: "delineating boundaries" Used in a sentence: Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen manages to delineate the character of Mr. Collins so deftly that we can predict his every move.

describe; outline precisely; portray; depict

Vocabulary Arbitrary (adjective) Context Clue: "making arbitrary decisions" Used in a sentence: Because I had no way to know which flavor of cake the birthday boy preferred, I made an arbitrary choice and ordered chocolate.

determined by impulse or whim; capricious; unrestricted by law

Vocabulary Quandary (noun) Context Clue: "an ethical quandary" Used in a sentence: When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura, she was in a quandary as to which school she could attend.

dilemma; state of perplexity

Vocabulary Refute (verb) Context Clue: "refuting an argument" Usage Note: To refute an argument is stronger than simply rebut it Used in a sentence: The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the lying testimony of the prosecution's sole witness.

disprove; prove false; overthrow by means of evidence

Vocabulary Discount (verb) Context Clue: "discounting a rumor" Used in a sentence: Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife; he is still very bitter about the divorce. Sharon waited to buy a bathing suit until Macy's fall sale, when the department store discount the summer fashions.

disregard or minimize the significance of; reduce in price

Vocabulary Skeptic (noun) Context Clue: "a skeptic about UFOs" Used in a sentence: I am a skeptic about the proposed new health plan; I want some proof that it will work.

doubter; person who suspends judgment until the evidence supporting a point of view has been examined

Vocabulary Elicit (verb) Context Clue: "eliciting a response" Used in a sentence: The photographer made funny faces in an attempt to elicit a smile from his shy subject.

draw out (a response or reaction)

Vocabulary Prosaic (adjective) Context Clue: "prosaic, everyday routines" Used in a sentence: Though the ad writers had come up with a wildly imaginative campaign to publicize the new product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic ordinary approach.

dull and unimaginative; lacking poetic beauty

Vocabulary Detachment (noun) Context Clue: "emotional detachment" Used in a sentence: Psychoanalysts must maintain their professional detachment and stay uninvolved with their patients' personal lives. The plane transported detachments of Peace Corps heading for their first assignment abroad. Retinal detachment, in which the retina and optic nerve separate, causes sever vision loss.

emotional remoteness; group sent away; process of separation

Vocabulary Substantiate (verb) Context Clue: "substantiating a hypothesis" Used in a sentence: These endorsements written by satisfied customers substantiated our claim that Barron's SAT is the best SAT-prep book on the market.

establish by evidence or proof; verify; support; affirm; make real

Vocabulary Elusive (adjective) Context Clue: tracking "an elusive criminal" Used in a sentence: No matter how hard Darnell tried to lure the trout into taking the bait, the fist was too elusive to catch.

evasive; baffling; hard to grasp or capture

Vocabulary Malign (adjective; also verb) Context Clue: "the malign effects of racism" Word Part Clue: Mal-means bad Used in a sentence: Professor Snape has a malign influence on the school; Hogwarts would be better off if he took a spell away

evil in effect

Vocabulary Hyperbole (noun) Context Clue: "the hyperbole involved in marketing" Word Parts Clue: Hyper- means above or excessively Used in a sentence: As far as I'm concerned, Apple's claims about its new computer are pure hyperbole; no machine is that good!

exaggeration; overstatement

Vocabulary Surpass (verb) Context Clue: "surpass expectations" Used in a sentence: The legendary athlete Jim Thorpe, who surpassed all his competitors at the 1912 Olympic Games, made a name for himself in baseball, football, and track.

exceed; go beyond; transcend

Vocabulary Elucidate (verb) Context Clue: "elucidating a mystery" Word Parts Clue: Luc- means light (not dark) Used in a sentence: According to Sherlock Holmes, the very point that appears to complicate a case, when duly considered and scientifically handled, is the one most likely to elucidate it.

explain; clarify; shed light upon

Grammar (pinpoint the participle) As they EXPLORED the ruins of the Acropolis, the tourists CLAMBERED over FALLEN pillars and fragments of statues that HAD BEEN WEATHERED by the time.

explored is the verb (past tense) Clambered is also a verb (past tense) Fallen is a past participle Had been weather is a verb phrase (past perfect tense)

Vocabulary Intrepid (adjective) Context Clue: "an intrepid warrior" Used in a sentence: Historically, traders and missionaries often proved themselves to be intrepid explores, bravely venturing into new territories despite the dangers involved.

fearless; courageous; bold; undaunted

Vocabulary Inherent (adjective) Context Clue: "an inherent risk" Used in a sentence: Katya's inherent love of justice moved her to champion the cause of anyone she considered unfairly treated by society.

firmly established by nature or habit; intrinsic; built-in; fixed form the beginning; inborn

Vocabulary Determination (noun) Context Clue: "stubborn determination" Used in a sentence: Nothing could shake his determination that his children would get the best education that money could buy. Thanks to my pocket calculator, my determination of the answer took only seconds. The president and Congress, as well as the states, must observe the Supreme Court's determination of constitutional issues.

firmness of purpose; calculation; decision

Vocabulary Resolution (noun) Context Clue: "a firm resolution" Word Parts Clue: Solut- or solv- means loosen Used in a sentence: Nothing could shake Philip's resolution that his children would get the best education that money could buy. The symphony board passed a resolution to ban cell phone use during concerts. Friar Laurence hoped for a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the feuding Montagues and Capulets.

firmness of purpose; formal expression of intent; solving of a problem

Vocabulary Gravity (noun) Context Clue: "the gravity of the crime" Word Parts Clue: Grav- means heavy Used in a sentence: The apple fell from the tree because of the force of gravity pulling it down. Johnny could tell he was in serious trouble from the gravity of the principal's expression.

force that attracts a body toward the Earth's center; seriousness or critical nature

Vocabulary Speculate (verb) Context Clue: "speculate as to whether it might rain" Word Parts Clue: Spec- means look at Used in a sentence: Students of the stock marked speculate that the seeds of the financier's downfall were planted when he speculated heavily in junk bonds

form a theory about something, often without sufficient evidence; assume a financial risk in hopes of gain

Vocabulary Sanction (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "to sanction necessary medical treatment" Word Parts Clue: Sanc- means holy Used in a sentence: Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man. Boards have no explicit authority to sanction their members as a way to enforce their ethics code

give consent to; impose a penalty on

Vocabulary Capacity (noun) Context Clue: "filled to capacity" Used in a sentence: This thermos container has a one-liter capacity. Max's plan will double the factory's thermos production capacity. Max is brilliant: I wish I had his mental capacity. He will go far in his capacity as head of thermos production.

greatest amount of number that something can hold; amount that something can produce; power to understand or to perform; specified position

Vocabulary Magnitude (noun) Context Clue: "the magnitude of the task before us" Word Parts Clue: Magn- means great Used in a sentence: Seismologists use the Richter scale to measure the magnitude of earthquakes. Mexico's Bicentennial Celebration was an event of such magnitude that it had a long-term positive impact on the country's economy. When students work with very large numbers (millions and billions), they need to understand the magnitude of these numbers.

greatness of extent; great importance; size

Vocabulary Prone (adjective) Context Clue: "prone to jumping to conclusions" Used in a sentence: She was prone to sudden fits of anger during which she would lie prone on the floor, screaming and kicking her heels.

having a tendency to do something; lying flat, especially facing downward

Vocabulary Profound (adjective) Context Clue: "profound feelings of uneasiness" Used in a sentence: Sigmund Freud was a profound thinker whose insights into human behavior transformed the study of psychology. We owe profound gratitude to Freud for his pioneering work. No one before Freud had explored the profound depths of the human psyche so thoroughly.

having depth (especially intellectual); deeply felt; coming from far below the surface

Vocabulary Ambiguous (adjective) Context Clue: "ambiguous instructions" Word Parts Clue: Ambi- means both Used in a sentence: Since both interpretations seemed possible, the judge could not decide which way to interpret a particularly ambiguous passage in the law.

having two or more possible meanings; unclear; equivocal

Vocabulary Impede (verb) Context Clue: "roadblocks impeding traffic" Word Parts Clue: Ped- means foot or feet. Think of something that gets in the way of your feet. Used in a sentence: The special prosecutor determined that the attorney general, though inept, had not intentionally set out to impede the progress of the investigation.

hinder; block; delay; obstruct; thwart

Vocabulary Emulate (verb) Context Clue: "emulating a hero" Used in a sentence: In a brief essay, describe a person you admire, someone whose virtues and achievements you would like to emulate.

imitate; attempt to equal or outdo; rival

Vocabulary Metaphor (noun) Context Clue: "an apt metaphor" Used in a sentence: Is an old-fashioned hairstyle an apt metaphor for being out of step with the times and in need of change?

implied comparison of one thing to another (without the use of like or as); symbol

Vocabulary Incongruous (adjective) Context Clue: "an incongruous juxtaposition" Used in a sentence: Towering over the nearby houses, the McMansion looked wholly incongruous in the historic neighborhood of small Craftsman bungalows.

inappropriate; incompatible; logically inconsistent; not fitting; absurd

Vocabulary Incorrigible (adjective) Context Clue: "an incorrigible practical joker" Used in a sentence: Though Widow Douglas had hopes of reforming Huck, Miss Watson considered him incorrigible and swore he would come to no good end.

incapable of being reformed; not correctable; irredeemable; ineradicable; unruly

Grammar (Identify the underlined parts of speech) This INCOMPLETE NOVEL by Jane Austen REITERATES several dramatic THEMES evident in her earlier works.

incomplete is a descriptive adjective (it modifies the noun novel) Novel is a noun (it is the subject of the sentence) Reiterates is a verb (it is in the present tense) Themes is a noun (it is the direct object of the verb reiterates)

Vocabulary Amplify (verb) Context Clue: "amplify the sound" Used in a sentence: Lucy used a loudspeaker to amplify her voice, drowning out poor Charlie Brown's attempt to amplify his earlier remarks

increase in volume or intensity, boost, magnify; add details to clarify of broaden (a story or report), expand, elaborate on

Vocabulary Enhance (verb) Context Clue: "enhancing one's enjoyment" Used in a sentence: You can enhance your chances of being admitted to the college of your choice by learning to write well.

increase; improve' intensify; magnify; make more attractive or effective

Vocabulary Allusion (noun) Context Clue: "a literary allusion" Used in a sentence: When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, "One hundred bucks? What do you want, a pound of flesh?" she was making an allusion to Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice

indirect reference; passing or casual mention

Vocabulary Faculty (noun) Context Clue: "sharp mental faculties" Used in a sentence: As he grew old, Professor Twiggly feared he might lose his faculties and become unfit to teach. If he wasn't in full possession of his faculties, the college might kick him off the faculty

inherent mental or physical power (often faculties); teaching staff

Vocabulary Retain (verb) Context Clue: "retaining its value" Used in a sentence: Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new manager to head her reelection campaign. The manager advised Foghorn to avoid eating any salty foods that would cause his body to retain water

keep or hold on to; hire absorb and keep on holding

Vocabulary Benign (adjective) Context Clue: "environmentally benign" Word parts Clue: Ben- means good Used in a sentence: Although her benign smile and gentle bearing made Miss Marple seem to be a sweet old lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd observer of human nature. We were relieved that Tom's tumor turned out to be benign.

kindly; gracious; favorable; gentle; not malignant

Vocabulary Scanty (adjective) Context Clue: "scattered, scanty rainfall" Used in a sentence: Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Olive Twist asked for more. A scanty bikini top may be all right for the beach, but not for the office.

limited or insufficient in amount or degree; revealing (of clothing)

Vocabulary Rudimentary (adjective) Context Clue: "only a rudimentary education" Used in a sentence: Although my grandmother's English vocabulary was limited to a few rudimentary phrases, she could always herself understood. Echidnas lack external ears; their tails are, at best, rudimentary.

limited to the basics; imperfectly developed

Vocabulary Sustain (verb) Context Clue: "Sustaining severe head injuries" Used in a sentence: Stuart sustained such heavy losses in the stock market that he could no longer sustain his jet-setting lifestyle

live through; keep up

Vocabulary Fallacious (adjective) Context Clue: "fallacious reasoning" Word Parts Clue: Fals- or fallac- means false Used in a sentence: Paradoxically, fallacious reasoning does not always produce incorrect results; even though your logic may be flawed, the conclusion you reach may still be correct.

logically unsound; false; mistaken; misleading

Vocabulary Verbose (adjective) Context Clue: "verbose orators" Word Parts Clue: Verb- means word Used in a sentence: Someone mute cannot talk; someone verbose can hardly stop talking

long-winded; wordy; talkative; redundant

Vocabulary Synthetic (adjective; also noun) Context Clue: "synthetic rubber" Used in a sentence: Tires, once manufactured from rubber plants, nowadays are made from synthetic materials produced from crude oil. Although the dean strongly condemned the actions of the campus police, we felt his outrage was synthetic: he took no action against them for their rough treatment of the demonstrators.

made by combining different substances; not genuine (action or emotion)

Vocabulary Qualified (adjective) Context Clue: "newly qualified nurses" Used in a sentence: Was the candidate for tax collector a qualified accountant? Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor give him only a qualified endorsement.

made if fit (by training, experience) to do a specific job; limited in some manner

Vocabulary Afford (verb) Context Clue: "afford a new car" Used in a sentence: When Johnny came down with a bad case of poison oak, the doctor recommended calamine lotion to afford the itching.

make more bearable; relieve; lessen; mitigate

Vocabulary Alleviate (verb) Context Clue: "alleviating someone's suffering" Word Parts Clue: Lev- means light (not heavy) Used in a sentence When Johnny came down with a bad case of poison oak, the doctor recommended calamine lotion to alleviate the itching

make more bearable; relieve; lessen; mitigate

Vocabulary Exploit Context Clue: "exploiting a legal loophole" Used in a sentence: Cesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant farm workers in California.

make use of, sometimes unjustly; manipulate

Vocabulary Fabricate (verb) Context Clue: "fabricating evidence" Word Parts Clue: Faber or fabri- means make Used in a sentence: Motawi Tileworks fabricate distinctive ceramic tiles in the Arts and Crafts style. The defense lawyer accused the arresting office of fabricating evidence against her client.

manufacture or build; make up to mislead or deceive

Vocabulary Peripheral (adjective) Context Clue: "peripheral devices hooked up to a PC" Word Parts Clue: Peri- means around Used in a sentence: Rather than live in the crowded city center, we chose to buy a house in one of the peripheral suburbs ringing the metropolis.

marginal; outer; external; superficial; of minor importance

Vocabulary Dormant (adjective) Context Clue: "a dormant volcano" Word Parts Clue: Dorm- means sleep Used in a sentence: A fifty her long-dormant ambition to write flared up once more; within a year she had completed her first of her great historical novels.

marked by a lack of activity; temporarily quite, as if sleeping

Vocabulary Medium (noun) Context Clue: "a medium of expression" Used in a sentence: MIT's use of the Internet as a medium of education has transformed the university into a global enterprise. Ty's experiment involved growing bacteria in a nutrient-rich medium. Johnny's favorite artistic medium is photography; he hopes to become a photojournalist.

means of doing something; substance in which an organism lives; form of material employed by an artist, author, or composer

Vocabulary Discerning (adjective) Context Clue: "a discerning critic" Used in a sentence: Although the movie star was no genius, she was sufficiently discerning to tell her true friends from the countless phonies who flattered her.

mentally quick and observant; having keen insight; perceptive; sensitive

Vocabulary Adversity (noun) Context Clue: "struggling with adversity" Word Part Clues: Vers-means turn Used in a Sentence: Dirt poor and out of work, she did not give up but continued to fight against adversity

misfortune; hardship; affliction; poverty

Vocabulary Ambivalence (noun) Context Clue: "divided by ambivalence" World Parts Clue: Ambi- means both Used in a sentence: Torn between loving parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings

mixed feelings; state of having conflicting emotional attitudes

Vocabulary Satirical (adjective) Context Clue: "satirical comedy" Used in a sentence: Through the comments of the characters in his cartoon strip, Doonesbury, Gary Trudeau ridicules political corruption; his humor is satirical is nature.

mocking; ironical; sardonic; using biting wit to attack folly

Vocabulary Mitigate (verb) Context Clue: "mitigating risks" Used in a sentence: Because solar energy has the power to reduce greenhouse gases and increase energy efficiency, conversion to the use of solar energy may help mitigate the threat of global warming

moderate; make less intense or severe; alleviate; appease

Vocabulary Transient (adjective; also noun) Context Clue: "transient symptoms" Used in a sentence: Youth's beauty is transient; it quickly fades with age

momentary; temporary; staying for a short time

Vocabulary Redundant (adjective) Context Clue: "getting rid of redundant staff" Used in a sentence: The bottle of apple juice I bought to Bob's party was certainly redundant. How was I to know that he owned an apple juice farm? In your essay, repeat your several points unnecessarily; try to be less redundant next time.

more than needed; excessively wordy

Vocabulary Definitive (adjective) Context Clue: "a definitive answer" Used in a sentence: Although many programming texts describe themselves as definitive guides to the subject, almost all of them leave out essential pieces of information.

most complete; providing a final answer

Vocabulary Cryptic (adjective) Context Clue: "deciphering a cryptic note" Used in a sentence: Thoroughly baffled by Holmes's cryptic remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.

mysterious; hidden; having a secret meaning; obscure; using a cipher

Vocabulary Recount (verb) Context Clue: "recounting a tale" Used in a sentence: A born storyteller, my father loved to recount anecdotes about his early years in New York.

narrate or tell; count over again

Vocabulary Economy (noun) Context Clue: "a free-market economy" Used in a sentence: The President favors tax cuts to stimulate the economy. I need to practice economy when I shop: no more impulse buying for me! Reading the epigrams of Alexander Pope, I admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of meaning.

national condition regarding monetary supply, production of goods, etc.; prudent management of resources; efficiency or conciseness in use of words, etc.

Vocabulary Facility (noun) Context Clue: "a facility for languages" Word Parts Clue: Facil- means easy Used in a sentence: Morgan has always displayed a remarkable facility for play basketball. Thanks to years of practice, he handles the ball with such facility that, as a twelve-year-old, he can outplay many students at the university's recreational facility.

natural ability to do something with ease; ease in performing; something (building, equipment) set up to perform a function

Vocabulary Proximity (noun) Context Clue: "close proximity" Used in a sentence: Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of object around them.

nearness; closeness

Vocabulary Extraneous (adjective) Context Clue: "Be concise! Omit extraneous details!" Word Parts Clue: Exta- means beyond or outside Used in a sentence: No wonder Ted doesn't think straight! His mind is so cluttered with extraneous information that he can't concentrate on the essentials.

not essential; superfluous; irrelevant; external; coming from outside

Vocabulary Stagnant (adjective) Context Clue: "stagnant, murky ponds" Used in a sentence: Mosquitoes commonly breed in pools of stagnant water. When the economy is stagnant, even college graduates struggle to find work.

not flowing; not advancing

Vocabulary Overt (adjective) Context Clue: "an overt act of aggression" Used in a sentence: Emma's overt antagonism toward Jame made us uncomfortable; we wished she would make some effort to conceal her hostility

not hidden from view; out in the open

Vocabulary Objective (adjective) Context Clue: "objective and impartial" Used in a sentence: Andrea loved her little son so much that it was impossible for her to be objective about his behavior. Nurses directly gather objective data by taking the patient's temperature or measuring the patient's height and weight

not influenced by feelings or prejudices; able to be perceived by the senses

Vocabulary Opaque (adjective) Context Clue: "opaque frosted glass" Used in a sentence: The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room. The language of the federal income tax was so opaque that I had to turn to an accountant for help

not transparent; hard to understand or explain

Vocabulary Partial (adjective) Context Clue: "only a partial answer" Used a sentence: John's first movie review was only a partial success. Although many readers praised his review, others felt he had presented a very partial view of Bergman's film Wild Strawberries. OF course, John always was partial to strawberries.

not whole; favoring one side over another; particularly fond of

Vocabulary Nurture (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "nurturing one's offspring" Used in a sentence" The Head Start program attempts to nurture prekindergarten children so that they will do well when they enter elementary school.

nourish; educate; foster; protect; cultivate; encourage (growth)

Vocabulary Phenomena (noun, plural (singular, phenomenon)) Context Clue: "observing astronomical phenomena" Used in a sentence: Among the most beautiful natural phenomena, auroras, also known as northern and southern lights, are natural light displays in the sky.

observable facts; subject of scientific investigation

Vocabulary Sporadic (adjective) Context Clue: "sporadic clashes" Used in a sentence: Although you can still hear sporadic outburst of laughter and singing outside, the Halloween parade has passed; the party is over til next year.

occurring irregularly; recurring unpredictably

Vocabulary Homogeneous (adjective) Context Clue: "a homogeneous community" Word Parts Clue: Homo- means same. Gen- means kind Used in a sentence: Because the student body at their daughter's prep school was so homogeneous, they decided to send her to a school that offered greater cultural diversity.

of the same nature or kind; uniform in composition

Vocabulary Proponent (noun) Context Clue: "strong proponents of civil rights" Used in a sentence: In the Senate, proponent of the universal health care measure lobbied to gain additional support for the controversial legislation

one who advocates or argues for something

Vocabulary Partisan (adjective; also noun) Context Clue: "partisan politics" Used in a sentence: On certain issues of principle, the senator refused to take a partisan stand, but let her conscience be her guide.

one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a particular party; devoted to a cause

Vocabulary Dogmatic (adjective) Context Clue: "dogmatic assertions" Used in a sentence: Inflexible and dogmatic, Doug was not a man to be troubled by doubts, for he was convinced that his beliefs were correct.

opinionated; arbitrary; dictatorial; doctrinaire; rigid

Vocabulary Adversary (noun) Context Clue: "fierce adversary" Word Parts: Vers- means turn Used in a sentence: The young wrestler struggled to defeat his formidable adversary.

opponent; enemy

Vocabulary Figurative (adjective) Context Clue: "speaking figuratively, not literally" Word Parts Clue: figur- means shape or form Used in a sentence: The phrase "Bob's lost his marbles" is a figurative expression: nobody expects you to go hunting for them or to buy Bob a new set. Would you classify Rothko's paintings as abstract art of figurative art?

opposite of literal; representing forms taken from life (in paintings, etc.)

A ____ is a verb form that behaves like an adjective. Like an adjective, it modifies nouns and pronouns, clarifying, changing, or enriching their meaning.

participle

Vocabulary Genre (noun) Context Clue: "a literary genre" Used in a sentence:Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genres.

particular variety of art or literature

Vocabulary Pedestrian (adjective; also noun) Context Clue: "a dull, pedestrian writing style" Word Parts Clue: Ped- means foot Used in a sentence: Unintentionally boring, he turned out page after page of pedestrian prose. When you come to the pedestrian crossing, look both ways.

performed in an unimaginative manner; related to walking

Vocabulary Cursory (adjective) Context Clue: "a quick, cursory scan" Word Parts Clue: Cur- means run Used in a sentence: Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more thorough investigation of the fire's cause.

perfunctory; casual; hastily done

Vocabulary Transparent (adjective) Context Clue: "as transparent as glass" Used in a sentence: The blue Caribbean waters were so transparent that we could clearly see the colorful tropical fish darting through the coral reefs. John's pride in his son is transparent: no one who sees the two of them together can miss it.

permitting light to pass through freely; easily perceived or detected

Vocabulary Induce (verb) Context Clues: "inducing someone to say in school" Word Parts Clue: Duc- means lead Used in a Sentence: After the quarrel, Gina said nothing could induce her to talk to Pedro again.

persuade; convince; bring about; stimulate; infer through inductive reasoning

Vocabulary Colloquial (adjective) Context Clue: "colloquial dialogue" Word Parts Clue: Loqu- means talk Used in a sentence: Some of the passages on the SAT have a colloquial tone that is intended to make them more appealing to students.

pertaining to conversational or common speech; informal; familiar

Vocabulary Civil (adjective) Context Clue: "civil rights" Word Parts Clue: Civi-means citizen Used in a sentence: Although Internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax cheats.

pertaining to ordinary citizens, as opposed to the church or military; courteous and polite

Vocabulary Graphic (adjective) Context Clue: "graphic arts" Used in a sentence: The illustrator Jody Lee studied graphic arts at San Francisco's Academy of Art. The SAT includes reading questions that require students to interpret graphic information from charts and diagrams. The description of the winter storm was so graphic that you could almost feel the hailstones.

pertaining to visual art; relating to visual images; vividly portrayed

Vocabulary Pervasive (adjective) Context Clue: "the skunk's pervasive stench" Word Parts Clue: Per- means through. Vas- means go Used a sentence: Despite airing her clothes for several hours, she could not rid them of the pervasive odor of mothballs that clung to them

pervading; spread throughout every part

Vocabulary Concrete (adjective) Context Clue: "concrete, physical objects" Used in a sentence: The word boy is concrete: the word boyhood is abstract. Unless the police turn up some concrete evidence of his guilt, we have no case against him. I don't have time to listen to vague pitches; come up with a concrete proposal

physical or material in nature, as opposed to abstract; real; specific

Vocabulary Implement (noun) Context Clue: "agricultural implements" Used in a sentence: We now have so many rakes, hoes, and hedge clippers that we need a tool shed in which to store all our gardening implements.

piece of equipment; tool

Vocabulary Engage (verb) Context Clue: "to engage someone's interest" Used in a sentence: When Tony and Tina became engage, they decided to engage a lawyer to write a prenuptial agreement. Tony's job engaged him completely. When he's focused on work, not even Tina can engage him in conversation. Instead, she engaged in tennis matches, fiercely engage her opponents.

pledge to do something (especially, to marry); hire someone to perform a service; attract and keep (attention); induce someone to participate; take part in; attack (an enemy)

Vocabulary Feasible (adjective) Context Clue: "a feasible solution" Used in a sentence: Without additional funding, it may not be feasible to build a new stadium for the team on the city's highly developed West Side.

practical; capable of being done; likely; realistic

Vocabulary Pragmatic (adjective) Context Clue: "a pragmatic politician" Used in a sentence: The coming trip to France should provide a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French class.

practical; concerned with the practical worth or impact of something; dealing with facts

Vocabulary Patronize (verb) Context clue: "patronize a restaurant" Used in a sentence: Penniless artists hope to find some wealthy art lover who will patronize them. If a waiter patronized me, talking down to me because he thought I knew noting about gourment dinning, I'd refuse to patronize his restaurant.

provide support for; act superior toward; be a customer of

Vocabulary Instigate (verb) Context Clue: "instigating a fight" Used in a sentence: Rumors of police corruption led the mayor to instigate an investigation in to the departments activities

provoke; incite to an action; stir up; foment; encourage; urge start

Vocabulary Innate (adjective) Context Clue: "innate talent" Word Parts Clue: Nat- means born Used in a sentence: Rumors of police corruption led the mayor to innate an investigation into the department's activities

provoke; incite to an action; stir up; foment; encourage; urge; start

Vocabulary Execute (verb) Context Clue: "to execute a plan" Used in a sentence: The United States Agency for International Development is responsible for execute America's development policy and foreign assistance. Captured by the British while gathering military intelligence, Nathan Hale was tried and executed on September 22, 1776.

put into effect, carry out; put to death (someone condemned by law)

Vocabulary Implement (verb) Context Clue: "implementing a program" Used in a sentence: The mayor was unwilling to implement the plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing.

put into effect; supply with tools

Vocabulary Proliferation (noun) Context Clue: "nuclear proliferation" Used in a sentence: Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the proliferation of countless get-rich-quick schemes.

rapid growth; spread; multiplication

Vocabulary Cite (verb) Context Clue: "cite a passage" Used in a sentence: To support her position on vaccinating children against polio, Rose cited reports of her new outbreaks of this once nearly eliminated disease. The mayor cite the volunteers of Hook & Ladder Company 1 for their heroism in putting out the fire. Although Terry was cited for contempt of court, he never went to jail.

refer to or quote, especially to justify a position; praise, summon before a court

Vocabulary Dismiss (verb) Context Clue: "dismissing an idea as worthless" Used in a sentence: Because Carmen believed in Juan's fidelity, she dismissed the notion that he might be having an affair. In order to cut costs, the superintendant of school tried to dismiss all the music teacher, but the union fought for the teachers' jobs.

refuse to accept or consider; fire

Vocabulary Stock (adjective) Context Clue: "stock items" Used in a sentence: Rather than ordering custom cabinets, Sal saved money by buying stock units. In your interview, avoid giving stock answers: you don't want to bore the interviewer to tears. The characters of commedia dell'arte usually represent fixed social types, stock characters, such as foolish men, sneaky servants, or boastful soliders.

regularly available for sale at a store; used so regularly that it becomes hackneyed; indicating a conventional character type

Vocabulary Academic (adjective; also noun) Context Clue: "an academic discipline" Used in a sentence: When Sharon applied for the faculty position, the department head inquired about her academic qualifications. Seismologists' studies about earthquakes are not of purely academic interest, for seismology is the major tool for assessing the danger of potential earthquakes.

related to education; not practical or directly useful

Vocabulary Narrative (adjective; also noun) Context Clue: "a narrative poem" Used in a sentence: Although many of the author's characters lack life, the twists and turns of his plots and the sheer narrative drive of his stories have made his novels bestsellers.

related to telling a story (as opposed to arguing a point)

Vocabulary Material (adjective) Context Clue: "did material damage" Used in a sentence: Newton firmly based his hypotheses on observations of the material world. We have to meet our material needs for food and shelter before we can think about satisfying our emotional needs. The police uncovered new evidence that might be material to the investigation.

relating to physical matter; bodily; of great importance or relevance

Vocabulary Application (noun) Context Clue: "a driver's license application" Used in a sentence: Jill submitted her scholarship application to the financial aid office. Martha's research is purely academic; it has no practical application. Mother praised Tom for his application to his homework. Al's experience in book publishing had little or no application to ebooks.

request, petition; act of putting something to use, employment; diligent attention, industriousness; relevance, pertinence

Vocabulary Rebuttal (noun) Context Clue: "rebuttal testimony" Used in a sentence: The defense lawyer confidently listened to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his arguments in her rebuttal.

response with contrary evidence; reply pointing out flaws in opponent's argument

Vocabulary Ironic (adjective) Context Clue: "an ironic twist" Used in a sentence: It is ironic that his success came when he least wanted it.

resulting in an unexpected and poignantly incongruous or unwanted outcome; humorously mocking

Vocabulary Excerpt (noun; also verb) Context Clue: "read a short excerpt" Used in a sentence: The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt from a novel is a film clip.

selected short passage (written or musical)

Vocabulary Exemplify (verb) Context Clue: "to exemplify the spirit of our time" Used in a sentence: For a generation of ballet-goers, Mikhail Baryshnikov, the pride of the Russian ballet, exemplify the ideal of masculine grace.

serve as an example

Vocabulary Expository (adjective) Context Clue: "formal expository prose" Used in a sentence: The manual that came with my iPhone was no masterpiece of expository prose; the explanations it provided were so inadequate that I had trouble figuring out how to synchronize by contacts.

serving to clarify or interpret something

Vocabulary Explanatory (adjective) Context Clue: "explanatory notes" Used in a sentence: Before each reading passage on the test you will find a short explanatory paragraph that will provide you with some background for the passage.

serving to explain or interpret something

Vocabulary Indicative (adjective) Context Clue: "indicative of potential problems" Used in a sentence: A lack of appetite is not necessarily indicative of some major physical disorder. You may just not be hungry.

serving to point out or reveal something

Vocabulary Rectify (verb) Context Clue: "rectifying an error" Word Parts Clue: Rect- means right Used in a sentence: You had better rectify your accounting errors before the auditors arrive

set right; correct; remedy

Vocabulary Subside (verb) Context Clue: "a storm subsiding" Used in a sentence: The doctor assured the boy's parents that his fever would eventually subside.

settle down; grow quiet; sink to the bottom; abate

Vocabulary Anecdote (noun) Context Clue: "telling a personal anecdote" Used in a sentence: The boss prefaced his speech by telling a pointless anecdote about an encounter he'd had with the former president of the company.

short account of a supposedly interesting or amusing incident; brief narrative

Vocabulary Static (adjective) Context Clue: "static and unchanging" Used in a sentence: Bob and Jane had been dating for months, but things didn't seem to be going anywhere: their relationship was static.

showing little or no change; lacking development

Vocabulary Tentative (adjective) Context Clue: "a tentative conclusion" Used in a sentence: Unaccustomed to strangers, Bobby at first was tentative about approaching the new babysitter. Phil had a tentative plan for organizing the camping trip; he just needed to make a few more arrangements before they'd be ready to go

showing uncertainty; not fully developed

Vocabulary Obtuse (adjective) Context Clue: "too obtuse to take a hint" Used in a sentence: Marge had been furious with Homer for days, but Homer was so obtuse that he hadn't noticed a thing. The head of the musk ox is large and broad, and the nose correspondingly obtuse.

slow to understand; not having a sharp edge of point

Vocabulary Incompatible (adjective) Context Clue: "unfortunately incompatible roommates" Used in a sentences: He was a staunch Republican; she, a fervent Democrat. Their political views were clearly incompatible, and yet they remained good friends despite their differences. The Dragon Naturally Speaking dictation program worked on my PC but was incompatible with my iMac.

so opposed in nature as to be unable to coexist; unable to work together in combination

Vocabulary Objective (noun) Context Clue: "aim for your objective" Used in a sentence: Morgan's objective is to play basketball so well that he can be a starter on the varsity team.

something aimed at, which takes effort to attain

Vocabulary Paradox (noun) Context Clue: "an absurd, illogical paradox" Used in a sentence: In Legally Blonde, Elle Woods presents a bit of a paradox, for she is at one and the same time a bubble-headed sorority girl and a keen-witted law school student.

something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct

Vocabulary Implication (noun) Context Clue: "consider the possible implications" Used in a sentence: When Miss Watson said that she hadn't seen her purse since that last time Jim was in the house, her implication was that Jim had taken it. This had potentially serious implications for Jim. If his implication in a theft were proved, he'd be thrown into jail.

something hinted at or suggested; likely consequence; close involvement

Vocabulary Assumption (noun) Context Clue: "a reasonable assumption" Used in a sentence: The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her taking the reins of power. Unfortunately, he viewed her assumption of power as a direct challenge to his authority

something taken for granted; presupposition; act of taking possession

Vocabulary Mollify (verb) Context Clue: "mollifying angry protesters" Word Parts Clue: Moll- means soft Used in a sentence: The airline customer service agent tried to mollify the angry passenger by offering her a seat in first class.

soothe; moderate in intensity; soften

Vocabulary Criterion (noun plural, criteria) Context Clue: "a criterion for selection" Used in a sentence: What criterion did you use when you selected this essay as the prizewinner?

standard used in judging; basis for comparison

Vocabulary Juxtaposition (noun) Context Clue: "a strange juxtaposition" Word Parts Clue: Juxta- means beside or near Used in a sentence: The museum curator placed the Eskimo-carved wooden totem pole in juxtaposition with two contemporary stone masks from Africa, creating a stunning effect.

state of being placed side by side or close together

Vocabulary Distinction (noun) Context Clue: "class distinctions" Used in a sentence: A holder of the Medal of Honor, George serve with great distinction during World War II. However, he made a distinction between World War II, in which he was proud to have served, and Vietnam, which he believed was an immoral war.

state of being worthy or noble; perception of a difference

Vocabulary Conformity (noun) Context Clue: "unquestioning conformity to convention" Used in a sentence: In conformity with the by-laws of the society, I am calling for a special election. Be grateful for the oddballs who defy convention and break through the culture of conformity to go their own unique way.

state of obeying regulations, standards; behavior that matches the behavior of most others in a group

Vocabulary Thesis (noun) Context Clue: "the essay's central thesis" Used in a sentence: In her speech, Lexy made a convincing argument, supporting her thesis with statistics as well as anecdotal evidence. In graduate school, she wrote a doctoral thesis, which was later published to great acclaim

statement advanced as a premise to be supported; long essay

Vocabulary Definition (noun) Context Clue: "the dictionary definition" Used in a sentence: This word list gives three definitions for the word definition. The newest flat screen monitors have excellent resolution and amazing color definition. The gym's fitness program includes specific exercises to improve definition of the abdominal muscles.

statement of a word's exact meaning; clarity of sound of image being reproduced; distinctness of outlines, boundaries

Vocabulary Stem (verb) Context Clue: "stem the flow of illegal drugs" Used in a sentence: The paramedics use a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the nicked artery. In the kitchen, cuts often stem from the use of a dull knife that slips in its user's hands.

stop the flow of; are caused by [stem from]

Vocabulary Expedient (adjective; also noun) Context Clue: "a politically expedient policy" Used in a sentence: A pragmatic politician, he was guided more by what was expedient than by what was right.

suitable; practical; politic; advantageous; profitable

Vocabulary Buttress (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "buttressing an argument" Used in a sentence: The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case.

support; reinforce; prop up; encourage; hearten

Vocabulary Friction (noun) Context Clue: "the friction of putting on the brakes" Word Parts Clue: Fric- means rub Used in a sentence: If it were not for the friction between the tires and the pavement, driving a car would be like sliding all over an ice rink. The friction between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton intensified over time until it culminated in their famous duel.

surface resistance to motion; clash of wills

Grammar (Spot the Subject) Down the winding trail there rode a band of settlers, led by the celebrated scout Davy Crockett. Who or what is the sentence talking about? Find the prepositional phrases Find the participial phrase

the sentence is talking about a band or group of people, band is the subject of the sentence; everything else is extra. the prep phrase is down the winding trail because it describes where the band is riding and of settlers because it describes the band's members the participial phrase is led by the celebrated scout Davy Crockett because it tells a bit more about the band trail settlers and scout are also nouns, however none of them is the subject of the sentence. (what out for sentence in which the usual subject-verb order is reversed. Remember even when the subject follows the verb, the subject and the verb still have to agree)

Grammar (spot the subject) Under the canopy of the tropical rainforest there can be found epiphytes, or arboreal flora, plants that constitute an integral part of the rainforest ecosystem. Who or what is the sentence talking about> What are the prepositional phrases What is the relative clause

the sentence is talking about epiphytes the noun epiphytes is the subject of the sentence the prep phrase is Under the canop because it is where the epiphytes are found the preop phrase is of the tropical rainforest because it describes where the canopy is located the relative clause that constitute an integral part of the rainforest ecosystem because it tells a bit more about the plants

Grammar (Spot the subject) There has been remarkable progress in the biological sciences since Crick and Watson jointly discovered the structure of DNA. Who or what is the sentence talking about? Find the prepositional phrases

the sentence is talking about progress, that progress is the subject of the sentence's main clause (everything else is extra) the prep phrase is in the biological science which describes the kind of progress being discussed the noun structure is the direct object of the verb discovered the prep phrase of DNA clarifies the kin of structure that was discovered

Vocabulary Abstract (adjective) Context Clue: "an abstract notion" Used in a sentence: To John, who had never missed a meal, hunger was an abstract concept, one he understood only in theory.

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational

Vocabulary Reflect (verb) Context Clue: "reflected in the mirror" Used in a sentence: Mr. Collins reflected on Elizabeth's rejection of his proposal. Did it reflect her true feelings, he wondered. Looking at his image reflected in the mirror, he reused to believe that she could reject such a fine-looking man. Such behavior reflected badly upon her.

think seriously about; represent faithfully; show a physical image; create a good or bad impression

Vocabulary Explicit (adjective) Context Clue: "explicit instructions" Used in a sentence: Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied; be explicit about what's bothering you.

totally clear; definite; clearly defined; outspoken; shown in realistic detail

Vocabulary Superficial (adjective) Context Clue: "a superficial wound" Used in a sentence: To revise a textbook properly, you must do more than make a few superficial changes to the manuscript.

trivial; shallow; on the surface; insignificant; external; not thorough

Vocabulary Rigid (adjective) Context Clue: "rigid and unbending" Used in a sentence: Deacon Dobbs wore a rigid white plastic collar that chafed his neck. His church maintained rigid rules concerning women's roles within the congregation, and Dobbs was far too rigid in his beliefs to challenge the church's teachings.

unable to bend; not easily changed; unwilling to change (beliefs)

Vocabulary Indifferent (adjective) Context Clue: "indifferent toward suffering" Used in a sentence: Because Ann felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to Carl's constant proposals. According to Ann, Carl wasn't a great catch matrimonially; she thought he'd be am indifferent husband. I cannot be an indifferent judge of An'n's treatment of Carl because I am Ann's friend and am biased in her favor.

unmoved or unconcerned by; neither good nor bad; characterized by impartiality

Vocabulary Superfluous (adjective) Context Clue: "delete superfluous words" Word Parts Clue: Super-means over or beyond. Flu- means flow Used in a sentence: Please try to not include so many superfluous details in your report; the bare facts are all I need.

unnecessary; excessive; more than required

Vocabulary Derivative (adjective) Context Clue: "a derivative literary style" Used in a sentence: Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

unoriginal; derived from another source; copied

Vocabulary Obstinate (adjective) Context Clue: "an obstinate stain" Used in a sentence: We tried to persuade Bob to give up smoking, but he was obstinate and refused to quit. Blackberry stickers are the most obstinate weeds I know; once established in a yard, they are extremely hard to root out.

unreasonably persistent (in an opinion, etc.); not easily controlled, cured, or removed

Vocabulary Altruistic (adjective) Context Clue: "altruistic generosity" Word Parts Clue: Altr-means other, as in helping other person Used in a sentence: In providing college scholarships for economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed.

unselfishly generous; concerned for others; charitable; philanthropic

Vocabulary Advocate (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "advocating women's rights" Word Parts Clue: Voc means call Used in a sentence: Seeking the end of slavery, the abolitionists advocate freedom for the slaves.

urge; speak in favor of; support; recommend

Vocabulary Disdain (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "scorn and disdain" Used in a sentence: In the film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdain fashion models for their lack of intellectual interests.

view with scorn or contempt; look down on; despise

Grammar (pinpoint the participle) The nanny who WAS HIRED by the movie star ASKED for an assistant TO HELP with the rapidly GROWING family

was hired is a verb asked is also a verb but it is the main verb of the sentence to help is an infinitive growing is a present participle

Grammar (pinpoint the participle) At the construction site, a large sign that was posted on the scaffolding warned people to watch out for falling debris. What is the verb phrase? What is the main verb of the sentence? What is the infinitive? What is the present participle?

was posted is the verb phrase, warned is also a verb and it is the main verb of the sentence, to watch out is the infinitive, and falling is a present participle

Vocabulary Vacillate (verb) Context Clue: "vacillating over a decision" Used in a sentence: Uncertain which suitor she ought to accept, the princess vacillated, first favoring one and then the other

waver; hesitate; oscillate; fluctuate

Vocabulary Undermine (verb) Context Clue: "undermining the foundations" Used in a sentence: The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city government.

weaken; sap; chip away at

Vocabulary Prevalent (adjective) Context Clue: "prevalent opinion" Used in a sentence: A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.

widespread; generally accepted; common

Vocabulary Astute (adjective) Context Clue: "an astute observer" Used in a sentence: Shrewdly purchasing valuable plots of land for small sums, John Jacob Astor gained a reputation as an astute investor.

wise; shrewd; keen

Vocabulary Retract (verb) Context Clue: "retracting a bid" Word Parts Clue: tract- means to drag or pull; re- means back Used in a sentence: When I saw how Fred and his fraternity brothers had trashed the frat house, I decided to retract my offer to let them use our summer cottage over spring break.

withdraw; take back; draw back; disavow

Vocabulary Dissent (verb; also noun) Context Clue: "dissenting from established opinion" Used in a sentence: In the recent Supreme Court decision, Justice Sotomayor dissent from the majority opinion.

withhold agreement; disagree

Vocabulary Random (adjective) Context Clue: "a random sample" Used a sentence: Although the sponsor of the raffle claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions when the grand prize when to the sponsor's brother-in-law

without definite purpose, plan, or aim