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SAT Hot Words > 8. Lessons 36-39 > Flashcards

8. Lessons 36-39 Flashcards

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1
Q

aplomb

A

n. SOCIAL POISE; COMPOSURE; SKILL IN CHALLENGING SITUATIONS. Greeting her guests at the door, Jackie demonstrates aplomb; she offers a warm smile and exudes an easeful manner.

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2
Q

axiom

A

n. TRUE AND WISE SAYING; A MAXIM. “Safety first!” is an axiom that Mr. Peters exclaims several times during each and every chemistry lab meeting.

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3
Q

capricious

A

adj. CHANGEABLE; FICKLE; VOLATILE; MERCURIAL. A capricious Capricorn, Carl never made up his mind about his future aspirations.

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4
Q

caprice

A

n. A WHIM OR FANCY. Her caprices made his life impossible.

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5
Q

cavalier

A

adj. ARROGANT; SHOWING A LACK OF RESPECT TOWARD SOMEONE OR SOMETHING. Don’t be so cavalier. If you take the time to listen to the ideas of others, you may actually learn a thing or two.

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6
Q

compunction

A

n. A FEELING OF REMORSE FOR DOING SOMETHING WRONG; REGRET; SHAME. Even though he treated his friends coldly and inequitably, Terry felt not an iota of compunction.

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7
Q

diffident

A

adj. LACKING CONFIDENCE IN ONESELF; INCLINED TO BE SHY. To some extent, confidence and diffidence can be regarded as antonyms.

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8
Q

dilettante

A

n. ONE WHO DABBLES IN THE ARTS AND SCIENCES BUT IS AN EXPERT IN NEITHER. A modern day dilettante, Bruce has dabbles in all sorts of nontraditional aesthetic endeavors, such as garbage sculpture and graffiti art.

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9
Q

egalitarian

A

adj. PERTAINING TO EQUAL POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ECONOMICAL RIGHTS FOR ALL MANKIND. In order to form an egalitarian student government, all students should be allowed venues to express their views and concerns.

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10
Q

heretic

A

n. ONE WHO CHALLENGES SOCIETAL AND RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS; ICONOCLAST. Only a heretic would declare burgers and hot dogs as a traditional Thanksgiving dinner!

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11
Q

idiosyncratic

A

adj. OF OR RELATING TO STRANGE OR ODD BEHAVIORAL HABITS THAT ARE PECULIAR TO THE INDIVIDUAL. An idiosyncratic woman, Edna only wore shades of purple with an occasional splash of lavender.

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12
Q

insurgent

A

n. A REBEL; ONE WHO REVOLTS AGAINST A GOVERNMENT OR POLITICAL PARTY; MAVERICK. Ready to protest the latest government policies, the insurgent led a pack of rabble-rousers to the city hall.

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13
Q

irrefutable

A

adj. UNABLE TO BE ARGUED AGAINST; INDISPUTABLE. The attorney’s argument was without loopholes or doubt; it was cohesive and completely irrefutable.

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14
Q

melancholy

A

adj. A FEELING OF SADNESS AND GLOOMINESS. Feeling down in the dumps, Madeleine was sunk deep into a gloomy pit of melancholy

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15
Q

mimetic

A

adj. PERTAINING TO IMITATION OR MIMICRY, BIOLOGICAL OR OTHERWISE. As a species, chimpanzees are remarkably mimetic, for what one chimp does another follows.

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16
Q

palpable

A

adj. ABLE TO BE TOUCHED OR FELT; TANGIBLE; MATERIAL. The palpable energy of the enthused soccer team was felt by spectators on the sidelines.

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17
Q

pedantic

A

adj. SHOWY IN ONE’S LEARNING; OVERLY INSTRUCTIVE. Pedantic to the core, Pedro took great pains to write and speak with impeccable grammar.

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18
Q

portentous

A

adj. VERY MEANINGFUL WITH REGARD TO EVENTS TO COME; OMINOUS; FORESHADOWING. The gusty winds are portentous; perhaps a tropical storm is brewing.

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19
Q

sardonic

A

adj. SCORNFUL OR BITTER; SARCASTIC. Sardonic writers mix their political savvy with their incisive wit.

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20
Q

variegated

A

adj. HAVING DIFFERENT PATTERNS, COLORS, OR APPEARANCE; DAPPLED. Variegated, verdant spider plants complemented the green and yellow motif of the sunny kitchen.

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21
Q

viable

A

adj. ABLE TO SUSTAIN LIFE, PRACTICALITY, OR EFFECTIVENESS. Viable conditions for the cockatiel include plenty of fresh water, a mixture of seed, and millet spray.

22
Q

allusion

A

n. AN INDIRECT REFERENCE, OFTEN TO A CHARACTER OR THEME FOUND IN SOME WORK OF LITERATURE.

23
Q

anecdote

A

n. A SHORT AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ACCOUNT OR SNIPPET FROM SOMEONE’S PAST, USUALLY HUMOROUS. I can tell you an anecdote about by most embarrassing moment.

24
Q

catharsis

A

n. AN EMOTIONAL CLEANSING RELEASE OF EMOTIONAL TENSIONS, FEARS, OR PITY. Paul reports that intense crying allows him catharsis that leaves him feeling fresh and new.

25
Q

euphemism

A

n. A MORE PLEASANT WORD OR PHRASE THAT REPLACES ANOTHER THAT IS TOO DIRECT, DISTASTEFUL, OR OFFENSIVE. The gentler-sounding phrase “passed away” is a euphemism for “died.”

26
Q

hyperbole

A

n. AN EXAGGERATION USED TO CREATE AN EFFECT. “It’s so hot my skin is melting,” commented Diana, who habitually spoke in hyperboles.

27
Q

irony

A

n. AN UNEXPECTED OUTCOME OR UNANTICIPATED TWIST OF EVENTS PRESENTED IN LITERATURE AND LIFE. In Cinderella, the sought after prince ends up with a lowly maidservant; how ironic!

28
Q

metaphor

A

n. A FIGURATIVE DEVICE IN WHICH DIRECT COMPARISON IS MADE, WITH OUT USING LIKE OR AS. Dina asked the teacher, “Can’t a hot cantaloupe serve as a metaphor for the setting sun?”

29
Q

oxymoron

A

n. CONTRADICTORY TERMS, APPEARING SIDE BY SIDE, USED FOR RHETORICAL EFFECT. Popular examples of oxymorons include “jumbo shrimp” and “deafening silence.

30
Q

parable

A

n. A BRIEF STORY, TOLD OR WRITTEN IN ORDER TO TEACH A MORAL LESSON. The Bible is filled with parables, which are intended to teach readers how to live and treat others.

31
Q

parody

A

n. A WORK THAT IMITATES THE STYLE OF ANOTHER LITERARY WORK; MAY BE MOCKING OR AMUSING; SHORT, HUMOROUS PARODIES CAN BE CALLED SPOOFS. Some argue that Spaceballs parodies outer space action-dramas such as Star Trek and Star Wars.

32
Q

pathos

A

n. THE QUALITY OF A PIECE OF WRITING THAT EVOKES PITY, SYMPATHY, OR SOME OTHER STRONG EMOTIONAL RESPONSE IN THE READER. To stir their readers’ emotions, prose writers might infuse a heaping spoonful of pathos into their stories.

33
Q

prose

A

n. WRITING THAT IS NOT POETRY OR RHYMING VERSE. (i.e.. NOVEL, PLAY, OR ESSAY) Iambic pentameter, rhyming couplets, and free verse are of little concern to the writers of prose.

34
Q

satire

A

n. A LITERARY WORK, OFTEN HUMOROUS, INTENDED TO RIDICULE THE PUBLIC FIGURES, BEHAVIORS, OR POLITICAL SITUATIONS PRESENTED OR ALLUDED TO IN THE WORK. Given his subtle yet pointed sense of humor, Ivan would make a good satirist.

35
Q

vignette

A

n. A BRIEF DESCRIPTIVE PASSAGE IN WRITING. In John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, the author uses vignettes to dramatically depict the seafaring life of a Mexican pearl driver.

36
Q

anthology

A

n. A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES AND/OR POEMS; SOMETIMES A COLLECTION OF WORKS OF ART OR MUSIC. The young man’s photograph was published in a hardcover anthology of poems and pictures relating to long island.

37
Q

attribute

A

n. A CHARACTERISTIC, PROPERTY, OR QUALITY OF SOMETHING OR SOMEONE. Among the university’s most appealing attributes is a lush and sprawling campus.

38
Q

connote

A

vb. TO SUGGEST OR IMPLY SOMETHING BEYOND A WORD’S LITERAL OR DICTIONARY MEANING. The term “home” often connotes a sense of familiarity, comfort, and warmth.

39
Q

dissonance

A

n. DISAGREEMENT, DISCORD, OR CONFLICT; UNPLEASANT SOUNDS, CACOPHONY. Nina is a peacemaker; she’d rather walk away than engage in dissonance.

40
Q

improvisation

A

n. THE ACT OF MAKING, CREATING, DELIVERING, PERFORMING IN AN OFFHAND, UNREHEARSED MANNER; PERFORMING EXTEMPORANEOUSLY. The tour guide was animated and entertaining. She used improvisation to add a dramatic element to an otherwise mundane campus tour.

41
Q

meander

A

vb. TO WALK, FOLLOWING A WINDING OR COMPLEX COURSE; TO CASUALLY OR AIMLESSLY STROLL ALONG OR WANDER WITHOUT A DEFINITE OR PRESSING DESTINATION. Searching for the perfect weekend outfits, Kerri and Nicole meandered around the mall for hours.

42
Q

provocative

A

adj. INTENDING TO EXCITE, AROUSE INTEREST, STIMULATE; INCITING. The provocative breaking news on the evening news channel kept the family glued to the screen.

43
Q

retrospect

A

n. REFLECTING ON AND REVIEWING PAST ACTIONS IN LIGHT OF NEW INFORMATION OR WITH A NEW PERSPECTIVE. In retrospect, she wished she had spent her junior year abroad in London.

44
Q

anomalies

A

n. RARITIES; THINGS OR PEOPLE THAT DEVIATE FROM THE NORMAL; DEVIATIONS. His reticent personality and slow-moving manner made him an anomaly among the garrulous, fast-moving family members.

45
Q

bias

A

n. AN OPINION OR ONE-SIDED OUTLOOK. To avoid bias among the voters, they should represent a cross-section of the community members.

46
Q

paragon

A

n. SOMEONE OR SOMETHING THAT IS THE VERY BEST MODEL OR EXAMPLE; A PRIME EXAMPLE; ARCHETYPE. Lucy is a paragon of politeness, while Bruce is an archetype of curtness.

47
Q

prototype

A

n. THE ORIGINAL FORM OF SOMETHING THAT HAS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME FEATURES AND CHARACTERISTICS OF LATER FORMS OF THAT SAME TYPE; THE EPITOME. Before acquiring a patent, the inventor must create a tangible prototype of his or her innovation.

48
Q

sacrilegious

A

adj. DISRESPECTFULLY TREATING SOMETHING THAT INDIVIDUALS REGARD AS SACRED OR HOLY; BLASPHEMOUS. Sacriligious acts are revealed in the end, exposing their lack of truth and integrity.

49
Q

speculate

A

vb. TO WONDER, TO GUESS, TO PUT FORTH AN OPINION; TO CONJECTURE. Given her son’s proclivity for science and interest in health, the mother speculated that her son would make a fine doctor.

50
Q

streamline

A

vb. TO SIMPLIFY A PROCEDURE OR PROCESS TO MAKE MORE EFFECTIVE. A simple Excel spreadsheet streamlined their business activity, keeping all pertinent data in one place.

51
Q

subjective

A

adj. BASED ON OPINIONS, PERSONAL BIAS. Subjective assessments are based on opinions and subtleties rather than the numbers and data of objective analysis.

SAT Hot Words (8 decks)

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