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Direct Hits Vocabulary > Chapter 5 > Flashcards

Chapter 5 Flashcards

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1
Q

Expunge, Excise, Expurgate

A

To take OUT; to remove ; to delete;

In the movie 300, Xerxes threatened to EXPUNGE all memory of Sparta and Leonidas. Xerxes failed to carry out his threat to EXCISE the names of Sparta and King Leonidas from the historic record. However, the Egyptian Pharaoh, Thutmose III, did scceed in EXPURGATING the name of his stepmother, Hatsheput, from the Egyptian monuments.

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2
Q

Eccentric

A

Literally OUT of the center; departing from a recognized, conventional, or established; an odd, UNCONVENTIONAL person.

Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants ia veru ECCENTRIC in his mannerisms. When he wants to blow a bubble or draw a circle, he always performs a strange procedure. To draw a circle, he draws an entire front portrait and erases all of the details.

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3
Q

Extricate

A

To get OUT of the difficult situations or entanglement;

Have you ever had to EXTRICATE yourself from an embarassing situation? If so you are not alone. EXTRICATING yourself from a lie is embarassing. But being EXTRICATED from an automobile crash can be matter of life or death.

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4
Q

Exemplary

A

Standing OUT of the norm; outstanding; worthy of imitation

Have you ever been praised for writing an EXEMPLARY report, giving an EXEMPLARY answer or desi. EXEMPLARY project? If so you should be proud of yourself. EXEMPLARY means to be outstanding and thus worthy of imitation.

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5
Q

Enumerate

A

To count OUT; to list; to tick off the reasons for;

What Thomas Jefferson, the author Declaration of Indepence, and Kat, the fictional character in 10 Things I Hate About You, have in common? Both felt compelled to ENUMERATE the reasons for an action. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson ENUMERATED the reasons why colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. In a poem she read to her literature class, Kat ENUMERATED 10 reasons why she claimed to “hate” Patrick.

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6
Q

Elusive

A

OUT of reach and therefore difficult to catch, define, or describe;

In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indiana Jones and his father search for the ELUSIVE Holy Grail. The Holu Grail is said to give eternal life, but it is hidden in an elaborate labyrinth.

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7
Q

Exorbitant

A

Literally OUT of orbit and therefore unreasonably expensive;

Serious competition in the NFL occurs both on and off the field. Football stadiums are being rebuilt, each one more lavish than the last. Cowboys Stadium is proof that not only are things bigger in Texas, they are also more EXORBITANT! The stadium features 300 luxury suits costing between $100,000 and $500,000 a year with a 20 lease.

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8
Q

Redundant

A

Needlessly repetitive;saying things again and again;

What do Justin Bieber and SAT teachers have in common? Both are REDUNDANT when they emphasize a key point. In his hit song Baby, JB REDUNDANTLY repeats the word “baby” an amazing 57 times. SAT teachers are also purposefully REDUNDANT when they IMPLORE(urge) their students to study the vocabulary in Direct Hits.

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9
Q

Repudiate, Recant, Renounce

A

To take back; to reject; to DISAVOW;

Martin, do you or do you not REPUDIATE these books and falsehoods they contain? Luther refused to REPUDIATE his words, defiantly declaring, “I cannot, I will not RECANT words. For to do so is to go against conscience. Here I stand!” Luther’s courageous refusal to RENOUNCE the beliefs helped to spark the Protestant Reformation

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10
Q

Relinquish

A

To surrender; to give back (or return) a possession, right, or privilege;

In January 2011 in Egypt, after 18 days of angry mass protests, President Hosti Mubarak, the longest serving ruler in modern times (30 years), was forced to RELINQUISH his position. Power was transferred to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and Mubarak was tried and sentenced to life in for ordering the killing of peaceful demonstrators.

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11
Q

Resilient

A

Bouncing BACK from the ADVERSITY or misfortune; recovering quickly;

The SAT scores were not as good as Amy hoped. What would Amy do? Would she make excuses and give up? Or would she be RESILIENT and bounce from a temporary setback. Amy chose to study much harder. Her RESILIENCE worked.

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12
Q

Reaffirm

A

To assert AGAIN; to confirm; state positively;

Given at the height of the Cold War, John F. Kennedy’s 1961 Inaugural Address REAFFIRMED his commitment to freedom when he pledges that America would “pay any price, bean any burden, meat any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and success of liberty.”

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13
Q

Reticent

A

Holding BACK one’s thoughts, feelings and personal affairs; restrained or reserved;

When Katie Holmes filed divorce from Tom Cruise, media outlets speculated that the high-profile divorce would be an ACRIMONIOUS one. However, both Holmes and Cruise were RETICENT to discuss their feelings or the reasons behind the divorce, despite the media frenzy that followed.

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14
Q

Rebuff

A

Repel or drive BACK; to bluntly reject;

In the movie Superman Returns, Lois Lane REBUFFS Superman when she writes and article entitled, “Why the World Doesn’t Need a Superman” .

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15
Q

Renovate

A

To make new AGAIN; restore by repairing and remodeling; NOV in Latin New;

Hurricane Katrina caused extensive damage in New Orleans and Biloxi, Missippippi. Business and community leaders in both cities have vowed to undertake extensive RENOVATION projects to restore damaged neighborhood and revive tourism.

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16
Q

Rejuvenate

A

To make young AGAIN; to restore youthfulvigor and appearence;

REJUVENATE is enticing word.

Everyone wants to look and feel young. Health spas promise to REJUVENATE exhausted muscles, shampoos promise to REJUVENATE tired hair.

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17
Q

Resurgent

A

Rising AGAIN; sweeping or surging BACK;

Apple Computer was found on April 1, 1976. After great initial success the company suffered crippling financial losses. However, Apple proved to be RESILIENT, starting in 1998 with the release of the iMac Computer. Over the following years, the RESURGENT company introduced a series of INNOVATIVE and popular products.

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18
Q

Repugnant

A

ABHORRENT; offensive to the mind or senses; causing distaste or AVERSION

What do a bad smell, cheating on an exam, and cannibalism have in common? They are all REPUGNANT for us, either physically or morally. Things that some people may find REPUGNANT are other people’s political views, the use of animals in scientific experiments, and the eating of meat. ROOT is PUGN and PUG | fighting (from pugnus, a fist) PUGNACIOUS - disposed to fight, quareelsome, combative PUGILIST - a boxer, one who fights with his fists REPUGNANCE - fighting back, extreme dislike, AVERSION, disgust, ANTIPATHY IMPUGN - to fight against, attack, challenge the motives of

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19
Q

Deleterious

A

Going DOWN in the sense of having harmful effect; injurious;

A tragic series of recent teen suicides has revealed the DELETERIOUS effects of bullying. The PREVALENCE of bullying in schools and on the internet has created the NOXIOUS environment for children and teenagers.

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20
Q

Decry

A

To put DOWN in the sense of openly condemning; to express strong disapproval;

During the 1920s, American novelists such as Sinclair Lewis DECRIED the era’s rampant materisalismand conformity;

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21
Q

Despondent, Morose

A

DOWNCAST; very dejected; FORLORN;

No character is as DESPONDENT as Eeyore if can’t even enjoy his own birthday! Luckily, his friends Pooh, Tigger, and Piglet help to ALLEVIATE his MOROSE mood.

22
Q

Denounce

A

To put DOWN in the sense of a making a formal accusation; to speak against;

The pages of history contain a number of inspiring examples of brave individuals who DENOUNCED corruption, tyranny, and moral abuses. William Lloyd Garrison DENOUNCED slavery, Rachel Carson DENOUNCED the use of chemical pesticides.

23
Q

Demise

A

Sent DOWN in the sense of ending in death; the cessarion of existence or activity;

What do dinosaurs and Whig Party have in common? Each met with the sudden and unexpected DEMISE. Paleontologists now believe that a giant asteroid struck the Earth about 65 million years ago, causing the DEMISE of dinosaurs. Historians point out that the Kansas - Nebraska Act of 1854 brought about the final DEMISE of Whig Party while at the same time sparking the rise of the Republican Party. Demise means literally “to send down”.

24
Q

Debunk

A

To put DOWN by exposing false and exaggerated claims.

Because public has always been fascinated by the lives of celebrities, publishers have made a fortune by capitalazing on this interest and producing maagzines and tabloids filled with LURID gossip and rumors. In the past celebrities have been helpless in DEBUNKING these rumors. However, today celebrities have found Twitter to be useful way to DEBUNK the myths and HEARSAY(rumors) about their lives.

25
Q

Deride, Derisive

A

To put DOWN with contemptuous jeering ; to ridicule or laugh at;

The long-running animated sitcom South Park is famous for its DERISIVE approach to all aspects of society, from the government to religions to celebrities like Tom Cruise, Kanye West etc. DERISION is not limited to the TV shows. New artistic styles have often been DERIDED by both the public and critics.

26
Q

Devoid

A

DOWN in the sense of being empty; completely lacking in substance or quality; BEREFT; vacant;

What is the worst movie you have ever seen? Why did you select this movie? You probably chose this film because it was DEVOID of humor, plot, and detect acting. Here is the list of movies that were panned by critics for being DEVOID of all redeeming value: Godzilla, Jack and Jill, Battlefield Earth etc.

27
Q

Prefixes:

  1. EX or E
  2. RE
  3. DE
  4. IM, IN and IR
  5. CIRCU
A
  1. tells you that that things are going out.
  2. tells you that things are coming again and again.
  3. tells you that things are headed down, down, down.
  4. all of them tell you No or Not.
  5. what goes around comes around
28
Q

Impeccable

A

Having NO flaws; perfect;

Do you open doors for your girlfriend and say “yes, sir”, or “yes, ma’am” when speaking to adults. If so, you are demonstrating IMPECCABLE manners. Do you complete your homework assignments in advance and study for all your tests? If so, you are demonstrating IMPECCABLE judgements.

29
Q

Implacable

A

NOT capable of being PLACATED or appeased;

In his quest to fight dor “truth, justice, and the American way,” Superman must defeat Lex Luther and other IMPLACABLE foes.

30
Q

Inexorable

A

NOT capable of being stopped; relentless; inevitable;

Although it was a luxury liner, the Titanic didn’t hvse the advanced warning systems that modern ships have today. The Titanic did have six lookout guards who stood in the crow’s nest and kept a VIGILANT (watchful, alert) lookut for passing icebergs that could endanger the ship. At 11:40 pm on April 15, 1912, Frederick Fleet suddenly spotted an iceberg directly in the ship’s path. Fleet urgently informed the bridge , and frantic officers oredered emergency maneuvers. But the ship was traveling too fast. It was on an INEXORABLE course to hit the iceberg. The Titanic sank 2 hours and 40 minutes adter Fleet’s fateful warning.

31
Q

Incoherent

A

NOT coherent and therefore lacking organization; lacking logical and meaningful connections.

One of the most INCOHERENT statements ever recorded wattured in 2007 by a contestant in the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The contestant was told that a recent poll showed that one-fifth of Americans cannot locate the United States on a map.

32
Q

Insurmountable

A

NOT capable of being surmounted or overcome;

Beginning in the 1850s, far-seeing American leaders dreamed of building a transcontinental railroad. But SKEPTICS argued that while the railroad was a worthy goal, it would face a series of INSURMOUNTABLE obstacles that included hostile Plains Indians and the towering , snow-colegged Sierra Nevada mountains.

33
Q

Irrelevant

A

Lacking proper respect or seriousness; disrespectful;

Even though they go to church every Sunday and pray at the dinner table before many meals, the TV Simpson family members are well-known for their IRRELEVANT jokes and witticisms.

34
Q

Irresolute

A

NOT RESOLUTE; uncertain how to act or proceed; INDECISIVE; VACILLATING.

Hamlet’s father’s ghost has assigned Hamlet the task of avenging his father’s murder. He knows that his uncle Claudius is the murderer, and the has plenty of opportunity, but since he is an IRRESOLUTE and MELANCHOLY(gloomy), character given to obsessive brooding, he tends to overanalyze the situation to such a degree that he cannot act.

35
Q

Circumspect

A

Looking carefully around - thus cautious and careful; PRUDENT; discreet

In Homer’s Odyssey, Penelope cautiously refuses to recognize the much-changed returned Odysseus until he describes their bed, which was built around an olive tere, its trunk functioning as one of the bedposts. No one but her husband would know this fact . Hearing this, the cautious and CIRCUMSPECT Penelope is persuaded of the stranger’s identity and joyfully welcome him home.

36
Q

Circuitous

A

CIRCULAR and therefore indirect in language, behavior, or action, roundabout.

In the movie National Treasure: Book of secrets, Benjamin Franklin Gates’ great-great grandfather is suddenly implicated as a key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln’s death. Determined to prove his ancestor’s innocence, Ben follows a chain of clues that leads him on a CIRCUITOUS chase that begins in Paris and then takes him to Buckingham Palace in London , the White House, a secret tunnel under Mount Vernon, the library of Congress, and finally Mount Rushmore. In this CIRCUITOUS journey Ben and his crew uncover a number of startling revelations and secrets.

37
Q

Circumscribe

A

To draw a line AROUND and therefore to narrowly limit or restrict actions

In Romeo and Juliet, although they live in very different times and places, all face restrictions that CIRCUMSCRIBE their freedom. Juliet wants to marry Romeo but can’t because her family CIRCUMSCRIBE her freedom by insisting she marry Count Paris.

38
Q

Magnanimous

A

Filled with generosity and forgiveness; forgoing resentment and revenge

On first glance, MAGNANIMOUS looks like a “big” and difficult SAT word. But looks can be deceiving. Let’s use our knowledge of prefixes, roots, and the suffixes -OUS to divide and conquer MAGNANIMOUS!

prefix -MAGNA means “big”;

root ANIM in latin means “breath” or soul;

The suffix -OUS means filled with or HAVING THE QUALITIES OF.

Literally means “filled with a great spirit” and therefore generous and forgiving.

Following Lee’s surrender at Appomatoxx, Grant MAGNANIMOUSLY allowed the Confederate officers to keep their side arms and permitted soldiers to keep personal horses and mules.

39
Q

Erroneous

A

Filled with errors; wrong.

Lil Wayne’s PENCHANT for tatoos is well known. However, three teardrops on his dace remain a source of controvoersy. Many believe that they represent people Lil Wayne has killed. This belief is ERRONEOUS and totally UNCORROBORATED(unsupported).

40
Q

Momentous

A

Filled with importance; very significant.

A MOMENTOUS occasion that will go down in the history books

In 1960 lunch counters throughout the South remained segregated. While moderates urged patience, Joe McNeil and three other black college students disagreed. Calling segregation “evil pure and simple,” the four students sat down at a Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina, and ordered coffee and apple pie. Although the waitress refused to serve them, the students remained STEADFAST(fixed, unswerving) in their determination to desegregate the dining area. Now known as the Greensboro Four, the students ultimately prevailed. The sit-in movement begun by the Greensboro Four had MOMENTOUS consequences. Just four years later, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 MANDATED(ordered) desegregation in all public places.

41
Q

Mellifluous

A

Smooth and sweet; flowing like money;

The latin roots MEL meaning “honey” and FLUUS meaning “flow” are the key to understanding MELLIFLUOUS.

MELLIFLUOUS literally “filled with flowing honey”

It almost always is used to describe singers who save weet-sounding voices. For example, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, and Usher are all renowned for their smooth, MELLIFLUOUS voices.

42
Q

Ominous

A

Filled with menace; threatening

An omen is a sign indicating that something good or bad will happen. The word OMINOUS is filled with bad omens that PORTEND (foretell) the iminent arrival of something what will be both menacing and threatening. For example, scientists warn tha melting glaciers, rising sea levels, and rising temperatures are all OMINOUS signs that global warming is getting worse at an alarming rate.

43
Q

Acrimonious

A

Filled with bitterness; sharpness in words; RANCOROUS;

What do the words ACRIMONIOUS, ACID, ACRID, and ACERBIC have in common?

All four are derived from the Proto-Indo-European root AK-, which means “to be sharp, to rise to a point, to pierce.” From that ancient source we get the Latin adjective ACER (masculine form), ACRIS (feminine), ACRE (neuter) meaning sharo, pungent, ACIDUS, meaning sharp and sour.

Celebrity divorcesoften degregate into ACRIMONIOUS contests over money and child custody. While the couples do not throw acid at each other, they often don’t hesitate to hurl ACRIMONIOUS accusations at their spouses.

44
Q

Copious

A

Filled with abundance; plentiful;

What do the Greek god Zeus, the Thanksgiving horn of plenty, the SAT word COPIOUS, and The Hunger Games have in common? According to Greek mythology, the cornucopia refers to the horn of a goat that nursed Zeus. The horn had supernatural powers and soon became a symbol of fertility and plenty. In America, cornucopia has come associated with the Thanskgiving harvest. The SAT word COPIOUS is derived from the Latin word COPIA meaning “plenty”, so COPIOUS means Cornucopia that contains COPIOUS amounts of weapons, food, medicine, and other survival equipment. When the Games begin, many of the tributes race to the Cornucopia to fight each other for the best supplies.

45
Q

Abstemious

A

Filled with moderation; TEMPERATE in eating and drinking

ABS in Latin prefix means “away or off”

For example, absent students are away from schoo. The Latin word TEMPETUM means an intoxicating drink. So if you are ABSTEMIOUS, you are filled with a desire to stay away from strong drinks. Today, an ABSTEMIOUS person can also be moderate or TEMPERATE in eating

46
Q

Malodorous

A

Filled with an unpleasant odor; foul-smelling

What do stink bugs and skunks have in common? Both can EMIT(give off) a MALODOROUS smell. If disturbed, stink bugs emit a liquid whose MALODOROUS smell is due to cyanide compounds. Skunks are notorious for their MALODOROUS scent glands, which of the odors of rotten eggs, garlic, and burnt rubber. The skunk’s MALODOROUS smell is a defensive weapon that repels predators and can be detected up to a mile away.

47
Q

Tedious

A

Filled with boredom; very tiresome; dull and fatiguing

Who do studying long lists of vocabulary words and taking practice tests have in common? Most students find these tasks very TEDIOUS. Direct Hits is designed to make studying vocabulary much less TEDIOUS.

48
Q

Heinous, Egregious

A

Flagrantly; conspiciously bad; abominable; shockingly evil; monstrous; outrageous.

HEINOUS crimes are those that are revolting to the average person, often referrred to as Crimes of Moral TURPITUDE (evil). Perhaps the most INFAMOUS (widely but unfavorably known) PERPETRATOR (person who commits a bad act) of HEINOUS acts was Adolf Hitler, the German Nazi implementer of the crimes of the Holoclaust.

EGREGIOUS acts are not quite as stunningly monstrous as to be HEINOUS, but they are still shockingly bad. Doping in sports is considered one of the most EGREGIOUS things an athlete can do, particularly at the Olympics. Athtletes can face public wrnings, sanctions, and even lifetime bans for the most EGREGIOUS cases. They can be sent home in disgrace and stripped of their Olympic medals.

49
Q

Gratuitous

A

Unwarranted; not called for by the circumstances; unnecessary

Artistic works, like movies or novels, are sometimes criticized for containing GRATUITOUS, or unnecessary, scenes that do not seem INTRINSIC (essential) to the work but seem to be included merely to TITILLATE (excite pleasurably) the audience or sell more tickets.

50
Q

Precarious, Perilous

A

Uncertain; characterized by a lack of security or stability.

Since the economic crash in 2008 many Americans have found themselves in a PRECARIOUS financial situation. For the first time student loan debt has SURPASSED(to go beyond) credit card debt, 40 percent of homes in the US, are now worth less than the mortgage debt, and the job market continues to be weak.

Direct Hits Vocabulary (9 decks)

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