SAT

Question 1

ambivalence

\am-ˈbi-və-lən(t)s\

Answer 1

the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes

Torn between loving her parents one minutes and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.

Question 2

apathy

\ˈa-pə-thē\

Answer 2

lack of caring; indifference

A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote.

Question 3

anarchist

\ˈa-nər-kist\

Answer 3

people who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority

Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our government, not to destroy it entirely.

Question 4

ambiguous

Answer 4

unclear or doubtful in meaning

His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.

Question 5

alleviate

Answer 5

relieve

This should alleviate the pain; if it is not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.

Question 6

altruistic

\ˈal-trü-ˌi-stic\

Answer 6

unselfshy generous; concerned for others

In providing college scholarships for economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed.

Question 7

arbitrary

Answer 7

capricious, randomly chosen, tyrannical

Tom’s arbitrary dismissal angered him; his boss had no reason to fire him.

Question 8

ascendancy

\ə-ˈsen-dən(t)-sē\

Answer 8

controlling influence; domination

Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancy over their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing.

Question 9

articulate

Answer 9

effective; distinct

Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.

Question 10

autonomous

\ȯ-ˈtä-nə-məs\

Answer 10

self-governing, autonomy

Although University of California at Berkeley is just one part of state university system, in many ways Cal Berkeley is autonomous, for it runs several programs that are not subject to outside control.

Question 11

belie

\bi-ˈlī\

Answer 11

contract; give a false impression

His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his inner sensitively.

Question 12

acclaim

Answer 12

applaud; announce with great approval

The NBC sportscasters acclaimed every American victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat.

Question 13

abridge

Answer 13

condense or shorten

Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorted version of War and Peace, they proceed to abridge the novel.

Question 14

abstract

Answer 14

theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational

To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

Question 15

adulation

\ˌa-jə-ˈlā-shən\

Answer 15

flattery; admiration

The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men.

Question 16

adversary

Answer 16

opponent

The young wrestler struggled to defeat his adversary.

Question 17

adversity

Answer 17

poverty; misfortune

We must lean to meet adversity gracefully

Question 18

advocate

Answer 18

urge; plead for

The abolitionists advocated freedom for the salves.

Question 19

aesthetic

\es-ˈthe-tik\

Answer 19

artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful

The beauty of Tiffany’s stained glass appealed to Esther’s aesthetic sense.

Question 20

affirmation

Answer 20

to take an oath

Despite Tom’s affirmation of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

Question 21

benevolent

/bəˈnevələnt/

Answer 21

adj. generous; charitable

Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer who wished to make Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees.

Question 22

cajole

/kəˈjōl/

Answer 22

v, coax; wheedle

Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car.

Question 23

brevity

\ˈbre-və-tē\

Answer 23

n. conciseness

Brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.

Question 24

capricious

\kə-ˈpri-shəs\

Answer 24

adj. unpredictable; fickle

The storm was capricious; it changed course constantly.

Question 25

astute \ə-ˈstüt\

Answer 25

adj. wise; shrewd; keen The painter was an astute observer, noticing every tiny detail of her model's appearance.

Question 26

ascetic \ə-ˈse-tik\

Answer 26

adj. practicing self-denial; austere. also n. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders.

Question 27

austere \ȯ-ˈstir also -ˈster\

Answer 27

adj. forbiddingly stern; severely simple; morally strict The headmaster's austere demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly.

Question 28

conflagration \ˌkän-flə-ˈgrā-shən\

Answer 28

n. great fire In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed

Question 29

condone \kən-ˈdōn\

Answer 29

v. overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse Unlike Widow Douglass, who condoned Huck's minor offenses, Miss Watson did nothing by scold.

Question 30

concise \kən-ˈsīs\

Answer 30

adj. brief and compact. When you define a new word, be concise; the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.

Question 31

criterion \krī-ˈtir-ē-ən also krə-\

Answer 31

n. standard used in judging. What criterion did you use when you elected this essay as the prizewinner?

Question 32

conviction

Answer 32

n, judgement that someone is guilty of crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for murder did not shake Peter's conviction that Herriet was innocent of the crime.

Question 33

credulity \kri-ˈdü-lə-tē,\

Answer 33

n. belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivete Con artists take advantage of the credulity of inexperienced investors to swindle them out of their savings.

Question 34

corroborate \kə-ˈrä-bə-ˌrāt\

Answer 34

v. confirm; support Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story, Aunt Polly knew better than to believe either of them.

Question 35

censorious \sen-ˈsȯr-ē-əs\

Answer 35

adj. critical Censorious people delight in casting blame.

Question 36

censure \ˈsen(t)-shər\

Answer 36

v. blame; criticize The senator was censured for behavior inappropriate to member of Congress.

Question 37

coercion \-ˈkər-zhən, -shən\

Answer 37

n. use of force to get someone to obey. The inquisitors used both physical and psychological coercion to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God.

Question 38

conciliatory \kən-ˈsi-lē-ˌātori\

Answer 38

adj. reconciling; soothing She was still angry despite his conciliatory words.

Question 39

compliance

Answer 39

n. readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements Bullheaded Bill was not noted for easy compliance with the demands of others.

Question 40

commemorate \kə-ˈme-mə-ˌrāt\

Answer 40

v. honor the memory of The statue of the Minute Man commemorates the valiant soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Question 41

deprecate \ˈde-pri-ˌkāt\

Answer 41

v. express disapproval of; protest against; belittle A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.

Question 42

deride

Answer 42

v. ridicule; make fun of. derision, n. The critics derided this pretentious dialogue and refused to consider this play seriously.

Question 43

decorum \di-ˈkȯr-əm\

Answer 43

n. propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners. decorous, adj. Even the best-mannered students have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school.

Question 44

delineate \di-ˈli-nē-ˌāt, dē-\

Answer 44

n portray He is a powerful storyteller, but he is weakest when he attempts to delineate character.

Question 45

denounce

Answer 45

v. condemn; criticize. denunciation, n. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust.

Question 46

consensus

Answer 46

n. general agreement. The consensus indicates that we are opposed to entering into this pact.

Question 47

constraint

Answer 47

n. compulsion; repression of feelings. constrain, v. There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker.

Question 48

contentious \kən-ˈten(t)-shəs\

Answer 48

adj. quarrelsome; likely to cause people to argue or disagree Disagreeing violently with the referees' ruling, the coach became so contentious that they threw him out of the game.

Question 49

cursory

Answer 49

adj. casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's cause.

Question 50

cryptic

Answer 50

adj. mysterious; hidden; secret. Thoroughly baffled by Holmes's cryptic remarks, Watson wondered whether Holmes was intentionally concealing his thoughts about the crime.