SAT II

Question 0

Balk

Answer 0

(v) to stop/block abruptly

Edna’s boss balked at her request for another raise.

Question 1

Abase

Answer 1

(v) to humiliate/degrade

After being overthrown and abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down at his conqueror

Question 2

Cadence

Answer 2

(n) a rhythm, progression of sound

The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize the cadence of the Sonata

Question 3

Dearth

Answer 3

(n) a lack, scarcity

An eager reader, she was dismayed by the dearth of classic books at the library.

Question 4

Ebullient

Answer 4

(adj) extremely lively, enthusiastic

She became ebullient upon receiving an acceptance letter from first-choice college.

Question 5

Fallacious

Answer 5

(adj) incorrect, misleading

Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked

Question 6

Garish

Answer 6

(adj) gaudy, in bad taste

Mrs. Watson has poor taste and covers every object in her house with a garish gold lame.

Question 7

Hapless

Answer 7

(adj) unlucky

My poor, hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week for a holiday

Question 8

Idolatrous

Answer 8

(adj) excessively worshipping one object or person

Some Exo fans are idolatrous towards Exo, deeming them flawless.

Question 9

Judicious

Answer 9

(adj) having or exercising sound judgment

When the judicious king decided to compromise rather send his army to a certain death, he was applauded.

Question 10

Knell

Answer 10

(n) the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death

Echoing throughout our village, the funeral knell made the stormy day even more grim.

Question 11

Laceration

Answer 11

(n) a cut, tear

Because he fell off his bike into a rosebush, the paperboy’s skin was filled with lacerations

Question 12

Maelstrom

Answer 12

(n) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects

Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.

Question 13

Nadir

Answer 13

(n) the lowest point of something

My day was boring, but the nadir came when I accidentally spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head.

Question 14

Obdurate

Answer 14

(adj) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences

The obdurate old man refused to take pity on the kittens.

Question 15

Pallid

Answer 15

(adj) lacking colour

Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of blood.

Question 16

Pejorative

Answer 16

(adj) derogatory, uncomplimentary

An international scandal ensued after a famous senator made pejorative comments towards the Emir of Qatar.

Question 17

Quandary

Answer 17

(adj) a perplexed, unresolvable state

Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he choose mint chocolate or vanilla?

Question 18

Rancid

Answer 18

(adj) having a terrible taste or smell

Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad sandwhich.

Question 19

Sagacity

Answer 19

(n) shrewdness, soundness of perspective

With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children’a evil plans.

Question 20

Tacit

Answer 20

(adj) expressed without words

I interpreted my parents’ refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.

Question 21

Umbrage

Answer 21

(n) a resentment, offense

He called me a lily-livered coward and I took the umbrage as an insult.

Question 22

Vacillate

Answer 22

(v) To fluctuate, hesitate

I prefer a definite answer but my boss kept vacillating between the distinct options available to us.

Question 23

Wily

Answer 23

(adj) crafty, sly

Though they were not the strongest of the Thundercats, wily Kit and Kat were definitely the most clever and full of tricks.

Question 24

Yoke

Answer 24

(v) To join, link

We yoked together the logs by tying a string around them.

Question 25

Petulance

Answer 25

(n) rudeness, irritability

The Nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance.

Question 26

Diaphanous

Answer 26

(adj) light, airy, transparent

Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains, brightening the room.

Question 27

Equivocal

Answer 27

(adj) ambiguous, uncertain, undecided

His intentions were so equivocal that I didn’t know whether he was being chivalrous or sleazy.

Question 28

Eschew

Answer 28

(v) to shun, avoid

George hates the colour green so much that he eschews all green food,

Question 29

Exigent

Answer 29

(adj) urgent, critical

The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his eyesight.