SAT - P's

Question 1

Pacifist

Answer 1

N. one opposed to forcel antimillitarist.

During the war, though the pacfists refused to bear arms, they nevertheless served in the front lines as ambulance drivers and medical corpsmen.

Question 2

Pariah

Answer 2

N. social outcast.

If everyone ostracized singer Mariah Carey, would she then be Mariah the pariah?

Question 3

Parody

Answer 3

N. humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty.

The show Forbidden Broadway presents parodies spoofing the year’s new productions playing on Broadway.

Question 4

Parsimony

Answer 4

N. stinginess; excessive frugality.

Furious because her father wouldn’t let her buy out the clothing store, Annie was accused of parsimony.

Question 5

Partisan

Answer 5

Adj. one-sided; prejudiced; commited to a party.

On certain isues of principle, she refused to take a partisan stand, but let her conscience be her guide.

Question 6

Paucity

Answer 6

N. scarcity.

They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it uneconomical to operate.

Question 7

Penury

Answer 7

N. severe poverty; stinginess.

When his pension fund failed, George feared that he would end his days in penury.

Question 8

Perfunctory

Answer 8

Adj. superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm.

The auditor’s perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors.

Question 9

Peripheral

Answer 9

Adj. marginal; outer.

We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.

Periphery, N.

Question 10

Pernicious

Answer 10

Adj. very destructive.

Crack cocaine has had pernicious effects on urban society; it has destroyed families, turned children into drug dealers, and increased the spread of violent crimes.

Question 11

Perpetuate

Answer 11

V. making something last; preserve from extinction.

Some critics attack The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because they believe Twain’s book perpetuates a false image of Blacks in this country.

Question 12

Pervasive

Answer 12

Adj. pervading; spread throughout every part.

Despite airing them for several hours, Martha could not get rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothballs that clung to them.

Pervade, V.

Question 13

Pessimism

Answer 13

N. belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess.

Considering how well you have done in your course so far, you have no real rason for such pessimism about your final grade.

Question 14

Phenomena

Answer 14

N. observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation.

We kept careful records of the phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.

Question 15

Philanthropist

Answer 15

N. lover of mankind; doer of good.

In his role as philanthropist and public benefactor, John D. Rockerfeller, Sr., donated millions to charity; as an individual, however, he was a tight-fisted old man.

Question 16

Piety

Answer 16

N. religious devotion, godliness.

The nuns in the convent were noted for this piety; they spent their days in worship and prayer.

Pious, Adj.

Question 17

Pitfall

Answer 17

N. hidden danger; concealed trap.

Her parents warned young Sophie against the many pitfalls that lay in wait for her in the dangerous big city.

Question 18

Pithy

Answer 18

Adj. concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty.

While other girls might have gone on and on about how uncool Elton was, Liz summed it up in one pithy remark: “He’s bogus!”

Question 19

Placate

Answer 19

V. pacify; conciliate.

The store manager tried to placate the angry customer; offering to replace the damaged merchandise or to give back her money right away.

Question 20

Polemical

Answer 20

Adj. aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious.

Lexy was a master of polemical rhetoric; she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan “Born to Debate.”

Question 21

Ponderous

Answer 21

Adj. weighty; unwieldy.

His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous.

Question 22

Pragmatic

Answer 22

Adj. practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something.

This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value of my conversational French class.

Question 23

Prattle

Answer 23

V. babble.

Baby John prattled on and on about the cats and his ball and the Cookie Monster.

Question 24

Precarious

Answer 24

Adj. uncertain; risky.

Saying the stock would be a precarious investment, the broker advised her client against purchasing it.

Question 25

Preclude

Answer 25

V. make impossible; eliminate.

The fact that the band was already booked to play in Hollywood in New Year’s Eve precluded their accepting in New Year’s Eve gig in London they were offered.

Question 26

Precocious

Answer 26

Adj. advanced in development.

Listening to the grown-up way the child discussed serious topics, we couldn’t help remarking how precocious she was.

Precocity, N.

Question 27

Predator

Answer 27

N. creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others.

Not just cats, but a wide variety of predators–owls, hawks, weasels, foxes—catch mice for dinner.

Question 28

Predecessor

Answer 28

N. former occupant of a post.

I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my late predecessor in this office.

Question 29

Presumptuous

Answer 29

Adj. overconfident; impertinently bold; taking liberties.

Matilda thought that it was somewhat presumptuous of the young man to have addressed her without first having been introduced.

Question 30

Pretentious

Answer 30

Adj. ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly amibitous.

None of the other prize winners are wearing their medals; isn’t it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours.

Question 31

Prevalent

Answer 31

Adj. widespread; generally accepted.

A radical committed to social change, Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.

Question 32

Prodigal

Answer 32

Adj. wasteful; reckless with money.

Don’t be so prodigal spending my money; when you’ve earned some money yourself, you can waste it as much as you want!

Also N.

Question 33

Profane

Answer 33

V. violate; desecrate; treat unworthily.

The members of the mysterious Far Eastern cult sought to kill the British explorer because he had profaned the sanctity of their holy goblet by using it as an ashtray.

Also, Adj.

Question 34

Profligate

Answer 34

Adj. dissipated; wasteful; wildly immortal.

Although surrounded by wild and profligate companions, she neverthless managed to retain some sense of decency.

Question 35

Profound

Answer 35

Adj. deep; not superficial; complete.

Freud’s remarkarble insight into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound thinker.

Profoundity, N.

Question 36

Profusion

Answer 36

N. overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess.

Freddy was so overwhelmed by the profusion of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked the host.

Question 37

Proliferation

Answer 37

N. rapid growth; spread; multiplication.

Times of economic hardship inevitably encourage the proliferation of countless get rich-quick schemes.

Proliferate, V.

Question 38

Prolific

Answer 38

Adj. abundantly fruitful.

My editors must assume I’m a prolific writer; they expect me to revise six books this year!

Question 39

Provincial

Answer 39

Adj. pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated.

As provincial governor, Sir Henry administrated the Queen’s law in his remote coner of Canada.

Question 40

Proximity

Answer 40

N. nearness.

Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the proximity of objects around them.

Question 41

Prudent

Answer 41

Adj. cautious; careful.

A miser hoards money not because he is prudent, but because he is greedy.

Prudence, N.