SAT vocabulary 5/14/13

Question 1

quench

Answer 1

v. douse or extinguish; assuage or satisfy

No matter how much water the hiker drank, he could not QUENCH her thirst.

Question 2

querulous

Answer 2

adj. fretful; whining

Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act QUERULOUS if they miss their nap.

Question 3

query

Answer 3

n. inquiry; question

In her column “Ask Beth,” the columnist invites young readers to send her their QUERIES about life and love.

Question 4

quibble

Answer 4

n. minor objection or complaint
Aside from a few hundred teensy-weensy QUIBBLES about the set, the script, the actors, the director, the costumes, the lighting, and the props, the hypercritical critc loved the play.

Question 5

quiescent

Answer 5

adj. at rest; dormant temporarily inactive
After the massive eruption, fear of Mount Etna was great; people did not return to cultivate the rich hillside lands until the volcano had been QUIESCENT for a full two years.

Question 6

quietude

Answer 6

n. tranquility

He was impressed by the air of QUIETUDE and peace that pervaded the valley.

Question 7

quintessence

Answer 7

n. purest and highest embodiment

Gandhi maintained that to befriend someone who regards himself as your enemy is the QUINTESSENCE of true religion.

Question 8

quip

Answer 8

n. taunt

You are unpopular because you are too free with your QUIPS and sarcastic comments.

Question 9

quirk

Answer 9

n. startling twist; caprice

By QUIRK of fate, he found himself working for the man whom he had discharged years before.

Question 10

quiver

Answer 10

v. tremble;shake

The bird dog’s nose twitched and his whiskers QUIVERED as he strained eagerly against the leash.

Question 11

quiver

Answer 11

n. case for arrows

Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his QUIVER.

Question 12

quixotic

Answer 12

adj. idealistic but impractical
Constantly coming up with QUIXOTIC, unworkable schemes to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place but his head somewhere in the clouds.

Question 13

quizzical

Answer 13

adj. teasing; bantering; mocking; curious
When the skinny teenager tripped over his own feet stepping into the bullpen, Coach raised one QUIZZICAL eyebrow, shook his head and said, “Okay, kid. You’re here, let’s see what you’ve got.

Question 14

quorum

Answer 14

n. number of members necessary to conduct a meeting

The senator asked for a roll call to determine whether a QUORUM was present.

Question 15

rabid

Answer 15

adj. like a fanatic; furious

He was a RABID follower of the Dodgers and watched them play whenever he could go to the ballpark.

Question 16

raconteur

Answer 16

n. storyteller

My father was a gifted RACONTEUR with an unlimited supply of a anecdotes.

Question 17

rail

Answer 17

v. scold; rant

You may RAIL at him all you want; you will never change him.

Question 18

raiment

Answer 18

n. clothing

“How can I go to the ball?” asked Cinderella. “I have no RAIMENT fit to wear.”

Question 19

ramble

Answer 19

v. wander aimlessly (physically or mentally)

Listening to the teacher RAMBLE, Judy wandered whether he’d ever get to his point.

Question 20

ramification

Answer 20

n. branching out; subdivision

We must examine all the RAMIFICATIONS of this problem.

Question 21

ramify

Answer 21

v. divide into branches or subdivisions

When the plant begins to RAMIFY, it is advisable to nip off most of the new branches.

Question 22

rampant

Answer 22

adj. growing in profusion; unrestrained

The RAMPANT weeds in the garden choked the flowers until they died.

Question 23

ramshackle

Answer 23

adj. rickety; falling apart

The boys propped up the RAMSHACKLE clubhouse with a couple of boards.

Question 24

rancid

Answer 24

adj. having the odor of stale fat

The RANCID odor filling the ship’s galley nauseated the crew.

Question 25

rancor

Answer 25

n. bitterness; hatred

Thirty years after the war, she could not let go of the past but was still consumed with RANCOR against the foe.

Question 26

rankle

Answer 26

v. irritate; fester

The memory of having been jilted RANKLED him for years.

Question 27

rapacious

Answer 27

adj. excessively greedy; predatory

The RAPACIOUS brigands stripped the villagers of all their possessions.

Question 28

rapport

Answer 28

n. emotional closeness; harmony

In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in the group have good RAPPORT with one another.

Question 29

rapt

Answer 29

adj. absorbed; enchanted

Caught up in the wonder of the storyteller’s tale, the RAPT listeners sat motionless, hanging on his every word.

Question 30

rarefied

Answer 30

adj. made less dense [of a gas].

The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the RAREFIED atmosphere.

Question 31

raspy

Answer 31

adj. grating; harsh

The sergeant’s RASPY voice grated on the recruits’ ear.

Question 32

ratify

Answer 32

v. approve formally; confirm; verify

Party leaders doubted that they had enough votes in both houses of Congress to RATIFY the constitutional amendment.