SAT WORDS 5

Question 1

aspersion

Answer 1

(n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast
aspersions on each others’ integrity.)

Question 2

aspire

Answer 2

(v. ) to long for, aim toward (The young poet aspires to publish a book of verse
someday. )

Question 3

assail

Answer 3

(v.) to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor.)

Question 4

assess

Answer 4

(v.) to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash.)

Question 5

assiduous

Answer 5

(adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the
skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor.)

Question 6

assuage

Answer 6

(v.) to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears.)

Question 7

astute

Answer 7

(adj.) very clever, crafty (Much of Roger’s success in politics results from his
ability to provide astute answers to reporters’ questions.)

Question 8

asylum

Answer 8

1. (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary (For Thoreau, the forest served
   as an asylum from the pressures of urban life.) 2. (n.) an institution in which the
   insane are kept (Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an
   asylum.)

Question 9

atone

Answer 9

(v.) to repent, make amends (The man atoned for forgetting his wife’s birthday
by buying her five dozen roses.)

Question 10

atrophy

Answer 10

(v.) to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will
soon atrophy and die.)

Question 11

attain

Answer 11

(v. ) to achieve, arrive at (The athletes strived to attain their best times in
competition. )

Question 12

attribute

Answer 12

1. (v.) to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother’s undying
   encouragement.) 2. (n.) a facet or trait (Among the beetle’s most peculiar attributes is
   its thorny protruding eyes.)

Question 13

atypical

Answer 13

(adj.) not typical, unusual (Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior.)

Question 14

audacious

Answer 14

(adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan’s
audacious attempt to offer him a bribe.)

Question 15

audible

Answer 15

(adj. ) able to be heard (The missing person’s shouts were unfortunately not
audible. )

Question 16

augment

Answer 16

(v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of
French vocabulary by reading French literature.)

Question 17

auspicious

Answer 17

(adj.) favorable, indicative of good things (The tennis player considered the
sunny forecast an auspicious sign that she would win her match.)

Question 18

austere

Answer 18

(adj.) very bare, bleak (The austere furniture inside the abandoned house made
the place feel haunted.)

Question 19

avarice

Answer 19

(n.) excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass a tremendous
personal fortune.)

Question 20

avenge

Answer 20

(v.) to seek revenge (The victims will take justice into their own hands and
strive to avenge themselves against the men who robbed them.)

Question 21

aversion

Answer 21

(n.) a particular dislike for something (Because he’s from Hawaii, Ben has an
aversion to autumn, winter, and cold climates in general.)