Semester 2 Vocabulary Flashcards
Mr. Gilmore wants his students to become not only successful, but also __________. After all, the best part of success is selflessly sharing it with others.
altruistic (adj) Selfless, unselfish
Noun form = altruism
Christian learned that staying up all night can have a __________ effect on your exam grades. Unable to focus, he failed every subject.
detrimental (adj)
negative, injurious, harmful causing harm or injury
noun form = detriment
During the Ebola outbreak, many doctors and nurses placed themselves in harm’s way to help patients. Refusing to think of themselves, they proved to be some of the most __________ people alive.
altruistic (adj)
Selfless, unselfish
Noun form = altruism
Mr. Gilmore tries to __________ the impact of technology on his students’ attention span by asking that phones be put away.
mitigate (verb) reduce, diminish, lessen, take the edge off noun form = mitigation
Many scientists argue that, in order to __________ the effect of climate change, it’s important to act now rather than later.
mitigate (verb) reduce, diminish, lessen, take the edge off
noun form = mitigation
Jason was snowmobiling in the woods when, in his __________ vision, he glimpsed a monstrous bear charging at him. He turned toward it just in time to scream as it leaped atop him.
peripheral (adjective) Meaning A Meaning A: on or near an edge Meaning B: irrelevant, minor, unimportant noun form = periphery
Ava argued to Mr. Gilmore that her quiz score was low because she had a stomach ache. “That’s a __________ issue, Ava,” Mr. Gilmore replied. “The real problem is that you slept through the entire quiz.”
peripheral (adjective) Meaning B Meaning A: on or near an edge Meaning B: irrelevant, minor, unimportant noun form = periphery
After major wars, many countries erect statues and monuments to __________ the memory of fallen soldiers.
perpetuate (verb) keep (something) alive, keep (something) going, preserve (something), cause (something) to continue or prevail
After the Civil War, Jim Crow laws - designed to limit the rights of African Americans - __________ the conditions that former slaves lived in.
perpetuated (verb) keep (something) alive, keep (something) going, preserve (something), cause (something) to continue or prevail
“Dan, are you awake?” Mr. Gilmore asked. Dan lifted his head from his desk and gave Mr. Gilmore a __________ nod. “Yeah, sorry. I’m just tired.”
sluggish (adj) slow, lazy, lethargic, unenergetic adverb form = sluggishly
“If I see one more phone,” Mr. Gilmore began, his tone __________, “I will confiscate it and grind it beneath my heel.”
terse (adj) brusque, abrupt, blunt, short Often said in a brief, commanding sort of way that suggests the speaker is a bit pissed off or impatient. adverb form = tersely (similar to brusquely, shortly)
Tired of Gilmore’s constant verbal attacks, Charles issued a him a __________ warning. “You need to stop messing with me,” he said. “I am DONE.”
terse (adj) brusque, abrupt, blunt, short Often said in a brief, commanding sort of way that suggests the speaker is a bit pissed off or impatient. adverb form = tersely (similar to brusquely, shortly)
The standoff between Iran and the United states was undoubtedly tense, and the whole world watched the __________ situation with held breath.
volatile (adj) unpredictable, unstable, tense, in turmoil, volcanic, back-and-forth noun form = volatility
Phil was one of Mr. Gilmore’s most __________ students. One day he would laugh at his teacher’s jokes, and the next he would jump kick the poor Mr. Gilmore in the face.
volatile (adj) unpredictable, unstable, tense, in turmoil, volcanic (explosive), back-and-forth noun form = volatility
Shay had a penchant for breaking out into song halfway through class. Though some thought it odd, her classmates thought it was an entertaining __________.
idiosyncrasy (noun) plural = idiosyncrasies. an odd personal trait, quirk, peculiarity, eccentricity, oddity, adjective form = idiosyncratic
One of Mr. gilmore’s most visible __________ is the way he procrastinates in getting a haircut. His hair is far too long, but his shabby looks are one of the things that make him unique!
idiosyncrasies (noun) singular = idiosyncrasy an odd personal trait, quirk, peculiarity, eccentricity, oddity, adjective form = idiosyncratic
When faced with an impossible exam, some students resort to __________ to get by. Sneakily marking the answers on their forearms or on the bottom of their shoes, they avoid detection and succeed.
guile (noun) Sneakiness, cleverness, cunning, craftiness, slyness, deception
One of the most enjoyable parts of teaching is the ongoing battle of wits between honest teacher and sneaky student. The greatest opponents Mr. Gilmore faces are those who possess ______, for it is a challenge to catch them in the act of misbehaving.
guile (noun) Sneakiness, cleverness, cunning, craftiness, slyness, deception
Mr. Gilmore knows just how much his students look up to him because he is a trend setter. After he began wearing flannel every Friday, his students started to __________ him. Before long, everyone celebrated Flannel Friday.
emulate (verb) mimic, imitate, copy, take as an example
Some gamers don’t own a particular console, so they use a computer to _________ it. The computer imitates the console and they can play whatever game they choose.
emulate (verb) mimic, imitate, copy, take as an example
There is great __________ in Congress regarding whether or not to impeach the president.
dissent (noun) disagreement, difference of opinion, argument, debate Connotation: Dissent is often used to describe unfriendly disagreement, but sometimes the disagreement can be friendly
In this class, we practice listening to differing opinions during Socratic without becoming defensive or frustrated with one another. In this way, we learn to tolerate __________.
dissent (noun) disagreement, difference of opinion, argument, debate Connotation: Dissent is often used to describe unfriendly disagreement, but sometimes the disagreement can be friendly
Last summer, when I was camping, we placed our tent too close to the fire and a stray spark landed on it. In moments, the entire camp was afire. The __________ spread through the woods, forcing everyone to evacuate.
conflagration (noun) an uncontrolled fire, an inferno, a firestorm
Relax! You’re doing well!
Seriously, nerd. Chill out. Everything’s fine!
Whenever I have a headache, I take painkillers to _______________ my pain.
Alleviate (verb)
to lessen or MITIGATE suffering/a problem
When Mr. Gilmore was in school, the primary reason he underperformed in classes was because he was disorganized.
To _______________ the issue, his teachers forced him to carry everything in a binder. Once he stopped losing work, his grades rose.
Alleviate (verb)
to lessen or MITIGATE suffering/a problem
Charles sometimes grew frustrated with the scatterbrained Mr. Gilmore because his expectations were so very unclear. When Charles compared his paper to Charlotte’s, the difference was _______________, but the papers had earned very different grades.
Ambiguous (adj).
Unclear or inexact. Uncertain.
One of the hardest parts of growing up is realizing that the world is far less simple than you once believed it to be. Right and wrong aren’t as clear as the difference between black and white, and the “right thing” can sometimes be _______________.
Ambiguous (adj).
Unclear or inexact. Uncertain.
