STAAR 2 VOCAB

Question 1

parable

Answer 1

a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.
“the parable of the blind men and the elephant”

Question 2

impromptu

Answer 2

done without being planned, organized, or rehearsed.
“an impromptu press conference”

Question 3

vagrant

Answer 3

a person without a settled home or regular work who wanders from place to place and lives by begging.

Question 3

alumni

Answer 3

• a graduate or former student of a particular school, college, or university.
  “a Harvard alumnus”
• a former member of a group, company, or organization.
  “a Royal Ballet alumnus”

Question 4

culpable

Answer 4

deserving blame.
“mercy killings are less culpable than ‘ordinary’ murders”

Question 5

p

conhesion

Answer 5

the action or fact of forming a united whole.
“the work at present lacks cohesion”

Question 5

dissident

Answer 5

• a person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state.
  “a dissident who had been jailed by a military regime”
• a person who strongly disagrees with and publicly criticizes a government or the official rulings of a group or organization

Question 6

platitude

Answer 6

a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful/cliche
“he masks his disdain for her with platitudes about how she should believe in herself more”

Question 6

personify

Answer 6

represent (a quality or concept) by a figure in human form.
“public pageants and dramas in which virtues and vices were personified”
* attribute a personal nature or human characteristics to (something non-human).
“in the poem the oak trees are personified”

Question 6

euphonious

Answer 6

(of sound, especially speech) pleasing to the ear.
“a stream of fine, euphonious phrases”

Question 7

appraise

Answer 7

• assess the value or quality of.
  “there is a need to appraise existing techniques”
• to judge the quality, success, or needs of someone or something
• to estimate the monetary value of; determine the worth of; assess

Question 7

itemize

Answer 7

present as a list of individual items.
“I have itemized the morning’s tasks”
break down (a whole) into its constituent parts.
“an itemized bill”

Question 7

fore

Answer 7

situated or placed in front.
“the fore and hind pairs of wings”

Question 7

gild

Answer 7

cover thinly with gold.
“in 1436 he gilded and painted statues for Bruges Town Hall”

Question 8

reproach

Answer 8

• express to (someone) one’s disapproval of or disappointment in their actions.
  “critics reproached him for his failure to tackle the deficiency”

Question 8

amid

Answer 8

• surrounded by; in the middle of.
  “our dream home, set amid magnificent rolling countryside”
• in an atmosphere or against a background of.
  “talks broke down amid accusations of a hostile takeover bid

Question 9

via

Answer 9

travelling through (a place) en route to a destination.
“they came to Europe via Turkey”
* by way of; through.
“most people buy a home with a mortgage via a building society”
* by means of.
“a file sent via electronic mail

Question 10

unto

Answer 10

• archaic term for to.
  “do unto others as you would have them do unto you”
• .
  archaic term for until.
  “marriage was forever—unto death”

Question 11

curator

Answer 11

a keeper or custodian of a museum or other collection.
“the curator of drawings at the National Gallery”

Question 11

memoir

Answer 11

a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge.
“in 1924 she published a short memoir of her husband”

Question 12

epitaph

Answer 12

a phrase or form of words written in memory of a person who has died, especially as an inscription on a tombstone.

Question 13

obsolete

Answer 13

no longer produced or used; out of date.
“the disposal of old and obsolete machinery

Question 13

digitize

Answer 13

convert (pictures, text, or sound) into a digital form that can be processed by a computer.
“the museum has used a grant to digitize its manuscript collection”
adapt (a system, process, etc.) to be operated with the use of computers and the internet.
“shippers were forced to digitize every area of their business as fast as possible”

Question 13

secluded

Answer 13

(of a place) not seen or visited by many people; sheltered and private.
“the gardens are quiet and secluded”

Question 13

reiterate

Answer 13

say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis or clarity.
“she reiterated that the government would remain steadfast in its support”

Question 14

assess

Answer 14

evaluate or estimate the nature, ability, or quality of.
“the committee must assess the relative importance of the issues”

Question 15

custodian

Answer 15

a person who has responsibility for taking care of or protecting something.
“the custodians of pension and insurance funds”