Sat vocabulary

Vocabulary - SAT Words1. Calamity

2. Servile

3. Assiduous

4. Benign

5. Temerity

6. sagacious

7. contemptuous

8. abhor

9. bemuse

10.embi9ered

11.surrep::ously12.pathos13.unabashed14.harma:a

15.succumb

31.patronize32.preten:ous33.haughty34.vivacious35. juxtapose36.exacerbate37. banality38. debase39. ephemeral

40. forlorn41. insinuate42. boisterous43. emulate

44. bamboozle

45. berate

16.hubris17.fas:dious18.asyndeton19.stagnate20.polysyndeton21.vindic:ve22.ethos23.catharsis24.rouse25.keen26. allusion27. gregarious28.mo:f

29.callous30.compensate

46.precocious47.resilient48.placate49.irresolute

calamity

It is an understatement to call the earthquake in Chile a tragic event; it is nothing short of a complete calamity.

an event causing great and o:en sudden damage or distress;

disaster (n.)

1

Immediately a:er calami>es, as countries suffer from the shocks of inadequate resources, they are more likely to succumb to servility as other countries come to their aid.

excessive willingness to please or serve others; overly submissive (adj.)

servile2

assiduous

“Beyonce dances very assiduously in the ‘bootylicious’ video” (wiki.answers.com).

showing great care and perseverance; diligent, persistent, hard-working (adj.)

3

benign

The stranger was far less malignant than he appeared, and turned out to be rather benign.

gentle, harmless (adj.)

4

temerityWith temerity, she swaggered up to the man on the bench, whispered in his ear, “Could you please stop staring at me,” and walked off.

excessive confidence or boldness; audacity, recklessness, fearlessness (n.)

5

A lack of beauty and a shortage of sagacious mentors oppressed Pecola in The Bluest Eye.

showing good judgment; wise, shrewd (adj.)

sagacious6

Our illness is treated with contempt; we are made to feel guilty for inconveniencing others with our sickness.

showing a lack of respect; scornful, disdainful (adj.)

contemptuous7

Being despised by the masses makes it difficult not to succumb to self‐abhorrence; in Pecola’s case, it was nearly impossible.

regard with disgust and hatred;loathe, detest (v.)

abhor8

I try to understand the plot, but each new page bemuses me more than the last.

to puzzle; confuse; bewilder (v.)

bemuse9

Pecola could have been embittered by her fatherʼs seduction--this would be expected--but she only longed to feel beautiful and desired.

resentful; scornful (adj.)

embittered10

Like a child sneaking out of the house, he left the hotel surreptitiously, knowing what he had done was wrong.

doing something secretly because it would be not be approved of (adv.)

surreptitiously11

Through pathos, Morrison gets the reader to understand African-Americans better and to sympathize with their experience.

an appeal to the audienceʼs emotions; hoping to feel what the author feels (n.)

pathos12

Remaining unabashed, Claudia asked--or insisted--that Frieda tell her about the experience with Mr. Henry.

not embarrassed or ashamed (adj.)

unabashed13

Pecolaʼs hamartia was her inability to love herself; she could not find beauty underneath her blackness.

the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist (n.)

hamartia14

All the teachers have been forced to succumb--even the strongest among us--to ICC week.

to give in to someone or something; fail to resist (v.)

succumb15

Blinded by his hubris, he was never aware of the animosity brewing towards him.

excessive pride or self-confidence that leads a protagonist to disregard a divine warning or to violate an important moral law (n.)

hubris16

The Juniors were fastidious about their I.C.C. cheer; everything had to be perfect.

very attentive to and concerned about detail (adj.)

fastidious17

Example: “We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardships, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” J. F. Kennedy, Inaugural

the omission or absence of a conjunction between parts of a sentence (n.)

asyndeton18

Her social life flourished; at the same time, her academic life stagnated.

become stagnant, inactive, dull; cease developing (v.)

stagnate19

Example: "We lived and laughed and loved and left."(James Joyce, Finnegans Wake, 1939)

the use of several conjunctions in close succession, especially where some might be omitted (n.)

polysyndeton20

Vindictive as she was after her fatherʼs murder, she still tried to maintain her sanity.

having a strong desire for revenge; spiteful; vengeful; unforgiving (adj.)

vindictive21

During the 1960ʼs, an ethos developed that was anti-war and anti-government.

beliefs or character of a group (n.)

ethos22

Writing--whether itʼs fiction or non-fiction--can be a cathartic experience, and a great way to relieve stress.

cleansing or purging of the emotions (n.)

catharsis23

In the midst of a deep sleep, the earthquake roused her.

to awaken; startle out of inactivity; cause to feel angry or excited (v.)

rouse24

He has been keen on going to the beach--more so now as the weather warms.

showing enthusiasm and interest in something; quick to understand; sharp (adj.)

keen25

If an author wishes to point out self-sacrifice in a novel, he or she will often make an allusion to Jesus.

a reference to a person, place, or thing in history or to another work of literature (n.)

allusion26

Raymond Carver creates gregarious characters in his short story, albeit with an undertone of loneliness and depression.

fond of the company of others; sociable (adj.)

gregarious27

Without question, one of the most powerful motifs in The Bluest Eye is the self-hatred among African Americans.

a recurring object, theme, idea, or structure (n.)

motif28

He opened up, confessed his love, poured out his heart; and all she could do was callously turn and walk away.

feeling or showing no sympathy for others; insensitive (adj.)

callous29

“It was speculated that just as the blind man develops a keener sense of hearing, the family must somehow compensate for their loss” (Sedaris 5).

to make up for something; recompense someone for injury or loss (v.)

compensate30

The professor was clearly sagacious, but he also patronized his students, assuming they were below him.

to behave in a condescending manner; to treat someone with apparent kindness that betrays superiority (v.)

patronize31

As she commented on Monetʼs painting, her pretentiousness spilled out through every word.

pretending to be important, intelligent, or cultured (adj.)

pretentious32

For me, “Us and Them” by David Sedaris, subtly reveals the haughtiness of U.S. culture.

arrogantly superior and disdainful (adj.)

haughty33

It wasnʼt her beauty that attracted him most, but her vivaciousness; she loved even the most insignificant moments.

attractively lively and animated (adj.)

vivacious34

Juxtaposing her vivaciousness with his melancholy, accentuated both of their personalities even more.

to compare two things close together for contrasting effect (v.)

juxtapose35

Tedʼs situation was exacerbated by the fact that his wife never forced Bill to speak Vietnamese.

to make (a situation, a problem, or feeling) worse (v.)

exacerbate36

Although the presentation was somewhat banal, there were aspects I enjoyed.

the state of being so unoriginal that it is boring, trite, or predictable; the quality of being devoid of freshness (n.)

banality37

The expletives used in the play debased the dignity of the dramatic performance.

to degrade someone or something; to reduce in quality or value (v.)

debase38

It is lifeʼs ephemeral nature--its impermanence--that should push us to live each moment fully.

lasting a very short time; impermanent (adj.)

ephemeral39

Forlorn as he was after the death of his puppy, he managed to go on living, one painful day at a time.

pitifully sad, abandoned, or lonely; hopeless (adj.)

forlorn40

She kept insinuating that he would only be successful because of his parentsʼ wealth, not because of anything he would ever accomplish of his own accord.

to suggest or hint (something bad or reprehensible) in an indirect or unpleasant way (v.)

insinuate41

The crowd, boisterous and euphoric, fell silent as their team was defeated at the last second.

enthusiastic, loud, energetic (adj.)

boisterous42

In order to be great, itʼs helpful to find someone worth emulating, then do as they do.

to follow someone elseʼs example; to imitate in order to match or surpass someone else (v.)

emulate43

The explanation was anything but clear, so the students left the class more bamboozled than ever.

to fool or to cheat someone (v.)confused, perplexed, puzzled (adj.)

bamboozle44

After berating the team for their lackluster performance, the coach hoped the players would improve.

to scold or criticize someone angrily (v.)

berate45

It was Michael Jacksonʼs precociousness as a singer and dancer that earned him fame as a child.

having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual (adj.)

precocious46

Her resiliency was her most valuable asset, as she never allowed defeat to keep her down.

able to recover quickly from difficult conditions; bounce back (adj.)

resilient47

With a mistake such as that, he knew he would never be able to completely placate his girlfriend.

make someone less angry or hostile (v.)

placate48

By the expression on her face, it was clear she was as irresolute now as she was at the beginning.

showing or feeling hesitancy; uncertain; indecisive (adj.)

irresolute49