Vocabulary Challenge - 5 high level adjectives

to be convivial - being very sociable, enjoying the company of others, being friendly and kind to others

to be dilatory - to cause a delay in something, to waste time

to be winsome - attractive or appealing, primarily because one seems innocent

to be desultory - not having a plan for something, not addressing a problem in a rational, systematic way

to be fatuous - silly, foolish, kind of stupid

Choose the best word to fill in the blank. Answers are below:

Instead of addressing the coronavirus with a bold and visionary plan, President Trump was completely ________________ and thus showed no real leadership.

Although Bob was in his 40s he had a ______________ appearance that made him look sweet, innocent and gentle.

Joe needed to get that financial report as soon as possible, but Jack was using various ________________ methods to buy more time to finish it.

When Trump was asked a serious question about how Americans could best protect themselves on an individual level from the corona virus, be provided a completely ________________ answer by saying

they could inject themselves with detergent.

Dave was generally liked by his colleagues because of his ______________ personality. He was kind and friendly and loved hosting parties and gatherings. 

Answers:

desultory

winsome

dilatory

fatuous

convivial

5 at a time - see whether you can get these!!! :)

a fiasco - a disaster, something that goes very badly

 

to demote or to be demoted - this is the opposite of to promote or to be promoted.  For instance, when I was younger, it was possible for students to be demoted to lower grades if they were not doing well in their particular classes.  If someone has a supervisory position but does not perform satisfactorily, he/she might be demoted.

 

a probe - an investigation.  To probe can mean to investigate.  A doctor will sometimes do a medical probe on a patient...a device with a little camera might be inserted into the patient, through the patient's mouth or whatnot, and this will allow the doctor to see inside the patient.

 

a shakeup - a sudden change to an organization due to poor performance.  Usually some people are demoted, some are promoted, some might be fired and some newly hired.  A CEO might say that he needs to shakeup his organization because people have become too corrupt or lazy.

 

to hoard - to collect some type of thing or differing things and store those things even though you do not need them or might not ever need them.  Animals, for instance, tend to hoard food in case the weather turns bad.

 

 

answers to the exercises are way at the bottom of this message

 

 

Because the huge amount of snow that fell during the recent blizzard was not plowed from the streets promptly, the newspapers demanded a __________________ at the Department of Sanitation.  Several high-ranking officials were later fired.  to plow - to push the snow, using a type of vehicle with a huge shovel on the front of it, toward the side of the road.  promptly - in a timely manner.  If you are a prompt person, you are generally on time.  The Department of Sanitation is basically the department that has to pick up garbage and plow snow.

 

It was discovered that when the city government began its program of distributing free food in poor neighborhoods, some residents would take food they really didn't need and _______________ it, while others who truly needed the food could not gain access to it once the city ran out of supplies.

 

Once it was learned that Governor Jim McGreavy of New Jersey was giving high-ranking government positions to handsome men who were not qualified for the positions, a newspaper launched (initiated or started) a _________________.  They discovered that McGreavy was secretly gay and was giving out important jobs to various lovers.  McGreavy resigned from office and is now studying to become a Protestant minister.

 

When David Patterson became Governor of New York State, after Governor Spitzer was caught secretly visiting prostitutes (women who sell their bodies for sex), many people had high hopes for him.  However, his term as Governor was a complete and total _________________.  The government became more corrupt and ineffective and taxes and MTA fares rose greatly.

 

Because Bob had been such an excellent journalist, he was promoted to the position of editor.  However, the skills required for being an editor were different from the skills required for being a journalist and he was shortly ________________ back to journalist, where he was quite happy again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

answers:

 

shakeup

hoard

probe

fiasco

demoted  

8 new SAT, GRE, TOEFL vocabulary words

to indemnify, to be indemnified - two meanings: 1) to insure someone for some type of possible loss (if you buy insurance on your car, you are indemnified against damages - if your car gets damaged, you'll receive a payment from the insurance company); 2) to pay someone for some type of damage or harm which has occurred

indolent - being lazy, not feeling like working

sedentary - being seated; a sedentary lifestyle is an inactive lifestyle - a sedentary job is a job in which you sit a lot

endemic to - common to

conspicuously - obviously, noticeably

graft - illegally obtaining money

keening - this is an obscure word which means vocally expressing grief or mourning after a person's death, especially at a funeral (I found the word in the book: Empire of the Summer Moon)

resilient - able to bounce back (usually after something negative happens)

Answers are underneath the exercise:


Designer bags have become a huge industry, as women pay high prices for these luxury items and ___________________ carry them around to show others that they have money and can live the high life.

It was the summer of Bob's junior year and his parents had not pressured him into finding a job.  He felt he had the right, this one summer, to be _______________ and relax and casually do some reading and lounging around.

According to the contract, we are __________________ against any losses we may suffer due to the negligence of our partner.

Lately a report noted that those who work at ________________ jobs seem to live shorter lives than those who work at jobs that do not require them to sit for long hours at a time.  If a person has to sit for long periods, he/she should find ways to get up and move around often.

One form of political corruption involves _______________. This is when the politician is able to illegally make money through actions he/she preforms as a public servant.

The disease of malaria is _______________ to about 100 countries around the world which have not been able to control the spread of a certain type of mosquito.

The loss of her husband at an early age was devastating for Mary.  At the funeral she was literally ________________ over the coffin of her husband with tears running down her face.

Bob proved himself to be extraordinarily ___________________. Even though he was unfairly fired from a job, he soon had another job at a better company in a better position.

Answers are below:




Answers:

conspicuously
indolent
indemnified
sedentary
graft
endemic
keening
resilient




Yes, I'm the guy who caused the scandal in Korea by revealing to a journalist that I did not feel that K-pop performers were being treated well in NY City:

http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20100512000682

http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20100511000742

2 verbs, 3 adjectives, 2 nouns: SAT, GRE, TOEFL vocabulary

to skulk - this means to hide or move around secretly, either because a person is afraid of being seen or because the person wants to do something wrong.  So if you did something embarrassing at school, you might skulk around the school hoping not too many people see you. Or, if someone is a criminal who wants to commit a crime, he might skulk around looking for an opportunity. 

docile - this word usually means submissive or willing to take orders and do what one is told to do

to dote on - to show too much emotion or affection (love) for someone; to really cater to someone because you really love that person.  

vitriol - this is literally a type of acid, therefore, figuratively, it means a very very harsh or nasty type of criticism

chagrin - when a person feels annoyed or irritated because he has failed at something

pendulous - when something is hanging very loosely or low

fallow - in the old days, farmers would leave some of their land fallow for a year so that it could recover from a previous planting and harvesting.  So leaving land fallow means not using it so that it can recover. 


Answers are below the exercise:


The current trend in the field of education is to build up a student's sense of confidence.  I remember the old days, however, when a teacher might verbally attack a student, using such __________________ that the student would be deeply embarrassed.

By the time a student reaches a university, his/her professors expect that student to be completely __________________. This is why professors are sometimes surprised when students complain or demand better efforts and more meaningful types of learning in the classroom.

I called the police and reported a guy who was just ________________ around my neighborhood. Every night when I come home I see him just kind of hiding around the corners of buildings and looking around.

The grapes in that area of the world grow to be so huge that they are __________________. They are large and round and just hang low on the vine ready to be plucked.

Because of China's 'one child' policy, parents tended to really __________________ their only child, and many of these children grew up to be very spoiled and self-absorbed.

I love gardening and my little garden has produced so many cucumbers and tomatoes. But I think I am going to leave my garden ________________ this year so that the soil can recover from previous plantings.

Bob was sure that he was going to be admitted to the graduate program he really wanted to go to. To his _______________, he was denied admission and we knew this because he started skulking around our school.

Answers are below:



Answers:

vitriol
docile
skulking
pendulous
dote on
fallow
chagrin

4 adjectives, 1 noun

congenial - this word has two basic meanings: 1) pleasant, friendly 2: if you find a person to be congenial it's because you and that person share certain interests or values

supercilious - a supercilious person is someone who thinks he/she is better or superior to other people

cantankerous - a person who is cantankerous is difficult to get along with; this type of person is kind of nasty and bad tempered

impervious - if something is impervious, it can't be penetrated, you can't get through it

an iconoclast -  this is the type of person who enjoys attacking what everyone else believes in; iconoclasts are generally 'good' for a society since they attack ideas or beliefs which may be wrong

Answers are below the exercise:

In Italian universities in the 1500s, the philosophy of Aristotle dominated the study of science.  Galileo, however, was an ___________________ who openly attacked this philosophy by showing that it did not explain what he had actually observed through his telescope. 

Some cell membranes allow a wide variety of substances into the cell while some are more selective. No cell membrane is ever, however, totally ____________________. Each cell has to admit some substances.

Joe was an amazing athlete and could play several sports, but few colleges wanted to accept him because he had the reputation for being quite _________________ with his coaches and teammates.

The person who wrote the book "Tiger Mom" argues that Chinese mothers, like herself, are "superior" to all other mothers.  Yet, she seems like a very ____________________ person from a privileged background who likes to look down on people who were not as fortunate or blessed as she was. 

From his email messages, Bob struck me as being a cantankerous guy who liked to complain.  But when I met him, I found him to be quite _________________.  He was pleasant and agreeable. 

I hate blind dates.  But, when I met Suzy, I discovered she was totally ________________. We like the same types of movies and share the same types of values.

Answers are below:




Answers:

iconoclast
impervious
cantankerous
supercilious
congenial
congenial

3 verbs, 1 adjective, 1 noun

1. to atrophy - this is when a muscle becomes weaker and smaller because it is not being used
2. intangible - something that is not physical; something which can't be touched
3. to extrapolate - when you extrapolate, you take what you already know and you make a prediction from it
4. to dwindle - to decrease in size
5. a derivative - this comes from the same root word as 'derive;' so a derivative is something that you get from something else

Answers are below the exercise - good luck!

Many foreign tourists come to New York City with lots of money, and before they know it, they realize that their money has ______________ down to a very small amount.

There is a significant problem with using just one test to allow students admission to 'elite' schools.  The problem is that some students have amazing but more ________________ qualities that are harder to measure academically (like creativity, kindness, leadership, generosity).  It has been a huge failure of our school system to neglect these less measurable qualities.

Gasoline is actually a type of _________________ from oil.  After oil is pumped out of the ground, it is refined into gasoline and other products.

From the economic trends of the past year economists have __________________ that unemployment will go down and consumer purchasing will rise.

When astronauts travel in space, they have to make sure that they do various exercises or their muscles will quickly ______________ due to a lack of gravity in space. The lack of gravity means their muscles are not used as much as they are on earth.

answers are below:




answers:

dwindled
intangible
derivative
extrapolated
atrophy

More SAT, GRE vocab

The best way to improve your vocabulary is to read challenging, thoughtful books and to look up the words you don't know.  I'm reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein these days, so I jotted down some vocabulary that I thought would be useful to SAT or GRE students. You should also read literature and make your own vocab lists.

1. harrowing - very frightening
2. impertinent - this usually means rude or disrespectful; it can also mean 'beside the point'
3. repose - rest
4. emaciated - the way a person looks who is starving; very thin
5. melancholy - sadness, but a special kind of 'thoughtful' sadness


Bob was fortunate to go to a little liberal arts college out in the countryside of Pennsylvania.  When he was tired of studying, he could take a short walk and lie on the grass, under the trees for some much needed _____________.

Most clerks at department stores are very cordial and polite, but sometimes clerks can also be _________________ toward customers.

Our vacation trip down the Amazon River was supposed to be safe and tranquil, but when we got deep into the river we experienced some ___________________ adventures.

A person probably shouldn't dwell too much on the mistakes he/she has made.  This just leads to a type of useless _____________________.

I could tell Bill had been ill for quite some time.  When I had last seen him, he seemed hardy and robust, but now he looked weak and _______________________.

answers are below:





answers:

repose
impertinent
harrowing
melancholy
emaciated

9 SAT, GRE level vocabulary words

1.  quaint - something which is charming or appealing because it seems old fashioned
2.  viscous - something that is in between being a solid and a liquid
3.  a liability - this word has two big meanings 1) a liability can be a responsibility or 2) a liability can be a handicap, or something that makes something more difficult for a person or group
4.  superfluous - too much, something unnecessary, more than you need
5.  gratifying - pleasing
6.  fickle - changing quickly; usually fickle is used in regard to a person - if a person is fickle he/she changes his/her mind quickly or does things randomly
7.  to rescind something - to remove something, to repeal something; for example, if a law is         rescinded the law is eliminated
8.  to depreciate - there are two big meanings for this word 1) to lessen the value of something - for instance, after you buy and use a car it depreciates in value or 2) to speak negatively about someone or something
9.  didactic - instructive, trying to teach something; the opposite word is pedantic - if a teacher is   pedantic, he wants to impress his students with his knowledge but if a teacher is didactic, he really wants his students to learn something



I had heard that my new professor was world-renowned for his scholarship, but he had an amazing teaching style and was concerned with being more ____________________ than other professors who were more pedantic in order to demonstrate their mastery of their subjects.

I honestly think that we can settle this matter in just one meeting.  More than one meeting will just be ____________________.

I just had to have that rocking chair which I saw in the antique shop.  It was very sturdy and had such a ________________ design - like something you'd see in the early 1800s.

Although the crust and upper mantle are certainly made of solid forms of rock, as you go deeper toward the earth's core you find hotter and more ________________ substances. 

We really need a bilingual speaker for this new position.  Although Bob is really smart, his inability to speak Spanish will be a ________________ to our whole program.

Although your compliment is certainly ________________, I was only doing my job.

Although it's true that Alexander Hamilton experienced some scandals and died as a result of a duel (an illegal activity), I don't think we should ________________ the value he had in the service of the United States of America.  He contributed greatly.

I don't even ask my girlfriend what she wants to do on a date any more - she is so _______________!  She'll tell me one thing, then suddenly change her mind, and then she'll change back to the original decision!

Initially the school library was going to charge students $1 per day for overdue books. However, so many students complained that the library _____________ their policy.

answers are below:





answers:

didactic
superfluous
quaint
viscous
liability
gratifying
depreciate
fickle
rescinded

7 useful words + examples + exercise

to fuss (or to fuss over) - to be worried about something that isn't important
a whim - a sudden, random idea or desire
savory - something that looks delicious to eat
a conscience - the little voice inside of us which tells us what is right or wrong
timorous - being fearful or timid
shrewd - this could mean very clever or very sneaky
rueful - showing sadness, sorrow or regret

Why are you fussing so much over this chapter?  The material in that chapter will not even be on the test.

On a whim, I decided to go visit my cousin in Toronto.

Although Bob bought the book "The Joy of Cooking," he was a terrible cook and never made any really savory meals.

In good conscience, I can't help you cheat on this test.

Some people are risk takers but some people are more timorous, cautious and conservative.

The politician was very shrewd.  He knew that there were many elderly people in his district so he always campaigned around the theme of preserving social security and other programs for the elderly.

That was one of the most stupid things I ever did and I remain rueful to this day.



From the smell of the food that was wafting from the kitchen into the dining room, I could tell we were in store for a most ________________ dinner.

After it became apparent that the War in Iraq was not going to end quickly, many Americans became ________________ that the war had ever been started.

I bought this tie on a _____________.  I didn't expect to buy anything, but when I saw it, I felt I needed to have it.

As far as I can tell all of the preparations for the wedding are in place.  Bob, however, still feels he has to ________________ over some minor details.

Bob is a ________________ businessman.  Even in an economic downturn he can make lots of money.

I felt that I had to quit that job because I have a ______________ conscience.  I did not think that company was doing the right thing.

I tend to be a pretty conservative person because I tend to be a _________________ person.  I'm a little scared of taking risks and trying things that might hurt me.

answers are below:




answers:

savory
rueful
whim
fuss
shrewd
conscience
timorous

5 more good SAT, GRE, TOEFL words

irreverent - not respectful, showing contempt toward someone or something
to dispel - to force something away, to get rid of something
to coax - to persuade through gentle means
to exasperate - to make a person very annoyed or angry
zealous - very enthusiastic or aggressive about something, overly enthusiastic about something


I really didn't want to leave the house this weekend but my kids were able to ____________ me into taking them to the zoo.

Joe seemed to be a good employee during his first few weeks, but he has been making one mistake after another and this has started to _________________ me.

Satire is a type of literature in which an _______________ approach is taken toward some situation in order to make fun of the situation and to show that it is wrong.

The Tea Party - a new political party in America - has been accused of being too __________________ in regard to its attacks on President Obama and people of color in the USA.

Our boss held a special meeting to ____________ all the rumors that our company was going to be bought by a larger company.

answers are below:



answers:

coax
exasperate
irreverent
zealous
dispel

Check your high level English vocabulary - 7 useful words

furtively - secretly, surreptitiously, in a sneaky manner 
limpid - very clear, pellucid, transparent
to clamor - to be noisy, to be loud, when a group expresses anger in a loud manner
chic - stylish, trendy, elegant
monotonous - boring because it's the same thing over and over again
coquettishly - flirtatiously, teasingly
garrulous - too talkative



It was so good to be out of the city.  Bob could literally see the fish swimming through the _______________ stream of water near his campsite.

Is there anything worse than sitting next to a _______________ passenger on an overnight flight who just won't shut up? Well, maybe root canal surgery can be worse.

Bob adores Laura but is quite shy.  He did not want Laura to know that he was her secret admirer.  Once a week he would buy flowers and _________________ leave them on her front doorstep without anyone seeing him.

Initially the people of Tunisia accepted the poor conditions of the country.  After the economy began to really become bad, however, people began to _______________, especially through social media, that political change was necessary.

In the novel Naomi, by the Japanese writer Junichiro Tanizaki, the title character is an expert at acting _________________ toward the older man who falls in love with her. Although he realizes she is bad news, he cannot stop himself from falling for her over and over again.

A young woman does not need to have a lot of money to look ______________.  It is definitely possible to be trendy even if you are on a budget. 

Many foreigners cannot understand why Americans like the game of baseball.  To most people in the world it is a truly ________________ game in which nothing significant never seems to happen and which lasts for way too long.

answers are below:




answers:

limpid
garrulous
furtively
clamor
coquettishly
chic
monotonous

2 adjectives, 2 verbs, 1 noun

1. ascetic - avoiding pleasure, a simple life in which one does not pursue physical comfort (this word can be a noun or adjective)
2. to embellish s/t - to add extra details to make something sound or look better
3. ominous - threatening, scary
4. a reprimand - this is an official statement that a person has violated a rule, it's a verbal or written statement that someone has done something wrong
5. to temper s/t - to decrease a possible response, to make something less severe

(s/t = something)

1.  If you work with the public, it is a good skill to know how to __________ your anger. You are always going to have to deal with people who will be nasty and unreasonable, but you do not have to respond in a negative way.

2.  Jackie Robinson was the first African American athlete to play in Major League Baseball.  Many racists opposed his inclusion into "white" baseball.  Robinson received many ____________ letters which threatened to harm or kill him, but thankfully nothing that terrible ever happened.

3.  What you heard from Joe was partly true.  But remember, Joe likes to _______________ his stories so some of what he said was just made-up to make you laugh.

4.  Although Congressman Charles Rangle had engaged in various types of misconduct, the US Congress merely issued him a _________________. There was no real punishment.

5.  In many religions, religious leaders are expected to live an ____________ life style.  The ability to refrain from seeking comfort and pleasure seems to indicate the person is somehow closer to God.

answers below:




answers:

1. temper
2. ominous
3. embellish
4. reprimand
5. ascetic

9 intermediate level words

Word Bank:

hereditary, to be offended by something, to be slain, deliberately, to collaborate with, abundant, to plummet, to emit something, to accommodate someone, 

Exercise:

1. The difference between murder and manslaughter depends on whether a person was killed _______________ or accidentally.  If it was an accident but the death was caused through carelessness, a person can be charged with manslaughter.

2. The two political parties in the USA rarely ________________ each other.  This is why the US government recently had to shut down for several days.

3. There are two types of the disease called diabetes.  Type one diabetes is _____________ while type two is acquired through bad eating habits and other factors a person can control.

4. A supervisor has to make it clear to an employee that he/she should not be ________________ by any type of job evaluation.  An evaluation is meant to help an employee assess how he/she has been doing and to also allow the employee to provide some feedback on what he/she might need in the future.

5. Everyone read some terrible news over the weekend in New York City.  A mother and her four children were ________________ by a mentally ill relative in Brooklyn.  He killed the entire family.  

6. The air in Los Angeles is polluted because of all the carbon monoxide gas that is ____________ by all the cars in that city every day.

7. The waiter was very kind.  Even though we were a large group and we had very specific and hard to meet requests, he was able to ___________________ us and give us the types of  meals we wanted.

8. The stock market can often be quite unstable.  If investors are confident in the government, stock prices can soar.  If investors lose confidence at any time, stock prices can _________________.

9. Many people think there is hunger throughout the world because we lack food.  No. Food is actually __________________.  But, even though there is more than enough food, political and economic systems are not efficient enough to distribute the food adequately.

Answers are below:





Answers:

1. deliberately
2. collaborate with
3. hereditary
4. offended
5. slain
6. emitted
7. accommodate
8. plummet
9. abundant

Intermediate-level English vocabulary challenge

to abandon – to get rid of, to leave behind

abundant – more than enough

an optimist – someone who always sees the bright side of things

to plummet – to drop quickly, to fall

a quest – a search for something important or meaningful

chronological order – to order a set from earliest to latest

to collaborate – to work together with others instead of competing

retaliation – getting revenge

unanimous – everyone agrees

to dissent – to disagree with what a majority of people believe

domestic – dealing with your home

to vow – to promise

meager – not much

a controversy – a topic or issue that causes people to argue

an innovation – something new

 

King Arthur and his knights were never bored – each of them was constantly engaged in some type of ___________ and they all sought to find the Holy Grail.  
 

When students learn US History they often go through it in _________________, although some teachers like to teach ‘themes’ instead. 
 

Are our schools too competitive?  Might it not be better if students _______________ with each other and learned better social skills? 
 

A jury’s decision has to be ________________.  If even one person dissents, there can be no real verdict. 
 

This will be my first international flight, although I have taken many ____________ flights around the USA. 
 

I loved my old Converse All Stars but they were getting old and I needed a new pair of casual shoes, so I _______________ them for some cool new running shoes.
 

The internet seems to have been around forever, but I can still remember in the 90s when this was an ___________________ and people were thinking about what might be possible from it. 
 

Capital punishment remains a huge ______________.  Should the state have the right to execute criminals if they have killed others? 
 

Many economists have pointed out that there should not be any cases of world hunger since the amount of food being produced now is ___________________. 
 

Many world religions do not believe in the morality of _________________. They recommend that a person should show mercy and forgive others.

Answers are below: 

Answers:

quest
chronological order
cooperated
unanimous
domestic
abandoned
innovation
controversy
abundant
retaliation

10 SAT-level words and fill-in-the-blanks

to usurp - to take power away from someone who should have it
liberated - freed
to appease - to make someone happy, to satisfy someone even though they might be wrong
brevity - briefness, something lasting a short time
to be intrigued by something/someone - to become deeply interested in something
a detractor - someone who believes that something is wrong; a critic
to exhort - to forcefully encourage
frantically - panicky; to something nervously and quickly because of pressure or fear
sluggish - slow moving
to be rash - to do something impulsively or without thinking about it too much


Answers are below the fill-in-the-blanks:


1.  A perfect example of the _____________ of life is the Mayfly, which only exists for one day before dying.

2.  In his essay "Common Sense,"  Thomas Paine ____________ the American people to continue fighting against the English king and to not stop until they had created a better system of government.

3.  Although Bob was generally reticent and did not speak much about his life, there was something about him that ____________ Irene. 

4.  Because the deadline for his paper was approaching, Bob _____________collected all of his sources and tried to organize them as quickly as possible.

5.  Although the capitol of Afghanistan was ___________ by American forces, who overthrew the Taliban in 2002, the war in Afghanistan has lingered (continued slowly) to this present day.

6.  When Bob wakes up in the morning, he goes about his morning routine somewhat ______________. Yet, by the time he gets to work he is a dynamo! (a dynamo is like a little powerful engine)

7.  Many people feel that the US entered the war against Iraq too ____________.  It would have been better if the Congress had shown more courage and asked more questions. 

8.  Even though American independence is celebrated each year, many people do not realize that there were many ________________ of the concept of independence. Indeed, many people in many states wished to remain English subjects and thought the American Revolution was wrong.

9.  After the military coup in Burma, the power of the president was ____________ by a military junta (a group of generals).

10. Everyone who studies diplomacy knows that Neville Chamberlain's attempt to ___________ Adolph Hitler backfired (it had the opposite effect).  Instead of making Hitler satisfied, Chamberlain's apparent weakness encouraged Hitler to pursue military conquest.

Answers are below:







Answers:

1. brevity
2. exhorted
3. intrigued
4. frantically
5. liberated
6. sluggishly
7. rashly
8. detractors
9. usurped
10. appease

Test your higher-level English vocabulary

resentment - the way you feel if a person hurts you and you can't forget it; a grudge
fortitude - strength
elation - extreme joy
eloquence - being able to speak beautifully
elite - among the very top or best
colloquial - conversational
peripatetic - moving around a lot
remunerative - receiving money for a service
vivacious - lively
garrulous - talking too much
amiable - friendly
reticent - not speaking much
symbiotic - a relationship in which two organisms benefit each other
regressive - going backwards
empirical - that which can be sensed, touched, heard etc.
to coerce - to force
intuitive - a feeling that something is right or wrong which cannot be verified
to retract - to take back
to consolidate - to bring a bunch of things together
to disseminate - to spread out


1) Many educators believe that a child will not learn anything that he/she is __________ into learning.  To learn, a child needs to be motivated by something other than fear.

2) Although many state universities are not considered to be as selective as the ________ Ivy League schools, they are less expensive and provide excellent educational opportunities, perhaps as excellent as the Ivy schools.

3) We don't often think of the bacteria in our stomachs as being our friends, but we have an important ____________ relationship with these bacteria.  They help us break down food and we provide them a place to survive.

4)  When the internet was started most people felt this would be a great way to ___________ useful information around the world.  At that time nobody could have anticipated all of the abuses and problems that have come with it.

5)  Martin Luther King Jr. was not only a principled person who fought for human rights.  People were amazed by his _____________.  He speeches were always well-written and beautifully spoken.

6)  When we look at a work of art we often can't really say what it means, but we often have an ________________ understanding of it.

7)  Although the professor was known as one of the greatest physicists in modern history, students were surprised by how ______________ his lectures were.  It was as if he were having friendly conversations with his students instead of formal lectures.

8)  If a person wants to be a great leader, perhaps the most important character trait will be ______________.  A great leader must be able to withstand a great amount of adversity.

9)  It's true that Jake was amazingly smart, but it was hard for people to tell that because he was so _______________.

10)  In order to go to college, many American students take out loans from several sources.  When it is time to pay the loans back, it is wise to have the loans _______________. This means all the loans are handled by one agency and one payment is made each month to the agency, which disseminates the payment equally to the different loan organizations.



Answers are below:







Answers:

1. coerced
2. elite
3. symbiotic
4. disseminate
5. eloquence
6. intuitive
7. colloquial
8. fortitude
9. reticent
10. consolidated

Test your higher-level vocabulary

The SHSAT doesn't have a vocabulary section, but the scrambled paragraphs and reading passages sometimes have higher-level vocabulary words.  The better your vocabulary is, the better you will be able to read, in general.

malignant - evil, causing harm, causing death (in regard to medical terminology)
obscured - covered
elated - very happy
utilitarian - useful
aesthetic - dealing with art or design
inexplicable -  can't be explained
provisional - temporary
pedantic - wanting to show that one possesses knowledge, just to impress and not educate others
altruistic - concerned about others more than oneself
a din - a loud noise or amount of noise
to be conducive to - to lead to
plausible - possible

1. Although it is _____________ that there was more than one assassin of John F. Kennedy, no firm evidence has come to light.

2. Rebecca was relieved when the doctor told her that the tumor found in the X-ray was not _____________. As a benign tumor it would cause no real problems.

3. The architect has a great deal of style and was quite innovative, but the company who hired him was not happy with his new building design.  They felt it was not _________________: it did not provide the necessary rooms for the necessary activities the company needed a building for.

4. An inability to negotiate is not_______________ to good diplomacy.  

5. During a solar eclipse the sun is _____________ by the moon.

6. We met at a Starbucks but the ___________ from the music and the loud conversations was too much for us, so we left.

7. Joe was ____________ to receive the news that he had been accepted for graduate studies at the university he wished to attend.

8. A dress designer certainly needs utilitarian skills like sewing and computer design, but a good ______________ sense is the foundation of good dress design.

9. One would think that doctors and lawyers would be attracted to their professions through _____________ reasons, yet many feel that their primary concern is money, money and more money. 

10. It's true that Dr. Schneider was a brilliant man who had studied in his field for several decades, but he was not a good educator.  Indeed, he was too ____________.  In every lecture he tried to impress his students with his knowledge instead of teaching them anything.

11. The reasons as to why prehistoric people painted various animals inside of caves remains ______________. There are many theories, but none of them is really satisfying.

12. Although Bob's company signed a contract to supply parts to an automobile manufacturer, the contract was ________________ and could be changed or replaced if Bob's company was not able to obtain certain materials.

Answers are below:






Answers:

1. plausible
2. malignant
3. utilitarian
4. conducive
5. obscured
6. din
7. elated
8. aesthetic
9. altruistic
10. pedantic
11. inexplicable
12. provisional

Test your higher-level vocabulary

There is no vocabulary section on the SHSAT, but students with better vocabulary skills are often better readers.

to diverge – to go in different directions

to coincide with s/t - to happen at the same time

to truncate s/t – to shorten something

dubious  - doubtful, probably not true

solace – a sense of peace, calm

melancholy – a sense or feeling of sadness

innocuous  - harmless, not a threat

malicious  - wishing to cause harm

enervated  - lacking energy

venerable  - someone is venerable if he deserves respect

a philanthropist – someone who donates money to a charity or charities

ambivalent  - not certain, being unable to decide

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1. Joe’s birthday also __________ with Christmas, which means that he often just receives one present at that time. 

2. Winning the Nobel Peace Prize was felt by many to be a ___________ achievement for President Obama, since he had not done anything to promote world peace at that time.

3. __________ seems to be a goal of almost every major religion.  If one follows the teachings of these religions, one can find a deep sense of peace.

4. During the fall and winter many people feel a sense of ____________ because there is a lack of sunlight.  This is actually called Seasonal Affective Disorder – the lack of sunlight literally causes depression.

5. We started out with a specific plan for our vacation in Chicago, but we ____________ from it when we got there and really learned about the city.

6. There are a few historians who remain __________ about the legacy of President Franklin Roosevelt.  They cannot call him either a great or terrible president because they have found reasons to support both conclusions.

7. Although Bill Gates acquired the reputation for being a ruthless businessman, he now enjoys the reputation of a benevolent ______________.

8. The Golden Bough is an amazing book about religion and mythology, but it is way too long.  Most students read a _____________ version.

9. In the philosophy of Confucius, one’s parents, and the elderly in general, are considered ___________.

10. After hiking all morning and mountain climbing in the afternoon, we were all _____________ and went to sleep early.

11. Although major discoveries concerning atomic structure seemed ______________, later they were used to help create the atomic bomb, which lead the deaths of over 200,000 people in Japan.

12.  Jack could be a very candid person and he always spoke truthfully.  Whatever he said, however, was never meant to be _____________.  He didn’t want to hurt anyone, he just wanted to be honest.

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Answers are below:





Answers:

1. coincides
2. dubious
3. solace
4. melancholy
5. diverged
6. ambivalent
7. philanthropist
8. truncated
9. venerable
10. enervated
11. innocuous
12. malicious