2 verbs, 3 adjectives

to adumbrate something - to outline something vaguely, to express in a shadowy or not perfectly clear way

to decry something - to verbally attack something, to openly and strongly criticize something

fecund - capable of producing, fertile

indefatigable - unbeatable, refusing to quit or give up

manifold - many, various, a bunch of 

Answers are below the exercise:

The female Ocean Sunfish is especially _______________. She carries more eggs than any other vertebrate - and can release hundreds of millions at a time.

Many conservatives are using the recent immigration crisis at our Mexican border as an opportunity to ____________ the immigration policies of the Obama administration.  They claim that this administration has welcomed people to engage in illegal immigration.

The reasons Bob gave for the policy failure were ________________ but not one of them was satisfying.

When Richard Nixon ran for the presidency in 1968, he did not even _______________ a plan to end the Vietnam War; he simply lied and said he had a fully articulated plan prepared and ready to go should he be elected. 

The West German national soccer team (from 1954 to 1990) had a reputation for being _________________. Over and over again they would come back from behind and tie or win games.  They never seemed to stop striving.

Answers are below:

Answers:

1. fecund

2. decry

3. manifold

4. adumbrate

5. indefatigable

Daniel Gauss http://djg51qu.wix.com/gauss

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  to rescind something - to remove something, to repeal something; for example, if a law is         rescinded the law is eliminated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

3 nouns, 1 verb, 1 adjective

1. adulation - extreme praise, when someone is almost worshiped by someone or others
2. a eulogy - a little speech mentioning good things about a person who recently died
3. to linger - to remain a little longer than others, to be slow in leaving
4. reticent - not saying much, if anything; being quiet 
5. a sycophant - someone who flatters more powerful or influential people to get ahead, a 'yes-man', someone who falsely praises his superior to get some type of benefit



One of the best ______________ for Rosa Parks, at her funeral, came from Oprah Winfrey, one of the most famous women of color in the world.

A teen pop star will receive so much ________________ from his/her fans, that it might become difficult for this person to transition into the 'real' world and live meaningfully.

Many professors will ______________ in their classrooms after the class is over to answer questions from students.

It is, of course, important to be a supportive employee, but nobody wants to be mistaken for a _________________ who goes out of his way to praise the boss.

One of the toughest jobs a teacher has is to help a very shy and _________________ student to begin speaking in class.  Often times such a student is just a little insecure and needs a little encouragement.


answers are below:




answers:

eulogies
adulation
linger
sycophant
reticent

3 adjectives and 2 verbs

1. to deplore s/t - to really dislike something
2. immutable - unchangeable
3. prudent - sensible, judicious, showing good judgment, not making a foolish decision, only acting after thinking a lot about the consequences
4. stagnant - not changing, not being active, something that stays the same for too long
5. to undermine s/t - to ruin or upset something through some sneaky or secret way

s/t means: something

Political conservatives believe that the American economy has remained _______________ for too long. They believe it is the role of the US government to decrease taxes in order to stimulate the economy and make it more active.

Most Americans now believe that the decision to attack Iraq in 2003 was not _______________.  Very little was accomplished through this war and too many people suffered.

The US Constitution is not __________________. The Constitution can be changed, but it is very difficult to do so, 

Bob's rival co-worker was jealous of Bob's success and always looked for ways to _________________ Bob's projects.

I attended a couple Occupy Wall Street protests in 2011 and, like others, I _________________ the way the New York Police Department acted toward the protesters. The police were often rude and violent.

answers are below:




answers:

stagnant
prudent
immutable
undermine
deplored

4 nouns and 1 adjective

a criterion - a standard by which to measure something
fallacious - false
a hedonist - someone who lives for pleasure
a skeptic - someone who needs proof before he/she believes anything
adversity - difficult or trying times


Although the new theory as to how life began on earth sounds nice, I remain a ___________ because there has yet to be any hard proof or sound experiments to verify the theory.

Frans Hals is one of my favorite painters and he was certainly no ascetic. Indeed, if anything he was a ____________ who loved the pleasures of life.

Many academic experts do not believe that a student should be admitted to a university based on just one test. There should be more than one _____________ by which to determine college admission.

I like this philosophical question: Are you ethical or were you lucky?  The question implies that people who are 'good' are people who have often not experienced much _______________.  It implies that if you have not experienced difficult times, you have not truly been tested and you are 'lucky' and not 'good' or ethical.

To say that I can't prove that fairies do not exist, and therefore they may exist is a _________________ argument.  You can't prove a 'negative'.

answers are below:




answers:

skeptic
hedonist
criterion
adversity
fallacious

Paintings by Frans Hals!

3 adjectives, 1 verb, 3 nouns

1) homogeneous - when all the elements or parts of something are the same
2) integrity - a deep sense of honesty, a moral reliability
3) to jeopardize s/t - to put something at risk, to possibly destroy something
4) kudos - praise, congratulations
5) lavish - too much of something good, overly generous
6) a liaison - two big meanings: 1) someone who is a type of bridge between two organizations and 2) a love affair which is usually kept secret
7) malleable - something that be be changed or re-shaped easily


Many teachers enjoy teaching younger students because they are more _____________than older students. These teachers feel they can have more of an impact in the lives of the younger students.

It was essential for Sun mi to learn English perfectly, because her company in Seoul wished to send her to America to become a _____________ between a business partner in New York and themselves.  

Although Shanghai is an amazing city, the population seems quite ________________ compared to a world city like New York, which has amazing diversity.

For Jack's graduation party his parents spared no expense - it was a ______________ affair with more food and alcohol than the guests could possibly eat and drink.

Maria was a quite humble person, but also an amazing artist.  Therefore, it was difficult for her to accept all the _______________ that her teachers and fellow students gave to her.

George McGovern was a rare politician in American history.  he was not only brave (he had been a war hero in WW II), intelligent and creative, but he had a strong sense of __________________. He was completely honest and always did what he felt to be right.

When my best friend Bob asked me to loan him some money, I was afraid to because I thought that loaning him money might ______________ our friendship.  Yet, after I loaned him the sum, he paid it back immediately.

answers are below:







answers:

malleable
liaison
homogeneous
lavish
kudos
integrity
jeopardize

A little video about George McGovern.  He was the first politician to demand that the Vietnam War end.  He was one of the most honest politicians in American history - his integrity was beyond doubt.

6 adjectives and 1 noun

amiable - friendly, warm
bellicose - warlike
complaisant - eager to please
decrepit - very old, falling apart because of the old age of the object
empirical - based on the evidence of the senses, based on real experience
formidable - difficult to defeat, something which seems intimidating, fearful
guile - deceitfulness, trickery


Bob was one of the most straight-forward guys I knew.  He never acted with any type of ____________; I could truly trust him.

The photos of the building had not been recently taken.  When we arrived to look at the property we expected to buy, it was ________________ and looked as if it might collapse at any moment.

When I first met Bill he seemed like an _______________ guy.  He was outgoing and warm.  But, when he moved in as my roommate he seemed to be a totally different person - rude, selfish and loud.

We went to one of the most expensive restaurants in town and, as you might expect, the waiters were especially _________________ and catered to our every need.

Many liberal American presidents - like Carter and Obama - begin their presidencies in a peaceful manner but seem to become more __________________ as time goes on.

At its beginning stages psychology was very theoretical and there were many competing concepts.  Now the subject has become more ________________ and many concepts have been proved through experiments.

Was there ever a more _______________ basketball team than the Chicago Bulls of the 1990s? They regularly and easily humiliated the New York Knicks, as well as just about every other basketball team in the NBA.

answers are below:






answers:

guile
decrepit
amiable  
complaisant
bellicose
empirical
formidable


Chicago Bulls:

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 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

---------------------------------

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.

-------------------------------------
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