sat vocabulary

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Vocabulary - SAT Words 1. Calamity 2. Servile 3. Assiduous 4. Benign 5. Temerity 6. sagacious 7. contemptuous 8. abhor 9. bemuse 10.embi9ered 11.surrep::ously 12.pathos 13.unabashed 14.harma:a 15.succumb 31.patronize 32.preten:ous 33.haughty 34.vivacious 35. juxtapose 36.exacerbate 37. banality 38. debase 39. ephemeral 40. forlorn 41. insinuate 42. boisterous 43. emulate 44. bamboozle 45. berate 16.hubris 17.fas:dious 18.asyndeton 19.stagnate 20.polysyndeton 21.vindic:ve 22.ethos 23.catharsis 24.rouse 25.keen 26. allusion 27. gregarious 28.mo:f 29.callous 30.compensate 46.precocious 47.resilient 48.placate 49.irresolute

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Page 1: 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

Page 2: Sat vocabulary

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

Page 3: Sat vocabulary

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

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assiduous

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

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

3

Page 5: Sat vocabulary

benign

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

gentle, harmless (adj.)

4

Page 6: Sat vocabulary

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

Page 7: Sat vocabulary

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

showing good judgment; wise, shrewd (adj.)

sagacious6

Page 8: Sat vocabulary

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

Page 9: Sat vocabulary

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

Page 10: Sat vocabulary

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

to puzzle; confuse; bewilder (v.)

bemuse9

Page 11: Sat vocabulary

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

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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

Page 13: Sat vocabulary

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

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

not embarrassed or ashamed (adj.)

unabashed13

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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

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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

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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

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

very attentive to and concerned about detail (adj.)

fastidious17

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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

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

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

stagnate19

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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

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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

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

beliefs or character of a group (n.)

ethos22

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Page 31: Sat vocabulary

“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

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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

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

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

pretentious32

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

arrogantly superior and disdainful (adj.)

haughty33

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

attractively lively and animated (adj.)

vivacious34

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

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

juxtapose35

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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

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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

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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

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

lasting a very short time; impermanent (adj.)

ephemeral39

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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

Page 42: Sat vocabulary

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

Page 43: Sat vocabulary

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

enthusiastic, loud, energetic (adj.)

boisterous42

Page 44: Sat vocabulary

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

Page 45: Sat vocabulary

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

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

to scold or criticize someone angrily (v.)

berate45

Page 47: Sat vocabulary

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

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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

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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

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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