120 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT Vocabulary Lesson 23: Like a Pit Bull Today’s roots: tract pull tenax holding fast ob- against per- very ❑ dogged (adj) determined; unwilling to give up Outmanned and overmatched, the dogged fighters nevertheless refused to surrender the Alamo. Synonyms: tenacious, inexorable Antonyms: yielding, irresolute ❑ inexorable (adj) relentless (in- not + exorabilis able to be swayed) Inexorable in his wooing, Jason vowed to send Kathy roses every day until she accepted his prom invitation. Synonyms: obstinate, dogged Antonyms: yielding, irresolute ❑ obstinate (adj) stubborn (obstinatus to stand stubbornly) No matter what she tried, she could not make her obstinate husband change his mind. Synonyms: adamant, relentless, obdurate Antonyms: acquiescent, obsequious ❑ intransigent (adj) uncompromising (in- not + transigente compromising) Pat’s intransigent nature showed itself when he adamantly refused to shift his appointment from 5:00 to 5:05. Synonyms: obstinate, intractable Antonyms: concordant, accommodating, complaisant ❑ contentious (adj) quarrelsome (contendere to strive after + -ious full of) Julia sighed as her excessively contentious husband started another unnecessary argument with their waiter. Synonyms: pugnacious, belligerent Antonyms: passive, conciliatory ❑ pertinacity (n) stubbornness ( per- very + tenax holding fast) Kyle showed incredible pertinacity after breaking his leg, making it back in time for the championship game. Synonyms: doggedness, steadfastness ❑ steadfast (adj) unchanging; unswerving (stede stand + foest firmly fixed) Despite many hardships, the team was steadfast in its pursuit of the summit. Synonyms: obdurate, inexorable Antonyms: fickle, vacillatory ❑ recalcitrant (adj) stubbornly rebellious Synonyms: defiant, stubborn, wayward ❑ tenacious (adj) holding firmly; persistent (tenax holding fast) Synonyms: persistent, steadfast, resolute ❑ disputatious (adj) inclined to arguing (disputare to argue) Synonyms: contentious, litigious, polemical ❑ obdurate (adj) intractable; not easily persuaded (obdurare to harden) Synonyms: inexorable, dogged ❑ intractable (adj) hard to manage; stubborn (in- not + tract pull) Synonyms: obstinate, headstrong ❑ adamant (adj) refusing to yield (adamas unbreakable) Synonyms: inexorable, obdurate ❑ litigious (adj) prone to bringing lawsuits (lis lawsuit + agere to drive) Synonym: contentious CHAPTER 3 / BUILDING AN IMPRESSIVE VOCABULARY 121 Vocabulary Lesson 24: You’re Good at That! Today’s roots: apt fit summus highest para- beyond dexter skillful ❑ adroit (adj) dexterous; skillful An adroit con man, Clarence knew how to fool even the most skeptical eye. Synonyms: deft, proficient Antonyms: clumsy, inept ❑ unerring (adj) committing no mistakes; perfect (un- not + err to make a mistake) Her unerring sense of direction always puts her in the right place even if she has never been there before. Synonym: infallible Antonym: inferior ❑ adept (adj) highly skilled Roberto, an adept mathematician, completed the outrageously difficult calculus final in just 25 minutes. Synonyms: dexterous, adroit Antonyms: incompetent, clumsy ❑ aptitude (n) a natural ability; intelligence (apt fit) Kenneth showed a great aptitude for computers as a child, designing complex programs at the age of ten. Synonyms: competence, expertise Antonyms: ineptitude, incompetence ❑ paragon (n) a model of excellence; perfection ( para- beyond) The head of several charities, Susan is the paragon of philanthropy. Synonyms: prototype; epitome ❑ deft (adj) adroit, skillful The graceful ballerina kept from tripping on stage by deftly avoiding the poorly placed electrical wires. Synonyms: proficient, adroit Antonyms: clumsy, inept, awkward ❑ preeminent (adj) outstanding A preeminent psychologist, Dr. Carter is often asked to lend his expertise on difficult cases. Synonyms: unsurpassed, paramount Antonym: inferior ❑ expertise (n) knowledge or skill in a particular area Synonyms: prowess, savvy, bailiwick ❑ discerning (adj) showing good judgment or keen insight (dis- off + cernere distinguish) Synonyms: astute, judicious, sage ❑ agility (n) nimbleness (agilis to move) Synonyms: spryness, litheness ❑ consummate (adj) perfect in every respect (con- with + summus highest) Synonym: impeccable ❑ dexterous (adj) skillful with the hands (dexter skillful + -ous full of) Synonyms: adroit, adept ❑ impeccable (adj) flawless (im- not + peccare to sin) Synonyms: immaculate, infallible, transcendent ❑ precocious (adj) unusually advanced or mature in development (especially in mental attitude) 122 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT Vocabulary Lesson 25: Bad and Worse Today’s roots: mal bad, evil vol wish mis bad, wretched, hatred anthro humankind ❑ nefarious (adj) wicked; sinful (ne- not + fas lawful) Cinderella’s nefarious stepsisters took joy in making her do their daily chores. Synonyms: infamous, odious ❑ repugnant (adj) offensive; repulsive (re- back + pugnare to fight) Christopher’s mother found his superstition of not bathing after games repugnant. Synonyms: abhorrent, vile, abominable Antonyms: alluring, admirable ❑ infamous (adj) famous for bad deeds; notorious (in- not + famosus celebrated) The infamous “El Héctor” was remembered for the way he tortured the poor villagers of Santa Potula. Synonyms: contemptible, ignominious Antonym: noble ❑ odious (adj) worthy of dislike; arousing feelings of dislike (odiosus hateful) Jimmy was no longer afraid to go to school once the odious bully was suspended. Synonyms: abhorrent, loathsome, repugnant Antonyms: delightful, laudable ❑ malevolent (adj) wishing harm to others; evil (mal evil + vol wish) The malevolent dictator smiled as he ordered his soldiers to burn down the church. Synonym: sinister Antonym: benevolent ❑ malefactor (n) an evildoer (mal evil + facere to perform) Superman has found and stopped many a malefactor before the crime could actually be committed. Synonyms: scamp, delinquent Antonym: benefactor ❑ abominable (adj) loathsome; unpleasant His abominable behavior at the game included excessive drinking, loud swearing, and the removal of his clothes. Synonyms: contemptible, vile Antonyms: delightful, laudable ❑ avarice (n) extreme greed Synonyms: miserliness, penuriousness ❑ bigotry (n) intolerance toward those who are different ❑ hypocrite (n) one who says one thing but does another (hypokrites Gr pretender) ❑ miserly (adj) lacking generosity (mis wretched) Synonyms: avaricious, penurious ❑ inimical (adj) unfriendly (in- not + amicus friend) Synonyms: antagonistic, hostile ❑ curmudgeon (n) a cranky person ❑ misanthrope (n) one who hates humankind (mis hatred + anthro humankind) ❑ perfidy (n) deliberate breach of trust; treachery CHAPTER 3 / BUILDING AN IMPRESSIVE VOCABULARY 123 Vocabulary Lesson 26: Ripped Off Today’s roots: sub-, subter- under, secretly fugere to flee larecin theft machina device ❑ charlatan (n) a fraud; a quack (chiarlatino a quack) June’s family warned her that Chaz was a charlatan only pretending to be a successful lawyer. Synonyms: imposter, con man, swindler ❑ ruse (n) a crafty scheme The clever criminal came up with a flawless ruse to steal the money from the bank. Synonyms: strategem, machination ❑ subterfuge (n) a scheme; an attempt to deceive (subter secretly + fugere to flee) It takes real subterfuge to sneak anything past Principal Guber; it’s like he is able to see your every move. Synonyms: surreptitiousness, strategem, ploy Antonyms: forthrightness, candor ❑ dupe (n) one who is easily deceived The con artist has a knack for picking the perfect dupe, someone who will easily fall for his scam. Synonyms: chump, pushover ❑ pilfer (v) to steal The looters pilfered countless items from the electronics store during the riot. Synonyms: embezzle, filch ❑ swindle (v) to cheat The street hustler swindled the unsuspecting man, tricking him into buying a fake designer watch. Synonyms: bamboozle, hoodwink ❑ gullible (adj) easily deceived The gullible teenager was easily tricked by her friends into believing that one of them was a secret agent. Synonym: naive Antonym: astute ❑ embezzle (v) to steal money from one’s employer Synonyms: loot, pilfer ❑ machination (n) a crafty scheme (machina device) Synonyms: strategem, ruse ❑ bilk (v) to cheat, to swindle Synonyms: hoodwink, defraud, cheat, fleece ❑ larceny (n) theft (larecin Fr theft) Synonym: thievery ❑ filch (v) to steal Synonyms: pilfer, embezzle ❑ fleece (v) to defraud of money, to swindle Synonyms: swindle, bilk, hoodwink, defraud 124 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT Vocabulary Lesson 27: Good Guys and Bad Guys Today’s roots: archos leader, government theos god a-, an- without pacis peace ❑ hedonist (n) a pleasure seeker (hedone pleasure) The ’60s are often considered the age of the hedonist, a time when everyone felt they had the right to have fun. Synonyms: epicurean, epicure, sybarite, bon vivant ❑ ascetic (n) one who lives a holy life of self-denial (asketes monk) Tim has spent years at a time as an ascetic, each time giving away all he owns and living on rice and prayer. Synonym: monk ❑ anarchist (n) one who opposes all political authority (an- without + archos leader) Before the coup d’état, the dictator claimed to be an anarchist; that all changed once he was given power. Synonyms: insurgent, rebel ❑ pacifist (n) an individual who is opposed to violence (pacis peace + facere to make) Forever a pacifist, Julie organized a rally protesting the war in the Middle East. Synonym: peace-seeker Antonyms: warmonger, combatant ❑ atheist (n) one who does not believe that God exists (a- without + theos god) Although she is an atheist and does not worship the Buddha, Cathy meditates with her Buddhist friends. ❑ nihilist (n) one who rejects moral distinctions and knowable “truths” Because she is a nihilist, Carrie likes to contend that the world may be a figment of her imagination. ❑ despot (n) a tyrant; one who rules oppressively (despotes Gk absolute ruler) The despot rules with reckless abandon, doing only what he wants, with no concern for the citizens. Synonyms: tyrant, oppressor ❑ narcissist (n) one in love with his/her own image (from Narcissus, who fell in love with himself) ❑ zealot (n) one who engages passionately in a cause Synonyms: enthusiast, fanatic, devotee ❑ sybarite (n) an individual who seeks luxury Synonym: hedonist ❑ pessimist (n) an individual who focuses on the negative side of a situation (pessimus worst) Synonyms: alarmist, Cassandra, defeatist ❑ optimist (n) one who focuses on the positive side of a situation (optimus best) Synonyms: idealist, Pollyanna, Pangloss, Candide ❑ fanatic (n) one who shows extreme enthusiasm for a cause (fanaticus enthusiastic) Synonyms: extremist, radical, zealot, enthusiast CHAPTER 3 / BUILDING AN IMPRESSIVE VOCABULARY 125 Vocabulary Lesson 28: That’s Better Today’s roots: culpa blame placare to please ex-, e- out mollis soft ❑ vindicate (v) to clear from blame The adroit defense lawyer was able to vindicate her client of all charges, and he was set free. Synonyms: exonerate, absolve Antonym: convict ❑ assuage (v) to soothe anger or pain; to satisfy a hunger (suavis agreeable, sweet) If your dog gets stung by a bee, place a wet washcloth on the area to assuage the pain. Synonyms: pacify, appease, quench, allay Antonyms: provoke, vex, exacerbate ❑ mollify (v) to soothe the anger of (mollis soft) The waiter attempted to mollify the angry customer by offering him a free dessert with his dinner. Synonyms: assuage, appease, placate, conciliate Antonyms: rile, provoke ❑ exonerate (v) to clear from accusation (ex- out + onus burden) When the principal found the spray paint in Rex’s locker, Timmy was exonerated of all graffiti charges. Synonyms: acquit, exculpate, absolve Antonym: incriminate ❑ placate (v) to soothe; to mollify ( placare to please) The mother attempted to placate her crying baby by handing him his favorite teddy bear. Synonyms: pacify, assuage, conciliate, appease Antonyms: enrage, provoke ❑ exculpate (v) to free from blame (ex- out + culpa blame) Although the DNA evidence did not identify the killer, it did exculpate the police’s primary suspect. Synonyms: acquit, disculpate, exonerate Antonyms: impeach, convict ❑ anesthetic (n) something that reduces sensation (an- without + aisthesis Gk feeling) Before closing the cut, the doctor administered an anesthetic to numb the area around the wound. Synonym: palliative ❑ pacify (v) to soothe the agitation or anger of (pacis peace) Synonyms: appease, conciliate ❑ invigorate (v) to energize (in- in + vigor liveliness + -ate to do) Synonyms: stimulate, rejuvenate ❑ alleviate (v) to relieve (think of “Aleve” to relieve body aches) Synonyms: assuage, allay ❑ emollient (n) a substance that softens (mollis soft) ❑ absolve (v) to pardon (ab- from + solvere to loosen) Synonyms: exculpate, acquit ❑ placid (adj) peaceful; calm ( placare to please) Synonyms: serene, tranquil ❑ mitigate (v) to make less severe; to lessen the force of 126 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT Vocabulary Unit 4 Exercise Set I Time—8 minutes For each question, select the best answer among the choices given. Note any vocabulary words to review on the Hit List below. 1. The soldiers were commended for their refusal to surrender even when survival seemed to be an impossibility. (A) bombastic (B) dogged (C) disputatious (D) infamous (E) dexterous 2. Five months after the surgical procedure, the patient requested a stronger pain medication to help the daily discomfort she felt in her shoulder. (A) exonerate (B) alleviate (C) invigorate (D) perambulate (E) scrutinize 3. The golden statues added to the front of the house were excessively even for the preten- tious family that lived there. (A) ornate . . ostentatious (B) opulent . . nefarious (C) insipid . . pompous (D) splenetic . . grandiose (E) gaudy . . mercurial 4. In an effort to his bitter opponents, the President passed a law they had been pushing unsuccessfully for years. (A) consummate (B) mollify (C) vindicate (D) purge (E) invoke 5. Sally’s made her a for many a con artist. (A) loftiness . . chump (B) infallibility . . curmudgeon (C) pacifism . . charlatan (D) placidity . . ruse (E) gullibility . . dupe 6. Despite having ruled the nation for thirty years as and dictator, the prime minister was remembered for his munificence during the food shortage of 1987. (A) an abominable . . beneficent (B) a repugnant . . magnanimous (C) an obstinate . . lithe (D) a steadfast . . benevolent (E) an odious . . malevolent 7. The deft way in which the lawyer was able to deflect the negative testimony to his favor showed why he is the of prosecution. (A) paragon (B) conviction (C) braggart (D) machination (E) misanthrope 8. The resort island is a fantasy vacation spot for a ; one has rarely seen so much luxury and splendor in one place. (A) sybarite (B) zealot (C) nihilist (D) narcissist (E) ascetic 9. When a basketball player commits foul in a flagrant attempt to hurt a player, the referee calls a “technical foul” and the team that is fouled receives two foul shots and retains pos- session of the ball. (A) a preeminent (B) a peripheral (C) a masochistic (D) an inexorable (E) an egregious 10. The young scamp has always shown for lar- ceny, having successfully his first purse at the young age of six. (A) an equanimity . . filched (B) a bigotry . . bilked (C) an aptitude . . pilfered (D) a predilection . . exculpated (E) an agility . . razed HIT LIST CHAPTER 3 / BUILDING AN IMPRESSIVE VOCABULARY 127 Vocabulary Unit 4 Exercise Set II Write the meaning next to each root, and then write as many words as you can that contain the root. 1. GRANDIS_________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 2. SUB-_____________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 3. SUAVIS___________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 4. PACIS____________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 5. SUMMUS_________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 6. APT______________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 7. PUGNARE________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 8. MIS______________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 9. DEXTER_________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 10. TRACT___________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 11. CULPA___________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 12. MOLLIS__________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 13. THEOS___________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 14. PLACARE_________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 15. PED______________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ __________________________ 128 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT Vocabulary Unit 4 Exercise Set III 1. Is an ostentatious person humble? Y N 2. Is a deft person good at what she does? Y N 3. Is a recalcitrant person obsequious? Y N 4. Does an anarchist resist authority? Y N 5. Is an infamous person known for Y N kind things? Write the word with the given meaning. 6. a fraud c____________________ 7. showy about knowledge p____________________ 8. a pleasure seeker h____________________ 9. nimbleness a____________________ 10. famous for bad deeds i____________________ 11. to steal p____________________ 12. luxuriousness o____________________ 13. to clear from blame v____________________ 14. worthy of dislike o____________________ 15. to clear from blame e____________________ 16. unswerving s____________________ 17. a substance that softens e____________________ 18. a crafty scheme m____________________ 19. using inflated language b____________________ 20. a resentful person c____________________ 21. a tyrant d____________________ 22. skillful a____________________ 23. determined d____________________ 24. relentless i____________________ 25. one who seeks luxury s____________________ Write the correct form of the italicized word. 26. the quality of being recalcitrant _____________________________________________ 27. characterized by agility _____________________________________________ 28. characteristic of hypocrites _____________________________________________ 29. That which an anarchist seeks _____________________________________________ 30. To achieve vindication _____________________________________________ Write the word with the given root. 31. wishing harm to others (vol) _____________________________________________ 32. stubbornness (per) _____________________________________________ 33. natural ability (apt) _____________________________________________ 34. a scheme (subter) _____________________________________________ 35. to soothe (suavis) _____________________________________________ 36. difficult to manipulate (tract) _____________________________________________ 37. to soothe (mollis) _____________________________________________ 38. wicked (fas) _____________________________________________ 39. to free from blame (culp) _____________________________________________ 40. model of excellence (para) _____________________________________________ 41. lacking generosity (mis) _____________________________________________ CHAPTER 3 / BUILDING AN IMPRESSIVE VOCABULARY 129 Unit 4 Exercise Set I Answer Key 1. B If the soldiers are being commended, they must have done something good, which means that the missing word is positive. The phrase re- fusal to surrender tells us that dogged is the best choice. bombastic = pompous dogged = refusing to surrender disputatious = argumentative infamous = famous for evil acts dexterous = skillful with the hands 2. B The patient is having a lot of pain and dis- comfort and wants to get rid of it. Alleviate is a perfect fit. exonerate = to clear of blame alleviate = to lessen invigorate = to give strength to perambulate = to move around scrutinize = to examine closely 3. A The phrase even for the pretentious family leads us to believe that these statues must be quite pretentious. You want to pick words that relate to pretentiousness and luxury for both blanks. ornate = overly decorated; ostentatious = showy opulent = luxurious; nefarious = wicked insipid = dull; pompous = arrogant splenetic = irritable; grandiose = pretentious gaudy = showy; mercurial = changing 4. B The opponents are bitter, which means that they are quite unhappy about something. They have been trying to get a particular law passed, and finally this President helps them pass the law. You want a word that means to soothe or please. consummate = to make perfect mollify = to soothe the anger of vindicate = to clear from blame purge = to get rid of invoke = to call into being 5. E Con artists like to take advantage of people. Both words should describe a person who is easily taken advantage of. Gullible and dupe fit the best. loftiness = excessive pride; chump = a pushover infallibility = perfection; curmudgeon = resentful person pacifism = love of peace; charlatan = a fraud placidity = calm; ruse = a crafty scheme gullibility = easily fooled; dupe = a pushover 6. E Despite implies that the second half of the sentence should provide a contrast to the first. The leader is remembered for his munificence, or generosity, which is a positive quality. Therefore the two words should be negative. abominable = terrible; beneficent = doing good, kind repugnant = offensive; magnanimous =generous obstinate = stubborn; lithe = agile steadfast = determined; benevolent = kind odious = worthy of hate; malevolent = evil 7. A The lawyer deftly (skillfully) turns something that is negative into his advantage. This must mean that he is quite good at what he does. The word choice that best fits this is paragon. paragon = the model of perfection conviction = strongly held belief braggart = one who boasts machination = a crafty scheme misanthrope = a hater of humankind 8. A The sentence tells us that the resort island is filled with luxury and splendor. Who would love that? A sybarite. sybarite = an individual who seeks luxury zealot = one who engages passionately in a cause nihilist = one who does not believe anything can truly exist narcissist = a person in love with his or her own image ascetic = a person who lives a life of self-denial 9. E The technical foul is called when a player cre- ates a foul that is obvious and flagrant. Egregious is a perfect choice. preeminent = outstanding peripheral = on the side masochistic = enjoying one’s own pain inexorable = relentless egregious = flagrant, blatant 10. C A scamp is a mischievous person with a ten- dency toward crime. The word having indicates that the second word should support the first. equanimity = calmness; filched = stole bigotry = intolerance towards others; bilked = stole aptitude = talent; pilfered = stole predilection = preference; exculpated = freed from blame agility = swiftness; razed = completely destroyed . 120 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT Vocabulary Lesson 23: Like a Pit Bull Today’s roots: tract pull tenax holding fast ob- against per- very ❑ dogged (adj) determined; unwilling. swindle, bilk, hoodwink, defraud 124 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT Vocabulary Lesson 27: Good Guys and Bad Guys Today’s roots: archos leader, government theos god a-, an- without pacis peace ❑ hedonist (n). attitude) 122 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT Vocabulary Lesson 25: Bad and Worse Today’s roots: mal bad, evil vol wish mis bad, wretched, hatred anthro humankind ❑ nefarious (adj) wicked; sinful (ne- not + fas