SAT Power Vocab - The princetion review.pdf

 Editorial Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief Casey Cornelius, VP Content Development Mary Beth Garrick, Director of Production Selena Copp...

 Editorial Rob Franek, Editor-in-Chief Casey Cornelius, VP Content Development Mary Beth Garrick, Director of Production Selena Coppock, Managing Editor Meave Shelton, Senior Editor Colleen Day, Editor Sarah Litt, Editor Aaron Riccio, Editor Orion McBean, Editorial Assistant Penguin Random House Publishing Team Tom Russell, VP, Publisher Alison Stoltzfus, Publishing Director Jake Eldred, Associate Managing Editor Ellen Reed, Production Manager Suzanne Lee, Designer The Princeton Review 555 West 18th Street New York, NY 10011 E-mail: [email protected] Copyright © 2017 by TPR Education IP Holdings, LLC. All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Penguin Random House LLC, New York, and in Canada by Random House of Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Ltd., Toronto. Terms of Service: The Princeton Review Online Companion Tools (“Student Tools”) for retail books are available for only the two most recent editions of that book. Student Tools may be activated only twice per eligible book purchased for two consecutive 12-month periods, for a total of 24 months of access. Activation of Student Tools more than twice per book is in direct violation of these Terms of Service and may result in discontinuation of access to Student Tools Services. Trade Paperback ISBN 9780451487544 Ebook ISBN 9780451487551 The Princeton Review is not affiliated with Princeton University. Editor: Colleen Day Production Editors: Kathy Carter and Liz Rutzel Production Artist: Deborah A. Silvestrini v4.1 a Acknowledgments The Princeton Review would like to thank Jonathan Chiu and Gina Donegan for their fantastic work on this edition. Thanks also to everyone who contributed to the creation of this book: Debbie Silvestrini, Craig Patches, Kathy Carter, and Liz Rutzel. Special thanks to Adam Robinson, who conceived of and perfected the Joe Bloggs approach to standardized tests and many of the other successful techniques used by The Princeton Review. Contents Cover Title Page Copyright Acknowledgments Register Your Book Online! Introduction I. Etymology Chapter 1: Basic Word Roots Chapter 2: Latin Roots and Feeling Words Chapter 3: Greek Roots Chapter 4: More Latin Roots II. Mnemonic Devices Chapter 5: Mnemonics Chapter 6: Create Your Own Mnemonics Chapter 7: Word Associations III. Practice, Practice, Practice Chapter 8: New Words  Chapter 9: Cumulative Drills IV. Math Vocabulary Chapter 10: Math Terms for the SAT Conclusion: Building Your Vocabulary: Strategies and Study Tips Glossary Register Your Book Online! 1 Go to PrincetonReview.com/​cracking 2 You’ll see a welcome page where you can register your book using the following ISBN: 9780451487551 3 After placing this free order, you’ll either be asked to log in or to answer a few simple questions in order to set up a new Princeton Review account. 4 Finally, click on the “Student Tools” tab located at the top of the screen. It may take an hour or two for your registration to go through, but after that, you’re good to go. If you are experiencing book problems (potential content errors), please contact [email protected] with the full title of the book, its ISBN number (located above), and the page number of the error. Experiencing technical issues? Please e-mail [email protected] with the following information: your full name e-mail address used to register the book full book title and ISBN your computer OS (Mac or PC) and Internet browser (Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.) description of technical issue Once you’ve registered, you can… Find any late-breaking information released about the SAT Download and print the end-of-chapter word lists found in this book, as well as the Glossary of need-to-know terms Check out articles with valuable advice about college admissions Sort colleges by whatever you’re looking for (such as Best Theater or Dorm), learn more about your top choices, and see how they all rank according to The Best 381 Colleges Check to see if there have been any corrections or updates to this edition Offline Resources Reading and Writing Workout for the SAT Word Smart More Word Smart Introduction Why You Need This Book If you’re reading this book, chances are you are preparing to take a major standardized test such as the SAT. Or perhaps you have already taken the SAT and will be taking it again in hopes of achieving a higher score. You may have heard that the SAT no longer tests vocabulary, but this is not entirely accurate. It is true that the SAT does not test as much vocabulary as it once did, but here at The Princeton Review we know that students with a strong vocabulary tend to get better scores. Why? The College Board’s SAT underwent a major change in March 2016. Prior to 2016, there were many questions (called Sentence Completions) that explicitly tested difficult vocabulary words. And if you go back further in time to when your parents took the test, for example, there were even more vocabulary-based questions, such as word analogies. In March 2016, Sentence Completions were removed from the SAT, and the entire Verbal portion of the exam was said to test only reading and grammar skills. The dirty little secret about the SAT, however, is that you still need a strong knowledge of vocabulary in order to score well. Difficult words still appear in many Reading passages, questions, and answer choices, and if you don’t know these words, you will probably struggle. The SAT contains at least 10–15 words that the average student may not know— which could be the difference between answering a question correctly and getting stuck. At The Princeton Review, we know the SAT like the backs of our hands. We know what words you are likely to see on the SAT and which words you will not. More importantly, we know some effective strategies for learning unfamiliar vocabulary that do not require long hours spent memorizing endless lists of difficult words. A Strong Vocabulary Is “Good for Your Brain” You may be thinking, “There is more to life than a score on a standardized test.” Yes, we agree. Although we eat, sleep, and breathe bubble sheets and #2 pencils, we do occasionally venture into the “real world.” And, yes, you guessed it: Vocabulary is useful there, too. The English language is impressive in its variety. Unabridged dictionaries can contain as many as 600,000 words, but if you count the myriad of technical words found in disciplines such as science, medicine, engineering, and law, there are likely about one million English words. None of us can learn all of these—nor do we need to—but the more words you know, the more you will understand the world around you. When a news anchor says that a bill has “bipartisan support” in Congress, you will be a more engaged citizen if you know what bipartisan means. (It means that both political parties support the legislation.) A complaint we often hear from students is that the English language is too complex. For instance, why are there at least seven synonyms for friendly (affable, amiable, amicable, amenable, cordial, genial, solicitous, and so on) when we could all just say “friendly”? For the same reason there are there at least a million songs available to download when you could just listen to the same Beyoncé song all day. Variety is the spice of life! Convinced yet? Well, what if we told you that having a stronger vocabulary can actually make you smarter? How can we make such a bold claim? Psychology researchers Betty Hart and Todd Risley conducted an important study on preschoolers nearly 30 years ago. The study was simple: They counted the number of words that the preschoolers heard in their everyday lives from parents, siblings, playmates, television, and so on. They then tracked these children throughout the rest of their childhoods and measured how well they performed in school and, later, whether these children went to college, where they went to college, and what careers they pursued. The results were startling and undeniable: The children who were exposed to the highest number of words were the most successful later in life. And here is the best part: It was not only the quantity of words they were exposed to, but also the diversity of words that affected the final outcome. In short, knowing seven different words for friendly is not just a strategy to boost your Scrabble game; it might actually make you smarter. Scientific evidence that vocabulary is “good for your brain” is a good motivation for learning some. This book will show you the way. Who Needs This Book? Some might tell you that the best and easiest way to learn vocabulary is to learn it naturally over the course of a lifetime: from your friends, parents, teachers, the media, books, and so on. After all, that’s how you first learned many of the words you use every day. While there is no substitute for the natural, organic way of learning vocabulary from reading and real-life interactions, if you feel that your vocabulary is weaker than it should be, you need a fast way to bring yourself up to speed. Reading the world’s great classic works of literature and listening to hours of NPR on the car radio takes years of dedication. There is a faster way. This book is written for people at all levels of English knowledge and expertise. Maybe you are relatively new to the English language, know the basics, and now want to learn more challenging words. This book is for you. Maybe you are a native speaker and want to expand upon what you already know. This book is for you. Most of you probably have an average vocabulary. This book is for everyone. We guarantee that you will learn a lot of new words, and that you will see many of these words when you take the SAT. How to Use This Book SAT Power Vocab is designed to let you learn vocabulary in a logical manner, gradually, and with strategies and practice to ensure that you will remember new words for more than just a few minutes. For the best results, we recommend you read the chapters in this book in order and in their entirety, as each chapter builds on the one before it. The chapters are fairly short, so you can read them anytime, anywhere: during study hall, on a bus trip, or before bed. You can use this book over a long period of time or read it all in the week or two before your exam. Cramming is not the ideal way to learn anything, but it’s better than not studying at all. Tricks of the Trade The most common question we get from students is this: How do I learn vocabulary? Well, different approaches work for different people, but we at The Princeton Review believe in a multilayered approach that incorporates etymology (word roots), mnemonics, and more—plus practice exercises and activities to hone your word skills. Word Roots In Chapters 1 through 4, we will explore the fundamental building blocks of words. English is, in fact, cobbled together from other languages, including Latin and Greek. Many English words contain roots with meanings derived from those languages. When you learn some common roots, you will find that you can decipher the meaning of a word on sight even if you’ve never seen or heard it before. For example, let’s look at the Greek root chron-, which relates to time. The words below contain the root chron- and all have to do with time in some way. chronological: in order according to time  synchronize: to put on the same timetable anachronism: something out of place in time or history chronic: continuing over a long time chronicle: chronological record of events chronometer: device to measure time The Advantages of Learning Etymology Learning word roots is a key part of etymology, which is the study of the origin of words and how their meanings have changed over time. The principal advantages of using etymology to remember a definition are: (1) A word’s etymology tells you something about the meaning of the word, and (2) the same etymology may be shared by lots of words, which, in turn, can help you remember the meanings of clusters of related words. Moreover, learning etymology can get you interested in the origin of words and language in general; etymology tells you a story of a word through the centuries. The Pitfalls of Learning Etymology Most of the time, etymology helps you to decipher the meanings of words. In rare cases, however, it can lead you astray. The etymology of a word will usually tell you something about the meaning, but it will rarely gives you the full definition. Students often confuse a word’s etymology with its meaning, which can lead to errors on the SAT. For example, on a certain SAT, many students got a question wrong because they thought that the word verdant was etymologically related to words like verify, verdict, verisimilitude, and veritable. Verdant must have something to do with the concept of truth or reality, they reasoned. This is clever thinking, but it’s wrong. Verdant comes from a different family of words with the same root as the French word vert, which means “green.” If those same students had recognized that connection, they might have realized that verdant means “green with vegetation,” as in a verdant forest. Similarly, a lot of words that begin with ped- have something to do with feet: pedestrian, pedal, pedestal, pedometer, impede, expedite. A pediatrician, however, is not a foot doctor. A pediatrician is a doctor for children. A podiatrist is a foot doctor. (The word pediatrician is, however, related to the word meaning a strict teacher of children: pedagogue.) Despite these sorts of exceptions, etymology is a powerful tool to remember words that you already know and to successfully determine the meanings of words you don’t know. Mnemonics A mnemonic (pronounced “ni-MON-ick”) is a device or trick that helps you remember something specific. Grade-schoolers are sometimes taught to remember the spelling of arithmetic by using the following mnemonic: A Rat In The House Might Eat Tom’s Ice Cream. The first letter in each word in this silly sentence stands for the letters in arithmetic. Remember the sentence and you remember how to spell the word. Mnemonics can appeal to our ears, too. Take this popular history mnemonic: In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. Or this spelling mnemonic: “i” before “e” except after “c,” and in words that say “a,” as in “neighbor” and “weigh”? Some vocabulary words do not have obvious roots, or their meanings are still fuzzy even when you notice the roots. For these stubborn characters, we can use mnemonics to remember even the strangest members of the English language. In Chapter 5, we provide a bunch of suggested mnemonics, but you may have fun creating your own as well in Chapter 6. Word associations are also types of mnemonics. For example, the word alleviate might remind you of the name of a popular over-the-counter pain reliever. That’s right: To alleviate is to relieve pain. Associating a word with an idea, phrase, object that is related in meaning can help you remember the actual definition of the word. We take a closer look at this strategy (and provide lots of practice) in Chapter 7. Practice and Puzzles Even with roots and mnemonics at your disposal, practice is no doubt the key to learning—and remembering—challenging words. Using flashcards and similar study tactics are definitely useful (we discuss flashcards later in this book), but practice is often more effective (and interesting) when there is a task to complete. In this book, you’ll find exercises that test your knowledge of word relationships, synonyms, and roots, as well as how to determine the meaning of words in context. Starting in Chapter 6, there are also a bunch of SAT “quick quizzes,” which give you first-hand experience with the kind of vocabulary-in-context questions you will see on the SAT. For the best results, do all of the practice exercises at the end of a chapter before you move on to the next one. Math Vocabulary The bulk of this book is dedicated to helping you succeed on the verbal portion of the SAT, especially the Reading section, where you’ll likely encounter the most vocabulary words. However, discussions about vocabulary often leave out math terms, which are just as essential to your success on the SAT. In order to do well on the Math Test, you need to know what the questions are asking you—and that all begins with understanding key math terms. Chapter 10 serves as a glossary of the most important math vocabulary you should know for the exam. If you need to brush up on the definitions of integer or coefficient, for instance, this chapter will guide the way. Strategies, Word Lists, and More Last but not least, the Conclusion provides tips for taking your vocab prep beyond this book. Our step-by-step approach for learning and remembering key vocabulary will help you on the SAT, in the classroom or workplace, and in your daily life. You can start with the words in this book, which are compiled in end-of- chapter word lists throughout the book as well as a comprehensive Glossary on this page. (The Glossary also provides a “Cram List” of the 50 most important words to know for the SAT.) Both the end-of-chapter word lists and Glossary can also be found online in your Student Tools. (See Register Your Book Online! on this page to access these resources.) Feel free to print these out so that they can serve as study guides on the go, or use them to make flashcards. How you study is up to you. Two Final Words of Advice: Be Suspicious You already know some of the words in the book. You may know quite a few of them. Naturally, you don’t need to drill yourself on words you already know and use. But be careful. Before skipping a word, be sure that you really do know what it means. Some of the most embarrassing vocabulary mistakes occur when a person confidently uses familiar words incorrectly. Now it’s time to start learning some vocabulary! But before you dive in to Chapter 1, take a little bit of time to study our pronunciation key on the following page. Pronunciation Key The pronunciations you will find in this book differ slightly from the pronunciation keys found in most dictionaries. Our key is based on consistent phonetic sounds, so you don’t have to memorize it. All consonants not found in this table are pronounced as you would expect. Capitalized letters are accented. The Is (Are) Pronounced Like the In the Letter(s) Letter(s) Word(s) a a bat, can ah o con, bond aw aw paw, straw ay a skate, rake e e stem, hem ee ea steam, clean i i rim, chin, hint ing ing sing, ring oh o row, tow oo oo room, boom ow ow cow, brow oy oy boy, toy u, uh u run, bun y (ye, eye) i climb, time ch ch chair, chin f f, ph film, phony g g go, goon j j join, jungle k c cool, cat s s solid, wisp sh sh shoe, wish z z zoo, razor zh s measure uh a apologize  PART I Etymology CHAPTER 1 Basic Word Roots Get Back to Your Roots The traditional and perhaps tedious way to learn vocabulary is memorizing hundreds of words, drilling them into your brain over and over again until your head spins. However, this is not the approach we take in this book. (Remember, studying vocabulary for the SAT no longer requires rote memorization.) A far more productive way to prepare for the exam, and one of the strategies we will focus on in this book, is to learn the building blocks of many English words and use those building blocks to figure out the meanings of words that challenge you. Not all English words contain common word roots, but many of the most challenging ones do, including many found on the SAT. For example, one of the longest, most notorious words in the English language is antid​isest​ablis​hment​arian​ism This word may look ridiculous, and we promise you will never see it on a standardized test. But it’s a good example of how roots can help you. Break the word up like this: anti + dis + establishment + arian + ism Now try to figure out the meaning. Anti- and dis- are both negative roots, and two negatives can cancel each other out and become a positive. We all know what establishment is: an organized, preset way of doing something. An -arian is a person (think vegetarian). An -ism is a belief. So this word must refer to people who share a belief in keeping the established order, or an idea shared by people opposed to change. Actually, antid​isest​ablis​hment​arian​ism is a little more specific than that. It pertains to the movement to keep the government’s “established” support of the church intact in 19th-century England. Still, as shown in this example, knowledge of word roots can get you very close to this meaning —without having to open a dictionary! We promise you won’t see any words in this book nearly as long as the one above. But many words involve similar building blocks, so in this chapter we’ll look at some of the most common ones. Some of them may be new to you, and some of them you may already know. Let’s get started! To keep you organized, we will present them in alphabetical order. Word Roots in This Book English is a complex language with many different derivations. Some roots can have multiple meanings. The goal of this book, though, is to expose you to the most important meanings—the ones that are relevant to the SAT. Other books and websites may load you up with hundred of roots, but we’ll stick to the ones you need to know. a- without; not Put a- in front of a common word and it usually indicates that something is not true. If you are apolitical, then you are not a political person. If you are amoral, then you are not concerned with the morality of a situation. Don’t get too carried away with a-, though. This prefix works only if it is placed in front of another root. (An apple is not a fruit that is without pple, for example.) an-, ana- against Just like a-, the prefixes an- and ana- usually indicate a negative relationship within the word. Anaerobic exercise means “without air.”  An anagram is a word whose letters have been scrambled, i.e., against the usual order. anti- against; opposite This is yet another negative prefix. The possibilities are endless: If you are antiauthority, you are opposed to authority figures. An anticancer drug fights cancer, while an antidepressant helps to combat (oppose) depression. In late 18th-century America, an Anti-Federalist was opposed to excessive federal power. You get the idea. (Please note that anti- is not the same as ante-, which means “before.”) auto- self Why is it called an automatic dishwasher? Because it washes dishes by itself (after you load the machine, of course). How did the automobile get its name? A hundred years ago, it was remarkable to see a vehicle that moved by itself (as opposed to a horse-drawn cart). Your autograph is your own self’s unique handwriting. An autobiography is a biography that you write about yourself. co-, con- with; together Co- at the beginning of a word means “with” or “together.” Coauthors collaborate on a book together. Coworkers work together. contra- against When you contradict someone, you say something against his or her point of view.  A contrary opinion is one not in agreement with (or that goes against) the majority. Controversy occurs when two or more people disagree. de- reduce; remove When you deduct money from your bank account, you remove it. Deceleration is the opposite of acceleration. You are reducing your speed. To dethrone a king is to remove him from the throne. When you debug your computer, you remove the “bugs,” i.e., viruses or glitches. ex- out The exterior of your house is the outer portion. To exhale is to breathe out. Archaeologists excavate a site by digging out the dirt that surrounds an artifact. The ex-Congressman left, or came out, of Congress. He is no longer in office. im-, in- not; without Lots of words start with im- and in-, and they are almost all negative in meaning. Impossible means “not possible.” Inappropriate means “not appropriate.” I magna- great; large To call something magnificent suggests that it is a great achievement.  To magnify is to make something larger. A magnate is a great or powerful person, especially in business. mis- bad; wrong; hate Mis- is another negative prefix. When your little brother misbehaves, he behaves badly. If a book contains a misprint, the words were printed in the wrong way. morph- shape When things morph, they change shape. Morph- can also be combined with other roots to form new words. Metamorphosis occurs when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly. It changes shape. Q: Go back to the prefix a-. What does amorphous mean? (Turn to this page for the answer.) non- not; without English is full of negative roots. Non- is yet another of these pessimistic characters. Nonsense is an idea that does not make any sense. Nonfiction is a type of writing that does not contain any fictional elements; it is real. Something that is nondescript has no real description; it is difficult to describe. omni- all Omnivorous animals are not simply carnivorous (eating meat) or  herbivorous (eating animals); they eat all foods. Omniscience is the ability to “know all.” (Science is the pursuit of knowledge.) Omnipotence is the quality of being all-powerful. (Potency is power.) Omnipresence is the quality of being present everywhere, in all places. peri- around Finding the perimeter of a rectangle means finding the complete distance around the shape. Having peripheral vision gives you the ability to see around your normal line of sight. post- after To postpone an activity is to plan to complete it after its originally targeted deadline. The post-game show happens after the football game has ended. A postmortem is a medical examination of a body after its death. (What is mort-? You guessed it: death.) pre- before To prepare is to get ready for something before it happens. A prediction is a statement about the future before it happens. The Constitutional Preamble is the beginning of America’s founding document. It comes before the Bill of Rights. re- again If your teacher tells you to redo your homework, you need to do it again. When you refresh the page in your web browser, the page loads  again. A rebound in basketball allows the player to grab the ball again, after it bounces off the backboard. sub- under The city subway runs under the streets and buildings above (literally, “under the way”). A submarine travels under the surface of the ocean. (Marine means “relating to the sea or ocean.”) If your schoolwork is substandard, it is below the usual standards of excellence. super- higher; better Superman, with his X-ray vision and superhuman strength is above (“higher than”) that of mere mortals. The Super Bowl is the best and most competitive football game of the season. Supersonic airplanes can travel faster than the speed of sound. (Son- means “sound.”) A: Amorphous means “having no shape.” trans- across To transfer is to move across something. The Transcontinental Railroad of the 19th century allowed passengers to travel across the entire continent on a train. To transmit sound is to move it from one place to another. Got all of that? Great! Now it’s time to put your newfound knowledge to the test by completing the exercises on the next page. Chapter 1 Practice Exercises Click here to download as a PDF. Synonyms Using your knowledge of word roots, match the word on the left with the word most similar in meaning on the right. Answers can be found on this page. Set 1 1. antiauthority a. change 2. automatic b. collaborate 3. coauthor (v.) c. hollow 4. contrary d. increase 5. decelerate e. involuntary 6. excavate f. opposed 7. magnificent g. rebellious 8. magnify h. slow 9. morph i. splendid 10. metamorphosis j. transformation Set 2 1. nonfiction a. all-knowing 2. nonsense b. all-powerful 3. nondescript c. defer 4. omniscient d. everywhere 5. omnipotent e. external 6. omnipresent f. foolishness 7. peripheral g. indistinct 8. postpone h. prophecy 9. prediction i. recover 10. rebound j. unimagined Words in Context Read each passage and determine the meaning of the words in bold based on the context of the paragraph. Answers can be found on this page. Most of the tomatoes I found at the supermarket had been shipped in from Canada, where they had been grown hydroponically in greenhouses. These were salad-sized “beefsteak” tomatoes, each one more perfectly round than the last, and basically indistinguishable in appearance from a large, deep pink racquetball. 1. indistinguishable 2. to distinguish In 1752, Benjamin Franklin demonstrated through a series of kite experiments that lightning is a form of electricity. More than 250 years later, scientists still know relatively little about the causes of this phenomenon. Yet lightning plays such a significant role in weather and climate that it could eventually become a powerful tool in storm prediction. Current technology can detect the direction of a storm’s wind flow but cannot tell if these winds will pick up or die down. Lightning commonly occurs during tornadoes, and flashes increase significantly right before a twister touches ground. If understood, lightning, once considered a mysterious and frightening occurrence, could do much to save lives. 3. phenomenon People often base their perceptions of similarity between fraternal twins on factors other than actual physical resemblance. Mannerisms such as similar gestures and facial expressions can  substantially amplify even a minor resemblance. Fraternal twins, who are no closer genetically than ordinary siblings, are very likely to share many of these behavioral quirks, since they often spend more time together than do siblings with a separation in age. Consequently, because they constantly provide each other with nonverbal feedback, they tend to converge in many of their unconscious habits, leading to a closer perceived resemblance to one another. 4. quirk Bonus Word Roots Study the definition of the words below and answer the questions that follow. Answers can be found on this page. CIRCUMNAVIGATE (sur kum NAV uh gayt) v to sail or travel all the way around CIRCUMSCRIBE (SUR kum skrybe) v to draw a line around; to set the limits; to define; to restrict CIRCUMVENT (sur kum VENT) v to get around something in a clever, occasionally dishonest way 1. What does it mean to navigate? 2. What is a scribe? 3. What does a vent do? 4. What is a circle’s circumference? 5. What does the root circum- mean? Questions 6–9: Read the following passage, paying attention to the words in bold, and answer the questions that follow.  Why do we know so little about the life of William Shakespeare when we know comparatively so much about the lives of his less accomplished peers? Our lack of knowledge about Shakespeare has inspired countless conspiracy theories. The actual writing of Shakespeare’s works has been attributed to others from contemporary playwrights Christopher Marlowe and Ben Johnson to the brilliant Renaissance scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon. Shakespeare was an immensely successful dramatist as well as a prosperous property owner. Circumspect, and only too aware of the government-inspired branding of Johnson, its torture of Thomas Kyd, and its murder of Marlowe, Shakespeare kept himself nearly anonymous. Wary to the end, Shakespeare led a life virtually without memorable incident, as far as we can tell. 6. Circumspect and wary are synonyms. In the context of the passage, what do they mean? 7. Write down three words that start with spect-: 8. What does the root spect- relate to? 9. How do the roots circum- and spect- relate to the definition of circumspect? Chapter 1 Answer Key Synonyms Set 1 1. g 2. e 3. b 4. f 5. h 6. c 7. i 8. d 9. a 10. j Set 2 1. j 2. f 3. g 4. a 5. b 6. d 7. e 8. c 9. h 10. i Words in Context 1. Since the tomatoes are perfectly round, they are similar or virtually identical to a racquetball, making them indistinguishable, which means “difficult to understand or make out.” 2. Since one cannot see or notice the difference between a tomato and a racquetball, to distinguish must mean “to see or notice differences.” 3. The entire passage is about lightning, a scientific occurrence studied by Benjamin Franklin and others. A phenomenon is simply an observable event, though the word is often used to describe something unusual. 4. The best clues here are “mannerisms” and “unconscious habits.” Quirks are unusual characteristics in a person or idea. Bonus Word Roots 1. To navigate means to travel over a planned course. 2. A scribe is a writer. 3. A vent is an opening that permits the escape of something. 4. The circumference of a circle is its perimeter. 5. The root circum- means “around.” 6. In the passage, circumspect and wary mean “cautious.” “Branding,” “torture,” and “murder” are all scary prospects, so Shakespeare would have been cautious and careful (demonstrated by the fact that he kept himself anonymous). 7. spectator, spectacle, inspect (There are others; these are just suggestions!) 8. The root spect- relates to looking or watching. 9. Circumspect literally means “looking around” (cautiously), which combines the roots circum- and spect-. Chapter 1 Word List Here is an alphabetical list of the most important words you learned in this chapter. AMORAL (ay MOR ul) adj lacking a sense of right and wrong; neither good nor bad, neither moral nor immoral; without moral feelings Very young children are amoral; when they cry, they aren’t being bad or good—they’re merely doing what they have to do. AMORPHOUS (uh MOR fus) adj shapeless; without a regular or stable shape; blob-like The sleepy little town was engulfed by an amorphous blob of glowing protoplasm—a higher intelligence from outer space. To say that something has an “amorphous shape” is a contradiction. How can a shape be shapeless? CIRCUMNAVIGATE (sur kum NAV uh gayt) v to sail or travel all the way around Magellan’s crew was the first to circumnavigate the globe. Circumnavigating their block took the little boys most of the morning because they stopped in nearly every yard to play with their new action figures. The word can also be used figuratively. Jefferson skillfully circumnavigated the subject of his retirement; in his hour-long speech, he talked about everything but it. CIRCUMSCRIBE (SUR kum skrybe) v to draw a line around; to set the limits; to define; to restrict The Constitution clearly circumscribes the restrictions that can be placed on our personal freedoms. A barbed-wire fence and armed guards circumscribed the  movement of the prisoners. CIRCUMSPECT (SUR kum spekt) adj cautious As a public speaker, Nick was extremely circumspect; he always took great care not to say the wrong thing or give offense. The circumspect general did everything he could to keep his soldiers from unnecessary risk. The word circumspect comes from Greek roots meaning “around” and “look” (as do the words circle and inspect). To be circumspect is to look around carefully before doing something. CIRCUMVENT (sur kum VENT) v to get around something in a clever, occasionally dishonest way Our hopes for an early end of the meeting were circumvented by the chairperson’s refusal to deal with the items on the agenda. The angry school board circumvented the students’ effort to install televisions in every classroom. DISTINGUISH (di STING gwish) v to tell apart; to cause to stand out The rodent expert’s eyesight was so acute that he was able to distinguish between a shrew and a vole from more than 500 feet away. I studied and studied but I was never able to distinguish between discrete and discreet. His face had no distinguishing characteristics; there was nothing about his features that stuck in your memory. Lou’s uneventful career as a dogcatcher was not distinguished by adventure or excitement. MAGNATE (MAG nayt) n a rich, powerful, or very successful businessperson After graduating from Harvard Business School, she became a magnate in the music industry, owning several record labels and production companies. METAMORPHOSIS (met uh MOR fuh sis) n a magical change in form; a striking or sudden change Damon’s metamorphosis from college student to Hollywood superstar was so sudden that it seemed a bit unreal. The verb is metamorphose. To undergo a metamorphosis is to metamorphose. OMNISCIENT (ahm NISH unt) adj all-knowing; having infinite wisdom Omni- is a prefix meaning “all.” To be omnipotent (ahm NIP uh tunt) is to be all-powerful. An omnivorous (ahm NIV ur us) animal eats all kinds of food, including meat and plants. Something omnipresent (AHM ni prez unt) seems to be everywhere. In March, mud is omnipresent. The novel’s narrator has an omniscient point of view, so his words often clue the reader in to things the characters in the story don’t know. (Note: Sci- is a root meaning “knowledge” or “knowing.” Prescient (PRESH unt) means knowing beforehand; nescient (NESH unt) means not knowing, or ignorant.) PERIPHERY (puh RIF uh ree) n the outside edge of something José never got involved in any of our activities; he was always at the periphery. The professional finger painter enjoyed his position at the periphery of the art world. To be at the periphery is to be peripheral (puh RIF uh rul). A peripheral interest, for example, is a secondary or side interest. CHAPTER 2 Latin Roots and Feeling Words Chapter 1 Review Before beginning Chapter 2, let’s see how much you remember from the previous chapter with this fill-in-the-blank exercise. You can check your answers on this page. 1. A moral person does right; an immoral person does wrong; an amoral person ______________. 2. Ed’s art teacher said that his sculpture was amorphous; it was ______________. 3. John D. Rockefeller was a magnate. Magna- means ______________, so a magnate is a ______________ person. 4. Every night, Dr. Jekyll underwent a bizarre metamorphosis: He ______________ into Mr. Hyde. 5. When Lucy was a small child, she thought her parents were omniscient. Now that she’s a teenager, she realizes that they don’t ______________. 6. Your peripheral vision is your ability to see ______________. Latin is Not a Dead Language As mentioned earlier, many of the most challenging words in the English language derive their sounds and meanings from Latin. Don’t worry; you need not memorize any complex conjugations in order to understand a few basic Latin roots. And we promise that knowing these roots will make learning multiple words a whole lot easier. What Are “Feeling Words”? Test writers love to test you on “feeling words,” which usually appear on the Reading section of the SAT. A feeling word is exactly what it sounds like—a word that describes an emotion or state of being. Whenever a question asks about the author’s tone or the attitude of a particular character, feeling words usually come into play. You know the basic emotions: happy, sad, angry, fearful, and so on. But on a standardized test you are more likely to see higher-level vocabulary words like jubilant, despondent, indignant, or apprehensive to describe emotions. Take a look at the following example: In line 20, the author mentions “jelly beans” in order to demonstrate that he is A) jubilant at the sight of a familiar treat. B) despondent at the end of each school day. C) indignant at the sight of more food. D) apprehensive at mealtimes. These words do mean “happy” (jubilant), “sad” (despondent), “angry” (indignant), and “fearful” (apprehensive). Why is the English language so complex? Don’t ask why; let’s just roll up our sleeves and learn some feeling words! The list that follows contains some common Latin roots that show up in many words, including feeling words you should be familiar with, particularly for the SAT. Consider making flashcards for this list, with the root on the front of the card and various words the root appears in on the back. Feeling Words with Latin Roots vol- to wish; to will; to want Let’s start with a word we all know: volunteer. A volunteer is someone who acts upon his or her own desires or volition. A volunteer is not forced and does not require money to motivate his or her actions. So, words with vol- inevitably involve wishes and desires, otherwise known as feelings. Keep reading to see examples of vol- combined with other roots to form some common test words, such as benevolent, malevolent, and others. bene- kindness; goodness Words you know that start with bene- are always good. (This lesson will benefit you. It will be beneficial.) So, what does it mean if you are benevolent? You guessed it: You have kind wishes toward others. Here are some other bene- words: benediction (n.)—an expression of kindness; a blessing benefactor (n.)—one who performs an act of kindness beneficent (adj.)—performing acts of charity beneficiary (n.)—one who receives a benefit  benign (adj.)—kind and gentle mal- bad; ill; wrong If you recall the villain Maleficent from the animated version of Sleeping Beauty (or the more recent Angelina Jolie film), this root will be an easy enough one to remember. Maleficent is not just a nasty-sounding name; it is an adjective used to describe anyone who is harmful or malicious in intent. In medicine, what do doctors mean when they call a tumor benign? They don’t mean the tumor is nice and gentle; rather, a benign tumor is simply “not harmful.” Q: What do doctors call a harmful tumor? See this page for the answer! Let’s go back to our good friend vol-. If benevolent means having kind wishes toward others, then what does malevolent mean? Yes, you’re right: having bad wishes toward others. Here are some other mal- words: maladapted (adj.)—not adapted well to the environment malaise (n.)—a general sense of unease malcontent (adj.)—dissatisfied (not content); (n.)—a person who is not content malfeasance (n.)—misconduct malice (n.)—a desire to harm others malpractice (n.)—harmful actions, especially by a doctor or  lawyer ambi- both; changing Ever wish you were ambidextrous? You probably know that this word refers to someone who is equally skilled with both hands. So, ambi- means “both” or “the ability to change.” (And dexterous means “skillful with one’s hands.” We can tell you’re getting the hang of this!) What does it mean to be ambivalent? To have two or more conflicting emotions. If you have sharp eyes, you may have noticed that that’s val-, not vol-. Not to worry. Sometimes the spellings of roots can change, but the meaning is still the same. Sounds Like: “Before Thought” In legal jargon, “malice aforethought” means the commission of a crime with a premeditated intention of causing harm. (It also sounds like a line from Shakespeare, but it’s not.) Another important ambi- word you absolutely need to know is ambiguous: When her mother asked her if she had completed her homework, Emily gave an ambiguous reply. Even after a thorough police investigation, the identity of the shoplifter remained ambiguous. Based on these contexts, we can define ambiguous as unclear in meaning, confusing, or capable of being interpreted in different ways. equi- equal; voc- speaking While we’re on the subject of vagueness, let’s look at a word that means almost the same thing: equivocal. A: A harmful tumor is known as a malignant tumor. Equivocal is made up of two important roots: equi- and voc-. You have seen both of these roots before in simple words such as equal and vocal. So, literally, being equivocal means “saying two things equally.” In other words, you’re being ambiguous with the intention of misleading others, or you’re being hesitant about making a commitment. The politician would often equivocate when asked about a controversial issue. Samantha told James unequivocally that she would never go to the prom with him. Equi- (or equa-) and voc- can be found in a number of English words. Here are a few important ones to remember: advocate (n.)—a person who argues in favor of a position or cause; (v.)—to argue in favor of a position or cause equanimity (n.)—staying calm and even-tempered (an “equal” mood) equation (n.)—a statement asserting the equality of two expressions equidistant (adj.)—equally distant equilateral (adj.)—sharing equal sides equitable (adj.)—fair and just (“equally” treated) evoke (v.)—to call forth invoke (v.)—to call upon a higher power  irrevocable (adj.)—something that cannot be stopped (or “called” back) provoke (v.)—to cause, especially by speaking words (The adjective is provocative, which means “causing discussion, thought, emotion, or excitement in some way.”) vociferate (v.)—to speak loudly vociferous (adj.)—talking a lot or loudly Horse Whisperer? Sometimes words look like they contain a certain root word, but, in fact, do not. Take the word equine, for example. It appears to start with equi-, but it is actually derived from a different Latin root, equus, which pertains to horses. But don’t worry. At least 90% of the time, your knowledge of roots will not steer you wrong. plac- to calm or please Ever hear of Lake Placid in the state of New York? How about a placebo medicine? You may be wondering what in the world these things have in common. Well, they both start with plac-, our next important root. Lake Placid is calm and gentle, and a placebo medicine may make you feel calm and healed, though it actually provides no medicinal value. Here are some other important plac- words: complacent (adj.)—satisfied with the current situation and uninterested in change complaisant (adj.)—having a desire to please others  implacable (adj.)—impossible to calm or soothe placate (v.)—to calm or soothe We’ve learned a lot of words and word roots so far. Do you need to memorize them all? Malarkey! If you remember the roots from this chapter and Chapter 1 (as well as those to come in future chapters) you’ll be able to quickly decipher the general meaning of tons of words. Complacent vs. Complaisant Complacent and complaisant are obviously visually similar and are pronounced identically. As you can see, however, they have slightly different meanings. (English is cruel!) Test writers are far more likely to test you on complacent, so remember this when you’re studying! Chapter 2 Practice Exercises Click here to download as a PDF. Fill in the Blank Fill in the blank with the word from this chapter that best completes the meaning of the sentence. Answers can be found on this page. 1. Lake ______________ derives its name from its smooth, glassy surface and the soothing mountain air in its environment. 2. A ______________ person wishes harm on others. 3. Since Robert was an only child, he was the sole ______________ to his father’s estate. 4. You should not take action based on the wishes of others. Act on your own ______________. 5. The crying baby was ______________; no amount of rocking could console her. 6. Alex was a passionate ______________ for the rights of animals. 7. If three sides of a triangle are equal, the triangle is ______________. 8. Since their teacher was so ______________, the students could rarely get a word in edgewise. 9. Many minority groups in America have fought to achieve rights ______________ to that of the majority population. 10. The unqualified lawyer was often sued for ______________. Multiple Choice Read each question and choose the best answer of the options given. Answers can be found on this page. Question 1 is based on the passage below. 1. The doctor’s attitude towards the “nurses and midwives” in line 5 is best described as A) ambivalent B) malcontent C) placid D) vociferous 2. The tour guide was known for both his _________ and his _________: frequently kind, he was also calm and self-assured. A) beneficence…equanimity B) malfeasance…placability C) complacence…equidistance D) malignity…dexterity 3. Given the gravity of his offenses, the convicted executive displayed astonishing _________ when he addressed the court before sentencing. A) invocation B) malpractice  C) volition D) placidity Question 4 is based on the passage below. Pull up to a traffic light in Anytown, U.S.A. and look around. On one side sits an army of national chain stores and “family friendly” restaurants, with names designed to evoke memories of small town Americana. 4. In context, “evoke” most nearly means A) shout B) speak quietly C) equal D) recall 5. During the Sunday church sermon, the pastor _________ the name of Jesus Christ several times. A) provoked B) invoked C) evoked D) advocated Words in Context Read each passage and determine the meaning of the words in bold based on the context of the paragraph. Answers can be found on this page. The human body is not an ideal model of biological efficiency; it is more like a garbage dump. Buried deep within the genetic code of all humans is the unfortunate record, the genetic “trash,” of our less successful evolutionary cousins and ancestors. Consider hemoglobin. Modern human hemoglobin consists of four different protein chains known as globins. Many of the genes that could produce globins are redundant, and several others are inactive, damaged in such a way as to make protein production impossible. What is the significance of these dysfunctional genes? Quite simply, these damaged genes are the legacy of our less successful ancestors, the biological remnants of evolutionary mutations that didn’t work out well enough. 1. redundant 2. dysfunctional 3. remnant 4. mutation While many rivers have long been utilized and harnessed by the people who congregate near them, the Mekong River, though it snakes through five countries in Southeast Asia, has eluded human control until recent times. The low water level in dry seasons impedes travel down the river, as does the Mekong’s habit of splitting into wide networks of smaller channels. Annual flooding during the monsoon season thwarts attempts at long-term agriculture. But in recent years, modern technology and burgeoning human populations have begun to encroach upon the Mekong’s independence. Soon, the Mekong may be as readily manipulated as many of its peers around the world. 5. utilize 6. congregate 7. elude 8. impede  9. thwart 10. burgeoning 11. encroach 12. manipulate Crossword Puzzle Try this crossword as test of your word knowledge. All answers are words found in this chapter. Answers can be found on this page. Across 1. a blessing  2. one who performs an act of kindness 5. vague, unclear 6. to deliberately mislead or confuse 10. to call upon a higher power Down 3. a general sense of unease 4. equally skilled with both hands 7. to speak or act on someone else’s behalf 8. to cause 9. unable to be stopped Chapter 2 Answer Key Chapter 1 Review 1. A moral person does right; an immoral person does wrong; an amoral person does not care about morality. 2. Ed’s art teacher said that his sculpture was amorphous; it was without shape. 3. John D. Rockefeller was a magnate. Magna- means great, so a magnate is a big or important person. 4. Every night, Dr. Jekyll underwent a bizarre metamorphosis: He changed into Mr. Hyde. 5. When Lucy was a small child, she thought her parents were omniscient. Now that she’s a teenager, she realizes that they don’t know everything. 6. Your peripheral vision is your ability to see on the edges (of your vision). Fill in the Blank 1. Placid 2. maleficent or malicious or malevolent 3. beneficiary 4. volition 5. implacable 6. advocate 7. equilateral 8. vociferous 9. equitable 10. malpractice Multiple Choice 1. B The best clues here are “shabby” and “untrained.” The doctor  looks down on his colleagues. Based on what you read in this chapter, (A) means torn between two emotions, (C) means calm, and (D) means loud or talkative. None of these are good matches, so you are left with (B). 2. A The clue words for the blanks are “kind” and “calm.” Bene- means kind or good, while equ- implies having an “even” personality. The answer is (A). 3. D “Astonishing” is an important word to notice here. The executive’s offenses are “grave,” so we would expect him to be remorseful. Instead, he must be either unremorseful or calm. Choice (D) means calmness, so it is the correct answer. 4. D Hopefully you remembered from the chapter that –voc relates to speaking. Eliminate (C). Choices (A) and (B) are good traps, but neither one really describes memories. In context, it would make more sense to “recall,” or remember, memories. They are “called forth” in your mind. Choice (D) is correct. 5. B This question is tricky, since all of the roots in the answer choices identical. Choice (A) is almost always negative, though, so it wouldn’t fit the context. Choice (D) doesn’t fit, since you would not advocate (speak on someone else’s behalf) a name. Choices (B) and (C) are close. Since this is a sermon, (B) is slightly better. Invoking implies calling out verbally. Words in Context 1. redundant: unnecessarily repetitive 2. dysfunctional: not functioning well 3. remnant: leftover 4. mutation: change 5. utilize: to use 6. congregate: to assemble  7. elude: to avoid 8. impede: to block 9. thwart: to stop 10. burgeoning: growing rapidly 11. encroach: to advance beyond proper limits 12. manipulate: to operate in a skillful manner Crossword Puzzle Across 1. a blessing 2. one who performs an act of kindness 5. vague, unclear  6. to deliberately mislead or confuse 10. to call upon a higher power Down 3. a general sense of unease 4. equally skilled with both hands 7. to speak or act on someone else’s behalf 8. to cause 9. unable to be stopped Chapter 2 Word List Here is an alphabetical list of the most important words you learned in this chapter. ADVOCATE (AD vuh kut) n a person who argues in favor of a position Lulu believes in eliminating tariffs and import restrictions; she is an advocate of free trade. Advocate (AD vuh kayt) can also be a verb: The representative of the paint company advocated cleaning the deck before painting it, but we were in a hurry so we painted right over the dirt. Advocacy (AD vuh kuh see) is support of or agreement with a position. AMBIGUOUS (am BIG yoo us) adj unclear in meaning; confusing; capable of being interpreted in different ways The poem we read in English class was ambiguous; no one had any idea what the poet was trying to say. The noun form is ambiguity (am bih GYOO uh tee). AMBIVALENT (am BIV uh lunt) adj undecided; having opposing feelings simultaneously Susan felt ambivalent about Alec as a boyfriend. Her frequent desire to break up with him reflected this ambivalence. BENEDICTION (ben uh DIK shun) n a blessing; an utterance of good wishes In certain church services, a benediction is a particular kind of blessing. In secular usage, the word has a more general meaning: Jack and Jill were married without their parents’ benediction; in  fact, their parents had no idea that Jack and Jill had married. The opposite of benediction is malediction (mal uh DIK shun), which means curse or slander: Despite the near-universal malediction of critics, the sequel to Gone with the Wind became a huge bestseller. BENEFACTOR (BEN uh fak tur) n one who provides help, especially in the form of a gift or donation A person who gives benefits is a benefactor. A person who receives benefits is a beneficiary. These two words are often confused. If your next-door neighbor rewrites his life insurance policy so that you will receive all his millions when he dies, then you become the beneficiary of the policy. He is your benefactor. A malefactor (MAL uh fak tur) is a person who does bad things. BENEVOLENT (beh NEV uh lunt) adj generous; kind; doing good deeds Giving money to the poor is a benevolent act. To be benevolent is to bestow benefits. The United Way, like any charity, is a benevolent organization. Malevolent (muh LEV uh lunt) means evil, or wishing to do harm. BENIGN (bih NYNE) adj gentle; not harmful; kind; mild The threat of revolution turned out to be benign; nothing much came of it. Charlie was worried that he had cancer, but the lump on his leg turned out to be benign. BURGEON (BUR jun) v to expand; to flourish The burgeoning weeds in our yard soon overwhelmed the grass. COMPLACENT (kum PLAY sunt) adj self-satisfied; overly pleased with oneself; contented to a fault The complacent camper paid no attention to the poison ivy around  his campsite and ended up in the hospital. The football team won so many games that it became complacent, leading them to be defeated by the worst team in the league. To fall into complacency is to become comfortably uncaring about the world around you. Don’t confuse complacent with complaisant (kum PLAY zunt), which means eager to please. CONGREGATE (KAHN grih gayt) v to come together Protestors were granted permission to congregate peacefully on the plaza. The noun form is congregation, which often refers to the membership of a house of worship. About half of the congregation attended the sunrise service. DEXTROUS (DEX trus) adj skillful; adroit Dextrous often, but not always, connotes physical ability. Like adroit, it comes from the Latin word for right (as in the direction) because right- handed people were once considered physically and mentally superior. Ilya was determined not to sell the restaurant; even the most dextrous negotiator could not sway him. You may also see this word spelled dexterous. Dexterity is the noun form. ELUSIVE (ih LOO siv) adj hard to pin down; evasive To be elusive is to elude, which means to avoid, evade, or escape. The answer to the problem was elusive; every time the mathematician thought he was close, he discovered another error. (One could also say that the answer to the problem eluded the mathematician.) ENCROACH (en KROHCH) v to make gradual or stealthy inroads into; to trespass  As the city grew, it encroached on the countryside surrounding it. With an encroaching sense of dread, I slowly pushed open the blood-spattered door. My neighbor encroached on my yard by building his new stockade fence a few feet on my side of the property line. EQUANIMITY (ek wuh NIM uh tee) n composure; calm The entire apartment building was crumbling, but Rachel faced the disaster with equanimity. She ducked out of the way of a falling beam and continued searching for an exit. John’s mother looked at the broken glass on the floor with equanimity; at least he didn’t hurt himself when he knocked over the vase. EQUITABLE (EK wuh tuh bul) adj fair The pirates distributed the loot equitably among themselves, so that each pirate received the same share as every other pirate. The divorce settlement was quite equitable. Sheila got the right half of the house, and Tom got the left half. Equity is fairness; inequity is unfairness. Iniquity and inequity both mean unfair, but iniquity implies wickedness as well. By the way, equity is also a finance term used to refer to how much something (usually property or a business) is worth after subtracting what is owed on it, i.e., home equity. EQUIVOCAL (ih KWIV uh kul) adj ambiguous; intentionally confusing; capable of being interpreted in more than one way To be equivocal is to be intentionally ambiguous or unclear. Joe’s response was equivocal; we couldn’t tell whether he meant yes or no, which is precisely what Joe wanted. Dr. Festen’s equivocal diagnosis made us think that he had no idea what Mrs. Johnson had. To be equivocal is to equivocate. To equivocate is to mislead by saying confusing or ambiguous things: When we asked Harold whether that was his car that was parked in the middle of the hardware store, he equivocated and asked, “In which aisle?” EVOKE (i VOHK) v to summon forth; to draw forth; to awaken; to produce or suggest The car trip with our children evoked many memories of similar car trips I had taken with my own parents when I was a child. Professor Herman tried repeatedly but was unable to evoke any but the most meager response from his students. Paula’s Christmas photographs evoked both the magic and the crassness of the holiday. The act of evoking is called evocation (e voh KAY shun). A visit to the house in which one grew up often leads to the evocation of old memories. Something that evokes something else is said to be evocative (i VAHK uh tiv). The old novel is highly evocative of its era; reading it makes you feel as though you have been transported a hundred years into the past. IMPEDE (im PEED) v to obstruct or interfere with; to delay The faster I try to pick up the house, the more the cat impedes me; he sees me scurrying around and, thinking I want to play, he runs up and winds himself around my ankles. The fact that the little boy is missing all his front teeth impedes his ability to speak clearly. Something that impedes is an impediment (im PED uh munt). Irene’s inability to learn foreign languages was a definite impediment to her mastery of French literature. INVOKE (in VOHK) v to entreat or pray for; to call on as in prayer; to declare to be in effect Oops! I just spilled cake mix all over my mother’s new kitchen carpet. I’d better go invoke her forgiveness. This drought has lasted for so long that I’m just about ready to invoke the rain gods. The legislature passed a law restricting the size of the state’s deficit, but it then neglected to invoke it when the deficit soared above the limit. The noun is invocation (in vuh KAY shun). IRREVOCABLE (i REV uh kuh bul) adj irreversible To revoke (ri VOHK) is to take back. Something irrevocable cannot be taken back. My decision not to wear a Tarzan costume and ride on a float in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is irrevocable; there is absolutely nothing you could do or say to make me change my mind. After his friend pointed out that the tattoo was spelled incorrectly, Tom realized that his decision to get a tattoo was irrevocable. MALAISE (ma LAYZ) n a feeling of depression, uneasiness, or queasiness Malaise descended on the calculus class when the teacher announced a quiz. MALFEASANCE (mal FEE zuns) n an illegal act, especially by a public official President Ford officially pardoned former President Nixon before the latter could be convicted of any malfeasance. PLACATE (PLAY kayt) v to pacify; to appease; to soothe The tribe placated the angry volcano by tossing a few teenagers into the raging crater. The beleaguered general tried to placate his fierce attacker by sending him a pleasant flower arrangement. His implacable enemy  decided to attack anyway. PLACEBO (pluh SEE boh) n a fake medication; a fake medication used as a control in tests of the effectiveness of drugs Half the subjects in the experiment received the real drug; half were given placebos. Of the subjects given placebos, 50 percent reported a definite improvement, 30 percent reported a complete cure, and 20 percent said, “Oh, I bet you just gave us a placebo.” Mrs. Walters is a total hypochondriac; her doctor prescribes several placebos a week just to keep her from calling him so often. REDUNDANT (ri DUN dunt) adj unnecessarily repetitive; excessive; excessively wordy Eric had already bought paper plates, so our purchase of paper plates was redundant. Shawn’s article was redundant—he kept saying the same thing over and over again. An act of being redundant is a redundancy. The title “Department of Redundancy Department” is redundant. THWART (thwort) v to prevent from being accomplished; to frustrate; to hinder I wanted to do some work today, but it seemed as though fate thwarted me at every turn; first, someone on the phone tried to sell me a magazine subscription, and then my printer broke down, and then I discovered that my favorite movie was on TV. There’s no thwarting Yogi Bear once he gets it into his mind that he wants a picnic basket; he will sleep until noon, but before it’s dark, he’ll have every picnic basket that’s in Jellystone Park. VOCIFEROUS (voh SIF ur us) adj loud; noisy; expressed in a forceful or loud way Her opposition to the bill was vociferous; she used every opportunity to condemn and protest against it. VOLITION (voh LISH un) n will; conscious choice Insects, lacking volition, simply aren’t as interesting to the aspiring anthropologist as humans are. The jury had to decide whether the killing had been an accident or an act of volition. CHAPTER 3 Greek Roots Chapter 2 Review Before beginning Chapter 3, let’s see how much you remember from the previous chapter with this fill-in-the-blank exercise. You can check your answers on this page. 1. The proposed law was a good one, but it didn’t pass because it had no advocate; no senator stepped forward to ______________. 2. We listened to the weather report, but the forecast was ambiguous; ______________whether the day was going to be rainy or sunny. 3. A benediction is ______________; a malediction is ______________. 4. Batman and Robin ______________ the malefactors in Gotham City. 5. Karla has a benign personality; she is not at all ______________. 6. The president of the student council was appalled by the complacency of his classmates; not one of the seniors seemed to ______________ about the activities of the council. 7. Though not imposing in stature, Rashid was the most dexterous basketball player on the court; he often beat taller competitors with his ______________management of the ball. 8. King Solomon’s decision was certainly equitable; each  mother would receive ______________ portions of the child. 9. Something that can be ______________is revocable. 10. Randy often becomes vociferous during arguments. He doesn’t know what he believes, but he states it ______________nevertheless. More Word Roots: It’s All Greek to Us In Chapters 1 and 2, we looked at many examples of Latin’s influence on the English language. Now in this chapter we will explore the many ways that the Greek language influenced English. Words with Greek roots show up everywhere in the English language. When you see words containing letter combinations such as ph-, ps-, or a silent y, for example, there is a good chance that word is derived from Greek. Let’s look at some examples. path- emotion That’s pathetic! You’ve probably heard or said that phrase a few times in your life, but what does it really mean? Path- relates to emotion, so when you tell your little brother that he’s pathetic, what you’re really saying is “I feel for you. I feel bad for you.” The three most important path- words you should know are sympathy, empathy, and apathy. Sym- and em-mean “with,” while a- means “without.” So, you guessed it, sympathy and empathy mean feeling “with” someone, while apathy refers to a lack of emotion. What about antipathy? Anti- means “against,” so antipathy is hatred. (English is easy when you know the roots, right?) The Path- to Success Path- shows up in many medical terms. For instance, a pathology is a disease. An osteopath is a type of medical doctor. We even have psychopaths in psychiatry. What’s the connection? Well, since path- relates to emotion, a path- in medicine pertains to human suffering (or those who aid in  helping it). You are not likely to see many medical path- words on the SAT. anthrop-; andro-; gyn- anthrop- humans andro- male gyn- female What is anthropology? Well, since -ology is “the study of,” anthropology must refer to the study of human civilizations. You may already know that mis- in front of a word indicates a negative meaning. So, a misanthrope hates people. Misogyny refers specifically to the hatred of women, while misandry refers to the hatred of men. Here are some other important words in this family of roots: androgens (n.)—in biology, male hormones androgynous (adj.)—relating to something that contains both male and female characteristics, or that has ambiguous characteristics android (n.)—a robot that appears to be human or male anthropocentric (adj.)—a worldview that tends to put human beings at the center anthropomorphic (adj.)—a perspective that tends to assign human characteristics to plants or animals gynecologist (n.)—a medical doctor who specializes in women’s health phil- love of Maybe you learned in geography class that Philadelphia is the City of Brotherly Love. That’s because phil- always indicates love or affection for a person or idea. Anglophiles love England. Francophiles love France. Bibliophiles love books. We could go on. Let’s take phil- and match it up with some other roots. See if you can guess the meanings. (The answers are found on this page.) philanthropy audiophile bibliophile videophile zoophile What kind of “phile” are you? (We’re logophiles—look it up!) philanthropy: generosity; literally, love of humanity audiophile: one who enjoys recorded music, especially the equipment used to listen to such music bibliophile: one who loves or collects books videophile: one who loves television or recorded films zoophile: one who loves animals or advocates for their protection soph- wisdom Sophia is a very old Greek word meaning “wisdom.” Soph- shows up in lots of important words and combines well with some of the roots we’ve already learned. For instance, philosophy is the love (or pursuit) of wisdom. When you say someone is sophisticated, you are actually saying that that person has wisdom about the “ways of the world.” But what about sophomores? If you are a sophomore in high school, we apologize in advance: It does not mean you are wise. It actually means “wise fool.” So, someone behaving in a sophomoric manner is being immature. In ancient Greece, the Sophists were a group of philosophers who charged money to students to teach them various techniques of argumentation. They developed a reputation as shady characters, so we now think of sophistry as a kind of wisdom that seems true but is actually false. log-; -ology log- words -ology study of You may already know that -ology means “the study of.” You see this root constantly in school when talking about disciplines such as biology, psychology, anthropology, and paleontology. But no matter the field of study, what are you really studying? Words. Log- is a Greek root that pertains to words and beliefs. There are so many log- words in the English language that we could not possibly cover them all here, but like all roots, you need not memorize hundreds of words. Just get to know the roots and you will be able to guess the meaning (and usually be right). Logic is the use of words and ideas to persuade or to arrive at truth. Ana- means “against,” so an analogy is an attempt to take two different things and join them together in meaning. Here’s an example of an analogy: “Maple is to tree” as “sedan is to car.” Trees and cars don’t have much to do with each other, but the analogy helps to see their similarity: They are both “types” of something. An analogous situation is one that contains some common thread or theme (even though the two things being compared might seem dissimilar). Test writers love to test you on this word. Here are some other log- words: catalog (v.)—to place in order or to organize (often by words) dialogue (n.)—a conversation involving two or more people eulogy (n.)—a speech of praise, especially given at a funeral monologue (n.)—a long speech made by one person neologism (n.)—a new word prologue (n.)—an introductory chapter or event chron- time You probably know what it means to put items in chronological order: to order words or objects by their place in time. Look at those roots! Chron- pertains to time, and we already know what log-means. (Turn back to this page if you’ve forgotten already!) What about an anachronism? As we discussed earlier, ana- means “against.” So, an anachronism is something that appears to be out of place in time. If you were watching an old Western movie set in the 1850s, it would be an anachronism to see someone driving down the road in a sports car. Here are some other chron- words: chronic (adj.)—happening over a long period of time chronicle (v.)—to record events, especially in chronological order chronometer (n.)—a timepiece, such as a watch or clock synchronized (adj.), synchronicity (n.)—occurring at the same time (syn- is “with” or “same”) Chapter 3 Practice Exercises Click here to download as a PDF. Roots Review On a separate piece of paper, write down each of the following words, circle the root(s), and write the definition. Answers can be found on this page. 1. amorphous 2. anaerobic 3. antidepressant 4. autobiography 5. coworker 6. contradict 7. decelerate 8. excavate 9. inappropriate 10. magnanimous 11. misbehave 12. nondescript 13. omniscience 14. peripheral 15. postpone 16. predict 17. rebound 18. substandard 19. superfluous 20. transient 21. benevolent 22. malice 23. ambidextrous 24. equivalent 25. vocal Crossword Puzzle Try this crossword puzzle as a test of your word knowledge. All answers are words found in this chapter. Answers can be found on this page. Across 1. compassion 4. a conversation 5. hatred of women 8. a robot Down 2. hatred 3. a new word 6. false wisdom 7. similar 9. one who loves music 10. an introductory chapter Word Search Find the words from the list below and then write a definition for each word. Answers can be found on this page.  1. implacable 2. vociferous 3. equivocal 4. maladapted 5. benediction 6. volition 7. placate 8. equanimity 9. ambivalent 10. malfeasance 11. benefactor 12. provoke 13. equidistant 14. ambidextrous 15. malicious 16. beneficial Chapter 3 Answer Key Chapter 2 Review 1. The proposed law was a good one, but it didn’t pass because it had no advocate; no senator stepped forward to speak in favor of it. 2. We listened to the weather report, but the forecast was ambiguous; it was unclear whether the day was going to be rainy or sunny. 3. A benediction is a blessing; a malediction is a curse. 4. Batman and Robin defeated the malefactors in Gotham City. 5. Karla has a benign personality; she is not at all cruel; mean. 6. The president of the student council was appalled by the complacency of his classmates; not one of the seniors seemed to care about the activities of the council. 7. Though not imposing in stature, Rashid was the most dexterous basketball player on the court; he often beat taller competitors with his skillful management of the ball. 8. King Solomon’s decision was certainly equitable; each mother would receive equal portions of the child. 9. Something that can be taken back is revocable. 10. Randy often becomes vociferous during arguments. He doesn’t know what he believes, but he states it loudly nevertheless. Roots Review 1. a-, morph- : without; change 2. ana- : without; against 3. anti- : against 4. auto- : self 5. co- : with  6. contra- : against 7. de- : remove 8. ex- : outside 9. in- : not 10. magna- : great 11. mis- : wrong; bad 12. non- : not 13. omni- : all 14. peri- : around 15. post- : after 16. pre- : before 17. re- : again 18. sub- : under 19. super- : extra 20. trans- : across 21. bene-, vol- : good; wishes 22. mal- : bad 23. ambi- : both 24. equi- : equal 25. voc- : speak Crossword Puzzle Across 1. compassion 4. a conversation 5. hatred of women 8. a robot Down 2. hatred 3. a new word 6. false wisdom 7. similar 9. one who loves music 10. an introductory chapter Word Search 1. implacable: unable to be soothed  2. vociferous: loud; talkative 3. equivocal: deliberately vague; unclear 4. maladapted: not well adapted 5. benediction: a blessing 6. volition: will; desire 7. placate: to soothe 8. equanimity: a state of calm; composure 9. ambivalent: torn between two emotions 10. malfeasance: misconduct 11. benefactor: a generous person 12. provoke: to cause or incite 13. equidistant: of equal distance from each other 14. ambidextrous: able to use both hands effectively 15. malicious: wishing harm on another 16. beneficial: of benefit Chapter 3 Word List Here is an alphabetical list of the most important words you learned in this chapter. ANACHRONISM (uh NAK ruh ni zum) n something out of place in time or history; an incongruity In this age of impersonal hospitals, a doctor who remembers your name seems like an anachronism. ANALOGY (uh NAL uh jee) n a comparison of one thing to another; similarity To say having an allergy feels like being bitten by an alligator would be to make or draw an analogy between an allergy and an alligator bite. Analogy usually refers to similarities between things that are not otherwise very similar. If you don’t think an allergy is at all like an alligator bite, you might say, “That analogy doesn’t hold up.” To say that there is no analogy between an allergy and an alligator bite is to say that they are not analogous (uh NAL uh gus). Something similar in a particular respect to something else is its analog (AN uh lawg), sometimes spelled analogue. ANTHROPOMORPHIC (an thruh puh MOHR fik) adj ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman animals or objects This word is derived from the Greek word anthropos, which means man or human, and the Greek word morphos, which means shape or form. To speak of the “hands” of a clock, or to say that a car has a mind of its own, is to be anthropomorphic. To be anthropomorphic is to engage in anthropomorphism. ANTIPATHY (an TIP uh thee) n firm dislike; a dislike I feel antipathy toward bananas wrapped in ham. I do not want them for dinner. I also feel a certain amount of antipathy toward the cook who keeps trying to force me to eat them. My feelings on these matters are quite antipathetic (an tip uh THET ik). I could also say that ham-wrapped bananas and the cooks who serve them are among my antipathies. APATHY (AP uh thee) n lack of interest; lack of feeling The members of the student council accused the senior class of apathy because none of the seniors had bothered to sign up for the big fundraiser. The word apathetic is the adjective form of apathy. CHRONIC (KRAHN ik) adj occurring often and repeatedly over a period of time; lasting a long time DJ’s chronic back pain often kept him from football practice, but the post-game internal bleeding lasted only a day. Chronic is usually associated with something negative or undesirable: chronic illness, chronic failure, chronic depression. You would be much less likely to encounter a reference to chronic success or chronic happiness, unless the writer or speaker was being ironic. A chronic disease is one that lingers for a long time, doesn’t go away, or keeps coming back. The opposite of a chronic disease is an acute disease. An acute disease is one that comes and goes very quickly. It may be severe, but it doesn’t last very long. CHRONICLE (KRAHN uh kul) n a record of events in order of time; a history Sally’s diary provided her mother with a detailed chronicle of her daughter ’s extracurricular activities. Chronicle can also be used as a verb: The reporter chronicled all the events of the revolution.  Chronology and chronicle are nearly synonyms: Both provide a chronological list of events. Chronological means “in order of time.” EMPATHY (EM puh thee) n identification with the feelings or thoughts of another Shannon felt a great deal of empathy for Bill’s suffering; she knew just how he felt. To feel empathy is to empathize (EM puh thyze), or to be empathic (em PATH ik): Samuel’s tendency to empathize with creeps may arise from the fact that Samuel himself is a creep. This word is sometimes confused with sympathy, which is compassion toward someone or something, and apathy (AP uh thee), which means indifference or lack of feeling. Empathy goes a bit further than sympathy; both words mean that you understand someone’s pain or sorrow, but empathy indicates that you also feel the pain yourself. EULOGY (YOO luh jee) n a spoken or written tribute to a person, especially a person who has just died The eulogy Michael delivered at his father’s funeral was so moving that it brought tears to the eyes of everyone present. To give a eulogy about someone is to eulogize (YOO luh jyze) that person. Don’t confuse this word with elegy, which is a mournful song or poem. MISANTHROPIC (mis un THRAHP ik) adj hating mankind A misogynist (mis AH juh nist) hates women. The opposite of a misanthrope (MIS un throhp) is a philanthropist (fuh LAN thruh pist). NEOLOGISM (nee OL uh ji zum) n a new word or phrase; a new usage of a word Some people don’t like neologisms. They like the words we already have. But at one time every word was a neologism. Someone somewhere had to be the first to use it. PATHOLOGY (puh THAHL uh jee) n the science of diseases Pathology is the science or study of diseases, but not necessarily in the medical sense. Pathological means relating to pathology, but it also means arising from a disease. So if we say Brad is an inveterate, incorrigible, pathological (path uh LAHJ uh kul) liar, we are saying that Brad’s lying is a sickness. PATHOS (PA thos) n that which makes people feel pity or sorrow Laura’s dog gets such a look of pathos whenever he wants to go for a walk that it’s hard for Laura to turn him down. There was an unwitting pathos in the way the elderly shopkeeper had tried to spruce up his window display with crude decorations cut from construction paper. Don’t confuse pathos with bathos (BAY thahs). Bathos is trite, insincere, sentimental pathos. PHILANTHROPY (fi LAN thruh pee) n love of mankind, especially by doing good deeds His gift of one billion dollars to the local orphanage was the finest act of philanthropy I’ve ever seen. A charity is a philanthropic (fi lun THRAH pik) institution. An altruist is someone who cares about other people. SOPHOMORIC (sahf uh MOHR ik) adj juvenile; childishly goofy The dean of students suspended the fraternity’s privileges because its members had streaked through the library wearing togas, soaped the windows of the administration building, and engaged in other sophomoric antics during Parents’ Weekend. “I expect the best man to be sophomoric—but not the groom. Now, give me that slingshot, and leave your poor fiancée alone!” the minister scolded Andy at his wedding rehearsal. CHAPTER 4 More Latin Roots Chapter 3 Review Before beginning Chapter 4, let’s see how much you remember from the previous chapter with this fill-in-the-blank exercise. You can check your answers on this page. 1. To be anthropomorphic is to see a human ______________ (either literally or metaphorically) in things that are not human. 2. My antipathies are the things I don’t ______________. 3. Jill didn’t ______________ about current events; she was entirely apathetic. 4. Someone who ______________ comes in last could be called a chronic loser. 5. A misanthropic person doesn’t make distinctions; he or she ______________ everyone. 6. Terry said the new novel was ______________: filled with pathos. 7. A philanthropist actively does things to ______________ other people. 8. The ______________ tenth graders didn’t mind being called sophomoric; after all, they were sophomores! Latin Roots, Part 2 The last time we talked about Latin roots was in Chapter 2, in our discussion of feeling words. In this chapter we revisit Latin roots that show up in an abundance of English words you may see on the SAT. As in the previous chapters, each root is accompanied by its meaning, words that contain the root, and example sentences to show you those words in context. cred- belief; trust Chances are your parents have credit cards. Why is it called a credit card? Very simply, the bank (creditor) that issued your parents that card believes or trusts that the money borrowed will be paid back eventually. In court cases, a credible witness is one whom the jury can believe. If you say, “That’s incredible!” what you are literally saying is that what you just witnessed was so amazing that you can hardly believe that it is true. Here are some more cred- words: credence (n.)—believability; trustworthiness credo (n.)—a belief or motto credulous (adj.)—eager to believe; gullible creed (n.)—a system of beliefs, especially religious incredulous (adj.)—unwilling to believe dict- speak; say Dict- is another Latin root that shows up in so many words we can hardly list them all here. But here we will cover the most important ones—the words you are most likely to see on the SAT. Dict- pertains to speaking or saying. So, a dictionary is a list of words you would say in a language. To dictate or make dictation is to speak or tell. A dictator tells others what to do, especially in a forceful way. To contradict is to say the opposite of what another might say. (Contra- means “against.”) A prediction is speaking about events before they actually happen. (Pre- means “before.”) Sometimes the t in dict- is not present. For instance, indicate means “to show the way,” particularly by speaking. These are words you may already know. Let’s take a look at some more challenging uses of dict-. Fill in the blanks for the last two words; if you don’t know the answers, look back to Chapter 1. diction (n.)—word choice dictum (n.)—a command indict (v.) (pronounced in DITE)—to formally accuse; to say that someone is guilty malediction (n.) benediction (n.) nom- name If you have ever studied Spanish or French, you may recognize nom-. Nombre in Spanish means “name,” and nom has that same meaning in French. To nominate someone means to “name” or recommend that person for a particular position. A misnomer is a false name, as in, “This Canadian bacon is made in Nebraska.” Nom- can also masquerade as nym-. A pseudonym is a false name that an author uses, as in, “Samuel Clemen’s pseudonym was Mark Twain.” Here are some other nom- words: anonymous (adj.)—having an unknown or withheld name (a- means “without.”) autonomy (n.)—independence (literally, to “name” the “self” [auto-]) denominate (v.)—to give a name to; to designate eponymous (adj.)—deriving from a similar name (e.g., Adele’s first CD was titled Adele.) ignominy (n.)—shame or humiliation (literally, being given a bad name) nomenclature (n.)—a system of assigning names to things nominal (adj.)—a small or insignificant amount (“in name only”) nov- new Have you ever played video games? (Some of you have played more than a nominal number of them.) What’s a novice? You might know that a novice-level player is just a beginner, someone who is “new” to the game. So, if someone says “That’s a novel idea!” or “This is an innovative product,” it does not simply mean that the idea or product is interesting or exciting; it means that the thing is new. Let’s look at some more nov- words: nouveau riche (n.; French)—one who has suddenly become rich nova (n.)—a new star novelty (n.)—something new and different renovate (v.)—to make something new again; to repair dign- worthy; deserving The most common dign- word is dignity. To maintain your dignity is to uphold a feeling of your own worthiness. A dignified person has a strong sense of self, while an indignity is an action that is offensive to one’s sense of self-worth. What if you are feeling indignant? It means something offends you and you are angry; it has offended your dignity. The noun form of this word is indignation. In some words, dign- can masquerade as -dain. deign (v.)—to do something that one considers beneath one’s dignity dignify (v.)—to raise up the status of; to make worthy disdain (n.)—a feeling of strong dislike or disapproval; (v.)— to scorn or consider something beneath oneself (dis- + -dain) ver- truth When a jury in a court case is seeking a verdict, it is seeking the “truth” about the guilt or innocence of the accused. As you learned earlier, -dict means “words,” so a verdict is literally “true words.” To verify is to determine the truth about an issue. Occasionally, roots can be quirky. To prevaricate is to tell a lie, even though the word looks like it would mean to tell the truth (ver-) beforehand (pre-). aver (v.)—to confirm the truth of veracity (n.)—truthfulness verisimilitude (n.)—appearing to be true (literally, “similar to the truth”) verity (n.)—truth loc-, loq- word; speech You might have noticed that this root looks a lot like log-. As you learned in Chapter 3, log- pertains to words. You can think of loc- and loq- as log-’s close cousins. They relate to words and speech, too: An eloquent speaker is well-spoken (sounds like “elegant”). Actors study elocution in order to speak well. An interlocutor is simply one who takes part in a conversation. (The root inter- often pertains to exchanges between people and things.) culp- blame Who’s the culprit? If your teacher asks that question, he is looking for someone to blame. Words with the root culp- often revolve around guilt or blame. If you are culpable, you are guilty. If you are exculpated, you are literally taken “out” of the “blame,” or found to be not guilty. “Mea culpa!” is a commonly used expression when someone is admitting guilt for a particular action. ami- love; friendship If you have studied French or Spanish, you probably remember some ami- words such as amor (love) or amiable (friendly). Here are some English words that look suspiciously similar, and they all mean “loving” or “friendly.” amenable (adj.) amiable (adj.) amicable (adj.) amity (n.) amorous (adj.) luc-, lum- light At some point in science class, you probably learned that a translucent material allows only a certain amount of light to pass through it. Maybe you have heard of people lighting off Chinese luminaries (floating lights) on holidays. Did you know that to illustrate or illuminate an idea or image literally means to shine “light” on it? Here are some other luc- and lum- words: elucidate (v.)—to make clear (to shine “light” upon) lackluster (adj.)—lacking pizazz or inspiration (“lacking light”) lucid (adj.)—clear or sane luminescent (adj.)—filled with light luminous (adj.)—radiant, as with light tract- pull Think about a tractor. What does it do? Perhaps a lot of things, but one thing it does well is pull. Most tract- words do not refer to literally pulling an object, but rather more abstract forms of pulling. Here are some examples: A tractable person is easily persuaded or mentally “pulled,” while an intractable person is stubborn. To attract something is to “pull” it toward you, while something that detracts from the situation tends to “pull away” from it. pug-, pugn- fight, attack In Chapters 5 and 6, we will have fun with mnemonics and explore how they can be an effective study tool, but for now close your eyes and picture a pug dog in your mind. Not the cute, cuddly kind, but a nasty pug: His teeth are bared, he’s straining at the leash, and you are desperately in need of the Dog Whisperer. There. Now you will remember pug-, the nastiest of our roots. Here are some common pug- words: impugn (v.)—to attack or accuse pugilist (n.)—a fighter or boxer  pugnacious (adj.)—eager to fight repugnant (adj.)—distasteful (literally, the thing is “attacking” you) temp- time We all know the word temporary. A temporary situation is one that lasts for only a short time. Many difficult words with temp- relate to the concept of time. contemporaneous (adj.)—synonym of contemporary contemporary (adj., n.)—belonging to the same time period (con + temp = “with time”) extemporaneous (adj.)—performed with little preparation (ex + temp = “outside of time”) tempo (n.)—rate or pace of activity temporal (adj.)—limited by time; temporary temporize (v.)—to postpone a decision or waste time Literary Vocab 101 Some other vocabulary you should know for the SAT are literary terms, which occasionally show up on the Reading section. The most important ones are listed below. analogy: a comparison between things that have similar features ⚬ The programmer drew an analogy between t