3/15/2012
1. When did Congress abrogate the laws
prohibiting women from voting and
owning property?
• Abrogate - verb
• Parts: ab (apart, away); rog (ask); ate (cause, make)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: To abolish or annum by authority as a law or
custom.
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Synonyms: repeal, annul, abolish, cancel
Antonyms: enact
Variant forms: abrogation (noun)
Context Phrase:
2. Political candidates must prepare to
cope with animadversion of their
opponents.
• Animadversion - noun
• Parts:anim(life, soul,spirit); ad(very); vers(turn) ion(act of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Strong criticism; a critical or censorious
remark
• Synonyms: criticism, censure, condemnation
• Antonyms: praise, laudation, commendation, plaudits
• Context
• Variant
Phrase
forms: animadvert (verb)
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3/15/2012
3. Expecting the movie to be intellectually
stimulating, we were disappointed by its
bathos.
• Bathos - noun
• Parts: bathy (deep)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: A descent from the lofty to the commonplace
in discourse, A lapse in mood from the sublime to the
absurd or trivial, Insincere pity or sadness
• Synonyms: anticlimax, banality, triteness, sentimentality
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms:
• Context Phrase:
4. He tried to circumvent answering his
mother’s question by pretending he had not
heard it.
• Circumvent: verb
• Parts: circum ( around); vent (go come)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: To surround as an enemy; to enclose or
entrap; to get around by skillful maneuvering; to find a
way around.
• Synonyms: encircle, surround, outwit, forestall, evade
• Antonyms: confront
• Variant forms: circumvention (n), circumventive (adj)
• Context Phrase:
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3/15/2012
5. Do most advertisements and commercials
encourage continence or indulgence:
• Continence - noun
• Parts: con (together, with) tin (hold, keep); ence (state of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Self-restraint, especially in sexual passion,
moderation, temperance; Voluntary control over body
waste
• Synonyms: abstinence, chastity, self-restraint
• Antonyms: indulgence, promiscuity, incontinence
• Variant forms: continent (adj)
• Context Phrase:
6. The young prince learned that the royal
family is expected to dissemble their
emotions, even grief, and to appear strong.
• Dissemble- verb
• Parts: dis ( apart, away); sembl (appear, seem)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: to conceal or disguise true intentions or
feelings behind a false appearance, to pretend not to
notice
• Synonyms: mask, feign, disguise, conceal, fake
• Antonyms: reveal, manifest
• Variant forms: dissemblance (n), dissembler (n)
• Context Phrase:
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3/15/2012
7. The counselor will disseminate the
scholarship information to all students.
• Disseminate (verb)
• Parts: dis (apart, away); semin (seed); ate (cause, make)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: To scatter widely, as sowing seeds
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Synonyms:spread, scatter, distribute, disperse
Antonyms: collect, hoard
Variant forms: dissemination (noun)
Context Phrase:
8. She had struggled with the math problem
for hours, but the epiphany was worth the
effort.
• Epiphany - noun
• Parts: epi(upon); phan (show, reveal); y (result of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: The manifestation of Christ to the Magi,
traditionally observed on Jan. 6; a moment of profound
insight or understanding
• Synonyms: revelation, discovery
• Antonyms: na
• Variant forms: epiphanic (adj)
• Context Phrase:
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3/15/2012
9. Impatient with Gary’s feckless effort, his
employer fired him at the end of the first
week.
• Feckless - adjective
• Parts: feck[fect] (make); less (without)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: careless and irresponsible; having no effect
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Synonyms: feeble, ineffective, futile, irresponsible
Antonyms: effective, responsible, useful
Variant forms: fectlessness (noun)
Context Phrase:
10. In reality, Jupiter is massive, but from
here it appears infinitesimal.
• Infinitesimal - adjective
• Parts: in(not)finis(end)esimus(hundredth)al(related to)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Immeasurable small; too small to be
calculated
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Synonyms: insignificant, minute, miniscule, tiny
Antonyms: gigantic, immense, colossal, titanic, huge
Variant forms: infinitesimally (adv)
Context Phrase:
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3/15/2012
11.The basketball player’s display of temper
and invidious comments after his third
personal foul resulted in a technical foul also.
• Invidious - adjective
• Parts: in(in, into) vid(see) ous (full of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Tending to cause ill will, animosity, or
resentment; Containing or implying a discourtesy or a
snub
• Synonyms: discriminatory, offensive, disrespectful
• Antonyms: complimentary, benevolent, kind, respectful
• Variant forms: invidiously (adv) invidiousness (n)
• Context Phrase:
12. The melancholy music established the
mood of the play about life in the
concentration camp.
• Melancholy - adjective
• Parts: melan (dark) chol (bile) y (result of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Morbidly gloomy, suggesting or promoting
sadness, Somberly thoughtful, Low spirts, depression,
serious reflection
• Synonyms: sad, dejected, pensive, depressing
• Antonyms: happy, joyful, felicitous, ecstatic
• Variant forms: melancholic (adj)
• Context Phrase:
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3/15/2012
13. Rather than being rehabilitated, many
prisoners become more obdurate while
confined.
• Obdurate (adjective)
• Parts:ob(against)dur(hard, lasting)ate(having the state of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Hardened in wrongdoing; Hardened against
persuasion or influence; Unmoved by feeling of
humanity or pity
• Synonyms: stubborn, intractable, inexorable, obstinate
• Antonyms: compromising, malleable, flexible
• Variant forms: obduracy (noun)
• Context Phrase:
14. Only a student with perspicacity will
enjoy the intellectual challenge of this
complex novel.
• Perspicacity- noun
• Parts: per (through); spic (look, see); ity (state,condition)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Sharpness in perception or understanding;
Power to see clearly and quickly through that which is
difficult or involved
• Synonyms: sharpness, discernment, acumen, insight
• Antonyms: stupidity, dullness, obtuseness
• Variant forms: perspicacious (adj)
• Context Phrase:
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3/15/2012
15. The precocious child had graduated from
high school years before he had his driver’s
license.
• Precocious - adjective
• Parts: pre (before); coquere (cook); ious (full of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Developing before the natural season;
Prematurely developed; Unusually forward or advanced,
especially mentally
• Synonyms: advanced, smart, bright, gifted, intelligent
• Antonyms: stupid, limited
• Variant forms: precociously (adv); precocity (n)
• Context Phrase:
16.Suffering from a protracted illness, she
missed many days of class.
• Protracted - adjective
• Parts: pro (forth, forward); tract (pull, draw)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Lasting for a long time; Lasting longer than
expected or usual
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Synonyms: extended, prolonged, lengthened, drawn-out
Antonyms: shortened, abbreviated, curtailed, reduced
Variant forms: protract (v)
Context Phrase:
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3/15/2012
17. We enjoyed the State Fair replete with
games, rides, exhibits, food, and
pyrotechnics.
• Replete - adjective
• Parts: re (back); plet (fill, plenty)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Filled or well-supplied; abundantly supplied;
Very full or sated by food
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Synonyms: gorged, stuffed, sated, teeming
Antonyms: empty, deficient
Variant forms: replenish (v) repletion (n)
Context Phrase:
18. Sacrifice, practice, and commitment are
the sine qua non for our band to excel in the
international competition.
• Sine qua non - noun
• Parts: sine (without); qua (which); non (not)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: An essential condition; Something that is
absolutely necessary
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Synonyms: requisite, essential, requirement, stipulation
Antonyms: bonus, extravagance, superfluity
Variant forms: na
Context Phrase:
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3/15/2012
19. It is probable that this policy will cause
controversy; therefore, our decision must be
tenable.
• Tenable - adjective
• Parts: ten (hold, keep); able (capable of)
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: Capable of being defended or sustained
against attack or objection
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Synonyms: supportable, justifiable, plausible, defensible
Antonyms: unjustifiable, implausible, indefensible
Variant forms: tenet (n), tenacious (adj)
Context Phrase:
20. I must weigh the benefits vis-à-vis the
disadvantages of a part-time job before
graduation.
• Vis-à-vis - preposition
• Parts: vis (see) --face to face
• Educated Guess:
• Definition: In relation to; with regard to; as compared
with; as opposed to; One of two persons or things
opposite or corresponding to the other
• Synonyms: facing, counterpoint (n), in front of (adv)
• Antonyms: behind
• Variant forms: na
• Context Phrase:
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