Notes

Bold:
Adjective
courageous; strong; brave
No one was bold enough to accept the challenge.

Resigned:
Verb
abandoned; given up
Unsure of her ability, she was resigned to just a passing score.

Daunting:
Adjective
intimidating; discouraging
Some challenges are more daunting than others.

Famine:
Noun
severe lack of food in a region, often due to the destruction of crops
The famine of West Africa in the 1990s added to the suffering of an already poor region.

Sought:
Verb
looked for; attempted to find
We sought information from many sources in order to make the best choice.

Biography:
Noun
nonfiction telling of the history of a person’s life
Biographies of President Lincoln are more popular than ever.

Irrigate:
Verb
to supply water to dry land
After we discovered a way to irrigate the crops, we knew we would survive.

Memoir:
Noun
written memories, often of contributions to society
Students learn best about Benjamin Franklin’s personal and political successes by reading his famous memoir.

Enrich:
Verb
to make more worthwhile; to add value
The most enriching experience of the day involved working in small groups.

Participant:
Noun
someone who takes part or joins
The participants agreed to do their best and help each other succeed.

Relay:
Verb
to share or spread, often concerning information
Students know that to do their best they need an instructor to carefully relay instructions and expectations.

Pros and cons:
Noun phrase
positive and negative aspects
We weren’t arguing; we were just discussing the pros and cons of the project.

Diction:
Noun
words chosen for the effect they will have on the reader
Edgar Allan Poe not only created fascinating characters; he was also a master of diction.

Internalize:
Verb
to incorporate into one’s own mind; to make one’s own
Listening to the author read the story allowed me to internalize the pain and suffering of his tragic characters.

Consult:
Verb
to refer to
Learning new vocabulary often requires we consult a dictionary.

Synonym:
Noun
a word that states the same or similar meaning
Synonyms for “beautiful” include “lovely,” “handsome,” “good-looking,” and “gorgeous.”

Antonym:
Noun
a word that states the opposite meaning
Antonyms for “finished” include “began,” “opened,” and “started.”

Rubbish:
Noun
garbage; litter
Even though my neighborhood uses recycle bins, we still have two days each week where household rubbish is collected.

Whiz kid:
Noun phrase
an unusually intelligent child
Even though he was a famous whiz kid, as an adult he never achieved much.

Subtle:
adjective
difficult to see or understand
The difference between the old five dollar bill and the new is subtle but important in stopping criminals from making fake copies.

Analysis:
Noun
using evidence to support a position or claim
Without doing the necessary analysis, his opinion on gun-control isn’t convincing.

Bias:
Noun
favoritism; preference
In politics there is a clear bias for those who went to Ivy League schools.

Thoroughly:
Adverb
completely; fully
Reading the test questions thoroughly is the key to finding the best answer.

Tale:
Noun
a story or account of something
By the time the story was written down, it hardly resembled the explorer’s original tale.

a priori:
Adjective
accepted without facts or analysis
The jury ruled out nothing a priori; hard evidence was needed for a conviction.

Opaque:
Adjective
dark; hard to see through
In their efforts to be open and less opaque, the town council began streaming their meetings live on the Internet.

Excerpt:
Noun
a selection or portion, especially of a text
Please read the excerpt carefully before answering the exam questions.

Fashioned:
Verb
created; designed
The ancient Maya fashioned their temples from stones weighing thousands of pounds.

Painstakingly:
Adverb
taking “great pains;” going to a lot of trouble to accomplish
The researchers painstakingly created an exact model in miniature of the Battle of Gettysburg for the 150th anniversary.

Inquisitive:
Adjective
a personality that is curious and likes to ask questions
Because chimpanzees are both intelligent and inquisitive, it is possible to communicate with them in a limited way using sign language.

Conduct:
Verb
to carry out or to accompany
The purpose of conducting experiments is to find errors and learn new information.

Cursory:
Adjective
fast and simple; casual
A cursory glance at the instructions is usually not enough to fully understand what is expected.

Plainly:
Adverb
clearly; obviously
She plainly knows how to sing, so lip syncing the song surprised the audience.