I’m not sure if these comments are consistent. Regardless, without having any baseline for comparison, its pretty clear that we really have no idea if your students improved their scores through the study of vocabulary - and if they did, by how much.
Again I think that a lot of this just depends on the person, their style, the amount of time they are willing to spend, etc. There is no doubt that knowing more words is going to help you get more questions correct on the test. The question is whether it is the best use of time, and that depends in part on the student and how much time they are going to study.
But I would disagree that it is ALL vocab. Even on the sentence completions is definitely not all vocab. Countless times I have seen people get questions wrong when the know all of the words - there is a logic and strategy to the questions that is very important.
And vocab is certainly not the main issue on RC, at least not for most kids. If we are talking about a non-native English speaker who doesn’t understand anything they are reading, that is a different thing. But for most people they know enough words that they are in play as much as any other student. Sure there will be questions that they get wrong because of vocab, but that is not the main source of the mistakes (for most people) and even when it is, it is usually because of the words in the answer choices, not the passage itself. Someone with very good reading comprehension skills can often infer the meaning of a word based on the context even if they don’t know the word, and of course that is what the vocab-in-context questions test.
So yes, studying vocab can obviously help and it may help a lot if you have the time and discipline to commit many hours to it, but it is not necessarily the most effective way to increase one’s score on the CR section.
Fwiw, you can be a LOVER of the word and still find little value in slaving mindlessly over … various lists of words. If all it took was to memorize a set of words, be it 200, 2,000, or 10,000, I repeat that people would improve on the verbal components with greater ease. And then why not recommending to memorize the entire Webster. In the end, one who does just that WILL improve his or her vocab and know more words. But is it efficient
This is NOT an issue about how to acquire more words and understand their full meaning. We all agree that a limited vocabulary is a hindrance. It is all about how to get there and using the least amount of time. What people who recommend lists are deliberately missing or hiding is that the problem is none other than the list itself. Krieger and his Direct Hits had the right answer: his staff culled the words from … past tests and added the context to deliver a few hundred words. Barron’s, on the other hand, just bastardized a GRE list and pretended that it contains ALL the words one needs to ace the SAT. Well, good luck with the process of memorizing 3,400 or so words. Try 70 a week and you will need a full year and still miss the secondary meaning of words.
The biggest myth is that the SAT relies on very hard words. They do NOT need those to increase the difficulty of the test. They could adjust the difficulty by using simple words such as table, moo, rank, and a plethora of others that might never show up on the lists culled from good and … poor sources.
We all know the advice that has surfaced here for the past 12 years! Be a voracious reader, start reading Time, read technical journals, or … jump on the bandwagon of memorizing lists of words. And many of us have read the perennial query about how to improve on CR AFTER having worked the lists to death.
My take on this is simple. Studying lists of words cannot hurt but it is easily the least efficient and least useful weapon in one’s quiver. The BEST lists will come from the past official tests. The WORST from irrelevant sources. ANYONE can slap together a few thousand words and build flashcard. But who can predict what might appear on the newer test? Nobody and ETS has several THOUSANDS words to play with, if they wanted to!
In the end, despite the ROI dismissal, the reality is that few students have time to spare, and especially little on a test that is (wrongly) criticized. What students always want to discover are shortcuts and potential “secrets” and why most spend more time looking for those shortcuts than actually working on diligent practice. Why are list of words appealing? Because it appears to be LOW hanging fruit that can FOOL someone into believing she or he is actually preparing for the SAT. Again, that process has incredibly rapidly diminishing returns.
My answer is pragmatic. Want to see the words that MIGHT appear on the best list? Work through tests – they have several dozen of them available. Work on your CR techniques and when time permits simply READ stacks of older tests and learn to identify when hard words become important. Learn to work around the occasional hard word as it might not be germane to finding the correct answer in the FEW questions that test … vocabulary.
Year after year, I have heard the same (false) theories. The debunking part comes from actually taking the test apart and marking the questions that REALLY needed the type of vocabulary that shows up on the list. The results are simply NOT what the advocates of lists suggest. I know … when I started, I did look for lists and even bought a box of flashcards. And then I looked at the statistical occurrence on the then recent tests. I told those stories before.
In the end, could someone find reviewing lists of words helpful? Yes, in some cases that is. Could it be part of a great tutoring program? Yes. Is it what students should primarily do? No, and not by a mile! Just as running hundreds of 100 meters dashes does not prepare one to run marathons.
The context is all that matters!
What temporal order were they made in? I don’t believe it was the same order in which you presented them.
Now we do. I just checked. One went from 740 in 7th grade to 800, which I believe is just about the standard error of the difference.
After the first run-through, I believe that they got it down to about 50 words or so that they disagreed on. It’s unlikely that someone will be unfamiliar with all 3,400 examples of words that may be found on the SAT test. If that’s the case, I believe you are correct in that they have other problems that need more attention.
That’s a good source. Turns out that people have collected these words before. Off-the-cuff examples that might deserve attention are “500 words that appear on SAT tests”, “Top 1000 SAT words”, or “250 most common SAT words”.
“bombastic” and “dilettante” are good words to know that have appeared on multiple SATs/official practice tests
Indeed, and I added my own as discussed in this thread.
Too bad that the various iterations of CC ended up destroying the past links. As I mentioned earlier my 2003 list culled from the entire Red Book has been floating around in various forms.
Still there:
http://www.collegeconfidential.com/discus/
Humm – links are no longer working. One has to know this is located in the old site under SAT - April 2003 archives.
Yep, that was 12 years ago!
Is the Red Book the previous version of the Blue Book?
By Xiggi (Xiggi) on Monday, April 21, 2003 - 02:10 pm: Edit
Here is a list of the vast majority of the “difficult” words that show up on the 10 Real SAT Test. It may become helpful in reviewing the list after taking the 10 practice tests. If you do not feel like taking them all, it may be helpful to read to get a feel for the words that tend to show up. Please remember that few, if any, words get repeated in subsequent tests.
I apologize for the formatting. It looks a lot nicer in my Word file as the text is in tables. I lost that formatting when copying here. I recommend to cut and paste it in Word and add some formatting for a better use or printing.
10 Real SATs vocabulary
Test: 01 Saturday, March 1994
abash humiliate, humble, embarrass
abstinence self-denial, moderation
aesthetics visual/artistic impact; study of art/beauty
allege claim, assert
ambivalent unsure, undecided
anomaly irregularity, inconsistency
arbitrary random; for no definite reason
arid dry, parched
assiduous diligent, hard working
asylum refuge; place of safety
bourgeois middle class, capitalist
browse glance/look through
buttress support
candor frankness, honesty
capricious impulsive, unpredictable, whimsical
charlatan trickster
circuitous roundabout, indirect
cogent convincing, forceful
congregation gathering of people (esp. in a church)
diminutive very small
discursive talking at length about something
dupe deceive, trick, fool
empirical practical, observed, found by experiment
emulate imitate, copy
engendered caused, produced, stimulated
ephemeral short-lived, transient, temporary
euphoric overjoyed, excited
fervent eager, passionate
fortuitous accidental, fortunate coincidence
freight cargo, luggage
gargantuan huge, enormous
gregarious outgoing, sociable; liking to be in crowds
iconoclast person who opposes orthodoxy
impetuous impulsive
inconsequential unimportant, negligible
incontrovertible cannot be denied
incremental increasing in steps
jubilant thrilled, delighted
libertarian tolerant, open-minded, believer in liberty
longevity long life, permanence
mollify calm, soothe, pacify
mystify confuse
ominous threatening
plagiarism stealing someone’s ideas; taking credit for the work of another
ponderous slow and heavy
predatory greedy, voracious
procrastination postponing, delaying
pugnacious aggressive, belligerent
rancorous full of bitterness, unforgiving, revengeful
recuperate recover, get better (after illness)
repeal revoke, cancel
salve comfort, relieve
sedentary not moving far
simulated modeled, replicated
spurious false, fake
stevedores dock workers
touted flaunted, publicized
10 Real SATs vocabulary
Test: 02 - Saturday, November 1994
adulation adoration, admiration
algae seaweed-like simple plants
ambiguous unclear, vague
anachronistic in the wrong time, outdated, archaic
brusqueness unfriendliness, abruptness
carping complaining, finding fault
cogent convincing, forceful
curtail limit, shorten
decorous proper, appropriate in behavior
decried criticized, belittled
denigrated belittled, degraded, decried
disdain contempt
dogged stubborn, steadfast
dogmatic inflexible, rigid
effrontery daring, over-confidence, impudence
elliptical indirect, roundabout
embellish decorate, adorn
endorsed supported, approved
etymology study of word origins
exonerated pardoned, acquitted
florid flowery, fancy, extravagant, elaborate
forensics concerned with debate or legal argument
gauge measure, estimate, guess
grandiose flamboyant, pompous
idiosyncratic characteristic, personal; unique to an individual
impetuous spontaneous, impulsive
inarticulate unable to express well in words, unclear in speech
insurgency rebellion, revolt, riot
intransigent inflexible, unyielding
jurisprudence study of law
juror member of a jury
kernel most important part, core
lucid clear, logical
lure tempt, attract, entice
mentors advisors, teachers
mimicry imitation, impersonation
mural wall painting, fresco
patronizing condescending, talking down to someone
predilection liking, fondness
proficiency competence, skill
reclusive isolated, withdrawn
revered respected, honored
semaphore system of signaling using flags
smugness self-satisfaction, conceit
staid dull, unadventurous
tainted contaminated, stained
tenacity stubbornness, obstinacy
transience temporary, short-lived nature
trivial insignificant, petty
vilified spoken ill of, belittled
vindicated proved right, justified, correct
Test: 03 - Saturday, November 1995
abhorrence hatred
affable sociable, pleasant, friendly
ambivalence lack of certainty
amphitheater arena, auditorium
arable suitable for cultivation
archived kept in store
berate rebuke, criticize
byline the line giving the name of the author of an article
clientele customers, patrons
conundrum puzzle, riddle
dilatory slow, dragging, slack
discern distinguish, discriminate
disparate dissimilar, different
divisive discordant, disruptive
eccentric unconventional, unusual, odd
embellishment decoration
emollient something that soothes (esp. an ointment)
emulate copy, imitate
enfranchised given voting rights
espouses adopts, supports, takes up
expropriated confiscated, seized
extant in existence, present
feral wild, untamed
florid elaborate, fancy, ornate
flourish thrive, prosper
forum meeting, discussion, place for debate
goad urge, provoke, prod
impenitent unremorseful, unapologetic
inarticulate garbled, unintelligible
incumbent in office; current office holder
indignation offence, righteous anger
interlocutors people involved in a discussion
irreverence disrespect, cheek
obtrusive obvious
ostentatious flamboyant, pretentious
proliferated increased, flourished
promulgated spread, encouraged
prosaic ordinary, banal
refurbish renovate
scrupulous meticulous, conscientious
stoic able to withstand, having fortitude
suffice be enough/adequate
supplanted displaced, replaced
surreptitious secret, sly
surrogates substitutes
theatrical dramatic, exaggerated
thwarted dissatisfied, let down, prevented
trivialized made to seem unimportant
unfettered free, unregulated
untenable unsustainable, on shaky ground
utopia ideal, perfect world
vestige trace, sign, remnant
Test: 04 - Sunday, May 1996
aesthete someone concerned with art and beauty
anthology collection of poems/ short stories etc.
arid very dry
arrest to stop
ascetic without luxuries/indulgences; harshly simple; Spartan
assiduous eager and thorough
atypical not typical
bewilder confuse
bourgeois middle class
camaraderie friendliness
captivate fascinate
circumscribed limited
condescending arrogant; talking down to someone
congregation gathering (esp. in a church)
contagious can be caught through direct contact (used of diseases)
contemptuous arrogant; showing intolerance
contrite sorry
curtailed cut short
debased degraded
decibel unit of sound measurement
demagogue political leader who plays on the emotions of the crowd
disdain contempt
disingenuous crafty
dispelled removed; made to disappear
distortion twisting out of shape
divination fortune-telling; forecasting
divulge give out; reveal
draftee someone called up into the army etc.
eclectic taking things from different sources; varied
egregious outstandingly bad
elusive difficult to pin down
emissary messenger and representative
enchantment fascination
epilogue something written at the end (esp. of a play)
exasperation frustration; annoyance
exculpate remove blame or guilt
exemplify act as a good example of
expedite hurry something up; hasten
extenuating mitigating; excusing or making something seem less serious
extricate get out of; remove
fission splitting
flippancy joking; levity
glacial icy cold
hackneyed unoriginal; overused
haughty arrogant; too proud
hedonist pleasure seeker
heinous very bad
idolatrous worshipping idols; over-praising
impious irreverent; unholy
incantation magic spell; chant; ritual words
indecorous not in accordance with acceptable behavior
industrious hard working
inflammatory stirring up; arousing discontent
insolence insulting, offensive, or rude behavior
intrepid brave
intuitive working by intuition; ‘gut feeling’
jollity happiness; gaiety
legion numerous
loathing hatred
lobbyist one who tries to persuade
malediction curse
maverick rebel; loner
maxim short saying expressing a rule of conduct
meticulous painstaking; careful about details
narcissistic over-concerned about one’s own appearance
nondescript having no special features
novice beginner
objectivity being unbiased; scientific attitude
opulent lavish; wealthy
oration formal speech
paranoid excessively worried
partisan biased; supporting one particular side
penitent repentant; sorry; contrite
perplexing puzzling
pervasive spreading everywhere; common
ploy trick
polarizing separating into two extremes
potentate powerful ruler
pragmatist practical person
profane unholy; wicked
protégé someone who is under the protection or guidance of a mentor
retention holing something in or back
sanctioned given permission
séance session in which people try to contact the spirit world
spurious fake; false
superficial not in depth
surreptitious sneaky; furtive
symbolizing acting as a symbol of
talisman lucky charm; ritual object
timorous cowardly; fearful
underscored emphasized
utopian someone who believes in an ideal world
vengeful seeking revenge
verified proved right
virtuoso expert; skillful person
wily cunning
Test: 05 - Saturday, November 1996
absolved forgiven; removed from blame
aesthetic concerned with art and beauty
almanac year-book with useful information
amicable friendly
anachronistic in the wrong time period
anthology book containing many items (e.g. poems)
auspicious favorable, indicating good fortune
benign kindly
carouse party’, sing and drink
censured blamed
cerebral concerned with thinking
clandestine secret, furtive
cliché over-used, unoriginal expression
concocted made up, invented
consummate supremely good
corroborating giving supporting evidence
culpable guilty, blameworthy
derided mocked
desolate empty, lonely
discourse lecture
drubbed beaten
egotist selfish person
embezzle to steal money by tampering with accounts
empathy form of sympathy; feeling of closeness
emulated copied
enervated weakened
epilogue end part of book or play
extol praise
facile over simplified
fallacious wrong
felicitous apt, suitable, fortunate
flagrant obvious
florid over-decorated, red-colored, flowery
foolhardy reckless
genial friendly
grandiose on a grand scale, excessive
hedonistic pleasure-seeking
incisive directly to the point
ineffable cannot be expressed in words
inefficacious ineffective
interminable never ending
intrepid brave
kin family, relatives
lummox clumsy person
lurid glaring
maxim proverb; sentence expressing a rule of conduct
mitigated made less severe
mundane boring, dull
nurtured fostered, encouraged
obdurate stubborn
onerous burdensome
ornate highly decorated
parched dried up
preamble introduction to a document
precocious developing very early
prepossessing attractive
pretentious putting on an act, immodest
procrastinate put off and delay
prolific producing a lot
provocative stimulating, provoking something
pseudonym false name
querulous always complaining
reconciliation bringing sides together after a dispute
regale entertain
resolute firm of purpose
revel party; enjoy
revered highly respected
salvage save from destruction
scurry rush, walk in a hurry
serendipity fortunate coincidence
shingle tile
statute law
temerity excessive nerve or daring
therapeutic acting as a cure or medicine
toady sycophant, flatterer
tome big book
utilitarian useful
variegated multicolored
veneer superficial layer
venerated worshipped
verdant green and fertile
vindictive seeking revenge
Test: 06 - Saturday, January 1997
anonymous without a name
audacious very bold
balk hinder, prevent
bard poet
bilked cheated
cajole coax
cherished looked after, valued, held
circuitous indirect
circumlocutions using to many words
condescending arrogant
consensus general agreement
coop chicken-shed
crescendo increase in volume in music
debunkers people who expose faults and get rid of myths
deleterious harmful
dissemblers people who try to hide the truth
dissipated wasted; dispersed
diversion entertainment
divisive causing division
encompassing including
ephemeral short-lived
evanescent short-lived
fathom to measure depth
fortitude strength, bravery
gibberings meaningless noises
impute imply
indomitable cannot be conquered
inviolable cannot be invaded
legend key to a map
lithe flexible
livid very angry
longevity long life
lull reduce fear, soothe
lyricist someone who writes the words for songs
machinations plots and plans
mandated ordered
melodramas unrealistic, overacted plays
misgivings doubts
monopoly an exclusive right to something
morose gloomy
mundane dull, ordinary
nit pickers people who find fault with small details
opulent lavish, wealthy
quaint unusual, picturesque
querulous always complaining
remorseful full of regret or repentance
remuneration payment for work done
renunciations giving things up
rhapsodize praise excessively
sagacious wise
sanctimonious pretending to be holy, hypocritical
sullied made dirty
thicket clump of shrubs
transient short-lived
virtuoso expert (especially musician)
Test: 08 - Sunday, May 1997
Abridge shorten (usually used for books)
Acrimony bitterness and bad feeling
Alleviate make less severe
Anecdote short, amusing story
Ardor enthusiasm
Assiduously eagerly; thoroughly
Astute mentally sharp
Bane troublesome influence
Berate scold; criticize
Bereft deprived of
Cloying sickly sweet; over sentimental
Cognizant aware of
Colloquially locally and informally
Consensus common agreement
Conundrum puzzle
Cordial friendly
Corroborate give evidence in support of something
Decorously done in a way consistent with good, correct behavior
Destitution poverty
Detractor a person who give negative criticism
Diffidently hesitantly
Dingy shabby; dark
Disseminate spread (information)
Efficacious effective
Ensemble troupe (musicians etc.); group; set (of clothes)
Exemplary acting as a good example; excellent
Fortitude bravery; ability to withstand trouble
Frivolity non-seriousness
Garish too bright; gaudy
Hierarchy chain of command
Inexorableness inescapability
Iridescent glowing; giving off light
Irresolute not firm
Jubilation rejoicing
Languidly in a slow and relaxed manner
Linchpin central point of an argument
Mediator someone who tries to bring disputing sides together
Munificence generosity
Nonchalance an appearance of indifference
Nonchalantly in an unconcerned manner
Pantomime play without words
Paramount vital; great
Perfidious treacherous
Perfunctory superficial; not thorough
Philanthropic generous
Pinioned tied down
Pompously arrogantly
Prosaic dull, mundane
Quell suppress
Querulous always complaining
Raucous rough; unpleasant (used for sounds)
Resplendent glowing
Sagacity wisdom
Servile unduly submissive
Sully make dirty
Table to put forward for future discussion
Tenaciously holding on tight to an idea or purpose
Tentatively hesitantly
Terminate end
Tourniquet first aid device to stop bleeding (twisted cloth)
Troubadour medieval musician
Truculent stubborn
Unfetter set free
Unheralded unannounced
Venerability worthy of respect
Test: 09 - Saturday, January 2000
Abhor hate
Abstain refrain from
Accomplice someone who aids a criminal
Adulatory involving strong praise or worship
Affectation pretence; unnatural manner
Agile flexible
Amalgamation joining together
Ambiguous vague
Ambivalent vague
Amorphous having no definite shape
Archetypal acting as a classic example of something
Arid dry
Assiduously thoroughly; eagerly
Barricade barrier
Benefactor giver of gifts
Bicker quarrel about petty matters
Braggart someone who boasts
Buffoonery foolish behaviour intended to amuse
Clique small group with common interests
Cloying sticky sweet; over-sentimental
Collage picture made up of many smaller pictures
Collusion plotting and planning
Colossus huge figure or statue; giant
Condone give silent approval to
Congeal solidify
Consecration dedication
Contemplate think over deeply
Cumulative building up; increasing
Curator person in charge of a museum or its exhibits
Cynicism looking on the black side; pessimistic (esp. about human behaviour)
Cynics pessimists
Debacle disaster
Debilitating weakening
Deliberate v.) think deeply about
Demean degrade
Deride mock
Disavowed disclaimed
Disgruntled annoyed; dissatisfied
Disparaged criticized
Dissembler someone who hides the truth
Dissent disagreement
Ecstasy extreme joy
Eloquent able to speak well and persuasively
Embellish decorate
Enhances improves
Enigmatically in a puzzling manner
Ensemble troupe or group (esp. musicians or dancers)
Epilogue part added at the end
Epistolary though the medium of (postal)letters
Equitable fair; equal
Eradication wiping out; destroying
Eulogy praise
Exalt raise to higher level; worship
Exhortation strong encouragement
Fabrication manufacture; invention
Façade front of building; assumed or false appearance
Felicities suitable or happy things
Forage search for food
Frugal economical
Harangue strong verbal attack
Hypocrite someone who does not practise what he preaches
Illusory not real
Immoderate excessive
Immunize protect against disease
Immutable cannot be changed
Impassive unreacting
Inauspicious not favourable
Inconspicuous not easily seen
Indefatigable cannot be tired
Indefensible cannot be defended; very wrong
Indiscretion unwise act
Indiscriminately randomly
Inexorable cannot be put off
Insidious dangerous; menacing
Insinuate hint slyly
Intemperate not moderate
Larceny theft
Manifest obvious; clear
Mendicant beggar
Milestone important event or stage
Morass mess; tangled mass
Mystify confuse
Nefarious infamous; wicked
Obstreperous noisy and boisterous
Peer an equal
Polarization separating into two extremes
Profundity depth (of ideas etc.)
Prudent wise; cautious
Punctuated interrupted
Rancorously bitterly
Regurgitate bring up food that has been swallowed. (Metaphorically - to recall memorized facts)
Repentance being sorry
Reprehensible very bad; deserving strong criticism
Revoke cancel
Roster list
Scathing strongly attacking
Scrutinize examine carefully
Shear cut (esp. cut wool off a sheep)
Stagnation decay; stoppage of movement
Stomp step down hard
Subsist survive
Substantiated gave supporting evidence
Supple flexible
Surreptitious sneaky; secret; furtive
Sycophant flatterer
Tiff minor quarrel
Travesty mockery; serious wrongdoing
Unintelligible cannot be understood
Utopian believing in an ideal world
Vicariously through someone else; indirect
Vindictiveness seeking revenge
Viscous sticky
Test: 07 - Saturday, May 1997
Accentuated emphasized
Alacrity speed and eagerness
Amiable friendly
Blueprints plans for a building
Cartographer map-maker
Censures blames; criticizes
Clairvoyant able to see into the future
Conciliatory tending to bring opposing sides together; ending argument
Crass crude
Deliberation careful thought
Delineates outlines
Demagogue a leader who appeals to the emotions of the mob
Disconcert make someone feel uncomfortable
Distort twist out of shape
Embittered made to feel bitter; resentful
Emend edit
Exacerbates makes worse
Exasperation frustration and annoyance
Exorbitant very expensive
Fickle changeable
Foolhardy reckless
Frugal very economical
Glacial icy cold, unfriendly
Gourmand epicure, food lover
Heckler someone who tries to put a speaker off
Hedonist pleasure-seeker
Inconsequential unimportant
Indiscernible cannot be seen easily
Jaded tired, worn out
Juxtaposition placing two things next to each other
Lithe flexible
Litigant claimant in a law case
Lobbyist someone who tries to persuade someone
Malinger deliberately avoid work
Miffed annoyed
Modicum very small amount
Negate cancel; deny
Nondescript having no special features
Ostracism shunning
Pallid pale
Parched dry
Pariah outcast
Penurious poor, having no money
Phlegmatic calm, imperturbable
Pretentious putting on an act; immodest
Protagonist main character in a book, play, film etc.
Proximity closeness
Prudent wise, cautious
Quart a measure of volume (two pints)
Razing knocking down
Recrimination blame
Resilient able to spring back after trouble
Reveler merrymaker
Salvageable can be saved from destruction
Scapegoat someone who takes the blame
Serene peaceful
Squelch suppress
Stifling suppressing
Surfeit an excess
Tangential not directly relevant
Temperance moderation
Tranquility peacefulness
Tremulous hesitant
Venerable should be respected
Vigilant watchful
Test: 10 - Sunday, May 2000
Adept skilful
Ambiguous vague
Amorphous having no definite shape
Amphibian able to live on land and in water
Arbitration mediation; deciding between two opposing sides
Avian concerned with birds
Belligerent aggressive; ready to fight
Blueprint plans for a building etc.
Calumny slander
Catastrophic disastrous
Catnap short sleep
Caustic burning; strongly attacking
Compliant flexible; not stubborn
Confounds confuses
Decibel unit to measure noise
Delineated outlined
Didactic intending to preach or teach
Disseminates spreads (esp. ideas)
Elucidate make clear; explain
Elude avoid
Empathetic able to sympathize with
Encompassed surrounded
Enduring lasting
Erasure wiping out
Ethos system of values
Evenhanded fair; unbiased
Expurgated censored; removed offensive parts
Exterminated wiped out
Feign pretend
Flaunting showing off
Foreshadows suggests something that will happen
Formidable inspiring fear or awe
Franchise license
Illegible cannot be read
Impassioned passionate; strongly felt
Incinerator device to burn waste
Intransigent stubborn
Irony quirk of fate; sarcasm
Irrational not logical
Malign to say evil things about someone; slander
Matriarchal governed by women
Momentous very important
Muffle suppress (esp. sound)
Myriad many
Narcissism vanity; excessive concern with one’s own appearance
Odometer devise to measure distance travelled
Paradox apparently contradictory situation
Pathos sadness
Plaudits praise
Precludes prevents
Predetermined fixed beforehand; fated
Railed complained strongly
Rancorous full of bitterness and bad feeling
Refracted bent (esp. of light)
Refurbished redecorated; renewed
Remiss failing to do one’s duty
Requisitioned ordered something
Score written form of music
Sermonized preached; lectured about morality
Shroud cover
Skirted avoided by going round the edges
Solicitude care
Stoic able to withstand; brave; indifferent to pain or joy
Substantiates gives supporting evidence
Tenacity firmness of purpose
Testimony evidence given by a witness
Torpid inactive
Transcribed copied in writing
Undermining attacking; attempting to overthrow
Vacillated wavered; hesitated
Verification proving right; confirmation
Here are the words from that list that were on more than one test:
Abhor hate - Test 9
abhorrence hatred - Test 3
Abstain refrain from - Test 9
abstinence self-denial, moderation - Test 1
adulation adoration, admiration - Test 2
Adulatory involving strong praise or worship - Test 9
aesthete someone concerned with art and beauty - Test 4
aesthetic concerned with art and beauty - Test 5
aesthetics visual/artistic impact; study of art/beauty - Test 1
ambiguous unclear, vague - Test 2
Ambiguous vague - Test 9
Ambiguous vague - Test 10
ambivalence lack of certainty - Test 3
ambivalent unsure, undecided - Test 1
Ambivalent vague - Test 9
Amorphous having no definite shape - Test 9
Amorphous having no definite shape - Test 10
anachronistic in the wrong time period - Test 5
anachronistic in the wrong time, outdated, archaic - Test 2
anthology book containing many items (e.g. poems) - Test 5
anthology collection of poems/ short stories etc. - Test 4
Arid dry - Test 9
arid dry, parched - Test 1
arid very dry - Test 4
assiduous diligent, hard working - Test 1
assiduous eager and thorough - Test 4
Assiduously eagerly; thoroughly - Test 8
Assiduously thoroughly; eagerly - Test 9
berate rebuke, criticize - Test 3
Berate scold; criticize - Test 8
Blueprint plans for a building etc. - Test 10
Blueprints plans for a building - Test 7
bourgeois middle class - Test 4
bourgeois middle class, capitalist - Test 1
circuitous indirect - Test 6
circuitous roundabout, indirect - Test 1
Cloying sickly sweet; over sentimental - Test 8
Cloying sticky sweet; over-sentimental - Test 9
cogent convincing, forceful - Test 1
cogent convincing, forceful - Test 2
condescending arrogant - Test 6
condescending arrogant; talking down to someone - Test 4
congregation gathering (esp. in a church) - Test 4
congregation gathering of people (esp. in a church) - Test 1
Consensus common agreement - Test 8
consensus general agreement - Test 6
Contemplate think over deeply - Test 9
contemptuous arrogant; showing intolerance - Test 4
Conundrum puzzle - Test 8
conundrum puzzle, riddle - Test 3
Corroborate give evidence in support of something - Test 8
corroborating giving supporting evidence - Test 5
curtail limit, shorten - Test 2
curtailed cut short - Test 4
Cynicism looking on the black side; pessimistic (esp. about human behaviour) - Test 9
Cynics pessimists - Test 9
decibel unit of sound measurement - Test 4
Decibel unit to measure noise - Test 10
decorous proper, appropriate in behavior - Test 2
Decorously done in a way consistent with good, correct behavior - Test 8
Deliberate v.) think deeply about - Test 9
Deliberation careful thought - Test 7
Delineated outlined - Test 10
Delineates outlines - Test 7
Demagogue a leader who appeals to the emotions of the mob - Test 7
demagogue political leader who plays on the emotions of the crowd - Test 4
Deride mock - Test 9
derided mocked - Test 5
disdain contempt - Test 2
disdain contempt - Test 4
Dissembler someone who hides the truth - Test 9
dissemblers people who try to hide the truth - Test 6
Disseminate spread (information) - Test 8
Disseminates spreads (esp. ideas) - Test 10
divisive causing division - Test 6
divisive discordant, disruptive - Test 3
eccentric unconventional, unusual, odd - Test 3
eclectic taking things from different sources; varied - Test 4
Embellish decorate - Test 9
embellish decorate, adorn - Test 2
Empathetic able to sympathize with - Test 10
empathy form of sympathy; feeling of closeness - Test 5
emulate copy, imitate - Test 3
emulate imitate, copy - Test 1
emulated copied - Test 5
Encompassed surrounded - Test 10
encompassing including - Test 6
Ensemble troupe (musicians etc.); group; set (of clothes) - Test 8
Ensemble troupe or group (esp. musicians or dancers) - Test 9
ephemeral short-lived - Test 6
ephemeral short-lived, transient, temporary - Test 1
Epilogue part added at the end - Test 9
epilogue something written at the end (esp. of a play) - Test 4
Exasperation frustration and annoyance - Test 7
exasperation frustration; annoyance - Test 4
Exemplary acting as a good example; excellent - Test 8
exemplify act as a good example of - Test 4
florid elaborate, fancy, ornate - Test 3
florid flowery, fancy, extravagant, elaborate - Test 2
florid over-decorated, red-colored, flowery - Test 5
foolhardy reckless - Test 5
Foolhardy reckless - Test 7
Fortitude bravery; ability to withstand trouble - Test 8
fortitude strength, bravery - Test 6
Frugal economical - Test 9
Frugal very economical - Test 7
glacial icy cold - Test 4
Glacial icy cold, unfriendly - Test 7
grandiose flamboyant, pompous - Test 2
grandiose on a grand scale, excessive - Test 5
hedonist pleasure seeker - Test 4
Hedonist pleasure-seeker - Test 7
hedonistic pleasure-seeking - Test 5
impetuous impulsive - Test 1
impetuous spontaneous, impulsive - Test 2
inarticulate garbled, unintelligible - Test 3
inarticulate unable to express well in words, unclear in speech - Test 2
Inconsequential unimportant - Test 7
inconsequential unimportant, negligible - Test 1
Inexorable cannot be put off - Test 9
Inexorableness inescapability - Test 8
intransigent inflexible, unyielding - Test 2
Intransigent stubborn - Test 10
intrepid brave - Test 4
intrepid brave - Test 5
jubilant thrilled, delighted - Test 1
Jubilation rejoicing - Test 8
lithe flexible - Test 6
Lithe flexible - Test 7
lobbyist one who tries to persuade - Test 4
Lobbyist someone who tries to persuade someone - Test 7
longevity long life - Test 6
longevity long life, permanence - Test 1
maxim proverb; sentence expressing a rule of conduct - Test 5
maxim short saying expressing a rule of conduct - Test 4
mundane boring, dull - Test 5
mundane dull, ordinary - Test 6
mystify confuse - Test 1
Mystify confuse - Test 9
Narcissism vanity; excessive concern with one’s own appearance - Test 10
narcissistic over-concerned about one’s own appearance - Test 4
Nonchalance an appearance of indifference - Test 8
Nonchalantly in an unconcerned manner - Test 8
nondescript having no special features - Test 4
Nondescript having no special features - Test 7
opulent lavish, wealthy - Test 6
opulent lavish; wealthy - Test 4
parched dried up - Test 5
Parched dry - Test 7
Polarization separating into two extremes - Test 9
polarizing separating into two extremes - Test 4
pretentious putting on an act, immodest - Test 5
Pretentious putting on an act; immodest - Test 7
procrastinate put off and delay - Test 5
procrastination postponing, delaying - Test 1
Prosaic dull, mundane - Test 8
prosaic ordinary, banal - Test 3
Prudent wise, cautious - Test 7
Prudent wise; cautious - Test 9
querulous always complaining - Test 5
querulous always complaining - Test 6
Querulous always complaining - Test 8
Rancorous full of bitterness and bad feeling - Test 10
rancorous full of bitterness, unforgiving, revengeful - Test 1
Rancorously bitterly - Test 9
Raucous rough; unpleasant (used for sounds) - Test 8
refurbish renovate - Test 3
Refurbished redecorated; renewed - Test 10
revel party; enjoy - Test 5
Reveler merrymaker - Test 7
sagacious wise - Test 6
Sagacity wisdom - Test 8
salvage save from destruction - Test 5
Salvageable can be saved from destruction - Test 7
spurious fake; false - Test 4
spurious false, fake - Test 1
Substantiated gave supporting evidence - Test 9
Substantiates gives supporting evidence - Test 10
surreptitious secret, sly - Test 3
surreptitious sneaky; furtive - Test 4
Surreptitious sneaky; secret; furtive - Test 9
Tenaciously holding on tight to an idea or purpose - Test 8
Tenacity firmness of purpose - Test 10
tenacity stubbornness, obstinacy - Test 2
transience temporary, short-lived nature - Test 2
transient short-lived - Test 6
trivial insignificant, petty - Test 2
trivialized made to seem unimportant - Test 3
Unfetter set free - Test 8
unfettered free, unregulated - Test 3
utopia ideal, perfect world - Test 3
Utopian believing in an ideal world - Test 9
utopian someone who believes in an ideal world - Test 4
Venerability worthy of respect - Test 8
Venerable should be respected - Test 7
vindicated proved right, justified, correct - Test 2
vindictive seeking revenge - Test 5
virtuoso expert (especially musician) - Test 6
virtuoso expert; skillful person - Test 4
Yes, the Red Book came before the Blue Book(s) and before that there was a White Book with 5 tests, if I recall correctly.
That’s not very fair–nobody here is advocating mindlessness, @xiggi. I definitely am anti-mindlessness.
Again, nobody’s saying vocab is “all” it takes. In fact, I’ve explicitly said vocab is not all it takes.
Actually, I find students can memorize 2400 words in about three weeks without negatively impacting their ability to learn and apply reading and analysis methods at all. In fact, they can also learn SAT grammar and how to write the essay at the same time.
It’s not very hard to learn “THOUSANDS” of words. The reality is that historically, the ETS draws from about 6-8000 words. 2-4000 of them are relatively ordinary words (“escape,” “exit,” “bully”), leaving something like 3000-4000 that are not commonly known by teens who haven’t read voraciously. I see time and time again that memorizing 3000 during a single school vacation is very manageable and doesn’t at all have to come at the expense of learning other methods.
(I should also add that I’m only talking about the current SAT. The revised 2016 SAT will not be susceptible to brute force vocab at all. And I’m glad for that!)
I had the honor to read (and print) @xiggi 's advice. However, I still do not understand what Xiggi wants someone preparing for the SAT CR do. One time he says to find patterns. Another time he says to open up a dictionary and define every word one doesn’t know. I mean, at the end isn’t it a problem of both context and one not knowing what a word means (and more importantly that the word is almost impossible to dissect to find what it means)?
^ Humm, I am not certain about the part of my posts that cause such confusion. Perhaps, I did miss a negation in a quick reply. Rest assured that I do not recommend to read the entire dictionary. I might have written something like “After all, if word lists worked, one could read the entire dictionary!” but that was dismissive.
To be clear, my suggestion is to prepare the verbal sections by working the actual tests and always work with the direct context in mind. Recognizing patterns comes with time spent “playing” with the test. While it is better to try answering the questions, if one is short on time, it is beneficial to read past tests and look up words that are unknown during the reading sessions. One can do 2-3 sections in 20-30 minutes before bed time!