250 Words Important to the SAT Reading

Question 1

abject

Answer 1

often used to describe negative things and heighten the negativity. you might see loneliness, poverty, or sadness described as being abject. it describes the highest level of loneliness, poverty, or sadness a person could reach.

Question 2

abode

Answer 2

a place where people live. it could be anything from a house, to a cave, to an apartment, to a van. if humans take shelter there, it can be called an abode.

Question 3

abstract

Answer 3

it isn’t concrete or tangible. it might exist as an idea only (the concept of gravity is abstract), or it might be something that you can touch but that represents ideas or feelings (like abstract art, which is art that does not depict real items).

Question 4

acknowledge

Answer 4

to acknowledge someone or something is to notice it and make sure it knows that it has been noticed.

Question 5

adapt

Answer 5

to change to fit the situation.

Question 6

admonition

Answer 6

the noun form of the word admonish. therefore, an admonition is the scolding you might receive if you have done something wrong.

Question 7

affluent

Answer 7

to be very well off financially.

Question 8

agitate

Answer 8

to work up or disturb.

Question 9

aggrandize

Answer 9

if you notice, the word grand in aggrandize, it may help you remember how this word is used. generally, to aggrandize something is to make it grander; oftentimes people mentally aggrandize and think of things as grander then they really are.

Question 10

aggregate

Answer 10

when discussing the aggregate (as a noun), you’re talking about the whole, not the parts. aggregate can also be a verb in which you build up the parts to create a whole.

Question 11

alternation

Answer 11

simply taking turns. alternation, then, is the noun form of the verb alternate.

Question 12

amicable

Answer 12

to be amicable with other people means to get along with them. it is a warm word often used to describe friendly, but not overly friendly, relationships with coworkers, neighbors, and other acquaintances.

Question 13

analogous

Answer 13

when two things are analogous to each other, they can be compared to one another. often, this comparison will help clarify something about one of the things being compared. think of the word analogy when thinking about what analogous means.

Question 14

analogy

Answer 14

a comparison between two items using like or as.

Question 15

anomaly

Answer 15

something strange or out of the usual pattern of things.

Question 16

antipathy

Answer 16

if you were to hate someone’s guts, you might say you felt antipathy towards them. it is a very negative feeling toward another person or thing.

Question 17

apparition

Answer 17

apparition sounds like the word appear. an apparition is something that suddenly appears. oftentimes, ghosts and other supernatural phenomena will be described as being apparitions.

Question 18

arbitrary

Answer 18

can usually be replaced with the word random.

Question 19

ascertain

Answer 19

to find something out or confirm it.

Question 20

aspire

Answer 20

work toward a lofty goal.

Question 21

autocratic

Answer 21

an autocrat is someone in charge who has all the power. autocratic, then, is the adjectival form of autocrat– it can be used to describe someone who is acting like an autocrat.

Question 22

automated

Answer 22

something has been changed to make it now automatic whereas previously it was not (i.e. a dishwasher).

Question 23

beget

Answer 23

take steps to bring that thing into existence. it can also refer to an action that leads to something.

Question 24

benevolent

Answer 24

to be kind.

Question 25

bestow

Answer 25

to bestow something is to give it to someone. this is often used when giving titles and other honors.

Question 26

biological

Answer 26

describing something related to the study of life or related to life itself.

Question 27

calibrate

Answer 27

adjust something so that it runs the way it should. this is especially applicable to machines that have readouts.

Question 28

calisthenics

Answer 28

a type of exercise that relies on body weight and require no eqipment.

Question 29

capacity

Answer 29

measure of somethings ability.

Question 30

celestial

Answer 30

something that has to do with outer space.

Question 31

censure

Answer 31

give someone a formal reprimand.

Question 32

circulation

Answer 32

refers to anything moving back and forth or around in a predictable pattern.

Question 33

coerce

Answer 33

to get someone to do something by threat if force.

Question 34

cognition

Answer 34

the ability to understand something.

Question 35

colloquial

Answer 35

describes [everyday] language.

Question 36

commercial

Answer 36

the buying and selling of goods.

Question 37

complementary

Answer 37

something that goes well with the thing around it (i.e. cookies and milk).

Question 38

complimentary

Answer 38

something that is provided free of charge. think of compliment.

Question 39

conflate

Answer 39

to keep two things separate and not assume that they are the same idea.

Question 40

conjure

Answer 40

bring something up.

Question 41

consensus

Answer 41

when everyone agrees.

Question 42

consequence

Answer 42

results of an action taken. there can be positive consequences, but more often this word is used to indicate a negative result or punishment for negative actions.

Question 43

conservator

Answer 43

a person whose job it is to conserve to preserve something. this word could also be used to just mean a general guardian.

Question 44

constitution

Answer 44

apply to someone's bodily health or how something is put together.

Question 45

contingent

Answer 45

relying on other factors to come to be.

Question 46

conventional

Answer 46

follows the traditional rules that are set up.

Question 47

convey

Answer 47

to get something across.

Question 48

convoke

Answer 48

call a meeting.

Question 49

convulsion

Answer 49

to convulse is a physical movement. think of a person having a seizure -- all of their muscles are convulsing. they are therefore having convulsions.

Question 50

cooperatively

Answer 50

working in a cooperative manner.

Question 51

cultivate

Answer 51

bring something up or to try to make it grow or exist.

Question 52

dawdle

Answer 52

lag behind

Question 53

decipher

Answer 53

figure something out.

Question 54

deficient

Answer 54

when something is deficient, it isn't enough; it is lacking something.

Question 55

degrade

Answer 55

break something down slowly over time.

Question 56

demur

Answer 56

to politely say no to something or to avoid it.

Question 57

desolation

Answer 57

total abandonment, emptiness, and destruction. it occurs when everything of value and everything alive is destroyed.

Question 58

despoil

Answer 58

related to the phrase "the spoils of war". the spoils of war are the things that invaders would take from the inhabitants upon victory. pretty much anything of worth would be looted or plundered. to despoil is the act of taking away anything of value.

Question 59

deter

Answer 59

to stop someone from doing something.