Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

SSAT - PREPSKILLS > PREPWords > Flashcards

PREPWords Flashcards

(50 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

Synthesis Card # 1 - RETICENT

Jerry was reticent in voicing his opinion; he was unsure people would take him seriously even if he spoke up.

A

RETICENT

  • Reserved
  • quiet
  • restrained;
  • unforthcoming
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Synthesis Card # 2

When Christine saw the face of the Phantom of the Opera, she recoiled in horror; he had been burned beyond recognition.

A

RECOIL

  • Shrink back
  • withdraw
  • retreat
  • jump back
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Synthesis Card # 3

Some mathematicians argue mathematical laws are a priori – they would be true even if humans never existed to learn about them.

A

A PRIORI

  • Prior to experience
  • not requiring experience to be justified
  • true eternally
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Synthesis Card # 4

Some mathematicians argue mathematical laws are a posteriori, just like scientific laws - humans created mathematics based on their experiences

A

A POSTERIORI

  • Post-experience
  • requiring experiment or a sensory experience ( like sight, sounds, touch, taste or audio) to be declared existent or true.
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Synthesis Card # 5

Anna wrote a perspicacious essay on the German philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, leading her professor to declare it one of the most intelligent pieces of writing the professor had ever read.

A

PERSPICACIOUS

(per·spi·ca·cious; pərspiˈkāSHəs)

  • wise
  • astute
  • sagacious
  • intelligent
  • clear in thought
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Synthesis card # 6

Following the harsh university review, professors were lambasted for ignoring the needs of students.

A

LAMBASTED

  • Attacked
  • Criticized
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Synthesis Card # 7

Environmental activism is often motivated by inspired ideals and hopeful principles related to better ecological management.

A

PRINCIPLES

  • belief
  • moral value
  • social norm
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Synthesis Card # 8

Her hypothesis was still a mere conjecture; it had not yet been proven by any experimental results.

A

CONJECTURE

  • hypothesis
  • guess
  • speculation
  • assumption
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Synthesis Card # 9

To improve the salubriousness of his lifestyle, Jonas quit smoking and changed his eating habits.

A

SALUBRIOUS

  • healthy
  • good for your mental/physical being
  • wholesome
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Synthesis Card # 10

It was the band’s first practice together and what they pronounced was a cacophony of disharmonious noises rather than a melodious tune

A

CACOPHONY

  • dissonance
  • discord
  • noise
  • disharmony
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Synthesis Card # 11

The peace-making efforts in the war-torn country were aided by a surge in global financial support for the aid workers and their mission.

A

SURGE

  • influx
  • heave
  • rush
  • flow
  • sudden abundence of
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

SYNTHESIS CARD # 12

The board denied funding for the project, deeming it to have been poorly planned and lacking in foresight.

A

FORESIGHT

  • prudence
  • forward-thinking
  • long-term vision
  • prescience
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Synthesis Card # 13

Commiserating her friend’s sprained ankle, Ana promised to help her friend train more safely for the next race.

A

COMMISERATE

  • offer condolences
  • sympathize
  • empathize
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Synthesis Card # 14

His recalcitrant behaviour led many teachers to conclude that he would never listen to authority and never follow the rules set before him.

A

RECALCITRANT

  • rebellious
  • riotous
  • disturbing
  • disorderly
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Synthesis Card # 15

The poet found the use of short, rhyming poems on subway marketing posters a repellent and degraded form of poetic expression.

A

REPELLENT

  • vile
  • disgusting
  • distasteful
  • foul
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Synthesis card # 16

His unobtrusive style led people to often conclude, mistakenly, that he held no opinions on how the company ought to have been managed.

A

UNOBTRUSIVE

  • inconspicuous
  • mild
  • shy
  • modest
  • unremarkable
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Synthesis Card # 17

Janine’s wilfulness rendered her a formidable foe in a debate or discussion, as she always refused to admit defeat or accept an alternative point of view.

A

WILFUL

  • headstrong
  • obstinate
  • stubborn
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Synthesis Card # 18

The first Irish referendum on the European Union’s constitution demonstrated that most voters did not agree with the proposed document.

A

REFERENDUM

  • vote
  • election
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Synthesis Card # 19

Always on the cusp of generating a new idea, Randy was a trailblazer in his field of research.

A

TRAIL-BLAZER

  • pioneer
  • speculator
  • innovator
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Synthesis Card # 20

Horse-drawn carriages are now obsolete in London; they are relics of the past, replaced in more recent times by automobiles.

A

OBSOLETE

  • disused
  • unused
  • outdated
  • archaic
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Synthesis Card # 21

Children will often ostracize one another on the playground, which has led the parents of those children who are mistreated to worry about schoolyard bullying and social exclusion.

Study These Flashcards
A

OSTRACIZE

  • exclude
  • banish
  • expatriate
22
Q

Synthesis Card # 22

To augment her status as council leader, Dr. Spikes insisted upon a coronation and official ceremony at her inauguration.

Study These Flashcards
A

AUGMENT

  • increase
  • maximize
  • inflate
23
Q

Synthesis Card # 23

Mr. Jones called the police last night as his unruly and obstreperous neighbours, with their loud music and constant partying, wouldn’t quiet down after his repeated requests.

Study These Flashcards
A

OBSTREPEROUS

  • resisting control
  • rebellious
  • boisterous
24
Q

Synthesis Card # 24

It would be hard to dissuade Monica of the correctness of her theory as she had already invested most of her academic career in proving its truth.

Study These Flashcards
A

DISSUADE

  • convince
  • deter
  • persuade
25
Synthesis Card # 25 ## Footnote Depressed, **_despondent_** and broken-down, Michael left his office for the last time-his dismissal notice in hand.
DESPONDENT * heartsick * depressed * morose * hopeless
26
Synthesis Card # 26 Although animals are often thought to act in instinctive and immediate ways, zoologists have documented **_premeditated_** and well-organize attacks by cheetahs and lionesses in the wild, demonstrating some animals have the ability to plan for the future.
PREMEDITATED * deliberate * calculated * intentional * conscious
27
Synthesis Card # 27 ## Footnote Bongo was a green, stuffed animal whose personality traits on a children's television show **_personified_** the behaviour of a 6-year old child.
PERSONIFY * exemplify * incarnate * anthropomorphize * typify
28
Synthesis Card # 28 ## Footnote The critic called the film "disastrously directed" and a waste of acting talent; his **_caustic_** review led show houses to cut the film's screening by two weeks.
CAUSTIC * mordant * acerbic * scathing * biting
29
Synthesis Card # 29 ## Footnote Though he can be light-hearted and comic at times, Jenson turns into a **_sardonic_** and unforgiving joker when one mentions his ex-partner.
SARDONIC * sarcastic * satirical * cutting * mordant * scathing
30
Synthesis Card # 30 ## Footnote **_Scornful_** of his brother's constant successes, Oskar decided to run away from home so that his parents would consider appreciating his talents too.
SCORNFUL * contemptuous * mocking * sneering * derisive
31
Synthesis Card # 31 ## Footnote The English court was known throughout the Renaissance for the **_gentility_** of its aristocrats and the refinement of its manners.
GENTILITY * refinement * propriety * decorum * courtesy
32
Synthesis Card # 32 ## Footnote Intelligent beyond comparison, Mikella impressed the hiring board with her **_acumen_**.
ACUMEN * insight * shrewdness * expertise * intelligence
33
Synthesis Card # 33 ## Footnote Stumbling about to find the right woeds, Angelina came across as **_inane_** and lacking in insight.
INANE * mindless * frivolous * absurd * stupid
34
Synthesis Card # 34 ## Footnote I am opposed to the **_gratuitous_** killing that one finds in contemporary horror films, so I refuse to watch any of them in the cinema.
GRATUITOUS * unneeded * unnecessarily * superfluous
35
Synthesis Card # 35 ## Footnote Protestantism in Europe was founded, in part, upon a profoundly **_iconoclastic_** view of Catholic imagery and iconography-the latter of which many Protestants thought was an indication of mystical and pagan worship.
ICONOCLASTIC * destruction of sacred images * untraditional * unconventional * anti-dogmatic
36
Synthesis Card # 36 ## Footnote My **_incredulous_** opinion of his story was based on the fact that it was full of twists and inconsistent details.
INCREDULOUS * disbelieving * unconvinced * sceptical
37
Synthesis Card # 37 ## Footnote **_Cynical_** to the end, the mathematician William Clifford refused to accept that any sort of heaven awaited him after death.
CYNICAL * pessimistic * distrustful * disparaging * mocking
38
Synthesis Card # 38 ## Footnote Their **_wanton_** behaviour was matched only by the debased nature of their colleagues in crime, all of whom pursued their route to wealth through bribery and fraud.
WANTON * unjustifiable * unprovoked * unmotivated
39
Synthesis Card # 39 ## Footnote Stu's parents had to reign in their **_profligate_** son by cutting his credit card and imposing limits on his daily bank withdrawals.
PROFLIGATE * extravagant * wasteful * squandering * decadent
40
Synthesis Card # 40 ## Footnote At the strictly religious school where Janine had been sent by her unforgiving parents, even the idea of a friendly kiss was deemed to be **_licentious_** and deeply immodest.
LICENTITIOUS * immodest * lustful * dissolute * impious
41
Synthesis Card # 41 ## Footnote In a time of recession, more people have adopted a **_parsimonious_** attitude towards their money and leisure activities.
PARSIMONIOUS * thrifty * economical * frugal * sparing
42
Synthesis Card # 42 ## Footnote The sort of **_abject_** poverty that one-sixth of the world's population faces on a daily basis is imcomprehensible to those of us living in North America, where misery has no such home.
ABJECT * DISMAL * MISERABLE * WRETCHED
43
Synthesis Card # 43 ## Footnote He stared out of the window **_wistfully_** watching the rain pour down; he had not heard from him girlfriend in more than four weeks.
WISTFULLY * longingly * sadly * thoughtfully * comtemplatively * regretfully
44
Synthesis Card # 44 ## Footnote The gambler's string of successes led the casino managers to suspect a **_ruse_** was at play and that they had been somehow deceived.
RUSE * HOAX * DECEPTION * PLOY
45
SYNTHESIS CARD # 45 ## Footnote Following the death of her sister, Ella heard from friends she hadn't contacted in years, all of whom sent their **_commiserations._**
COMMISERATE * sympathize * empathize * give condolences
46
Synthesis Card # 46 ## Footnote Having long **_cogitated_** on the structure of the planets and their orbits, Galileo developed the concept of a sun-centric solar system.
COGITATE * meditate * ponder * ruminate * think about
47
Synthesis Card # 47 ## Footnote The horse-drwan carriage was more rickety than romantic, leading all parties to **_cavil_** the entire way home about the ill planned choice they had made.
CAVIL * to be picky * complain * niggle
48
Synthesis Card # 48 ## Footnote Rather than getting to the point right away, he meandered around the issue and raised a number of peripheral and **_circumlocutory_** concerns first.
CIRCUMLOCUTORY * roundabout * indirect * unclear * circuitous
49
Synthesis Card # 49 ## Footnote The response from the opposition was **_apposite_**, addressing the central concern raised by the government.
APPOSITE * appropriate * pertinent * relevant
50
Synthesis Card # 50 ## Footnote Latisha hoped the years of solitude and isolation that her children had inadvertently experienced would not lead them to insecurity and **_diffidence_** as adults later in life
DIFFIDENT * self-effacing * unobtrusive * insecure * reticent

SSAT - PREPSKILLS (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions