ACT Reading Vocabulary – Context (50) Adv. Voc. Skills (1) berate (v.) - PowerPoint Presentation

ACT Reading Vocabulary – Context (50) Adv. Voc. Skills

(1) berate (v.) Benita can accept reasonable criticism, but she was upset when her boss berated her loudly in front of everyone else in the office. to disappoint to yell to neglect to scold

(2) estrange (v.) After his divorce, Garrett didn’t want to estrange his children, so he called and visited them often. To frighten To lose contact with to dislike to disappoint

(3) euphoric (adj.) Miranda is euphoric today because she’s just gotten the lead role in the school’s production of Romeo and Juliet . She had worked diligently in many productions. anxious delighted proud ambivalent

(4) impetuous (adj.) Children tend to be impetuous and don’t always think about the consequences of their actions. For instance, they’ll throw snowballs at passing cards without worrying about causing an accident. silly impulsive considerate imaginative

(5) infallible (adj.) Computers aren’t infallible . If the wrong data is put into a computer, the answers will be wrong. perfect imperfect everywhere current

(6) maudlin (adj.) The authors of maudlin movies must feel that they haven’t done their job unless viewers are crying by the end of each show. short made-for-tv comical emotional

(7) regress (v.) When his baby sister was born, seven-year-old Jason regressed for a while and began sucking his thumb again. to try to get attention to go back to an earlier time to reach a high point to act hastily

(8) relinquish (v.) Delanie had to relinquish her share in the vacation cabin because she couldn’t afford the payments anymore. to buy to give up to find to enjoy

(9) ubiquitous (adj.) Dust mites are ubiquitous . They live on top of Mt. Everest, in the ocean, at the South Pole, and even in your house. scarce very small newly discovered found everywhere

(10) zenith (n.) Miranda reached the zenith of her business career to date when she became manager of the Bell Street Bakery when she was just 21 years old. an end in the past the highest point recognition of hard work

Vocabulary Slides 1-10 berate estrange euphoric impetuous infallible maudlin regress relinquish ubiquitous zenith

(11) charlatan (n.) Aunt Edie once bought a set of magnetic bracelets from a charlatan , who assured her that they would cure her arthritis. The jewelry was worthless. an inventor a door-to-door salesman an expert a con artist

(12) corroborate (v.) Mr. Jones claimed that he was at a basketball game when his vehicle was used to commit the crime. He needed someone to corroborate his story. to question to make it up to support to understand

(13) disseminate (v.) What would be the best way to disseminate information about the next school give-a-way of free technology? Every student will be interested. to print to spread to conceal to improve

(14) diverge (v.) After college, the two friends’ paths diverged greatly. Miranda become an accountant and eventually a CEO of a major company; Ben became a veterinarian. to become different to separate to come together to disappear

(15) dormant (adj.) Many insects lay eggs that remain dormant all winter and do not hatch until spring when the weather is warmer. A colder winter means fewer bugs in summer because some of the eggs will freeze. hidden not active ruined changing

(16) hoist (v.) The children enjoyed watching the crane at the construction site hoist the beams into place for the second floor of the new building. to follow to put together to display to raise

(17) illicit (v.) Tom’s business is illicit . He drives a van and picks up passengers along a route that should be used only by city buses. fake profitable unlawful unsafe

(18) irrevocable (adj.) The trust specifically stated that the land could not be used for a shopping mall, but the new owners of the property questioned whether the condition was irrevocable . can be changed cannot be changed due to change about to change

(19) precipitate (v.) Ben’s move back to his hometown was precipitated by his getting a job as a veterinarian at the local practice. to bring on to buy to prevent to permit

(20) proliferation (n.) The proliferation of lady bugs in the windows on the screened-in porch is a matter of great concern. We need a solution fast. damage shortage scratching rapid increase

Vocabulary Slides 11-20 charlatan corroborate disseminate diverge dormant hoist illicit irrevocable precipitate proliferation

(21) detriment (n.) Not exercising is a detriment to good health. People who don’t exercise are more likely to be overweight and have heart disease. an aid an obstacle a discovery a symptom

(22) dexterous (adj.) Although he has arthritis in his hands, Simon is still very dexterou s. For example, he continues to build model airplanes. skilled educated motivated awkward.

(23) discretion (n.) Some children haven’t developed discretion . One kindergarten child recently told his teacher, “You are very fat.” skill education courage common sense

(24) facetious (adj.) A facetious sign on the door of the office read, “You don’t have to be crazy to work here. We will train you.” Ben wondered what it would be like to work there. serious dishonest plastic humorous

(25) gregarious (adj.) Ben was gregarious and loved going to picnics and parties; his older brother Colton preferred gatherings of fewer people. attractive introverted outgoing dramatic

(26) optimum (n.) Under the snow was an inch of ice, and the optimum safe speed for the main highway was only about 15 MPH. legal highest only posted

(27) ostentatious (adj.) The lobby of the hotel was rather ostentatious with an archway of fake roses, lamps shaped like horses, and a race track outline on the carpet. plain clean organized d. meant to impress

(28) scrupulous (adj.) The representative promised a scrupulous campaign, but her negative ads were filled with lies about her opponent. ethical economical fair unjust

(29) sensory (adj.) Walking through the amusement park was a sensory experience. The sounds of the rides, the scent of foods, and the jostling of the crowds added to the excitement of the day. of being with people of being in a warm place of the senses of social interest

(30) vicarious (adj.) People love horror movies because they enjoy the vicarious experiences of being in great danger without having to live through them. experienced through living experienced through fear experienced through technology experienced through imagination

Vocabulary Slides 21-30 detriment dexterous discretion facetious gregarious optimum ostentatious scrupulous sensory vicarious

(31) ambiguous (adj.) The portrait known as the “Pleasant Peasant” is famous for the subject’s ambiguous expression. Is he smiling or not? unclear unintentional unpleasant unimpressed

(32) dissident (n.) In a dictatorship, dissidents are not tolerated. People who speak out against the government may be imprisoned or even executed. An uninformed person A rebel A dishonest person A foolish person

(33) fritter (v.) Miranda expected her little sister to fritter her money away on candy, but instead of spending it, she put it in her piggy bank. to earn to spend to count to waste

(34) inadvertent (adj.) Fleming’s discovery of penicillin was inadvertent . He forgot to cover a dish of bacteria, and mold got into it. The next day, he realized the mold had killed the bacteria. not required not organized not finished not intended

(35) inane (adj.) The conversation at the party was inane , consisting mainly of foolish comments over whose shoes were the most awesome. inappropriate silly interesting shocking

(36) juxtapose (v.) The power of photographs lies in presentation. The picture dramatically juxtaposed white birch trees and a dark gray sky. to cover up to stretch across to put side by side to put in front of

(37) lethargy (n.) As the temperature rose, lethargy descended on the class. The students had trouble staying awake, and even the instructor gazed out the window. weariness hopelessness boredom foolishness

(38) sporadic (adj.) It snowed without stopping until noon. After that, there were only sporadic bursts of flurries. steady heavy irregular long

(39) embellish (v.) The students worked to embellish the covers of their notebooks. One student placed a pattern of colored seashells on the hers. to hide to decorate to damage to get points

(40) subsidize (v.) Public radio does not depend solely on advertising revenue because it is subsidized by various grants and ty individual and community donations. to pay for to advertise to criticize to make possible

Vocabulary Slides 31-40 collaborate despondent instigate resilient retrospect rudimentary scoff squelch venerate zealot

(41) zealot (n.) Annie, a zealot about health, runs a hundred miles a week and never lets a grain of sugar touch her lips. an extremist a purist an observer a doubter

(42) venerate (v.) The guests at the dinner make is clear that they venerated Mother Sophia. When she entered the room, everyone rose. To pity to respect to honor to remember

(43) squelch (v.) To most teachers, history is a very serious subject. Mr. Young glared at the students in the back row when they couldn’t squelch their giggles while watching a video. to encourage to increase in volume to hold back to release

(44) scoff (v.) During celebrations, many entertainers appear. Bystanders scoffed at the street musician playing a tune on a row of tin cans, but he seemed unaware that people were making fun of him. to laugh to stand and watch to admire to scream

(45) rudimentary (adj.) Ben is so accustomed to adding and subtracting with a calculator that he’s probably forgotten how to do those rudimentary mathematical calculations on his own. addition problems basic intermediate advanced

(46) retrospect (n.) When I took Dr. Kannon’s writing course, I thought she was too demanding. In retrospect , now that I am a technical writer, I realize she taught me more than anyone else. looking back looking at the present time looking for excuses looking to the future

(47) resilient (adj.) Plant life is resilient . A few weeks after Mt. St. Helens erupted in Washington in 1980, flowers were growing in the ashes. covering a wide area slow to recover quick to recover growing after fire

(48) instigate (v.) An English captain named Jenkins instigated a war with 1738 when he insisted that his ear had been cut off by a Spanish patrol. The British declared war on Spain—the “War of Jenkins.” to prevent to predict to cause to begin

(49) despondent (adj.) Death is a major source of stress for those left behind. For months after his wife died, Mr. Craig was despondent . No matter how hard they tried, his friends could not change his outlook. ill anxious angry depressed

(50) collaborate (v.) Usually reporters work by themselves. When Sarah and I were asked to collaborate on the article for the school newspaper, we found it difficult to work together. to compete to stop working to act as a team to contribute

Vocabulary Slides 41-50 ambiguous dissident embellish fritter inadvertent inane juxtapose lethargy sporadic subsidize