SAT Chapter 6 Advancing Vocabulary austere esoteric metamorphos is notorious facsimile perfunctory grotesque provocative mesmerize travesty Ten Words in Context
1 austere adjective Ms. Stones appearance was austere. She wore plain, dark-colored clothing with no jewelry, and she never used makeup. The walls in Marios den are white and nearly bare, and his white furniture has simple lines. This austere decor gives the room a pleasantly calm mood. Choose the meaning closest to that of the boldfaced word. Branko Grujic | Dreamstime.com Austere means A. very ugly. B. very plain. C. very youthful. An austere classroom Ten Words in Context 1 austere
adjective Ms. Stones appearance was austere. She wore plain, dark-colored clothing with no jewelry, and she never used makeup. The walls in Marios den are white and nearly bare, and his white furniture has simple lines. This austere decor gives the room a pleasantly calm mood. Branko Grujic | Dreamstime.com Austere means A. very ugly. B. very plain. C. very youthful. An austere classroom Plain, dark clothing, no jewelry, and no makeup would make Ms. Stones appearance very plain. Bare, white walls and white furniture with simple lines are very plain decor.
Ten Words in Context 2 esoteric adjective The lecture Is There Life On Other Planets? sounded interesting, but it was so esoteric that only a few scientists in the audience understood it. The poetry of Ezra Pound, filled with references to ancient Greek culture, is too esoteric for most readers. Painting: Peruartevalor via Wikimedia Commons Esoteric means A. difficult to understand. B. shallow. C. unfavorable. Odd shapes and mysterious symbols make this an esoteric painting. Ten Words in Context
2 esoteric adjective The lecture Is There Life On Other Planets? sounded interesting, but it was so esoteric that only a few scientists in the audience understood it. The poetry of Ezra Pound, filled with references to ancient Greek culture, is too esoteric for most readers. Painting: Peruartevalor via Wikimedia Commons Esoteric means A. difficult to understand. B. shallow. C. unfavorable. Odd shapes and mysterious symbols make this an esoteric painting. If only a few scientists could understand the lecture, it must have been difficult to understand. Poetry filled with references to ancient Greek culture would be too
difficult for most readers to understand. Ten Words in Context 3 facsimile noun When a facsimile of an old Sears-Roebuck shopping catalog was published, it became a bestseller. People enjoyed seeing what was for sale a century ago. The little girl was amazed to see a famous painting on the classroom wall. Thats the Mona Lisa! she said. Of course, it was a facsimile, not the original. Facsimile means A. an original. B. a distorted version. C. an accurate copy. Ten Words in Context 3 facsimile noun
When a facsimile of an old Sears-Roebuck shopping catalog was published, it became a bestseller. People enjoyed seeing what was for sale a century ago. The little girl was amazed to see a famous painting on the classroom wall. Thats the Mona Lisa! she said. Of course, it was a facsimile, not the original. Facsimile means A. an original. B. a distorted version. C. an accurate copy. In order for people to see what Sears-Roebuck sold a century ago, the newly published catalog would have to be an accurate copy of the old catalog. If the girl thought the picture was actually the Mona Lisa, then it must have been a perfect copy of the original painting. The words not the original are a clue. Ten Words in Context 4 grotesque adjective Some breeds of cats are hairless. Some people find their bare pink
skin adorable, but I think they look grotesque. The clown made grotesque faces, squinting his eyes, pulling down the corners of his mouth, and sticking out his tongue. Painting: from Edvard Munch (18631944) The Scream via Wikimedia Commons Grotesque means A. strange-looking. B. hard to understand. C. charming. A grotesque face Ten Words in Context 4 grotesque adjective Some breeds of cats are hairless. Some people find their bare pink skin adorable, but I think they look grotesque. The clown made grotesque faces, squinting his eyes, pulling down the corners of his mouth, and sticking out his tongue. Painting: from Edvard Munch (18631944) The Scream
via Wikimedia Commons Grotesque means A. strange-looking. B. hard to understand. C. charming. An "adorable" cat would be delightful to look at. The opposite would a strangelooking cat. In the second item, the faces described sound strange-looking. A grotesque face Ten Words in Context 5 mesmerize verb The intense eyes of the woman in the photograph mesmerized me. I couldnt take my eyes off the picture. The toddler was mesmerized by the fish tank and stood in front of it, gazing at the fish for nearly an hour. Greg Campbell via Wikimedia Commons
Mesmerize means A. to amuse. B. to fascinate. C. to distort. Mesmerized by a video game Ten Words in Context 5 mesmerize verb The intense eyes of the woman in the photograph mesmerized me. I couldnt take my eyes off the picture. The toddler was mesmerized by the fish tank and stood in front of it, gazing at the fish for nearly an hour. Greg Campbell via Wikimedia Commons Mesmerize means A. to amuse. B. to fascinate. C. to distort.
Being unable to take his or her eyes off the picture suggests that the speaker was fascinated by the photograph. A toddler would have to be fascinated by an object to stand and gaze at it for nearly an hour. Mesmerized by a video game Ten Words in Context 6 metamorphosis noun Illustration: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (1885-90) via Wikimedia Commons A caterpillars transformation into a butterfly is a well-known example of metamorphosis. In Franz Kafkas famous story The Metamorphosis, a man wakes up on his thirtieth birthday to discover that he has turned into an enormous insect. Metamorphosis means A. a change in form. B. a disaster.
C. a scientific theory. The metamorphosis of a tadpole into a frog Ten Words in Context 6 metamorphosis noun Illustration: Meyers Konversations-Lexikon (1885-90) via Wikimedia Commons A caterpillars transformation into a butterfly is a well-known example of metamorphosis. In Franz Kafkas famous story The Metamorphosis, a man wakes up on his thirtieth birthday to discover that he has turned into an enormous insect. Metamorphosis means A. a change in form. B. a disaster. C. a scientific theory.
The metamorphosis of a tadpole into a frog A caterpillar can become a butterfly only by undergoing a change in form. For a man to turn into an enormous insect, he must undergo a change in formas the title of the story indicates. Ten Words in Context 7 notorious adjective Batman and Robin matched wits with the Joker and the Penguin, who were notorious for their evil deeds. By Ben Wittick (1845-1903) via Wikimedia Commons The local diner is notorious for bitter coffee, soggy vegetables, limp salads, and mystery meat. Billy the Kid,
a notorious outlaw in the 1870s Notorious means A. regarded negatively. B. regarded with curiosity. C. ignored. Ten Words in Context 7 notorious adjective Batman and Robin matched wits with the Joker and the Penguin, who were notorious for their evil deeds. By Ben Wittick (1845-1903) via Wikimedia Commons The local diner is notorious for bitter coffee, soggy vegetables, limp salads, and mystery meat. Billy the Kid, a notorious outlaw in the 1870s
Notorious means A. regarded negatively. B. regarded with curiosity. C. ignored. Because they are known for their evil deeds, the Joker and the Penguin are regarded negatively. Bitter coffee, soggy vegetables, limp salads, and mystery meat would ensure that the diner would be regarded negatively. Ten Words in Context 8 perfunctory adjective The doctors examination was perfunctory. He seemed to be just going through the motions without taking any interest in the patient. Most of the candidates were passionate on the subject of nuclear weapons, but one spoke in a very perfunctory way, apparently bored with the topic. Perfunctory means A. uninterested. B. enthusiastic.
C. exaggerated. Ten Words in Context 8 perfunctory adjective The doctors examination was perfunctory. He seemed to be just going through the motions without taking any interest in the patient. Most of the candidates were passionate on the subject of nuclear weapons, but one spoke in a very perfunctory way, apparently bored with the topic. Perfunctory means A. uninterested. B. enthusiastic. C. exaggerated. If the doctor is not taking any interest in the patient, he would seem uninterested in his examination. A speaker who is apparently bored with the topic would speak in an uninterested way. Ten Words in Context 9 provocative
adjective Jagvar via Wikimedia Commons A good essay is provocative, said our English instructor. It gets the reader interested and attentive, starting with the very first paragraph. To arouse the viewers curiosity, the television ad began with a provocative image: a spaceship landing on a baseball field, at home plate. Provocative means A. predictable. B. difficult to understand. C. attention-getting. A provocative hair style Ten Words in Context 9 provocative adjective Jagvar via Wikimedia Commons
A good essay is provocative, said our English instructor. It gets the reader interested and attentive, starting with the very first paragraph. To arouse the viewers curiosity, the television ad began with a provocative image: a spaceship landing on a baseball field, at home plate. Provocative means A. predictable. B. difficult to understand. C. attention-getting. An essay that makes the reader interested and attentive would be attention-getting. The image of a spaceship landing on a baseball field would be attention-getting. A provocative hair style Ten Words in Context 10 travesty noun The election was a travesty. Voters were threatened to support the current leader, so it was anything but a genuine, fair process.
Travesty means A. a disrespectful imitation. B. an exact copy. C. a simple version. Image: Jagvar via Wikimedia Commons Painting: Leonardo da Vinci (14521519) via Wikimedia Commons The musical-comedy version of Hamlet was a travesty. The critics and audience agreed that it made a mockery of Shakespeares profound tragedy. Leonardos Mona Lisa A travesty of the Mona Lisa Ten Words in Context 10 travesty
noun The election was a travesty. Voters were threatened to support the current leader, so it was anything but a genuine, fair process. Travesty means A. a disrespectful imitation. B. an exact copy. C. a simple version. Image: Jagvar via Wikimedia Commons Painting: Leonardo da Vinci (14521519) via Wikimedia Commons The musical-comedy version of Hamlet was a travesty. The critics and audience agreed that it made a mockery of Shakespeares profound tragedy. Leonardos Mona Lisa A travesty of the
Mona Lisa A version that made a mockery of a tragedy would be a disrespectful imitation. A version that made a mockery of a tragedy would be a disrespectful imitation. Name: ________________________ Class: _____________________ Date: __________. Period: _______ Quiz: Complete the item with the correct word from the box. A. austere B. esoteric C. facsimile F. metamorphosis G. notorious H. perfunctory D. grotesque I. provocative E. mesmerize J. travesty 1. Lining the music schools hallway are framed ________________s of handwritten pages of music by great composers. 2. In some modern paintings, human figures are distorted into such ________________ shapes that its hard to recognize facial features and body parts.
3. To capture readers attention, an author sometimes begins an article with a(n) _________________ question, such as, Which do you think is more dangerous, climbing stairs or parachuting out of an airplane? 4. King Henry VIII of England was _________________ not only for getting married six times, but also for having two of his wives executed. 5. The trial was a(n) ___________________ of justice because several of the jurors had been bribed. 6. The magician David Copperfield performed a trick called ____________________. One person was chained and locked in a box. When the box was opened, that person was gone, and someone else was chained there instead. 7. My sisters dormitory room is rather _________________, with cement-block walls and bare floors, but shes made it less stark by hanging colorful posters and adding bright bedspreads and cushions. 8. Usually the therapist showed great interest in her patients, but today she was too worried about her own family to give more than _________________ responses. 9. As I stood looking at the grandfather clock, I became ________________(e)d by the shiny pendulum that swung back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. 10. Legal documents are usually worded in such _________________ language that most people need a lawyer to translate the legalese into plain English. Extra Credit:
