1. My mother’s admonitory look motivated me to change my behavior immediately or face very unpleasant consequences.

• Parts: ad(to); monit (warn); ory (pertaining to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: giving or conveying a warning or reprimand;Expressing cautionary advice or warning

• Antonyms: urging, encouraging, fostering

• Variant forms: admonish (v) admonition (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Admonitory – (adj)

• Synonyms: warning, foreboding, dissuading,threatening

2. Winning the Presidency is definitely the apogee of his political career.

• Parts: apo (away); geo (earth)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: The highest point in the development of something; The point in the orbit of the moon or a satellite at which it is furthest from the earth,

• Antonyms: perigee, base, depth, bottom, abyss, nadir

• Variant forms: apogean (adj)

• Context Phrase:

• Apogee - n

• Synonyms: apex, zenith, acme, culmination

3. The cacophonous birds in the chimney annoyed me as I tried to watch television.

• Parts: caco (bad); phon (sound); ous (full of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Having a harsh, unpleasant sound; Figuratively, an unpleasing mixture or combination (cacophonous display of furniture)

• Antonyms: pleasant, euphonious, soothing, harmonious

• Variant forms: cacophony (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Cacophonous- adj

• Synonyms: jarring, grating, irritating, discordant

4. I expected a simple answer to my question, but the professor’s desultory response left me very confused.

• Parts: de (down, from); sult (jump);ory (pertaining to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Moving or jumping from one thing to another; Occurring haphazardly; Lacking a plan or purpose

• Antonyms: firm, methodical, coherent, straightforward

• Variant forms: desultorily (adv); desultoriness (n)

• Context Phrase:

• desultory – adj.

• Synonyms: disconnected, rambling, discursive, random

5. Rather than trying to resolve their differences, the committee members quickly became defensive and discordant.

• Parts: dis(apart, away); cord(heart); ant (characterized by

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Disagreeing or incongruous; characterized by quarreling and conflict; Harsh and jarring because of lack of harmony; Appearing strange and out of place

• Antonyms: agreeable, harmonious, cooperative

• Variant forms:disconcordance(n); discord (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Discordant – (adj)

• Synonyms: cacophonous, conflicting, disagreeable

6. Although the Constitution declares that “All men are created equal,” is it realistic to think that our society can ever be truly egalitarian?

• Parts: aequalis(equal); ian (related to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Of, relating to, or believing in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities

• Antonyms: na

• Variant forms: egalitarianism (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Egalitarian - adj

• Synonyms: classless, democratic

7. The euphoria of winning the conference championship vanished quickly when we lost the first game in the state playoffs.

• Parts: eu (good); phor (bear, produce, yield) ia (state)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: A feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness or well being

• Antonyms: doldrums, trouble, despair, unhappiness

• Variant forms: euphoric (adj.)

• Context Phrase:

• Euphoria - noun

• Synonyms: rapture, ecstasy, joy, elation, ebullience

8. The politician’s youthful looks and gregarious personality make him very popular with voters.

• Parts: greg (flock, gather); ious (full of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Fond of company; Seeking and enjoying the company of others; Tending to move in or form a group, as a herd or flock with others of the same kind

• Antonyms: unsociable, unfriendly, inhospitable

• Variant forms: gregariously (adv); gregariousness (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Gregarious – adj.

• Synonyms: sociable, outgoing, extroverted, friendly

9. They talked about inconsequential things to avoid discussing the seriousness of the situation.

• Parts: in(not); con(together);secu(follow);ial(related to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Not important or significant; Without result or effect

• Antonyms: important, necessary, essential, serious

• Variant forms: inconsequently (adv) inconsequence (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Inconsequential – (adj)

• Synonyms: petty, trivial, insignificant, trifling, useless

10. I thought I could assemble the entertainment center quickly, but the inscrutable directions made that task impossible.

• Parts: in(not); scrutari (to search); able (capable of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Impossible to understand or interpret

• Antonyms:clear, plain understandable, obvious, explicit

• Variant forms: inscrutably (adv); inscrutability (n)

• Context Phrase:

• inscrutable – adj.

• Synonyms: mysterious, enigmatic, impenetrable, vague

11. The longevity of women is one reason there are more elderly women than men.

• Parts: longus (long); ev (time, age); ity (state, condition)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Duration of long life; Long duration of service

• Antonyms: na

• Variant forms: na

• Context Phrase:

• Longevity – ( n)

• Synonyms: na

12. My mother’s houseplants look green and healthy, but mine look brown and moribund.

• Parts: mor (from moribundud—die)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: At the point of death; Lacking vitality or vigor

• Antonyms: energetic, vivacious, animated

• Variant forms: moribundity (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Moribund – (adj)

• Synonyms: lifeless, failing, fading, lethargic, listless

13. He claimed that his predictions would be fulfilled because he had the gift of necromancy.

• Parts: necro (death); mancy (divination)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: The practice of communicating with the spirits of the dead in order to predict the future

• Antonyms:na

• Variant forms: necromancer (n), necromantic (adj)

• Context Phrase:

• Necromancy - noun

• Synonyms: witchcraft, sorcery, wizardry, black magic

14. The government delivered the panegyric at the ceremony to name the school for the local hero.

• Parts: pan (all entire); agora (assembly)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: A public speech or published text in praise of someone or something; Elaborate praise or laudation

• Antonyms: centure, blame, disdain, scorn

• Variant forms: panegyrical (adj) panegyrize (v)

• Context Phrase:

• Panegyric - n

• Synonyms: commendation, eulogy, tribute, encomium

15. Tired of the platitudes associated with graduation, she composed a creative valediction.

• Parts: plat (flat); tude (state, quality of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: A remark or statement, especially one with moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful; Quality of being dull

• Antonyms: originality, creativity

• Variant forms: platitudinize (v); platitudinous (adj)

• Context Phrase:

• platitudes - (v)

• Synonyms: triteness, cliché, truism, maxim

16. The prima donna became hysterical when the director did not choose her for the leading role.

• Parts: prim (first); donna (lady)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: The main female singer in an opera or opera company; A very temperamental person with an inflated view of her own talent or importance

• Antonyms: na

• Variant forms: na

• Context Phrase:

• Prima donna - n

• Synonyms: egotist

17. We regarded her as the quintessential scholar--intelligent, articulate, and dedicated.

• Parts: quint (five); essentia (essence), ial (related to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Representing the perfect or typical example of a quality or class; (In ancient philosophy, quintessence was the fifth and highest essence after earth, air, fire and water. It was thought to be the substance of heavenly bodies and latent in all things)

• Antonyms: mediocre, imperfect, defective, inferior

• Variant forms: Quintessence (n); quintessentially (adv)

• Context Phrase:

• Quintessential - adj.

• Synonyms: consummate, ideal, perfect

18. The student’s risible impersonation of Shakespeare annoyed the teacher but entertained his classmates.

• Parts: ris (laugh); ible (able to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Capable of laughing or inclined to laugh; Apt to incite laughing; Pertaining to or used in laughing

• Antonyms: serious, sober, somber

• Variant forms: risibility (n); risibly (adv)

• Context Phrase:

• risible - adj.

• Synonyms: laughable, ludicrous, humorous, funny

19. The dictator’s plan to subjugate the neighboring countries prompted UN intervention.

• Parts: sub (under); jugum (yoke, collar); ate (make)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: To bring under domination or control; especially by conquest; to make someone or something subordinate to

• Antonyms: support, aid, liberate

• Variant forms: subjugation (n.) subjugator (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Subjugate – (v.)

• Synonyms: conquer, dominate, subordinate, enslave

20. The hopeful doctors watched as the line on the cardiac monitor began to undulate.

• Parts: und (wave); ate (make, cause)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: To cause to move in a smooth, wavelike motion; To give a wavelike appearance or form to something

• Antonyms: na

• Variant forms: undulation (n); undulatory (adj)

• Context Phrase:

• undulate - v

• Synonyms: wave, ripple, sway