SAT Vocabulary Test Online

adept

(1)

a. E.g. Mr. Williams was known as an adept improviser who effortlessly switched between classical, jazz and pop styles.

Select answer:
able to be touched; real or concrete; palpable
chief; serving as an essential component
expert at; very skilled; having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude
essential or necessary for completeness; entire
deadly; causing or capable of causing death
Don't select.

barren

(2)

a. E.g. Looking out at the trackless, barren desert, Indiana Jones feared that his search for the missing expedition would prove fruitless.

Select answer:
desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking
physical rather than spiritual or intellectual; affecting any of senses or sense organ; sensory
having a good reputation; honorable
dark; vague; unclear; out of sight; hidden
relating to skill of using language effectively and persuasively; insincere in language
Don't select.

decorum

(3)

n. E.g. Keeping public decorum is an important factor in media credibility.

Select answer:
refinement and delicacy of performance; skillful, subtle handling
concluding part; closing section
natural talent or aptitude
swirling current of water, air; flow in circular current
propriety in manners and conduct; good taste in manners; conventions or requirements of polite behavior
Don't select.

emissary

(4)

n. E.g. A native of Brazil, Bella considers herself a kind of emissary from the Brazilian community.

Select answer:
unfriendliness; hatred; state of being hostile
trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before
quack; one who pretends to knowledge, skill, or importance
agent sent on a mission to represent or advance the interests of another
knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress; trait of judging wisely and objectively
Don't select.

frantic

(5)

a. E.g. The young man went scrambling down into the ward in frantic haste.

Select answer:
stale in odor or taste; dull; out of date; antiquated; out of use; rusty
highly excited with strong emotion; disordered or nervous activity
relating to races; group of people sharing common racial, national, or religious heritage
sticking together; stubbornly unyielding; holding together firmly
lying under or beneath something; basic; implicit; taking precedence; prior
Don't select.

grueling

(6)

a. E.g. Lawmakers around the nation spent Tuesday in grueling, around-the-clock budget sessions as they struggled to avoid government shutdowns.

Select answer:
by effort to the point of exhaustion, especially physical effort
bloody; full by bloodshed and violence
suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious
having no motion; being at rest; fixed; stationary
not harmed or damaged in any way; untouched
Don't select.

manifesto

(7)

n. E.g. But his advisers said that the detailed response to the issue in the manifesto is a sign that Mr. Brown now understands its significance.

Select answer:
state of being proximate; nearness in place, time, or relation
doctor who specializes in medical problems related to heart
authoritative command or instruction; commission of authorizing to administer a territory
partnership; alliance; association in the same family or society
public declaration of principles; statement of policy
Don't select.

obituary

(8)

n. E.g. I cut out his obituary from the local paper, and wrapped it in clear tape to preserve it.

Select answer:
act of overthrowing, pulling down, or destroying
death notice; list of dead
supporting bar or rod; proud step or walk, with the head erect; stubbornness
remainder of something after removal of parts or a part; balance
mental or physical ability; ability to accommodate
Don't select.

quaint

(9)

a. E.g. The designs, which include flowers in quaint pale colors, give the notes a modern, clean look.

Select answer:
uncorrupted by civilization; primitive; remaining free from dirt or decay
speaking or behaving in artificial way; emotionally stirred or moved; infected or attacked
being without question; not counterfeit or copied; agreeable to truth or fact
odd; old-fashioned; picturesque; unfamiliar or unusual in character
having no previous example; novel; unparalleled
Don't select.

reek

(10)

v. E.g. The rooms reek with stale tobacco smoke.

Select answer:
emit odor; be pervaded by something unpleasant
put down by force or authority; overwhelm; keep from being revealed
recover; find and bring in; get back
make longer; draw out; lengthen
fail completely; sink below the surface of the water
Don't select.

subtlety

(11)

n. E.g. That kind of subtlety is all right in print, but in real life it would put you on a false track in nineteen out of twenty cases.

Select answer:
perceptiveness; intellectual activity; delicacy; quality or state of being subtle
rapidity or speed of motion; swiftness
someone chosen to judge and decide disputed issue; one having power to make authoritative decisions
inherent ability; quickness in learning and understanding
over-regulated administrative system
Don't select.

typhoon

(12)

n. E.g. The most important thing about when a typhoon is approaching, it's a lot like when a hurricane is approaching in the U.S.

Select answer:
riddle; difficult problem; dilemma
spying; secret observation
inherent ability; quickness in learning and understanding
tropical cyclone occurring in the western Pacific; violent whirlwind
natural talent or aptitude
Don't select.