SAT Vocabulary Test Online

amiss

(1)

a. E.g. I knew that weapons would not come in amiss, and I re-entered his room to get his rifle and shot-gun.

Select answer:
relating to the brain or cerebrum; intellectual rather than emotional
out of proper order; not in perfect shape; faulty
accepting one's fate; unresisting; patiently submissive; showing hopelessness
not able to be entered; beyond understanding
extremely hungry; voracious; eager for prey
Don't select.

candor

(2)

n. E.g. Jack can carry candor too far: when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face.

Select answer:
frankness; quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech
victim; object of hunt; hunted animal
excessively modest person; person excessively concerned about correct behavior
immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning
act of overthrowing, pulling down, or destroying
Don't select.

debacle

(3)

n. E.g. In the Airplane movies, every flight turns into a debacle, with passengers and crew members collapsing, and baggage popping out of the overhead bins.

Select answer:
having foresight; fortuneteller
forewarning; warning in advance
beginning; forming of an idea; act of conceiving
sudden downfall; complete disaster
indignation; deep sense of injury; strong displeasure
Don't select.

eccentric

(4)

a. E.g. People came up with some eccentric ideas for dealing with the emergency: someone even suggested tieing a knot in the comet's tail!.

Select answer:
departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern
easily approached or entered; obtainable; easy to talk to or get along with
arousing anger or interest; tending to provoke or stimulate
adjoining; neighboring; close to; lying near
famous; well-known; having illustrious past
Don't select.

faction

(5)

n. E.g. This faction is aligned with the NY and regional board members; in combination, they now have a thin majority on the National Board.

Select answer:
defamatory statement; act of writing something that smears a person's character
element; ingredient; abstract part of something
a party of persons having a common end in view
subtle or slight degree of difference; small difference in meaning
token; reminder of past; hint, suggestion, notice, or memorial to awaken memory
Don't select.

immaculate

(6)

a. E.g. Chatman said her mom and dad always kept their vehicles in immaculate shape.

Select answer:
practical or workable; capable of maintaining life; capable of continuing effectiveness
cautious; careful in regard to one's own interests
spotless; flawless; absolutely clean
near at hand; close in time; about to occur
desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking
Don't select.

maxim

(7)

n. E.g. It appears to me that this maxim is applicable to the medical as well as to the nautical profession.

Select answer:
deed or action, particularly a brave deed
trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before
proverb; formulation of fundamental principle or general truth
piece of transplanted tissue; portion of plant inserted in another plant
concluding part; closing section
Don't select.

mortician

(8)

n. E.g. That's the job of the mortician is to put them so that they look like they did in life.

Select answer:
funeral director; one whose business is the management of funerals
particular skill; special talent
place where a river can be crossed on foot; shallow place
cleansing agent; substance that acts similarly to soap
something causes misery or death; curse; fatal injury or ruin
Don't select.

prodigy

(9)

n. E.g. Brianna Kahane, the 8-year-old violin prodigy, played at the memorial observance there.

Select answer:
person with exceptional talents or powers; wonder
sharp projection from fishhook; openly cutting remark
something taken for accepted as true without proof; taking over or taking possession of
stealing; fraudulent appropriation of property
ceremony of crowning queen or king
Don't select.

reprieve

(10)

n. E.g. Many fund managers see the dollar's recent gains as nothing more than a short-term reprieve.

Select answer:
blow, especially with fist; great influence, especially political or social
written agreement; small case containing mirror and powder for girl; small car
idle person; male bee; someone who takes more time than necessary
end of existence or activity; termination
temporary relief from harm or discomfort; postponement or cancellation of punishment
Don't select.

squander

(11)

v. E.g. The real challenge here for the Obama campaign will be to avoid taking the bait, and let McCain squander his one asset.

Select answer:
reveal; make known to public
give reduction in price on
give up temporarily; yield; give up voluntarily; defer
stop something's growth; squeeze tightly between fingers; give a small sharp bite to
spend wastefully; fail to take advantage of; lose a chance for
Don't select.

touchy

(12)

a. E.g. When I rejected that as nonsense, he accused me of being touchy.

Select answer:
tiresome by reason of length, slowness, or dullness; progressing very slowly
helper, additional or subsidiary
tending to take offense with slight cause; oversensitive; requiring special tact or skill in handling
lively; vigorous; inducing enthusiasm or excitement; stirring
extremely small; short note
Don't select.