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SAT / ACT Vocabulary In Context
Study 1600 SAT / ACT Vocabulary Words through Exercises in Vocabulary in Sentence Context!
Let our vocabulary studybook be your tutor as you learn 1600 essential SAT /ACT test-proven words through sentence context.
Not only will you *understand* -- rather than merely memorizing -- new word meanings, but you will more easily retain them, since you will have studied each word in its sentence context.
STUDYBOOK FEATURES:
Tests with answer key2 Pronunciation CDs of the 1600 vocabulary words
Optional sentence and paragraph writing assignments
Prefixes and suffixes reference sheets
This vocabulary studybook should accompany any SAT ACT prep book or course.
Increase your potential for a higher SAT /ACT score by adding 1600 more words to your vocabulary command.
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TESTIMONIES REGARDING THE IMPORTANCE OF VOCABULARY STRENGTH FOR THE SAT /ACT
1
[Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation]
“Vocabulary level is the best predictor of overall success in school and performance on the SAT-Verbal and other similar tests.”
[Sparknotes.com, a leading authority on SAT preparation say]:
"A great vocabulary will definitely still help you on the test, especially throughout the Critical Reading section."
"...a good vocabulary will help boost your score on the Critical Reading and Writing sections of the new SAT."
[CollegeBoard, publishers of best selling SAT preparation courses say:]
"Having a broad vocabulary always comes in handy, especially, when you're doing parts of the SAT such as sentence completion" (The Official SAT Study Guide for the New SAT, 2005)
[Authors of authoritative book "Exam Cram SAT" Susan Harkins and Mike Gunderloy said in a recent article:]
"Easily, the best way to ace this portion of the test is to take as much guesswork out of the process as possible. You can arm yourself by building your vocabulary."
2
Random Testamonies from Various Professional Sources
1. "Not just for sentence completions but for all reading passages, the more words learned the more likely
you will encounter these words not only in sent completions but in reading passages."
2. "Building your vocabulary for the SAT can take quite some time and effort. But there are a number of
study methods that can help speed your progress. These methods range from ways to manage your preparation time to learning how to study vocabulary specifically for the SAT."
3. "Students are ill-prepared for the SAT verbal exam because they don’t realize it is just a sophisticated
vocabulary exam and how best to prepare for it."
4. "Does Vocabulary Still Matter On The New SAT?
Ever since the revised SAT was released in 2005,people have argued over what the changes really mean. And more importantly, how does your vocabulary affect your score? Well, don't put away your dictionary -- at least not just yet. Because even though those annoying verbal analogies are gone, there's still plenty of vocabulary on the new SAT."
5. Why Your Vocabulary Skills Are Still Crucial To Scoring High On The New SAT
If anything,vocabulary has become even more important on the New SAT. It's critical to two out of three sections of the test: The Critical Reading Section: This section tests how well you comprehend what you read -- how many words you understand. It has two types of questions: sentence completion questions and reading comprehension questions.
"According to the makers of the test (at www.collegeboard.com) the sentence completion questions,
'test your vocabulary and your understanding of sentence structure.'
"So there's no doubt that a strong vocabulary is important for those questions. But what about the
reading comprehension questions? It turns out that over 100 years of research have proven that the more
words you know, the faster you read and the more you comprehend. Which means that, once again, a
powerful vocabulary is critical to success on this section of the exam."
6. "The Writing Section:
It's one thing to be able to choose the correct multiple-choice answer. You have a 1-in-5 shot of being right. But writing your own essays is another matter. You need to have a wide range of words at your disposal -- and know exactly how to use them - in order to master this section of the test.
"Once again, the folks at CollegeBoard.com say that this section of the SAT is largely about vocabulary
-- how well you understand the English Language, and how well you can use it to communicate effectively.
Not to mention the computers who grade your essay -- they'll be looking for certain words, and how well
you use them.
"In fact, vocabulary is still so important to scoring highly on the NEW SAT that SAT prep programs like
Kaplan, Princeton Review and others continue to make it a primary focus of their students' SAT
preparation.
"There's just no getting around it -- if you want a high score on the new SAT, you've still got to work on
your vocabulary skills. "
7. "Vocabulary is literally the make-or-break factor in the New SAT Exam
Ask your teachers, your success in the New SAT depends on your ability to comprehend the vocabulary in
the questions. If you don't properly understand the vocabulary for the SAT exam, you are putting yourself
at a serious disadvantage. get questions wrong that you should otherwise have passed. However, we have seen cases where students have failed to even attempt essay questions because they didn't under-
stand a key word: 'Explain the role of dissent in a free-market economy.' If you don't know what "dissent"
means, then how can you answer this question? You can't. You can easily ruin your chances of college and
possibly your career because you don't know one word.
"And this is just the beginning. The New SAT exam is designed to test your vocabulary in many different
ways. A good vocabulary is essential to pass the critical reading and sentence completion sections of the
New SAT exam."
8. "The best way to improve your SAT verbal score is to improve your vocabulary. And to be aware of the
land mines that lie waiting for you at every turn in the test."
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VOCABULARY IN CONTEXT
For
The SAT /ACT
PREFACE
Learning new vocabulary words through sentence context is the first, most effective step in enriching one's vocabulary usage through a vocabulary program rather than through the more informal, yet most effective, means of extensive reading.
Such a study method is concerned more with understanding vocabulary word definitions than merely memorizing them. Of course, memorizing vocabulary word definitions is certainly essential as a second step to vocabulary development; otherwise it would be almost as though you did not even learn the definitions in the first place. However, to memorize words and their definitions as a first step to vocabulary development would be equivalent to memorizing geometric theorems without applying them over and over again in proofs.
Accordingly, learning vocabulary through sentence context would be the appropriate first step in vocabulary development; in which case students actively learn the meaning of a given vocabulary word through the meaning of the sentence as a whole. They can derive an approximate meaning of a word through this process; and from there, choose the more precise definition from a given list of definitions.
This, of course, is not a foolproof method of learning vocabulary words, however, students may have made intellectual strides through the critical reading of each word in its sentence context ; since a given word meaning will most likely be forgotten unless it becomes familiar to the student; and, of course, that is through wide reading through which he will come across and recognize that word repeatedly; just as doing geometric proofs repeatedly makes one well versed in applying various theorems.
This brings us to the second step of vocabulary development, which is, the memorizing of words and their definitions by burrowing word meanings into one's mind for further use, as for a test, or for writing, or for speaking. Having been through the first contextual step, memorizing these word meanings will be more meaningful, since the student has worked through them in sentence contexts; in which case, it is not just a matter of memorizing an abstract word and its abstract definition.
Assuming, then, that students have taken these first two steps to vocabulary building, the third step would be, as expected, extensive reading of quality books, magazines, and newspapers. These reading outlets abound in rich vocabulary usage from which the reader will gradually have at her command a plethora of word meanings in all their subtle variations. As an alternative for this third step, since eclectic reading is such a long protracted process, students can expedite this third step, by familiarizing themselves with each word by turning to other sentences in which each particular word is used. This can be done through hard copy dictionaries or internet dictionaries.
And since our vocabulary range define us intellectually, potential success in one's personal, social, student, and professional lives will certainly increase the probability of that success.
So, assuming that the first contextual step of this vocabulary study has been completed, the second step can begin with the set-tests, which are included in the vocabulary study. It is recommended that the student takes each set-test (SET 1, for example) immediately after having completed its exercises in order to see how well he or she recalls the vocabulary words just learned through their sentence contexts. [NOTE: Write the number answer very lightly in pencil, so they can be erased without visibility] Next, take SET 1 test again at another time after having reviewing the word meanings in their sentence contexts; and so forth, through all the sets.
As for the overall advantage of this distinctive vocabulary study regarding the SAT or ACT, first of all, these words have been selected from previous SAT tests
SUGGESTED STRATEGY POINTS
Purpose: The purpose of these exercises is to train students to grasp the meaning of unfamiliar words through the context, or meaning, of the sentence as a whole. This training facilitates such test questions as the new SAT sentence completions. The writing assignments -- for both sentences and paragraphs -- is to choose selected words from each vocabulary set to develop students' own sentences with contextual clues. This training prepares students for the new SAT essay writing assignment.
Methodology: The following study procedures will assist students in gleaning the meaning of a word through the context of its sentence.
1. As you read each sentence, look for familiar clue words or phrases that will signal the definitional meaning of the given vocabulary word. In the sentence below, "The hospital board wanted to ameliorate the ER, so they hired a dozen more nurses," by "hiring a dozen more nurses," there certainly will be an improvement in that department; hence, that phrasal clue signals the meaning of "ameliorate". And so, from your reasoning, the definition you would choose for “ameliorate” from the list of ten definitions, would be: to make better, improve.
2. As you read each sentence, look for contrasting words or phrases, such as "but," "on the other hand," "although," etc..In the sentence, "Although the new director seemed rigid at first, the cast soon found her to be amenable to change," the word-clue is "although" -- first she is rigid, then she is open to change; And so, from your reasoning, the definition you would choose for “ameliorate” from the list of ten definitions, would be: agreeable; cooperative.
3. As you pronounce each vocabulary word, take note of its part of speech (verb, noun, etc.), as that will be helpful in narrowing down the meaning of the word. For example, verb definitions have the infinitive "to" before them, such as "to mix”, to combine", "to improve."
4. As you read each sentence, look for words that signal a conclusion, either as the first clause of a sentence or the second clause. The words "so," "it follows," "therefore," usually occur in the second clause; whereas, the words "because," "because of," "due to," etc. usually occur in the first clause. In this type of sentence, something more has been added to the conclusion that is related to the prior
statement. For example, in the same sentence used in procedure #1 -- "The hospital board wanted to ameliorate the ER, so they hired a dozen more nurses” - its meaning could be approached by this analysis: The hospital board wanted to do something to the ER, and so, by hiring a dozen more nurses, that "something" must be to its benefit; hence the conclusion indicator "so" signals that the meaning of "ameliorate" must be a favorable definition. And so, from your reasoning, the definition you would choose for “ameliorate” from the list of ten definitions, would be to make better, improve.
5. As you read each sentence, observe whether the sentence has an overall positive, negative, or neutral tone. For example, in the same sentence used in procedures #1 and 4 -- "The hospital board wanted to ameliorate the ER, so they hired a dozen more nurses” -- it is easy to see that it has an overall positive tone to it by the fact that the hospital hired a dozen more nurses. Hence, the definition you would choose for “ameliorate” from the list of ten definitions, would be to make better, improve.
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NOTE: The following 2 vocabulary sets are samples taken from the vocabulary studybook consisting of 160 sets (1600 words) sentence and paragraph writing.
INSTRUCTIONS
VOCABULARY INSTRUCTIONS: (1) Pronounce each vocabulary word using its pronunciation key, if needed, (2) read each sentence carefully, and for the meaning of the italicized vocabulary word, choose the correct meaning from the definition list and write the number in the blank preceding the sentence.
WRITING INSTRUCTIONS:
NOTE: Depending upon the particular student, or class dynamics, these writing exercises can be
optional.
For the first set (SET 1), students are to choose any three of the vocabulary words, write each one in its blank, then write an original sentence -- with the meaning of each word as part of their sentence idea. For the second set (SET 2), students are to choose any three of the vocabulary words, and write a short paragraph.This paragraph can be in the form of a story, a letter, a dialogue, a factual report, a description, a situation, or a poem. Have students write a title for their paragraph.
The third set, repeats their sentence writing, the fourth set repeats their paragraph writing, and so on alternately.
SAMPLE (1) VOCABULARY PAGE
ANSWER KEY
10 3 2 9 8 5 4 7 1 6
SAMPLE (2) VOCABULARY PAGE
ANSWER KEY
5 1 10 7 8 3 4 9 6 2
SET-TESTS
SET 1
__ abandon __ abase __ abash __ abate __ abdicate
__ aberration __ abet __ abeyance __ abhor __ abject
1. to give up a position, right, or power
2. to loathe; detest
3. total lack of inhibition
4. something different from the usual
5. to aid; to act as an accomplice
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6. miserable; pitiful
7. to humble; disgrace
8. temporary suppression or suspension
9. to decrease; to reduce
10. embarrass
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