1. Some people are convinced that UFO’s exist, but my feelings are ambivalent .

1. 1. Some people are convinced that UFO’s exist, but my feelings are ambivalent. • Ambivalent – (adj) • Parts: ambi (both); val (strong); ent (that which) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone; Simultaneous conflicting feelings • Synonyms: equivocal, indefinite, wavering, doubtful • Antonyms: certain, lucid, distinct, manifest, • Variant forms: ambivalence (n); ambivalently (adv) • Context Phrase:

2. 2. Military leaders must choose the most auspicious time to invade the enemy territory. • Auspicious (adj) • Parts: avis (bird); spic (look, see); out (full of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Conducive to success, giving or being a sign of future success • Synonyms: favorable, propitious, advantageous, timely • Antonyms: inopportune, inappropriate, unfavorable • Variant forms: auspiciously (adv), auspiciousness (n) • Context Phrase:

3. 3. When he heard the coach’s caustic remark, the referee called a technical foul on him. • Caustic (adj) • Parts: caus (fire); ic (characterized by) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Capable of burning, corroding, dissolving or otherwise eating away by chemical reaction; sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way • Synonyms: destructive, acrimonious, sardonic, bitter • Antonyms: pleasant, cordial, kind, affable, genial, polite • Variant forms: causticity (n), caustically (adv) • Context Phrase:

4. 4.The social hour provides an opportunity for relaxation and confabulation among guests.. • Confabulation – (noun) • Parts: con (together, with ); fab (talk); ation (act of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Informal conversation, fabrication of imaginary experiences as compensation for memory loss • Synonyms: chitchat, dialogue, conversation, talk • Antonyms: na • Variant forms: confabulate (v); confabulatory (adj) • Context Phrase:

5. 5. A cursory review of my notes did not adequately prepare me for this test. • Cursory – adj. • Parts: curs (run); (ory) pertaining to • Educated Guess: • Definition: Hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed; Done superficially • Synonyms: perfunctory, careless, desultory, hasty, quick • Antonyms: thorough, meticulous, painstaking, complete • Variant forms:cursoriness (n); cursorily (adv) • Context Phrase:

6. 6. The police found the house ransacked and in total disarray after the robbery. • Disarray - (n) • Parts: dis (apart, away, not ) areer (prepare) • Educated Guess: • Definition: A state of disorganization or untidiness, to throw someone or something into a state of disorganization. • Synonyms: disorder, confusion, discombobulate, upset • Antonyms: neatness, organization, order • Variant forms: na • Context Phrase:

7. 7. Knowing she tends to embellish her adventures, we asked to see pictures of her having dinner with Paul McCartney after the concert. • embellish - verb • Parts: em (inside,within)bellus; (beauty);ish (resembling) • Educated Guess: • Definition: To make something more attractive by adding decorative details or features; To make a story more entertaining by adding extra details. • Synonyms: adorn, enhance, enrich, garnish, elaborate • Antonyms: tarnish, simplify, disfigure, deface • Variant forms: embellishment (n) embellisher (n) • Context Phrase:

8. 8. Her plan to elude the police by disguising her identity failed. • Elude - verb • Parts: e (out); lud (play) • Educated Guess: • Definition: to evade or escape from a danger, enemy, or pursuer, typically in a skillful or cunning way • Synonyms: evade, avoid, escape, dodge, circumvent • Antonyms: seek, encounter, allure,attract • Variant forms: elusion • Context Phrase:

9. 9.His most noticeable idiosyncrasy is that he always begins a meal by eating dessert. • Idiosyncrasy – (n) • Parts: idio (peculiar, private); syn (together)krasis (trait) • Educated Guess: • Definition: A mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual; a distinctive or peculiar feature or characteristic of a place or thing • Synonyms: characteristic, quirk, habit, mannerism • Antonyms: na • Variant forms: idiosyncratic (adj) idiosyncratically (adv) • Context Phrase:

10. 10. Though we sometimes argue and disagree, our family is indissoluble. • indissoluble – adj. • Parts: in (not); dis (apart, away); solu (loosen) able (capable of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Unable to be destroyed, decomposed, or disintegrated. • Synonyms: lasting, binding, permanent, enduring • Antonyms: temporary, transitory, impermanent • Variant forms: indissolubility (n), indissolubly (adv.) • Context Phrase:

11. 11. By this time next year, I will be in college, but in the interlude I must save $5000 for tuition. • interlude – ( n.) • Parts: inter (between, among); lud (play) • Educated Guess: • Definition: An intervening feature, episode, or period of time; An independent performance, usually light or humorous, introduced between the acts of a play or the parts of a performance;A passage of music that forms a transition • Synonyms: interval, intermission, pause, meantime • Antonyms: na • Variant forms: na • Context Phrase:

12. 12. Even though the governor apologized, her malfeasance ended her political career • malfeasance – (n.) • Parts:mal (bad); fac (make, do); ance (state, condition) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Wrongdoing, especially by a public official • Synonyms: misconduct, transgression, crime, infraction, • Antonyms:na • Variant forms: malfeasant (adj • Context Phrase:

13. 13.A neophyte in the company receives only one week of paid vacation, but the CEO receives two months. • neophyte – (n.) • Parts: neo (new); phyt (plant)-literally, “something just beginng” • Educated Guess: • Definition: A person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief; a new convert to a religion • Synonyms: novice, beginner, proselyte, newcomer • Antonyms: veteran, master • Variant forms: na • Context Phrase:

14. 14. The judge’s peremptory ruling to disallow the evidence infuriated the attorney. • Peremptory-(adj.) • Parts: per (thoroughly); emp (buy, take); ory (pertaining to) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Putting an end to all action or debate; not allowing contradiction or refusal; Having the nature of or expressing a command; offensively self-assured • Synonyms: authoritative, urgent, dogmatic, imperative, • Antonyms: indulgent, tolerant, weak, inconclusive, optional • Variant forms: peremptorily (adv.); peremptoriness (n.) • Context Phrase:

15. 15. With 37 plays and 154 sonnets, Shakespeare is among the most prolific Renaissance writers. • prolific - adj • Parts: proles (offspring); fic (make, produce) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Producing much fruit, foliage, or offspring; producing many works; present in large numbers or quantities • Synonyms: productive, fertile, plentiful, fecund, creative • Antonyms: barren, unfruitful, sterile • Variant forms: prolificacy (n.);prolifically(adv.), prolificness(n.), proliferate (v.) • Context Phrase:

16. 16. The pulchritudinous orange sunset that saturated the sky inspired her to write a poem. • pulchritudinous – (adj.) • Parts: pulcher (beautiful); tude (state, condition); ous (full of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Characterized by physical beauty and appeal • Synonyms:beautiful,picturesque,lovely,exquisite,alluring • Antonyms: ugly, repulsive, unattractive • Variant forms: pulchritude (n.) • Context Phrase:

17. 17.Do we expect honesty and rectitude of politicians today as we did generations ago? • rectitude – (n.) • Parts: rect (right, correct); tude (state of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Morally correct behavior or thinking; The quality or condition of being correct in intellectual judgment • Synonyms: righteousness, morality, decency, integrity • Antonyms: dishonesty, corruption, turpitude, disgrace, perfidiousness • Variant forms: na • Context Phrase:

18. 18. Even some scientists think that cloning violates the sanctity of human life. • sanctity - (n.) • Parts: sanct (holy); ity (state, condition) • Educated Guess: • Definition: The state or quality of being holy, sacred, or saintly; Ultimate importance and inviolability • Synonyms: divinity, holiness,godliness, piety, sacredness • Antonyms: worldliness • Variant forms: na • Context Phrase:

19. 19. The government sentenced the author of the subversive literature to 50 years in prison. • subversive – (adj) • Parts: sub (under), vers (turn); ive (tending to) • Educated Guess: • Definition: Seeking or intending to undermine the power and authority of an established system or institution • Synonyms: perfidious, rebellious, seditious, treasonous, • Antonyms: patriotic, loyal, faithful • Variant forms:subvert(v)subversively(adv)subversion(n) • Context Phrase:

20. 20. The Constitution is designed to make it impossible for one branch of government to usurp the power of another. • usurp – (v.) • Parts: usurpare (to make use of) • Educated Guess: • Definition: To seize and hold, such as power, rights, possessions, or position of another, by force and without legal right or authority • Synonyms: encroach, claim, assume, seize, confiscate • Antonyms: renounce, abdicate, relinquish • Variant forms: usurpation (n.), usurper(n.) • Context Phrase: