1. We expected the governor to advocate the President’s policy on war because the President had campaigned on his behalf.

• Parts: ad(to, toward); voc (call, voice); ate (make, do)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: To support or recommend publicly; A person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy; one who pleads on another’s behalf

• Antonyms: oppose, protest, defy

• Variant forms: advocation(n); advocacy(n)

• Context Phrase:

• Advocate – (v)

• Synonyms: support, champion, endorse, recommend

2. My grandmother takes daily medicine to minimize the effects of arteriosclerosis.

• Parts: arteria (artery); sclera (hardening); osis (disease)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: The thickening and hardening of the walls of the arteries, typically occurring in old age.

• Antonyms: na

• Variant forms: na

• Context Phrase:

• arteriosclerosis - n

• Synonyms: na

3. After drifting for months in the Atlantic, the refugees looked sunburned and cadaverous.

• Parts: cadaver (cad-fall); ous (full of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Resembling a corpse in being thin, very pale, and bony

• Antonyms:robust, healthy, hardy, strapping

• Variant forms: cadaver(n); cadaveric (adj)

• Context Phrase:

• Cadaverous- adj

• Synonyms: thin, emaciated, gaunt, starved

4. The jury considered the defendant’s lack of compunction in deciding the guilty verdict.

• Parts: com (together, with); punct (stab); tion (act of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that follows the doing of something bad; A feeling of uncertainty about the fitness or correctness of action

• Antonyms: complacency, obduracy, shamelessness

• Variant forms: compunctiously(adv) compunctious (adj)

• Context Phrase:

• compunction – n

• Synonyms: remorse, regret, contrition, qualm

5. Although we were losing, the coach refused to deviate from his original game plan.

• Parts: de (down, from); via (road, way) ate (make, do)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: To depart from an established course; To depart from usual or acceptable standards

• Antonyms: continue, persevere

• Variant forms:deviant (adj); deviator (n); devious (adj)

• Context Phrase:

• Deviate – (v)

• Synonyms: veer, wander, stray, digress, turn

6. Will this surprise birthday party discombobulate the teacher so that she will forget the test?

• Parts: dis(apart, away); com(together) pos(put)ate(make)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: To throw into a state of confusion (usually humorous)

• Antonyms: calm, pacify, tranquilize

• Variant forms:discombobulated(adj)discombobulation(n)

• Context Phrase:

• Discombob ulate - v (an alteration of discompose)

• Synonyms: confuse, disconcert, fluster, rattle, agitate

7. The effusion of support from the community comforted the family during their crisis.

• Parts: ef (out); fus (pour); ion (act of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: An unrestrained outpouring of feeling, as in speech or writing; Something that is poured forth

• Antonyms:lack, deficiency, restraint

• Variant forms: effuse (v) effusive (adj)

• Context Phrase:

• Effusion - noun

• Synonyms: outpouring

8. Her poetry evinces her understanding of poverty and homelessness.

• Parts: e (out); vinc (show conclusively)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: To reveal the presence of a feeling or quality; To show or demonstrate clearly or convincingly

• Antonyms: refute, disprove, conceal, obscure, disguise

• Variant forms: na

• Context Phrase:

• evince – v.

• Synonyms: prove, manifest, demonstrate, display

9. My sister collects only glass pigs, but my collection of animals is heterogeneous.

• Parts: hetero ( different); gen (kind); ous (full of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Diverse in character or content

• Antonyms: homogeneous, similar, identical, consistent

• Variant forms: heterogeneously (adv) heterogeneity (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Heterogeneous – (adj)

• Synonyms: diverse, miscellaneous, assorted, different

10. He will receive his inheritance in increments of ten thousand dollars yearly until he is 21.

• Parts: in (in); creas (grow); ment (result)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: An increase or addition , especially one of a series on a fixed scale; A regular increase in salary on such a scale

• Antonyms: reduction

• Variant forms: incremental (adj), incrementally (adv)

• Context Phrase:

• increment – n.

• Synonyms: increase, installment

11. The insidious disease shows few symptoms until it is too late for treatment.

• Parts:in(in)sid( sit)ious(full of) literally sitting to ambush

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Working or spreading harmfully but in a subtle or stealthy way; Intended to entrap; Beguiling but harmful

• Antonyms: honest, candid, manifest, overt, unhidden

• Variant forms: insidiousness(n); insidiously (adv)

• Context Phrase:

• Insidious – ( adj.)

• Synonyms: cunning, deceiful, treacherous, crafty, sly

12. It is ludicrous to think that we can complete this project without additional money and materials.

• Parts: lud (laugh, mock, play); ous (full of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: So foolish, unreasonable, or out of place as to be amusing

• Antonyms: logical, reasonable, normal

• Variant forms: ludicrously (adv) ludicrousness (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Ludicrous – (adj)

• Synonyms: ridiculous, comical, farcical, bizarre, absurd

13. I was mortified that I could not remember my former classmate’s name.

• Parts: mort (die, death); fy (make, cause)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: To cause someone to feel embarrassed, ashamed, or humiliated; to discipline one’s body by self-denial and austerity

• Antonyms: praise, laud, exalt, commend

• Variant forms: mortification (n); mortifyingly (adv)

• Context Phrase:

• mortify - verb

• Synonyms: chagrin, embarrass, humiliate, abase

14. It is a paradox that we blow on our hands to keep them warm, but we blow on food to cool it.

• Parts: para (beyond); dox (belief)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: A seemingly contradictory statement that may none the less be true, One exhibiting inexplicable or contradictory aspects

• Antonyms: na

• Variant forms: paradoxical (adj) paradoxically (adv)

• Context Phrase:

• Paradox - n

• Synonyms: contradiction, incongruity, enigma, puzzle

15. The President sent the plenipotentiary to the Middle East to negotiate terms of the trade agreement.

• Parts: pleni (full); potent (power); ary (pertaining to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Invested with or conferring full power (adj); A diplomatic agent, such as an ambassador, fully authorized to represent his/her government

• Antonyms: na

• Variant forms: na

• Context Phrase:

• plenipotentiary - (n)

• Synonyms: ambassador

16. Food and shelter are two of our primordial needs.

• Parts: prim (first); ord (begin); ial (related to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Existing at or from the beginning of time (the primordial oceans); Basic and fundamental; In the earliest stage of development (biology

• Antonyms: superficial, secondary, auxiliary

• Variant forms: primordially (adv); primordiality (n)

• Context Phrase:

• Primordial - adj

• Synonyms: original, primary, basic, fundamental

17. I am hurt that she chose to rebuff my offer to help with the project.

• Parts: re (back); buffo (gust, puff)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: To reject someone or something in an abrupt or ungracious manner; An abrupt or ungracious refusal of an offer, request or kind gesture (n)

• Antonyms: (v) accept,encourage (n) acceptance

• Variant forms:na

• Context Phrase:

• rebuff - verb

• Synonyms: (v) reject, repel, discourage (n) refusal,

18. Some people think dancing in a church building is sacrilege.

• Parts: sacr (holy); legere (to take possession of)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: A violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred

• Antonyms: consecration, santification

• Variant forms: sacrilegious (adj); sacrilegiously (adv)

• Context Phrase:

• sacrilege - n.

• Synonyms: desecration, irreverence

19. Laws now restrict the use of subliminal advertising in movie theaters.

• Parts: sub (under); limin (threshold); al (related to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Perceived by or affecting someone’s mind without his/her being aware of it; Below the threshold of sensation or consciousness

• Antonyms: conscious, aware, cognizant

• Variant forms: subliminally (adv)

• Context Phrase:

• Subliminal – (adj.)

• Synonyms: subconscious

20. His denial of the charges was unequivocal and completely convincing.

• Parts: un (not); equi (same); voc ( call); al (related to)

• Educated Guess:

• Definition: Leaving no doubt or misunderstanding

• Antonyms: equivocal, deceptive, evasive, doubtful

• Variant forms: unequivocally (adv); unequivocalness (n)

• Context Phrase:

• unequivocal - adj.

• Synonyms: plain, clear, unmistakable, straightforward