supposition (noun) Assumption, conjecture. While most climate researchers believe that increasing levels of greenhouse gases will warm the planet, skeptics claim that this theory is mere supposition. suppose (verb). synthesis (noun) The combination of separate elements to form a whole. Large multinational corporations are frequently the result of the synthesis of several smaller companies from several different countries. synthesize (verb). T tactical (adjective) Regarding a means for achieving an end. In the early Indian Wars, since the U.S. Cavalry had repeating rifles and the Native Americans had only bows and arrows, the soldiers had a distinct tactical advantage. tactic (noun). tangential (adjective) Touching lightly; only slightly connected or related. Having enrolled in a class on African American history, the students found the teacher’s stories about his travels in South America only of tangential interest. tangent (noun). tedium (noun) Boredom. For most people, watching even a 15-minute broadcast of the earth as seen from space would be an exercise in sheer tedium. tedious (adjective). temperance (noun) Moderation or restraint in feelings and behavior. Most professional athletes practice temperance in their personal habits; too much eating or drinking and too many late nights, they know, can harm their performance. temperate (adjective) Moderate, calm. The warm gulf streams are largely responsible for the temperate climate of the British Isles. tenuous (adjective) Lacking in substance; weak, flimsy, very thin. His tenuous grasp of the Spanish language was evident when he addressed Señor Chavez as “Señora.” terrestrial (adjective) Of the earth. The movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind tells the story of the first contact between beings from outer space and terrestrial creatures. tirade (noun) A long, harshly critical speech. Reformed smokers, like Bruce, are prone to delivering tirades on the evils of smoking. torpor (noun) Apathy, sluggishness. Stranded in an airless hotel room in Madras after a 27-hour train ride, I felt such overwhelming torpor that I doubted I would make it to Bangalore, the next leg of my journey. torpid (adjective). tractable (adjective) Obedient, manageable. When he turned 3 years old, Harrison suddenly became a tractable, well-mannered little boy after being, quite frankly, an unruly little monster! tranquillity (noun) Freedom from disturbance or turmoil; calm. She moved from New York City to rural Vermont seeking the tranquillity of country life. tranquil (adjective). transgress (verb) To go past limits; to violate. The Secretary of State warned that if Iraq had developed biological weapons, it had transgressed the UN’s rules against manufacturing weapons of mass destruction. transgression (noun). transmute (verb) To change in form or substance. Practitioners of alchemy, a forebear of modern chemistry, tried to discover ways to transmute metals such as iron into gold. transmutation (noun). Appendix C: Word List 693 www.petersons.com treacherous (adjective) Untrustworthy or disloyal; dangerous or unreliable. Nazi Germany proved to be a treacherous ally, first signing a peace pact with the Soviet Union, then invading. Be careful crossing the rope bridge; parts of the span are badly frayed and treacherous. treachery (noun). tremor (noun) Shaking or trembling. Brooke felt the first tremors of the 1989 San Francisco earthquake while she was sitting in Candlestick Park watching a Giants baseball game. trenchant (adjective) Caustic and incisive. Essayist H. L. Mencken was known for his trenchant wit and was famed for mercilessly puncturing the American middle class (which he called the “booboisie”). trepidation (noun) Fear and anxiety. After the tragedy of TWA Flight 800, many previously fearless flyers were filled with trepidation whenever they stepped into an airplane. turbulent (adjective) Agitated or disturbed. The night before the championship match, Martina was unable to sleep, her mind turbulent with fears and hopes. turbu- lence (noun). turpitude (noun) Depravity, wickedness. Radical feminists who contrast women’s essential goodness with men’s moral turpitude can be likened to religious fundamentalists who make a clear distinction between the saved and the damned. typify (verb) To serve as a representative example. Due in large part to post–Civil War minstrel shows, the smiling, shuffling, lazy black man came to unjustifiably typify the African American male. tyro (noun) Novice, amateur. For an absolute tyro on the ski slopes, Gina was surprisingly agile at taking the moguls. U ubiquitous (adjective) Being or seeming to be everywhere at one time. The proliferation of chain-owned bookstores in malls across the country have made them a ubiquitous feature of American retailing. ubiquitously (adverb). unalloyed (adjective) Unqualified, pure. Holding his newborn son for the first time, Malik felt an unalloyed happiness that was unlike anything he had ever experienced in his 45 years. unconventional (adjective) Out of the ordinary. The manager’s unconventional methods for inspiring his staff—such as providing additional vacation days for good work—pleased those who worked for him but dismayed his superiors. unconventionally (adverb). undermine (verb) To excavate beneath; to subvert, to weaken. Dot continued to undermine my efforts to find her a date by showing up at our dinner parties in her ratty old sweatsuit. unfeigned (adjective) Genuine, sincere. Lashawn responded with such unfeigned astonish- ment when we all leapt out of the kitchen that I think she had had no inkling of the surprise party. univocal (adjective) With a single voice. While they came from different backgrounds and classes, the employees were univocal in their demands that the corrupt CEO resign immediately. 694 APPENDIXES www.petersons.com unstinting (adjective) Giving with unrestrained generosity. Few people will be able to match the unstinting dedication and care that Mother Theresa lavished on the poor people of Calcutta. upsurge (noun) A rapid or sudden rise. Since no one could explain why it had occurred, the tremendous upsurge in sales in the shoe department was a source of amazement for everyone. urbanity (noun) Sophistication, suaveness, and polish. Part of the fun in a Cary Grant movie lies in seeing whether the star can be made to lose his urbanity and elegance in the midst of chaotic or kooky situations. urbane (adjective). usurious (adjective) Lending money at an unconscionably high interest rate. Some people feel that Shakespeare’s portrayal of the Jew, Shylock, the usurious money lender in The Merchant of Venice, has enflamed prejudice against Jews. usury (adjective). V validate (verb) To officially approve or confirm. The election of the president is formally validated when the members of the Electoral College meet to confirm the verdict of the voters. valid (adjective), validity (noun). vapid (adjective) Flat, flavorless. Whenever I have insomnia, I just tune the clock radio to Lite FM, and soon those vapid songs from the seventies have me floating away to dreamland. vapidity (noun). variables (noun) Things that are able or apt to have different attributes or characteristics. When you are considering the purchase of a car, it’s necessary to take all the variables—price, size, reliability, etc.—into account in making your decision. vari- ably (adverb). venal (adjective) Corrupt, mercenary. Sese Seko Mobuto was the venal dictator of Zaire who reportedly diverted millions of dollars in foreign aid to his own personal fortune. venality (noun). venerate (verb) To admire or honor. In Communist China, Mao Tse-Tung is venerated as an almost god-like figure. venerable (adjective), veneration (noun). veracious (adjective) Truthful, earnest. Many people still feel that Anita Hill was entirely veracious in her allegations of sexual harassment during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings. veracity (noun). verify (verb) To prove to be true. The contents of Robert L. Ripley’s syndicated “Believe It or Not” cartoons could not be verified, yet the public still thrilled to reports of “the man with two pupils in each eye,” “the human unicorn,” and other amazing oddities. verification (noun). veritable (adjective) Authentic. A French antiques dealer recently claimed that a fifteenth-century child-sized suit of armor that he purchased in 1994 is the veritable suit of armor worn by heroine Joan of Arc. victimizing (verb) Subjecting to swindle or fraud. On the streets of New York City, as well as on those of other large cities, three-card monte players are extremely adept at victimizing gullible tourists. victim (noun). Appendix C: Word List 695 www.petersons.com vindictive (adjective) Spiteful. Paula embarked on a string of petty, vindictive acts against her philandering boyfriend, such as mixing dry cat food with his cereal and snipping the blooms off his prize African violets. viscid (adjective) Sticky. The 3M company’s “Post-It,” a simple piece of paper with one viscid side, has become as commonplace—and as indispensable—as the paper clip. viscous (adjective) Having a gelatinous or gooey quality. I put too much liquid in the batter, so my Black Forest cake turned out to be a viscous, inedible mass. vitiate (verb) To pollute, to impair. When they voted to ban smoking from all bars in California, the public affirmed their belief that smoking vitiates the health of all people, not just smokers. vituperative (adjective) Verbally abusive, insulting. Elizabeth Taylor should have won an award for her harrowing portrayal of Martha, the bitter, vituperative wife of a college professor in Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? vituperate (verb). volatile (adjective) Quickly changing; fleeting, transitory; prone to violence. Public opinion is notoriously volatile; a politician who is very popular one month may be voted out of office the next. volatility (noun). volubility (noun) Quality of being overly talkative, glib. As Lorraine’s anxiety increased, her volubility increased in direct proportion, so during her job interview the poor interviewer couldn’t get a word in edgewise. voluble (adjective). voracious (adjective) Gluttonous, ravenous. “Are all your appetites so voracious?” Wesley asked Nina as he watched her finish off seven miniature sandwiches and two lamb kabob skewers in a matter of minutes. voracity (noun). W warrant (noun) Authorization or certification. The judge provided the police officer with a warrant for the alleged criminal’s arrest. warranted (verb). X xenophobia (noun) Fear of foreigners or outsiders. Slobodan Milosevic’s nationalistic talk played on the deep xenophobia of the Serbs, who, after 500 years of brutal Ottoman occupation, had come to distrust all outsiders. Z zenith (noun) Highest point. Landing on the moon in 1969 was the zenith of Neil Armstrong’s career. 696 APPENDIXES www.petersons.com ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mark Alan Stewart (B.A., Economics, J.D., University of California, Los Angeles) is an attorney and one of today’s preeminent authorities and top-selling authors on the subject of graduate-level entrance exams. For more than a decade, Mr. Stewart served as consultant to schools in the University of California and California State University systems in graduate-level entrance exam programs. His books on LSAT, GRE, and GMAT preparation continue to be top sellers among aspiring law, business, and graduate students. His other book-length publications for graduate-level admission include the following (all published by Peterson’s): 30 Days to the GMAT CAT; GRE-LSAT Logic Workbook; GRE—Answers to the Real Essay Questions; GMAT CAT—Answers to the Real Essay Questions; GRE-LSAT-GMAT-MCAT Reading Comprehension Workbook; Words for Smart Test Takers; Math for Smart Test Takers; and Perfect Personal Statements—Law, Business, Medical, Graduate School. NOTES NOTES . by Peterson’s): 30 Days to the GMAT CAT; GRE-LSAT Logic Workbook; GRE—Answers to the Real Essay Questions; GMAT CAT—Answers to the Real Essay Questions; GRE-LSAT -GMAT- MCAT Reading Comprehension. the tremendous upsurge in sales in the shoe department was a source of amazement for everyone. urbanity (noun) Sophistication, suaveness, and polish. Part of the fun in a Cary Grant movie lies in. to weaken. Dot continued to undermine my efforts to find her a date by showing up at our dinner parties in her ratty old sweatsuit. unfeigned (adjective) Genuine, sincere. Lashawn responded with