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SAT List 6
1. chastise v. to criticize severely.
• If you chastise Jason, he immediately begins to weep.
• When the caustic coach called the players together, they knew he was going to chastise them.
• The editorial writers in our town frequently chastise the school board.
2. chimerical adj. absurd; wildly fanciful.
• Uncle Dave was chastised boy Aunt Pearl for his chimerical get-rich-quick schemes.
• We called him callous for belittling the child’s chimerical proposal.
• Don Quixote frequently involved himself in chimerical flights of fancy.
3. chronic adj. lasting a long time; constant.
• When Dad’s chough became chronic, we cajoled him into getting a chest x-ray.
• Janet was quickly earning a reputation as a chronic liar.
• Our neighbor offered $500 to anyone who could cure his chronic hiccups.
4. circumspect adj. careful.
• The lawyer struck us as aloof, but he was just being circumspect.
• Normally circumspect, Rodney let slip the damaging information.
• You can tell anything to Louise because she is exceptionally circumspect.
5. clairvoyant adj. having exceptional insight. (when clairvoyant is used as a noun, it refers to a person
who has the power to see or know things that are beyond the range of natural vision.)
• The clairvoyant housewife was occasionally used in murder cases to help discover the body.
• Victor used his clairvoyant powers to make a fortune on Wall Street.
• Cindy claimed to be clairvoyant, but she couldn’t even find her car keys in her purse.
6. clandestine adj. secret.
• Diplomats are fond of clandestine meetings, away from prying reports.
• The crooked food inspector had clandestine arrangements with several restaurant owners.
• The Secretary of State served as a catalyst for the clandestine session between the feuding nations.
7. clemency n. mercy; mildness.
• The prisoner’s plea for clemency fell on deaf ears.
• Governor Grant’s policy was to personally review all Death Row clemency appeals.
• We were delighted with the clemency of the Carolina winter.
8. coalesce v. to grow together; to combine.
• If the competing groups could coalesce, they would control the election.
• Allison predicted that the municipal unions would coalesce on their demands for a wage increase.
• The two lakes coalesced into one.
9. colloquial adj. conversational; used in informal speech or writing.
• Jeremy was chastised by his English teacher for his colloquial compositions.
• Some political candidates find it wise to adopt a colloquial style of oratory.
• Many words which were once considered colloquial have gained respectability.
10. commiserate v. to sympathize with; to feel sorrow for another suffering.
• His teammates commiserated with Hank after he had struck out with the bases loaded.
• While appearing to commiserate with Antonio, Peter was secretly happy about his neighbor’s
trouble.
• The outpouring of those who had come to commiserate with her greatly warmed Rita’s heart.
SPOTLIGHT ON
chimerical In Greek mythology the Chimera was a fire-breathing monster with a lion’s head, a goat’s body,
and a serpent’s tail; in short a fanciful creature of the imagination. Knowing that, we can see why chimerical
now means “wildly fanciful, absurd.”
chronic the Greek origin of this word means “of time.” You can make educated guesses about related
words such as chronicle, chronological, chronometer, and chronoscope.
Bromberg, Murray, and Julius Liebb. Hot Words for SAT I. 2nd ed.. Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1993.
Lesson 6
Name_____________________ period_____
matching
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
A
chastise
chimerical
chronic
circumspect
clairvoyant
clandestine
clemency
coalesce
colloquial
commiserate
B
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
mercy
sympathize with
habitual
seeking revenge
punish
cautious
concealed
wildly fanciful
conversational
combine
having insight
Fill in the blank
1.
Many inventors have been ridiculed for their seemingly ________________ ideas.
2.
Ever since she was a child, Dolores sensed that she possessed unusual _______________ powers.
3.
There were some embarrassed citizens in town when news of the heretofore ________________
contract appeared in the newspaper.
4.
Most Elizabethans thought that the Duke showed _____________ in his treatment of Shylock.
5.
“If you’ve come to _______________, after causing the predicament we’re in,” Edna snarled, “we want
no part of your hypocrisy.”
6.
Despite Albie’s repeated lateness, the personnel manager did nothing more serious than
_____________________ him.
7.
Detective Anderson was assigned to the sensitive case because he had a reputation for being
_____________.
8.
Doctor Arrowsmith’s incorrect prescription managed to cure the matron’s _______________ condition.
9.
The actor affected ____________ speech but could also perform in classical roles.
10.
It took four weeks of rehearsal before the ballet company could _______________ and look
professional.
True or False
Based upon the way the new words are used, identify the following sentences as T (True) or F (False).
1. ___ Harry did so well at school that his parents were forced to chastise him in public.
2. ___ It would take a circumspect police officer to tail someone as experienced as James Bond.
3. ___ The young man who found my wallet claimed to be clairvoyant.
4. ___ Poor Phillip was a chronic sufferer from hay fever.
5. ___ When the prosecuting attorney promised there would be no clemency, the defendant breathed a
sigh of relief..