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About This Quiz
Every year, millions of high school students study for the SAT with hope of scoring high enough to get into their dream college. Since its creation in 1926, the SAT has undergone many changes. The current version has a maximum score total of 1600. Up to 800 points can be scored on the math section, which has an average score of 531. The other half of an SAT score is called evidence-based reading and writing. It is a combination of the reading and writing sections and has an average score of 536.Â
For the reading at writing sections, test takers are expected to know thousands of words or at least be able to infer the meaning from context clues. Some words found are the test are fairly common. For example, high school students probably hear abbreviate, abstinence, hypothesis and superficial on a regular basis. Other words are not as commonly used. Some examples of those words are querulous, prosaic and deleterious. If you do not know what those last three words mean, they mean irritable, dull and harmful respectively.Â
While the SAT can be nerve-racking, studying the vocabulary words that are known to make frequent appearances on the exam can ease some of those nerves. Are you ready to dive into the world of SAT vocabulary? Then, dive right in to this quiz!Â
Why might a spy have an alias?
It's an assumed name.
Alias entered English in the 15th century. It became a noun in the early 1600s. It is derived from the Latin word "alius."
It's a special weapon.
It's an expert witness.
It's armor.
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What does it mean when a musician is a virtuoso?
They're an expert in music history.
They're loud.
They're highly skilled.
The word virtuoso was borrowed from Italian. Its first use in English was in the 1600s. In English, virtuoso can be pluralized as virtuosos or virtuosi.
They're untalented.
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Why might an old inn be considered quaint?
It's disorganized and not clean.
It's historical.
It's attractively old-fashioned.
In the 1200s, quaint meant expert or skilled. Synonyms for quaint's current meaning include eccentric, offbeat, peculiar and quirky.
It's small.
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If someone makes a pithy remark, what is it?
Concise
Pithy entered English in the 1500s. Synonyms include laconic, concise and succinct.
Rude
Uncalled for
Wordy
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What is the nadir of an object?
The highest point
The lowest point
Nadir comes from Arabic. It is derived from an Arabic word that means "opposite."
The middle
The circumference
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What is someone doing if they are circumventing the law?
Abiding by
Practicing law
To go around
Circumvent derives from the Latin word "circum," which means "circle." The second part of the word comes from "ventus," which means "to come."
Interpreting it
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If an author writes something that is tangential to the plot, what is it?
Extremely important
The climax
The main story
Of little relevance
Tangential is from geometry. A geometrical tangent is a straight line that touches a curve at a single point.
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Why might you get tired of something that is ubiquitous?
It's hard to obtain.
It's boring.
You dislike it.
It's everywhere.
Ubiquity was first used in the 1700s. The form ubiquitous made its first appearance in the 1830s.
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If something is rife with errors, what does that mean?
Free of
Full of
Rife has had the same meaning for its 900-year history. The word comes from Old English.
It's unreadable.
There are only a few errors.
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What does it mean to abscond with something?
Run away
Abscond comes from the Latin "abscondere," which means "to hide away." Synonyms include flee and escape.
Purchase
Break
Use
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What does it mean for a parent to admonish a child?
Hug
Scold
English adopted admonish from the Vulgar Latin "admonestare," which means to warn. Synonyms include rebuke, reprimand and chide.
Praise
Disown
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Why would someone describe their hair as voluminous?
It's full.
Voluminous can mean numerous or be used to describe something with a large volume. It can also be used to describe a long speech or piece of writing.
It's blonde.
It's long.
It's stylish.
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Why would an item be describe as meager?
It's large.
There's too much of it.
It's in short supply.
Meager entered English from Anglo-French. Synonyms for meager include scant and sparse.
Everyone wants it.
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If you're feeling languid after exercise, how are you feeling?
Weak
Languid can also mean slow or listless. It is derived from "languidus," which is Latin for to languish.
Strong
Happy
Invigorated
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When something has something inherent, what does that mean?
There's an essential character.
Inherent comes from the Middle English "enheren," which means belong. Synonyms include inborn, intrinsic and essential.
It's fleeting.
It's empty.
It's large.
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What does it mean for something to be ostentatious?
Showy
Ostentatious was adapted from the Latin word for "display." Synonyms for ostentatious are conspicuous, pretentious, gaudy, loud and over the top.
Bland
Uninteresting
Pretty
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When Winston Churchill said, "It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma," what did he mean by an enigma?
Something good
Something fascinating
Something easy to understand
Something hard to understand
Enigma comes from the Greek word "ainigma." Synonyms for enigma are mystery, riddle and puzzle.
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What does it mean for something to be plausible?
It's outlandish.
It's complicated.
It's reasonable.
In the 1560s, plausible gained its current meaning. It originally meant that something was applause-worthy.
It's unusual.
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When an answer is unequivocal, what is it?
Confusing
Unambiguous
In the 1780s, unequivocal took the meaning unambiguous. Synonyms include apparent, distinct and evident.
Useless
Unlikely
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If a novel makes an allusion to Sherlock Holmes, what did it do?
Make reference
In the 16th century, allusion was borrowed from Latin. In Latin, "alludere" means "to refer to" or "to play with."
Bash
Praise
Plagiarize
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Why wouldn't you want to hang out with a haughty person?
They are impolite.
They lack common sense.
They always bring you down.
They have an attitude of superiority.
In Anglo-French, "haut" meant high. Synonyms for haughty include arrogant and overbearing.
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Why would you be confused by something that is ambiguous?
It's open to more than one interpretation.
Ambiguous was borrowed from Latin. The original Latin word is "ambigere," which means undecided. Synonyms for ambiguous are cryptic and vague.
It is grammatically incorrect.
It's on a topic you know nothing about.
It's irrelevant to the topic.
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What separates an ornate plate from a regular one?
It's unusual.
It's broken.
It's elaborately decorated.
Ornate was first recorded in the 1600s. It was passed down from Middle English where the word was "ornat."
It's borrowed.
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If an animal is docile, what is it?
Submissive
Docile can mean easily taught or submissive. It comes from "docere," which is the Latin word for "to teach."
Stubborn
Aggressive
Large
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If you are phobic, what are you?
Enamored with something
Friendly to all animals
Averse to something
In the late 1800s, phobic was first used. It comes from the Greek "-phobia."
A quick learner
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When a new law supplants an old one, what happens?
It defers.
It compliments.
It coincides.
It replaces.
English gained supplant in the 14th century. A few synonyms for supplant are replace, displace, and supersede.
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If you're flabbergasted after seeing something, you are what?
Shocked
In the late 1770s, flabbergast was first used. Dumbfounded, astonished, and amazed are all synonyms for flabbergasted.
Not surprised
Disappointed
Bothered
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If someone is phlegmatic, what kind of disposition do they have?
Stoic
Phlegmatic goes back to the ancient Greeks. It refers to the four bodily fluids that controlled temperaments. The other four were blood, black bile, and yellow bile.
Easily worked up
Creative
Arrogant
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What happens when a piece of metal is warped?
It's unusual.
It's gold.
It's twisted.
Warped can be used as a verb or a noun. Synonyms include deformed and distorted.
It's straight.
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What is an amalgam of different elements?
A collection
A mixture
An amalgam is an alloy of mercury and another metal or a mixture of different elements, such as music. Fusion, blend, and admixture are all synonyms of amalgam.
A search
A box
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Why would you be impressed by a soldier's valor?
They're smart.
They're interesting.
They're weak.
They're courageous.
In Middle English, "valour" meant "worthiness" or "bravery." Bravery, daring, guts, and heroism are synonyms for valor.
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Why would you be uninterested in a movie described as insipid?
It's uninteresting.
Originally, insipid meant lacking taste. Synonyms for the modern definition of insipid are vapid, banal, and inane.
It's scary.
It's popular.
It's long.
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Why would the word "thee" be considered archaic?
It's short.
It's rarely used.
It's unnecessarily.
It's antiquated.
In the 1800s, archaic was first used. Obsolete, outdated, outmoded, and passe are other words that share a meaning with archaic.
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What does an egotist talk about frequently?
Themself
Egotism entered English in the early 18th century. It refers to the practice of talking about oneself too much and an exaggerated sense of self-importance.
An obscure topic
The news
History
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Why does a novice have a lot to learn?
They're out of their comfort zone.
They're easily confused.
They're dense.
They're a beginner.
The first document use of novice was in the 1500s. It comes from the Old French word for "inexperienced person."
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