AP LANG - Vocab List: 11/12-12/10

Salacious

Conveying or appealing to sexual desire or imagination

Trepidation

Fear/anxiety about something that may happen

Calumny

False and slanderous/defamatory statement

Augur

To be a sign or portent of a good/bad outcome

Cacophony

Harsh and jarring mixture of sounds

Preclude

To prevent from happening

Raucous

Loud and unpleasant sounding

Effrontery

Extremely bold and rude behavior

Sagacity

Having wisdom because of age or experience

Agile

Able to move quickly and easily

Brawn

Physical strength

Ameliorate

To improve/make better

Chastise

To rebuke/reprimand severely

Galvanize

To shock or excite someone into action

Percival's parent had been caught with ____________ material given by Pinkas' parent, which was linked to Padma's parent, which was ultimately traced to the parents of the twins - Pavel and Petya.

salacious example

It was out of the great ___________ of what would happen to them and their children that the parents, all of whom were political partners in the leadership of Pluton society, decided it was best to "disappear" their children from Pluton to a safe haven.

trepidation example

While they had a number of planets to choose from, they chose Earth for their children precisely because of the _____________________ others spoke when discussing it. Plutonians thought Earth was "beneath" them socially, and thus no one from Pluton would suspect that the politicians would send their precious children there.

calumny example

All of the Plutonian negative prejudices about Earth should have made it a refuge for their children. This reputation ought to have _____________ long-term safety and security.

augured example

However, the ___________ from inside - and the explosion from outside - of the ballroom suggested none of the safety and security Earth had promised. That is why the five children - now teenagers - had been meeting weekly for military training sessions since their arrival.

cacophony example

Their disguised Plutonian guardian had wanted them to be prepared for all possible outcomes on Earth - including one where they would need to fight to save themselves, or all of humanity. The Pentet had now been training for years to work together as an elite military unit in the event that they would be needed to ________________ true disaster from occurring and now seemed to be that time.

preclude example

The _______________ ballroom crowd wasn't getting any quieter and Principal Pratt could not maintain order, so the Pentet announced themselves instead.

raucous example

Padma was the one to assert the Pentet's authority, which was initially taken as __________________ by Principal Pratt. However, once he realized that everyone was calming down and actually listening to her, Principal Pratt calmed down himself.

effrontery example

Padma spoke with the _____________ of a tried and true military leader (which she was, after years of training and practice), and all the prom attendees - including the adults - paid close attention to her instructions of what to do next.

sagacity example

Prior to attending the prom, Padma and Percival - the tacticians of the group - had created - along with Pinkas' expert mapping of the ballroom, hotel, and surrounding neighborhoods ahead of time - an escape route in case of emergencies. Their preparation allowed them to be _________ in this moment, to quickly and efficiently move everyone out of the ballroom and into a more secured location in the hotel.

agile example

Pavel and Petya, the physical and emotional ___________ of the group, shepherded the entire operation and provided assistance for the attendees who were still scared. Once everyone was accounted for and secure, Principal Pratt finally called the police - and the Pentet began their own investigation in earnest.

brawn example

Pavel and Petya were uncertain that Principal Pratt could be trusted to control the situation, but the Pentet had bigger problems to deal with than ___________ the anxieties of the prom attendees so they had to leave. They were also positive that their presence was the source of the problem.

Ameliorate example

They found a secretive closet to meet inside and discuss their next steps. They began with a round of questioning and brainstorming, which ended in revealing that Padma's friend group had posted a picture of them at the prom on social media, thus alerting anyone who wanted to find Padma to her location. Pinkas, the group's tech and media expert, immediately ___________ her for her friend's risky behavior.

chastised example

Before any distracting in-fighting could begin about whose behavior was more dangerous, Percival took the reins of leadership and reminded everyone that they had a common enemy to fight against - and that it needed to happen now. This ______________ the group and redirected their energies towards cooperation..

galvanized example