AP Language - Vocabulary Set 4

Vocabulary definitions from AP Language - Vocabulary Set 4, corresponding to readings from "The Case Against Grades," "I Know Why the Caged Bird Cannot Read," and "A Talk with Teachers."

Pedagogical

Adjective; relating to teaching

Extrinsic

Adjective; not part of the essential nature of someone or something; coming or operating from outside

Intrinsic

Adjective; belonging naturally; essential

Quantification

Noun; the expression or measurement of the quantity of something

Relativism

Noun; the belief that there's no absolute truth, only the truths that a particular individual or culture happen to believe. If you believe in relativism, then you think different people can have different views about what's moral and immoral.

Upstage

Verb; divert attention from (someone) towards oneself.

Imperative

Adjective; of vital importance; crucial

Penchant

Noun; a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something

Exacerbate

Verb; to make a problem, situation, or negative feeling worse

Noxious

Adjective; harmful, poisonous, or very unpleasant

Unilaterally

Adverb; used to indicate that something is done by only one person, group, or country involved in a situation, without the agreement of others

Divergence

Noun; the process or state of separating from another group

Predilection

Noun; a preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something

Middlebrow

Adjective; a system of thought demanding or involving only a moderate degree of intellectual application

Sententious

Adjective; given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner

Epigram

Noun; a saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever or amusing way

Vogue

Noun; popular taste at a given time; trendy

Infantile

Adjective; of or occurring among babies or very young children

Paradox

Noun; a self-contradictory statement that is true

Ghetto

Noun; a poor urban area occupied by a minority group or groups