essential academic vocab - psat

Make a Claim

Advance, assert, conjecture, posit, proffer, speculate, hypothesize

Support a Claim

bolster, buttress, substantiate

Acknowledge a Claim

Concede

Question a Claim

ambivalence, skepticism, rebut, refute

think about

grapple with, mull over, ruminate about

Coming Together

converge, integrate, intersect

Moving Apart

diverge

Draw a Conclusion

infer, surmise

Provide Sources

attribute, cite

Large Amount

Multitude, plethora, profusion

Small Amount

Dearth, paucity

Different, Diverse

Disparate, Heterogeneous, Eclectic

Noticeable, Striking

conspicuous, distinctive, salient

Harmless

benign, innocuous

Inborn

inherent, innate, intrinsic

Advantageous -

providing an advantage

Empirical

relying on hard data

Fauna

animal life

Flora

plant life

Hierarchy (adj., hierarchical)

system of rank; opposite of egalitarian

Entomology

study of insects

Epidemiology

study of genetics

Isotope

alternate form of an element

Genetics

study of genes

Indigenous

native

Geology

study of rocks

Inhibit

prevent, impede (e.g., a response)

Ornithology

study of birds

Paleontology

study of fossils

Metabolism

the process of converting food to energy

Methodology

system of methods or procedures

Microbial

relating to microscopic organisms

Pigment

color

Zoology

study of animals

Predisposed

having a tendency toward

Regenerate

regrow

Replicate

repeat with the same result

Saturate

to become completely soaked with

Simulation

realistic (computer) model

Stimulus (pl., Stimuli)

something that provokes a specific response

Symbiosis (adj., Symbiotic)

interaction between two organisms living close together, benefits both

Taxonomy

classification system

Trait

characteristic

Vegetation

plants (not vegetables)

Velocity

speed

Astronomy

study of stars and planets

Botany

study of plants

Cognitive Science, Neuroscience

science of the brain

Ecology

study of the natural world

Anthropology

study of human behavior and social organization, usually on a large scale; can include linguistics, biology, and archaeology

Archaeology

study of historical human activity through the recovery or excavation (digging up) of physical objects

Economics

study of monetary systems

Ethnography

study of individual cultures

Folklore

study of traditional stories and myths

Sociology

study of everyday human social behaviors and interactions at a specific time

Adept

skilled

Align (oneself with)

support or adopt the position of

Authentic

genuine

Centrality

state of being central or essential

Complement

to complete or perfect

Comprehensive

thorough, complete (NOT to be confused with comprehensible, which means 'understandable')

Contingent

dependent upon

Confer

give, grant

Cultivate

grow, raise, e.g., crops

Elucidate

make clear

Esteemed

held in high regard

Invigorating

Intensely energizing, exciting

Extant

still in existence; be careful not to confuse this word with extinct

Fervor (adj., Fervid)

excitement, intensity

Innovative

new and revolutionary

Mirth

happiness

Mitigate

make less severe

Precocious

done at an earlier age than usual

Prevail

win; adj.

Prevalent, Prevailing

widespread; generally accepted

Sovereignty

political independence, self-rule

Adversary

opponent

Bureaucracy (adj. Bureaucratic)

Administrative portion of a government or organization; usually has a connotation of unnecessary hassle or complication

Conventional

traditional, what has always been done; usually has a negative connotation on the SAT.

Displace

to force someone or something from its home or habitat

Disparity (adj., Disparate)

difference, gap

Feign (v.)

to fake or pretend

Fruitful/Fruitless

productive/unproductive

Haphazard

careless

Impede, Inhibit

prevent; get in the way

Indecipherable

incomprehensible

Impenetrable

impossible to understand or access

Marginal

unimportant

Rudimentary

very basic

Trivial

unimportant

Acquisition

something received or purchased

Constitute

make up, compose; often used as a more sophisticated synonym for is

Corollary

a statement or condition that logically results from a proven argument

Contemporary

current

Contrive

think up

Disposition

personality

Ethics

moral principles

Epistemology

branch of philosophy dealing with theory of knowledge

Ideology

belief system

Fluctuate

go back and forth, be unstable