General Education – Comprehensive Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary flashcards cover key terms from English, Social Science, Science, Literature, Philippine history, law, linguistics, and education to aid LET preparation.

Conflagration

A very large, destructive fire.

Epistolary

Relating to or contained in letters; a literary work written as a series of letters.

Barangay

The smallest political unit in the Philippines, similar to a village or district.

Constitutional Monarchy

A form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution.

Absolute Monarchy

A form of monarchy in which the ruler holds supreme autocratic authority, unconstrained by laws or constitution.

Meritocracy

A system of government or organization where appointments are made based on talent and achievement.

Communism

A political and economic system in which property and resources are collectively owned and a single party controls the state.

Parliamentary Government

A system in which the executive derives its legitimacy from the legislature and is accountable to it.

Anarchy

Absence of government and absolute freedom of individuals.

Aristocracy

Government or rule by a small privileged class considered to be the most qualified.

Oligarchy

Government by a small group of powerful or wealthy individuals.

Democracy

Government by the people, typically through elected representatives.

Federalism

A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units.

Primitive Communism

Karl Marx’s term for the earliest, classless human societies that shared common ownership of resources.

Noble Gases

Group 18 elements on the periodic table, noted for being inert and stable.

Habeas Corpus

A legal writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a judge to secure the person’s release unless lawful grounds are shown for detention.

Writ of Amparo

A legal remedy for the protection of constitutional rights to life, liberty, and security.

Eminent Domain

The power of the state to seize private property for public use with payment of just compensation.

Progressive Tax

A tax system in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases.

Regressive Tax

A tax applied uniformly, taking a larger percentage of income from low-income earners than from high-income earners.

Proportional Tax

A tax that takes the same percentage of income from all taxpayers regardless of income level.

Sin Tax

Excise tax on products considered harmful, such as alcohol and tobacco.

Community Tax Certificate (Cedula)

A document obtained by Filipino residents aged 18 or older as proof of community tax payment.

Inheritance Tax

A tax imposed on persons who inherit property or assets from a deceased individual.

Tax Evasion

Illegal practice of not paying taxes owed.

Feminine Pulchritude

Great physical beauty in a woman.

Sophomoric

Immature, juvenile, or pretentious.

Voracious

Having an insatiable appetite; exceedingly eager or hungry.

Aplomb

Self-confidence or assurance, especially in a demanding situation.

Indomitable Spirit

An unconquerable will or determination.

Transmute

To change in form, nature, or substance.

Apocalyptic

Describing or prophesying the complete destruction of the world.

Candor

The quality of being open, honest, and straightforward.

Vindictive

Having or showing a strong desire for revenge.

Germane

Relevant and appropriate to the topic.

Vulpine

Relating to or resembling a fox; cunning.

Parsimonious

Unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy.

Ostracized

Excluded from a society or group.

Euphoria

A feeling or state of intense excitement and happiness.

Belligerent

Hostile and aggressive; engaged in warfare.

Benevolent

Well-meaning and kindly.

Cacophonous

Producing a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.

Erratic

Not even or regular in pattern or movement; unpredictable.

Covert

Not openly acknowledged or displayed; hidden.

Credulous

Having or showing too great a readiness to believe things; gullible.

Haggard

Looking exhausted and unwell, especially from fatigue or worry.

Conflagration (Science)

Large-scale fire that spreads quickly.

Photosynthesis

Process by which green plants convert light energy into chemical energy (glucose) using CO₂ and water.

Chloroplast

Organelle in plant cells where photosynthesis occurs.

Mitochondria

Organelle known as the powerhouse of the cell, producing ATP.

Ribosome

Cellular structure where proteins are synthesized.

Prokaryote

Single-celled organism lacking a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles (e.g., bacteria).

Eukaryote

Organism whose cells contain a nucleus and organelles enclosed by membranes.

Autotroph

Organism that produces its own food, typically via photosynthesis.

Heterotroph

Organism that obtains food by consuming other organisms.

Mutualism

Symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.

Parasitism

Symbiotic relationship where one species benefits and the other is harmed.

Osmosis

Diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane from low solute to high solute concentration.

Diffusion

Movement of particles from an area of higher concentration to lower concentration.

Catabolism

Metabolic pathway that breaks down molecules to release energy.

Anabolism

Metabolic pathway that constructs molecules from smaller units, requiring energy.

Isotonic Solution

Solution with equal solute concentration compared to another solution, causing no net osmosis.

Hypotonic Solution

Solution with lower solute concentration; cells placed in it swell.

Hypertonic Solution

Solution with higher solute concentration; cells placed in it shrink.

Evaporation

Change of state from liquid to gas.

Condensation

Change of state from gas to liquid.

Sublimation

Direct transition from solid to gas without becoming liquid.

Deposition

Direct transition from gas to solid without becoming liquid.

Habeas Data

Legal action to safeguard an individual’s right to privacy over personal information.

Salvaging (Philippine context)

Extrajudicial killing or summary execution without due process.

Mysticism

Spiritual belief aiming at direct union with the divine, common in Eastern religions.

Positivism

Western philosophical system recognizing only what can be scientifically verified.

Ethnocentrism

Belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own culture.

Xenocentrism

Preference for the products, styles, or ideas of someone else’s culture over one’s own.

Acculturation

Cultural change resulting from continuous firsthand contact between different cultural groups.

Inculturation

Integration of cultural values into religious practices, often within the family.

Taxation

Governmental process of imposing and collecting monetary contributions for public purposes.

Police Power

State authority to enact laws promoting health, safety, morals, and general welfare.

Moral (of a story)

Lesson or principle conveyed by a narrative.

Metaphor

Figure of speech that describes an object or action as something else to suggest similarity.

Simile

Figure of speech comparing two unlike things using ‘like’ or ‘as’.

Personification

Figure of speech giving human traits to nonhuman entities.

Hyperbole

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.

Alliteration

Repetition of initial consonant sounds in nearby words.

Onomatopoeia

Word that phonetically imitates the sound it describes (e.g., “buzz”).

Synecdoche

Figure of speech in which a part represents the whole or vice-versa.

Metonymy

Figure of speech substituting the name of one object for another closely associated with it.

Oxymoron

Figure of speech combining contradictory terms (e.g., “deafening silence”).

Idioms

Phrases whose meanings cannot be understood from the literal definitions of the words.

Haiku

Japanese poem of three lines totaling 17 syllables arranged 5-7-5, often about nature.

Awit

Traditional Filipino narrative poem in dodecasyllabic quatrains.

Korido

Filipino narrative verse with octosyllabic quatrains, often about chivalry.

Epistolary Novel

Novel written as a series of letters.

Trochaic Foot

Poetic meter of one stressed syllable followed by one unstressed syllable.

Iambic Foot

Poetic meter of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable.

Spondee

Poetic foot consisting of two stressed syllables.

Predicate Nominative

Noun or pronoun following a linking verb that renames the subject.

Predicate Adjective

Adjective that follows a linking verb and describes the subject.

Appositive

Noun or noun phrase that renames or explains another noun next to it.

CPU

Central Processing Unit; the brain of the computer where calculations occur.