AP Lit: Word Smart Quiz 24

Pages 234-244 in the Word Smart book. Revisit this set throughout the year to prepare yourself for the exam in May.

Savant (n.)

a scholar; a knowledgeable and learned person

Bertrand is a real ______ about architecture. You can't go on a walk without him stopping to point out every architectural point of interest he sees. That's why no one will go on walks with him anymore.

Scant (adj.)

limited; meager; barely sufficient

Soap and water are in _____ supply around here. You'll be able to take a shower only once per month.

Schism (n.)

division; separation; discord or disharmony

There's been a ______ in the ranks of the Flat Earth Society; one faction believes that the earth is flat because it was created that way, while the other faction believes the earth used to be round but was rolled flat by beings from outer space.

Sedentary (adj.)

largely confined to sitting down; not physically

Writing is a _________ life; just about the only exercise you get is walking to the mailbox to see whether anyone's sent you a check, and you don't even need to do that often.

Serpentine (adj.)

snakelike in either shape or movement; winding, as a snake travels

Dan despises interstate highways, preferring to travel on __________ state roads that wind through the hills and valleys.

Slake (v.)

to quench; to satisfy; to assuage

Soda doesn't _____ your thirst as well as plain old water.

Solace (n.)

consolation; comfort

The broken-hearted country-western singer found ______ in a bottle of bourbon; then he wrote a song about finding solace in a bottle of bourbon.

Sophomoric (adj.)

juvenile; childishly goofy

The dean of students suspended the fraternity's privileges because its members had streaked through the library wearing togas, soaped the windows of the administration building, and engaged in other __________ antics during Parents' Weekend.

Sordid (adj.)

morally vile; filthy; squalid

"What a ______ little story | read in the newspaper this morning," Aunt Helen said to her nephew. "Do you think they'll ever find the man who—" She whispered the rest into his ear so that her impressionable young niece wouldn't hear the terrible things the man had done.

Spate (n.)

a sudden outpouring

Julia has received a _____ of media coverage in the days since her new movie was released; last week, her picture was on the covers of both Time and Newsweek.