lsat misunderstood vocab words

Terminology & Glossary (Page 1)

Vocabulary Words Commonly Found on the LSAT®

  • Assure: To tell someone that something will happen.

  • Cautious: A reason exists to avoid something.

    • Usage: Relevant in Reading Comprehension (RC) tone questions; the author needs to provide a reason NOT to do something.

  • Cohort: A group of people sharing a certain characteristic.

  • Concern: A thought in someone's mind that occurred at least once, even if briefly.

  • Dearth: Lack of something; insufficient amount.

  • Dilemma: A problematic choice requiring a decision.

  • Disguise: To intentionally hide something (relevant for topic issues).

  • Dismay: Deep distress caused by a new or sudden negative event or revelation.

  • Draconian: Excessively harsh or severe.

    • Usage: In Reading Comprehension, an author's point of view (APOV) may label an approach as draconian if it is seen as outdated and overly severe.

  • Ethnographer: A researcher who studies other peoples or cultures.

  • Flippant: Superficial, hasty, and thoughtless.

    • Usage: Describes a test taker's poor approach to a concept.

  • Historiography: The study of how history is recorded, including who wrote it and what factors influenced the writing.

  • Indignation: A feeling of offense, disrespect, or annoyance due to perceived unfair treatment.

  • Inertia: A tendency to remain unchanged or in its existing state.

  • Innate: An attribute or characteristic one is born with; not acquired through learning.

  • Insure: Covered by insurance.

  • Learn: To acquire knowledge through study or experience; learned knowledge is not innate.

  • Nostalgia: A state of looking back on the past through a biased, overly positive lens, often omitting negative aspects.

    • Synonym: Romanticize.

  • Novelty: Something new, original, or unusual.

  • Optimism: A positive outlook toward the future.

  • Pessimism: A negative outlook toward the future.

  • Popularize: To make known to the public or to bring to the people.

  • Preclude: To prevent or make impossible.

  • Reluctant: A reason exists to avoid something.

    • Usage: Similar context as 'cautious' in RC tone questions.

  • Revolution: A significant and marked change in something that exceeds a single instance.

  • Revolutionize: To enact an action characterized by two aspects: being the first to do it and having followers.