To make life easier...and Word Smart more FUN!

Since I want you all to do well on the mid-term, and not to spend too much time studying words that you may never use, I've decided to narrow the scope of words and let you know which words will definitely NOT be on the test (many of which I dislike on a verbal level).

Flora from B2 was kind enough to let me take pictures of her elaborate word list, which I'll share with all of you.  The RED DOTS indicate "will definitely be on the test." The RED X indicates "probably not on the test."  The highlighted words and checked words are Flora's own markings for words she likes and feels she's memorized, so don't pay attention to that (or do?).  Keep in mind that my word is not gospel, and I've probably made a mistake or two.  So even if this list says a word may or may not be on the list, it might not be 100% accurate, and you should, at least, look at them and even consider why I wouldn't put them on.  It could be they are weird, hard to say, or just not that interesting or far too common.

What's On the Midterm:

More than half of the test is concerned with Word Smart (10 Multiple Choice, 10 True/False, 10 Matching a Definition to a Word, 10 Matching a Word to an Antonym (both of which are SAT), and 8 "Make your Own Sentence").  In terms of Shawshank, there will be 10 Multiple Choice, and 2 Short answer for a total of 36% the test).  The Hero's Journey will constitute the small remainder of points.

50 minutes is not a lot, and some of the questions will require a bit of thinking (especially some of the Multiple Choice which lean towards SAT style).  So, I suggest you READ CAREFULLY and then jump around to get the easy stuff out of the way first.  STRATEGIZE.

Here is the narrowed down word list.  Click for a bigger view:

The Stages of the Hero's Jouney

It occurred to me that I haven't posted a simplified description of each stage from the Hero's Journey, even though we've discussed it.  Some of you may have clicked around the links I posted and found this already, but here it is posted plainly.   

The Hero's Journey Outline

The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar Joseph Campbell that appears in drama, storytelling, myth, religious ritual, and psychological development.  It describes the typical adventure of the archetype known as The Hero, the person who goes out and achieves great deeds on behalf of the group, tribe, or civilization.

Its stages are:

1.    THE ORDINARY WORLD.  The hero, uneasy, uncomfortable or unaware, is introduced sympathetically so the audience can identify with the situation or dilemma.  The hero is shown against a background of environment, heredity, and personal history.  Some kind of polarity in the hero’s life is pulling in different directions and causing stress.

 

2.    THE CALL TO ADVENTURE.  Something shakes up the situation, either from external pressures or from something rising up from deep within, so the hero must face the beginnings of change.  

 

3.     REFUSAL OF THE CALL.  The hero feels the fear of the unknown and tries to turn away from the adventure, however briefly.  Alternately, another character may express the uncertainty and danger ahead.

 

4.   MEETING WITH THE MENTOR.  The hero comes across a seasoned traveler of the worlds who gives him or her training, equipment, or advice that will help on the journey.  Or the hero reaches within to a source of courage and wisdom.

 

5.    CROSSING THE THRESHOLD.  At the end of Act One, the hero commits to leaving the Ordinary World and entering a new region or condition with unfamiliar rules and values. 

 

6.  TESTS, ALLIES AND ENEMIES.  The hero is tested and sorts out allegiances in the Special World.

 

7.   APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE.  The hero and newfound allies prepare for the major challenge in the Special world.

 

8.  THE ORDEAL.  Near the middle of the story, the hero enters a central space in the Special World and confronts death or faces his or her greatest fear.  Out of the moment of death comes a new life. 

 

9.   THE REWARD.  The hero takes possession of the treasure won by facing death.  There may be celebration, but there is also danger of losing the treasure again.

 

10.  THE ROAD BACK.  About three-fourths of the way through the story, the hero is driven to complete the adventure, leaving the Special World to be sure the treasure is brought home.  Often a chase scene signals the urgency and danger of the mission.

 

11. THE RESURRECTION.  At the climax, the hero is severely tested once more on the threshold of home.  He or she is purified by a last sacrifice, another moment of death and rebirth, but on a higher and more complete level.  By the hero’s action, the polarities that were in conflict at the beginning are finally resolved.

 

12.  RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR.  The hero returns home or continues the journey, bearing some element of the treasure that has the power to transform the world as the hero has been transformed.

The Hero's Journey - Group Work

Check out the following image, and it is hard to argue that "The Hero's Journey" doesn't always stand (at least to some extent) in EVERY story.

Today's exercise - I'd like you to get into groups, chose a story (or make one) which you will then disseminate into the stages of the Hero's Journey, as posted below.  Copy and paste the work and plug it into your blogs.


Group Members:

Our Story:

Why we chose it: 



ACT I

1. Ordinary World:

2. Call to Adventure:

3. Refusal of the Call:

4. Meeting the Mentor:

5. Crossing the Threshold:


ACT II

6. Tests, Allies, Enemies:

7. Approach to the Innermost Cave:

8. Ordeal:

9. Reward:


ACT III

10. The Road Back:

11. Resurrection:

12. Return With the Elixir:

Points of contention - ifs/ands/buts:



*Copy and paste whatever you get finished.  It doesn't have to be complete.

An Interesting Categorization of SAT Words from Word Smart

Someone, somewhere out there, took the time to carefully organize the word list into fun categories.  Think about these words in the following contexts and it will help you stock the shelves inside your brain.  This WILL NOT be on the test, but I do encourage you to think about these words in relation to one another.  Categorizing them will help you actually use them when the appropriate time arrives.  MEMORIZING is not the task.  FAMILIARIZING and ultimately UTILIZING appropriately is what we should be studying Word Smart for.


You should also note that this list is not accurate.  It has been updated since the person made it, and some words are missing while others added.  But tons of the words which aren't in the latest Word Smart but are below are actually some good ones.  "Maverick" is one of my favorites.  We should all try and be one from time to time.

SAT HIT Parade Word List

Ways to Speak

clarity              clearness in thought or expression

cogent            convincing; reasonable

cohesive         condition of sticking together

compelling      forceful; urgently demanding attention

convoluted     intricate; complex

didactic           intended to instruct

dogmatic         characterized by a stubborn adherence to insufficiently proved beliefs

effusive           describing unrestrained emotional expression; gushy

emphatic         expressed with emphasis

florid                describing flowery or elaborate speech

fluid                 easily flowing

hackneyed      overfamiliar through overuse; trite

rapport            a relationship of mutual trust or affinity

adage              a wise old saying

poignant         profoundly moving; touching

       

This is hard! I don’t get it!

abstruse         hard to understand

arduous          difficult; painstaking

futile                having no useful purpose

heinous           hatefully evil; abominable

impede            to slow the progress of

impenetrable  incapable of being understood

Don’t have much

dilatory            describing one who habitually delays or is tardy

enervate         to weaken the strength or vitality of

indolent           lazy

listless lacking energy; lazy

soporific         causing sleep or sleepiness

stupor             a state of reduced or suspended sensibility                            sedentary not migratory; settled

torpor              laziness; inactivity; dullness

paucity            fewness; an extreme lack of

Overboard

ebullience       intense enthusiasm

farce                an absurdly ridiculous situation

frenetic           wildly excited or active

garrulous                given to excessive, rambling talk

gratuitous               given freely; unearned; unwarranted

insipid             uninteresting; unchallenging

ponderous      extremely dull

sonorous                having or producing sound

squalor           a filthy condition or quality

superfluous    extra; unnecessary

      

Be careful what you say!

specious         having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually false

slander            false charges and malicious oral statements or reports about someone

ruse                 a crafty trick

                        egregious        conspicuously bad or offensive

facetious         playfully humorous

pander            to cater to the lower tastes and desires of others or exploit their weaknesses

propriety         appropriateness of behavior

               

Ha-ha

wry                  dryly humorous, often with a touch of irony

lampoon (n) or (v)  a broad satirical piece; or to broadly satire

parody            an artistic work that imitates the style of another work for comic effect

Things about Kings

abdicate          to formally give up power

annihilate                to destroy completely

benevolent     kind; generous

despotic          characterized by exercising absolute power tyranically

dictatorial                domineering; oppressively overbearing

haughty          condescendingly proud

imperious               arrogantly domineering or overbearing

omnipotent     all-powerful

patronizing     treating in a condescending manner

usurp              to take power by force

Hard-working

adamant         extremely stubborn

assiduous       hard-working

conscientious careful and principled

diligent            marked by painstaking effort; hard-working

dogged           stubbornly persevering

exemplary       commendable

fastidious                possessing careful attention to detail

intrepid           courageous; fearless

meticulous      extremely careful and precise

obstinate         stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action

tenacity           persistent adherence to a belief or a point of view

milk                 to draw or extract profit or advantage from

zealous           passionate; extremely interested in pursuing something

punctilious      strictly attentive to minute details; picky

               

Make things better

alleviate          to ease a pain or a burden

asylum            a place of retreat or security

auspicious      attended by favorable circumstances

benign             kind and gentle

emollient         softening and soothing

mitigate           to make less severe or painful

mollify             to calm or soothe

sanction (v)    to give official authorization or approval to

substantiated supported with proof or evidence; verified

exculpate                to free from guilt or blame

               

Going against the grain

debunk           to expose the falseness of

deleterious     having a harmful effect; injurious

disingenuous not straightforward; crafty

disparate         fundamentally distinct or different

fabricated               made; concocted in order to deceive

recalcitrant     defiant of authority; stubborn; not easily managed

spurious         not genuine; false

capricious       impulsive and unpredictable

               

If you can’t say anything nice...

disdain            to regard or treat with contempt; to look down on

glower             to look or stare angrily or sullenly

pejorative               describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone

plagiarism       the act of passing off as one’s own the ideas or writings of another

trite                  unoriginal; overused; stale

vacuous         devoid of matter; empty

vilify                to make vicious statements about

disparage               to speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle

Oddities

aberration       a deviation from the way things normally happen or are done

dubious          doubtful; of unlikely authenticity

ostentatious   describing a showy or pretentious display

quandary                a state of uncertainty or perplexity

stymied           thwarted; stumped; blocked

wily                  cunning

               

That’s pretty

aesthetic         having to do with the appreciation of beauty

decorous                proper; marked by good taste

embellish                to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate

idyllic               simple and carefree

medley            an assortment or a mixture, especially of musical pieces

mural               a big painting applied directly to a wall

opulent           exhibiting a display of great wealth

ornate             elaborately ornamented

pristine            not spoiled; pure

serene             calm

lucid                easily understood

Friendly

affable             easy-going; friendly

amenable                responsive; agreeable

amiable           good-natured and likable

camaraderie   good will between friends

cordial             warm and sincere; friendly

gregarious      enjoying the company of others; sociable

salutary           promoting good health

sanguine         cheerfully confident; optimistic

innocuous      having no bad effect; harmless

               

Nasty

brusque          describing a rudely abrupt manner

cantankerous grumpy; disagreeable

caustic            bitingly sarcastic or witty

contemptuous        feeling hatred; scornful

feral                 savage, fierce, or untamed

fractious         quarrelsome; unruly

incorrigible     unable to be reformed

ingrate            an ungrateful person

insolent           insulting in manner or speech

malevolent      having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; hateful

notorious                known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous

obdurate         stubborn; inflexible

repugnant       causing disgust or hatred

unpalatable     not pleasing to the taste

parsimonious excessively cheap

               

On the road

itinerant          traveling from place to place

remote            located far away

transitory                short-lived or temporary

unfettered       set free from restrictions or bonds

               

Who knows what’ll happen?

harbinger                one that indicates what is to come; a forerunner

ominous         menacing; threatening

portend           to serve as an omen or a warning of

prophetic                foretelling or predicting future events

impromptu      not planned in advance; spur of the moment

Sittin’ on the fence

ambiguous             open to more than one interpretation

ambivalent              simultaneously feeling opposing feelings, such as love and hate

arbiter                     a judge who decides a disputed issue

inconsequential     unimportant

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Full to overflowing

ample              describing a large amount of something

burgeoning     expanding or growing rapidly

capacious       roomy; spacious

copious           plentiful; having a large quantity

permeated      spread or flowing throughout

prodigious      enormous

replete             abundantly supplied; filled

               

Get to the point

candor            sincerity; openness

frank               open and sincere in expression; straightforward

pragmatic               practical

purist              one who is particularly concerned with maintaining traditional practices

terse                brief and to the point; concise

insightful         perceptive

curtailed          cut short; abbreviated

Earth, Wind, and Fire

arid                  describing a dry, rainless climate

conflagration  a widespread fire

                        nocturnal of or occurring in the night

temperate       moderate; mild

               

Revolution’s in the air

clandestine     secretive, especially in regards to concealing an illicit purpose

coup                a brilliant and sudden overthrow of a government

enmity             mutual hatred or ill-will

heresy             an opinion that disagrees with established, dearly held beliefs

implacable      impossible to appease

maverick         one who is independent and resists adherence to a group

mercurial         quick and changeable in mood

pugnacious    combative; belligerent

rancorous               hateful; marked by deep seated ill-will

stratagem               a clever trick used to deceive or outwit

wary                on guard; watchful

thwart              to prevent the occurrence of

reclamation    a restoration or rehabilitation to productivity or usefulness

furtive             characterized by stealth; sneaky

impetuous      characterized by sudden energy or emotion

               

Put your affairs in order

catalog (v)      to make an itemized list of

equanimity      the quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure

feasible           capable of being accomplished; possible

apt                   suitable; appropriate

solvent            able to pay one’s debts

facile               done or achieved with little effort; easy

liquid               flowing readily

plausible         seemingly valid or acceptable; credible

               

I’ll be the judge of that

biased             prejudiced

incontrovertible      indisputable; not open to question

jurisprudence         the philosophy or science of law

vindicated               freed from blame

penitent                  expressing remorse for one’s misdeeds

Feeling at home

               

incumbent (adj)      imposed as a duty; obligatory

indigenous             originating and living in a particular area

innate                      possessed at birth; inborn

inveterate                       long established; deep-rooted; habitual

parochial                 narrow in scope

pervasive                       having the quality or tendency to be everywhere at the same time

Under the weather

impinge                   to encroach in a way that violates the rights of another

laconic                    using few words

lament                     to express grief for; mourn

obsolete                  no longer in use; old-fashioned

reticent                   reluctant to speak

sanction (n)            an economic or military measure put in place to punish another country

suppressed            subdued; kept from being circulated

surreptitious           done by secretive means

                                truncated shortened; cut off

wane                       to decrease gradually in intensity; decline

               

Ever so slightly

ephemeral              lasting for a markedly brief time

obscure (adj or v)  relatively unknown; or to conceal or make indistinct

tacit                         implied but not actually expressed

tenuous                  having little substance or strength; shaky; flimsy

timorous                 shy; timid

trepidation              uncertainty; apprehension

               

So status quo

immutable       not able to be changed

mundane                commonplace; ordinary

prosaic            unimaginative; dull

prudent           exercising good judgment or common sense

tenet                a principle held as being true by a person or an organization

stoic                indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive

austere           somber, stern

genre              describing a category of artistic endeavor

staid                characterized by a strait-laced sense of propriety; serious

archaic            characteristic of an earlier, more primitive period; old-fashioned

               

I’m new at this

emulate                   to try to equal or excel, especially through imitation

naïve                       lacking sophistication

nascent                   coming into existence; emerging

novice/neophyte    a beginner

               

Things that suck

toxic                poisonous

brittle               easily broken when subjected to pressure

malice             extreme ill will or spite

malfeasance   misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official

               

Isn’t that special

               

dilettante         a dabbler in or one who superficially understands an art or a field of knowledge

eclectic           made up of a variety of sources or styles

intuitive           knowing or perceiving quickly and readily

laudatory         expressing great praise

novel               strikingly new, unusual, or different

paramount      of chief concern or importance

urbane            notably polite and elegant in manner; suave

epiphany         a sudden burst of understanding or discovery

trenchant                keen; incisive

whimsical                subject to erratic behavior;unpredictable