Lesson Five 1. consternation (kon star na” shan) n. alarming dismay or concern The announcement of a pop quiz caused consternation among the students. syn: bewilderment; shock; trepidation ant: composure; tranquility 2. anomaly (9 nom’a1é) n. a deviation from the norm; an odd or peculiar occurrence The sailor immediately notified the captain when he saw an anomaly on the sonar screen. syn: eccentricity; irregularity; oddity 3. vitriolic (vit ol” ik) adj. harsh in tone; bitterly critical The critic’s vitriolic review of the new film prompted thousands of contradictory letters. syn: caustic; offensive; scathing ant: flattering; genial 4. preamble (pré’ am bal) _n. a preliminary statement; an introduction After reciting a long-winded preamble, the lawyer finally presented some pertinent facts, syn: prologue; preface; opening ant: epilogue; finale coterie (k” tore) _n. a small group of people who share interests and meet frequently Virginia Woolf was a member of the Bloomsbury Group, a coterie of English authors respected for its talent, but ridiculed for its arrogance. syn: circle; clique; society 6. expiate (ek’ spé at) v. to make amends for Johnny mowed the neighbors’ lawn free of charge all summer to expiate his breaking their front window with a baseball syn: atone; correct; rectify 7. compendium (kam pen’ dé am) n. a list or collection of items Jen perused a compendium of antique toys to find the value of an old doll. syn: compilation; index; anthology 8. comprise (kom priz’) v. to include or consist of; contain Canada comprises ten provinces and three territories. syn: constitute; encompass; incorporate ant: exclude; lackVocabulary Power Plus for the New SAT: Book Four LT 9. eidetic det’ ik) adj. pertaining to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall The author attempted to describe the eidetic scenes in his head. syn: vivid ant: vague 10. innocuous (i nok” yoo 2s) adj. harmless The assassin wore a disguise and a smile to make himself look like an innocuous old man. syn: inoffensive; innocent ant: injurious 11. foist (foist) v. to pass off as genuine or valuable The secret service arrested the man who foisted counterfeit $20 bills off on the unsuspecting country. syn: fob 12. plethora (pleth” or 9). an overabundance; excess The library has a plethora of information about most any subject imaginable syn: surplus ant: deficiency; shortage; paucity 13. flippancy (flip’ ont c&)_n. disrespect His flippancy in class often got him sent to the principal's office sym: irreverence; rudeness; impertinence ant: respect; reverence 14, incongruous (in kong’ gro 0s) adj. incompatible; unsuitable for the situation Ed's incongruous joke about policemen ensured he would get a speeding ticket. syn: discordant; improper ant: compatible; fitting 15. disconcert (dis kan sfrt’) v. to frustrate; confuse ‘The lengthy calculus problem on the quiz disconcerted Nancy, syn: agitate; fluster; perplex ant: enlighten; comfort; encourage