Words of the Week!

Municipal- County or Local Lattice- A wooden frame Preclude- Prevent, cut off possibilities Tyrant- Ruthless dictator Efficacious- Efficient, helpful Calamity- Disaster Revel- Partying/Enjoying Sparring- Dueling physically, or engaging in an argument Portend- Predict into the future Pontificate- Lecture in a bossy tone Proscription- Not allowed, not permitted Vagary- Unpredictable or extravagant action or notion Alderman-[…]

Words of the Week!

Simian- Relating to monkeys or apes Lintel- Architectural support for a building or window Finial- Decorative element meant for honor Enclave- Isolated/separated group of people Bagatelle- A task or piece that is trivial, light, or non-essential Subordinate- Person under the authority of another Chauvinistic- Feeling superior because of race or gender Oblivious- Unaware, disconnected Hidebound-[…]

Words of the Week!

Vitriol- Hateful speech Amiable- Friendly Brazen- Too bold Circumspect- Cautious Despot- Ruler with total power Furtive- Secretive Infamy- Notorious (famous for bad reasons) Knell- Solemn sound of a bell Maverick- Independent-minded person Nominal- Insignificant Umbrage- Offense (to take offense at something) Wanton- Immoral, lustful Aver- To declare Corporeal- Tangible, material, not spiritual Disabuse- To correct[…]

ACT SAMPLE ESSAY TOPIC

With colleges and universities becoming more competitive every year, high school students seeking an extra edge in admissions are turning to extracurricular activities. These activities include school clubs, volunteering, music, and sports. Currently, participation in these activities is not required by U.S. high schools or colleges. Some students participate in these activities daily, while others limit their participation to[…]

Math Practice Set 1

Jeff makes $5.00 every day from which he must spend $3.00 for various expenses. Pete makes $10.00 per day but has to spend $7.00 on expenses. If the two of them save together, how long will it take before they can buy a car for $150.00? Two cities are 800 miles apart. At 3:00 p.m., Plane A[…]

Words of the Week

Patronize- Support; act superior toward; be a customer of Philanthropy- Good deeds (often financial) Prosperity- Good fortune; financial Prototype- Original work used as a model by others Purveyor- Furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer Subsidiary- Supplementary; subordinate; secondary Advocate- To urge; plead for One who argues for Altruistic- Unselfishly generous; concerned for others Bureaucracy- Government’s administration Charisma-[…]

Words of the Week!

Amalgam Mixture of different elements; alloy Corrosion Destruction by chemical action Dichotomy Split; divided in two parts (often contradictory) Dispersion Breaking up or scattering in various directions Dregs Sediment; worthless residue Ferment Breaking something down; civil unrest Hermetic Sealed airtight Impermeable Impervious; not permitting passage through Innate Inborn; possessed as an essential characteristic Malleable Capable[…]

Last minute SAT Reminders!

The test is only days away. Keep the following items in mind! ~~~MATH~~~ Total degree measure of a polygon: (n-2)*180 You CAN solve a linear function of 2 variables (x+y) or (x-y) even if you only have 2 equations Slope: ; as m increases, slope gets STEEPER Vertex of a parabola: y= a(x-h) 2 +k[…]

ACT Curriculum Overview

Reading The ACT Reading Section involves a dual challenge of reading quickly, but also understanding enough from the passage to answer the questions in a timely manner. I challenge each student to be able to read the passage in 2-3 minutes and answer the questions in 5-6 minutes. Students should average 8 minutes per reading section. I find that[…]

SAT Curriculum

Mathematics The SAT Math section covers topics that students learn in the middle school years all the way through eleventh grade. It also includes a few topics that students may not have seen in their school curriculum like probability and number theory. Although the SAT is no longer considered purely a test of aptitude, it still stretches[…]