Vocabulary #5

Acumen - keen insight, shrewdness
Ex: The boss was known for his financial acumen, and how quickly he was able to make those decisions.

Adjudicate - make a formal judgment or decision about a problem or disputed matter
Ex: The judge adjudicated that the accused criminal was not mentally sane to stand trial.

Anachronism - a thing belonging or appropriate to a period other than that in which it exists
Ex. My grandmother is an ancachronism in a sense, always wearing clothes from her time period, looking absolutely ridiculous compared to others on the street.

Apocryphal - of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true
Ex. Her apocryphal story turned out later to be false, just as we secretly suspected.

Disparity - a great difference
Ex. There is a vast disparity in the many members of the secret club, from farmers to politicians.

Dissimulate - conceal or disguise (one's thoughts, feelings, or character)
Ex. When you want to dissimulate how you're really feeling about someone, it is helpful to act the EXACT opposite way of how you really want to act towards them.

Empirical - derived from or guided by experience or experiment.
Ex. All of her empirical decisions were derived from all of the experiments she witnessed.

Flamboyant - tending to attract attention because of their exuberance, confidence, and stylishness
Ex. Tammy, the most popular girl in school, was known for constant flirtatiousness and flamboyant style of clothing, which attracted looks from all the boys at school.

Fulsome - complimentary or flattering to an excessive degree
Ex. The foreigners were fulsome in their gratitude, almost embarrassingly so.

Immolate - kill or offer as a sacrifice, esp. by burning.
Ex. The lamb was to be immolated at tonight's ritual, as an offering to the gods.

Imperceptible - impossible to perceive
Ex. The new shower curtains we had hung made it imperceptible to see the person in the shower.

Lackey - a servant
Ex. We always used to treat her as our personal lackey: making her carry around our stuff, fetch us anything we wanted, and act as the scapegoat.

Liaison - communication or cooperation that facilitates a close working relationship between people or organizations
Ex. Officer Ziva David acted as liaison between the federal agency NCIS and her own father's agency Massad.

Monolithic - very large and characterless
Ex. The unimpressive, monolithic monument did not seem to have any unique story about it. It was practically purposeless.

Mot juste - the exact, appropriate word
Ex. During a heated moment, curse words just happen to be mot juste to the argument.

Nihilism - the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless; extreme skepticism, according to which nothing in the world has a real existence
Ex. I am surrounded by constant nihilism: all of the people just refuse to believe there's a purpose in life.

Patrician - belonging to or characteristic of the aristocracy
Ex. You could tell she came from royalty: the patrician style of walking, with her head high, barely looking at the people around her.

Propitiate - win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them
Ex. The goal of all the villagers was to constantly propitiate the gods. They always found some way, every day, to try and please them.

Sic - to incite to attack, or to attack
Ex. I immediately yelled to my dog "SIC 'EM GUS" after spotting the intruder.

Sublimate - divert or modify (an instinctual impulse) into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity
Ex. We tried to sublimate our younger brother so the popular kids would stop making fun of his weird habits, but nothing we did worked.

Beowulf and Godsylla

Meanehwæl, baccat meaddehæle, monstær lurccen;
Fulle few too many drincce, hie luccen for fyht.
Ðen Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Æsccen æwful jeork to steop outsyd. Þhud! Bashe! Crasch! Beoom! Ðe bigge gye
Eallum his bon brak, byt his nose offe;
Wicced Godsylla wæld on his asse.
Monstær moppe fleor wyþ eallum men in hælle.
Beowulf in bacceroome fonecall bamaccen wæs;
Hearen sond of ruccus sæd, "Hwæt ðe helle?"
Graben sheold strang ond swich-blæd scharp
Stond feorth to fyht ðe grimlic foe. "Me," Godsylla sæd, "mac ðe minsemete."
Heoro cwyc geten heold wiþ fæmed half-nelson
Ond flyng him lic frisbe bac to fen
Beowulf belly up to meaddehæle bar,
Sæd, "Ne foe beaten mie færsom cung-fu."
Eorderen cocca-cohla yce-coeld, ðe reol þyng.

Translation:
Okay... What. The. Heck. I could not get through this without cracking up at least ten times. :)
Meanwhile, back the mead-hall, monster lurking;
Full few too many drinks, he was looking for a fight.
Then Hreorfneorhtðhwr, son of Hrwærowþheororthwl,
Asked the awful jerk to step outside. Thud! Bash! Crash! Boom! The big guy
All of his bones broke, bit his nose off;
Wicked Godzilla wailed(?) on his ass.
Monster mopped the floor with all of the men in the hall.
Beowulf was in back room making a phone call;
Hearing sound of ruckus said, "What the hell?"
Grabbing shield strong and switch-blade sharp
Stood forth to fight the grimlic foe. "Me," Godzilla said, "make the mincemeat."
Hero quick gotten hold with famed half-nelson
And flying him like a frisbee back to fen
Beowulf belly up to the mead-hall bar,
Said, "No foe has beaten my fearsome kung-fu."
Ordering coca-cola ice-cold, the real thing.

Vocabulary #4

Apostate - a person who has forsakes his religion, cause, party, etc.
         ex. The apostate left the church when he learned the truth of the religious practices they did.
Effusive - lacking reserve
         ex. Our guests had suspiciously effusive comments on our choice of silverware.
Impasse - a position or situation in which there is no escape, deadlock
         ex. It seemed as we had reached an impasse as we approached the huge tree trunk blocking our path.
Euphoria - a state of intense happiness and self-confidence
         ex. After her crush told her how pretty she looked, Amy was in a state of complete euphoria for the rest of the day.
Lugubrious - mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner
         ex. We had to endure the endless playlist of lugubrious break up songs all the way home.
Bravado - swaggering display of courage
         ex. The little boy showed much bravado after standing up to the neighborhood bully.
Consensus - majority of opinion, general agreement
         ex. We reached the consensus that our meetings should be moved from Monday to Friday.
Dichotomoy - division into two opposed or contradictory groups
         ex. The teacher asked the student to explain the dichotomy between malesand females.
Constrict - cause to contract or shrink, compress
         ex. Squeezing my throat, constricting air flow into my lungs, and the constant beating of my head was causing me to black out.
Gothic - a certain type of architecture that features flying buttresses, ornamental gables, etc.
         ex. We sneaked towards the ancient, gothic-style house, wary from all the stories we've heard of murderers, ghosts, and demons roaming the hallways.
Punctilio - strict attention to minute points of etiquette
         ex. They will not part with the least punctilio in their opinions and practices.
Metamorphosis - any complete change in character, appearance, circumstance, etc.
         ex. His complete change metamorphosis into this "hot jock" was quite a shock for everyone in the school.
Raconteur - a person who is skilled in relation stories interestingly
         ex. The local raconteur sat with all the village children surrounding him, each child anticipating the latest story that was to come.
Sine qua non - something essential; indispensable condition, element, or factor
         ex. The president of the prom committee was sine qua non to the setting up of the decorations, for she knew where everything was to be put.
Quixotic - exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic and impractical
         ex. As a child, my days at the playground were always taken up by the quixotic obsession of climbing the slide with my socks on.
Vendetta - any prolonged and bitter feud, rivalry, contention, etc.
         ex. An example of a vendetta would be the dealings between the Capulets and Montagues.
Non sequitur - a statement containing an illogical conclusion
         ex. Would you like fries with that?
Mystique - an aura of mystery, mystical power, or awe
         ex. The way he carried himself had a touch of mystique, as if there was something we didn't know about this man.
Quagmire (giggity.) - a situation from which extrication is very diffucult
         ex. The scientists have been stuck in this quagmire for the longest time, not finding any solution to the problem.
Parlous - perilous, dangerous
         ex. The parlous economic state in which the government found themselves was not good. Not good at all.

1987 AP Exam Multiple Choice Answers

I had these written down, just not posted. :P Sorry for the delay!

1. C
2. E
3. C
4. B
5. D
6. C
7. A
8. B
9. A
10. C
11. D
12. B
13. A
14. C
15. E
16. B
17. C
18. E
19. A
20. D
21. A
22. E
23. A
24. A
25. B
26. E
27. E
28. D
29. A
30. B
31. D
32. B
47. B
48. E
49. C
50. D
51. C
52. B
53. E
54. D
55. E
56. E
57. A
58. B
59. C
60. B
61. A

My AP Reading Choice

I decided to choose The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I was super excited when I saw that this book was on the list, because I have heard of it before but never had the chance to actually read it. I love reading about the Salem Witch Trials, whether it's actual historical fact or a slight tweak on what happened in that time period. I'm very interested in seeing how Arthur Miller wrote about this time, since I did enjoy his other book Death of a Salesman. :) Can't wait to get it crackin'.

Vocabulary #3

Definitions:

• Accolade - a mark of accomplishment, an award, an expression of praise
• Acerbity - being acid in temper, mood, or tone
• Attrition - reduction or decrease in numbers or size
• Bromide - a commonplace or tiresome statement
• Chauvinist - a person who is showing aggressive patriotism or an attitude of superiority
• Chronic - marked by a long duration or frequent recurrence; always present or encountered
• Expound - to set forth, to state, to defend an argument
• Factionalism - the splitting of a group into separate groups
• Immaculate - pure, containing no flaw or error
• Imprecation - curse, insult
• Ineluctable - not to be avoided, changed, or resisted
• Mercurial - characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood
• Palliate - to reduce the violence of; to cover by excuses and apologies
• Protocol - a code prescribing strict adherence to correct etiquette and precedence
• Resplendent - shining brilliantly, characterized by a glowing splendor
• Stigmatize - to describe or regard as worthy of disgrace or great disapproval; brand
• Sub Rosa - in confidence, secretly
• Vainglory - excessive pride especially in one's achievements
• Vestige - a trace, mark, or visible sign left by something
• Volition - an act of making a choice or decision

Sentences:

• The volleyball player received many accolades for her leadership on and off the court.
• My mom spoke to my sister with a touch of acerbity in her voice, as ashe was getting tired of her crazy antics.
• The club had an increase of attrition in members after the unpopular president was elected.
• The teacher uses plenty of corny bromides when talking to his students.
• At the country club, the many chauvinists are gathered around each hole, discussing the many lowly people beneath them.
• I suffer from chronic dancing disease: I just can't stop moving my feet when I hear that music! (Hehe.)
• No one dared to expound the subject that was brought up in the courtroom.
• Peace was finally threatened by the factionalism, drawing the unity of the people to a close.
• My room was simply immaculate after I was done vacuuming, dusting, and straightening.
• Throwing imprecations into a calm, non-aggressive debate just starts a juvenile argument between children.
• Her mood was mercurial sometimes that we didn't even know who she was one day or the next.
• In order to palliate the fight going on in the cafeteria, teachers rushed in and separated the two students immediately, taking them to separate rooms.
• It is strict protocol to NEVER come to work without your uniform.
• Her wedding ring gave off a resplendent glow as she took to the floor with her new husband.
• In "Awkward.", the protaganist is constantly stigmatized as a "suicidal freak."
• I am telling you this sub rosa, and it must be kept between the two of us.
• All the constant complimenting of her number one artpiece has raised her level of vainglory to an unspeakable height.
• The only vestige left behind by the knight was the faded footprint behind the house.
• Leaving of her own volition is a right that her family had to give her.

Beowulf Questions

I worked with Jessica Rothanzl for about 3 hours. We kind of used our brains plus some help from good ol' Google to answer the questions. I did more of the dictating of how we answered the question while she typed and double checked to make what we were saying more or less made sense.

Beowulf And Grendel

Prologue:

1.       Shield’s rise to power came from the fact that he was more powerful than the rest of the Danes. They sent Shield away on the ocean in a boat, along with many treasures. Hrothgar is one of Shield’s grandsons.

Heorot is Attacked

1.       Hrothgar decided to build a beautiful mead-house. Grendel later attacked the mead-house, and he took over. The attacks lasted for many years, and the Danes tried fighting him off but they were unsuccessful.

The Hero comes to Heorot:

1.       When he heard of Grendel’s doings he gathered 14 strong warriors and sailed to the land of the Danes.

2.       They meet one of Hrothgar’s henchmen. He asks who they are and why they came over here and told them they should leave. Beowulf replied that they were there to fight Grendel.

3.       Hrothgar’s herald is Wulfgar a proud warrior. He asks them what their business is. He then goes to Hrothgar and tells them that these warriors have come to seek a meeting with him. Hrothgar answers that he has heard of Beowulf and his land.  I was sort of shocked that he already knew about Beowulf.  

4.       He tells him he has defeated 5 giants and that he has come to defeat Grendel and rid him from the land of the Danes. Hrothgar and the Danes have helped the Geats against the Wylfings.

Feast at Heorot:

1.       Unferth accuses Beowulf of not being able to hand the fight with Grendel. Beowulf rises to the challenge and speaks of his superior strength and tells of a fight between him and sea creatures. This episode is relevant because it reveals part of Beowulf’s character and personality.

2.       Queen Wealhtheow came into the hall with a cup and allowed each of the men to drink out of it, then came to rest beside Hrothgar.

The Fight with Grendel:

1.       Beowulf had planned to fight Grendel without arms, since that was the way Grendel fought.

2.       Grendel finds all of the men sleeping, and then proceeds to eat some of the Geats. Beowulf, who was awake, gets up and tackles him, bending his claws back. Grendel tried wriggling out of Beowulf’s grasp, but Beowulf held him steadfast for awhile longer. He finally did escape, breaking his arm in the process, leaving his arm, claw, and shoulder. (Ouch!)

Celebration at Heorot

1.       Sigemund was more famous for defeating giants and dragons, getting all the glory from killing them, just like Beowulf had defeated Grendel. Heremod was “urged to crime” and followed a darker path, unlike Beowulf.

2.       Hrothgar thanks Beowulf for defeating Grendel and praises his mother. He promises him treasure for his good deed. Unferth had nothing to say.

3.       The story was kinda hard to understand, but I think Finn had a feud with someone, and Hildebruh watched them die. It does not suggest that it is wise to use women as brides.

4.       Wealhtheow asked Hrothgar not to make Beowulf the heir to the kingdom.

5.       The men stay in the beerhall to protect Hrothgar and their land from harm. It was dangerous to stay there though because Grendel or any other creature like Grendel could easily burst through again.

Beowulf and Grendel’s Mother

Another Attack

1.       Grendel’s mother went to Heorot in vengeance for her son, a different motive then Grendel.

2.       Hrothgar had tried to fight her off, but she ended up killing a close friend of Hrothgar’s, causing him much pain and sorrow.

3.       The mere is like an underwater lair, a place where Grendel and his mother have lived.

Beowulf Fights Grendel’s Mother

1.       Beowulf tells Hrothgar that he should attack in vengeance, not be sad. He says they should ride out and fight Grendel’s mother.

2.       Beowulf and his troop see sea creatures, and shoots one to look at it closer.

3.       Beowulf prepares by telling Hrothgar of his wish of sending his armor to Hygelac if he fails at defeating her, and he takes Unferth’s sword Hrunting to fight.

4.       Grendel’s mother senses he is there and grabs him to take to the lair. Surprisingly, there is no water in the lair, even though it is completely underwater.

5.       Beowulf throws the sword to the side, since he likes fighting by hand better.

6.       Grendel’s mother tries to stab him, but the armor protects him from it.

7.       Beowulf uses the sword Eotens to strike Grendel’s mother, killing her. After she dies, Beowulf sees Grendel’s body on the floor. He cuts off Grendel’s head, but the sword he uses melted because of the blood of the monsters.

8.       All the men who were still waiting rejoiced at seeing Beowulf, even though most believed that he was defeated.

Further Celebration at Heorot

1.       Beowulf gives Hrothgar the hilt of the sword he used to kill Grendel’s mother.

2.       Hrothgar tells Beowulf that he knows no one with the honor and bravery that Beowulf has. He tells how Heremod was famous for defeating enemies, but never shared his treasures with the poor. He was telling Beowulf to learn from the example of Heremod. He was also warning Beowulf of the dangers of selfishness.

3.       Beowulf returns Hrunting to Unferth.

Beowulf Returns Home

1.       Hrothgar predicts that Beowulf will become a “worthy and wise king.”

2.       Hygd is the wife of Hygelac, and she was kind unlike Modthryth who punished any man who looked upon her.

3.       He plans to do that to end a feud between the two. Beowulf does not believe in marriage, and thinks that men will still fight over Freawaru. This might be a new side to Beowulf that we have not seen. (Not totally sure if this answer is right.)

4.       Beowulf reports his stories almost exactly the way the story is presenting it. He is doing a very accurate job of it.

5.       Beowulf gives all of the treasure to Hygelac, and Hygelac in turn gives him Hrethel’s sword, a whole lot of land, a house, and a throne.

The Dragon Wakes

1.       Part 2 takes place 50 years later. Hygelac and Heardred have died, unknown how. A dragon has been awakened by mistake.

2.       The dragon is angry because someone came into his lair and took a cup from his treasure. The man took a cup to appease a king for some crime that he did. A person who wanted to guard the treasure from a lost race had left that treasure there to be guarded.

3.       The dragon blew fire onto many homes as it flew away to find the thief.

4.       Beowulf thought he had angered God by breaking an ancient law. He orders an iron shield because he knew wood would be useless against fire. He plans to go alone since he has fought many dangerous beasts since Grendel.

5.       Hygelac fell in hand-to-hand combat, and when he returned home, he became Regent to Hygelac’s son Heardred who was king.

6.       After giving some exiles shelter, someone came and killed Heardred, and Beowulf became King. Beowulf planned to avenge him by assembling an army and pursuing the man who killed Heardred.

7.       Beowulf brought 11 other companions to search for the dragon.

8.       Herebreald was killed accidentally by his younger brother Haethkyn. King Hrethel was heartbroken, for he had to send Haethkyn to the gallows to be sentenced to death. The Swedes and Geats began to fight after Hrethel died. Haethycn was killed. Beowulf avenged the death of Hygelac by killing Daeghrfen.

Beowulf Attacks Dragon

1.       Beowulf told his companions not to interfere with the battle.

2.       Beowulf at first holds his ground against the dragon, even when the dragon is breathing fire on him. His companions flee into the forest. Wiglaf is the only one who stays behind to see Beowulf fight. He told the others that it was a shame to let their leader fight alone, and then goes to help Beowulf in fighting the dragon.

3.       The second time Beowulf tried to strike the dragon with the sword, but it broke. He was just too strong for swords. The dragon bit Beowulf on the neck, and Wiglaf ended up killing the dragon by stabbing him in the hide.

4.       Beowulf asks Wiglaf to show him the treasure that they had acquired now that the dragon was dead. When he sees the gold, Beowulf thanks God for seeing the treasure before he died. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to mark the place where he was buried as Beowulf’s Barrow for all to know.

Beowulf’s Funeral

1.       The companions will not receive any of the treasure, for it will mean nothing if word gets out that they had run from battle. Wiglaf said: “for all of the gold that their lord had gifted to them at the mead-hall, any treasure he could find, was worthless for they had failed him in battle. In his final hour, "Beowulf wreaked his revenge on the dragon.”

2.       The messenger told the city that their leader was on his death bed with the dragon dead beside him, with Wiglaf watching over both. Ongenthow attacked and defeated the king and took the queen as his own. Hygelac soon came to defeat him, and Ongenthow retreated to his home. He says the treasure should be buried with Beowulf, and the final image is of the dragon.

3.       Wiglaf tells the crowd of the death of their leader, and that they should not keep the gold for themselves.

4.       They tossed the dragon’s body into the sea, back to where it came from.

5.       They laid Beowulf’s armor and weapons on his funeral pyre and lit it on fire. A few days later a monument was built in honor of Beowulf and his legacy.

6.       The last three lines say: “quoth that of all the kings of earth, of men he was mildest and most beloved, to his kin the kindest, keenest for praise.” This wouldn’t be the kind of words I would use to describe a military hero. I would think of a kind, generous king that was peaceful instead of famous Beowulf, always killing monsters.