"Simon's Saga," Vocabulary from Episode 34

Philip Geer's "Simon's Saga" includes 820 SAT-level words and gives students an entertaining glimpse into college life.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 22, Episode 23, Episode 24, Episode 25, Episode 26, Episode 27, Episode 28, Episode 29, Episode 30, Episode 31, Episode 32, Episode 33, Episode 34, Episode 35, Episode 36, Episode 37
25 words 201 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. vignette
    a brief literary description
    There was that vignette due for Miss Bridget tomorrow morning at ten.
  2. aptitude
    inherent ability
    Simon, I think you have aptitudes you’re not using. I do not accept that in my students.
  3. derivative
    not original; secondary
    I want you—your voice, your style, your ideas—not something derivative or a mere pastiche.
  4. pastiche
    a work of art that imitates the style of some previous work
    I want you—your voice, your style, your ideas—not something derivative or a mere pastiche.
  5. fanatical
    marked by excessive enthusiasm for a cause or idea
    Within this category he had perceived two subgroups: the truly dedicated and the fanatically dedicated.
  6. ineffectual
    not producing an intended consequence
    Charm was completely ineffectual on them.
  7. rationalization
    a defense mechanism explaining actions non-threateningly
    Any excuse outside of death was considered a rationalization
  8. posthumously
    after death
    and even the Big D had to be well documented and justified, posthumously, of course, in clear, concise language, or your grade wouldn’t appear on your transcript.
  9. archetype
    something that serves as a model
    Of this dedicated type, Miss Bridget was the archetype.
  10. multiplicity
    a large number
    Videos, scouting reports, playbooks—a multiplicity of things to study.
  11. obliterate
    do away with completely, without leaving a trace
    You see, Miss Bridget, we still have to obliterate them, and we have absolutely no idea whether the way we’re planning to do it will do the trick.
  12. extenuating
    partially excusing or justifying
    I even admit that in this case there are some extenuating circumstances.
  13. judicious
    marked by the exercise of common sense in practical matters
    However, you’ll have to learn to plan your time more judiciously.
  14. vermin
    any of various small animals or insects that are pests
    Maybe we’re vermin to be exterminated, as in Independence Day.
  15. devoid
    completely wanting or lacking
    They’re probably totally devoid of concern for our species.
  16. obeisance
    bending the head or body in reverence or submission
    I pay obeisance to you in the name of Dickens, Twain, Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Hemingway, Mailer, and all the saints, both living and dead.
  17. luminary
    a celebrity who is an inspiration to others
    And hadn’t no less a luminary in American literature than Willa Cather opined that, “There are only two or three great human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.”
  18. opine
    express one's view openly and without fear or hesitation
    And hadn’t no less a luminary in American literature than Willa Cather opined that, “There are only two or three great human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before.”
  19. subterranean
    lying beyond what is openly revealed or avowed
    Well, if that were true, his novel must be really subterranean, so far down in his psyche that it might as well not exist.
  20. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
    He’d be lucky to write a decent page that wasn’t totally banal and insipid.
  21. prose
    ordinary writing as distinguished from verse
    Especially when she was described in powerful, dramatic, unadorned prose: “The pretty girl was sitting across from me in class. She looked at me. I looked at her.
  22. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
    No superfluous words or figurative language to distract the reader from the subject.
  23. figurative
    not literal
    No superfluous words or figurative language to distract the reader from the subject.
  24. context
    the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation
    Of course, for the average guy, in this context “persons” basically meant girls.
  25. keen
    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
    He would be Balzac, keenly observing Parisian life.
Created on Tue Aug 19 09:22:38 EDT 2014 (updated Tue Aug 19 17:29:37 EDT 2014)

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