Fiske 250 Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know

by Edward Fiske, Jane Mallison, Dave Hatcher

Overview

Learn the words you need to succeed in college

Applying to colleges and preparing for the next leg of your academic career is a stressful and chaotic time for everyone. But knowing these 250 words will help you prepare for a new world of academic rigors.

Using this book as a key learning tool in your college prep process, you will...

• expand your toolkit of words for standardized tests and application essays
• prepare for demanding essay and writing assignments
• supplement homeschool vocabulary curriculum
• bolster skills with English as a second language
• build a life-long appreciation for words

Every year, tens of thousands of families trust Edward Fiske, author of the #1 bestselling Fiske Guide to Colleges and the former education editor of the New York Times, as their guide for honest advice on creating the best educational experience possible. Together with vocabulary experts Jane Mallison and David Hatcher, Fiske 250 Words Every High School Graduate Needs to Know teaches students the most important words they will encounter in college, across a wide range of subjects and skill levels.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402260827
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	08/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
File size:	513 KB

About the Author

Edward B. Fiske served for seventeen years as education editor of the New York Times, and he is the author of Fiske Guide to Colleges and numerous other books on college admissions.

Jane Mallison has taught for more than twenty years and has served on the College Board SAT Committee. David Hatcher has written and co-written several books, workbooks, and other training materials on vocabulary, writing, proofreading and editing, and related subjects. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and in national magazines. Jane Mallison and David Hatcher have MA degrees from, respectively, Duke University and Indiana University. This is their first collaboration since their joint journalistic efforts as undergraduates.

Edward B. Fiske is the founder and editor of the Fiske Guide to Colleges. A former Education Editor of the New York Times, Fiske is known around the world for his award-winning writing on topics ranging from trends in American higher education to school reform in Southeast Asia, New Zealand and South Africa.

The guide was established in 1982 when, covering higher education for the Times, Fiske sensed the need for a publication that would help students and parents navigate the increasingly complex college admissions scene. The guide, an annual publication, immediately became a standard part of college admissions literature and it is now the country’s best-selling college guide.

Fiske has teamed up with his wife, Helen F. Ladd, a professor at Duke University, on several major international research projects regarding the development of education in various countries. Together, they are co-editors of the Handbook of Research in Education Finance and Policy, the official handbook of the American Education Finance Association. Fiske’s journalistic travels have taken him to more than 60 countries on behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development, UNESCO and the Asia Society.

Born in Philadelphia, Fiske graduated from Wesleyan University summa cum laude, and received master’s degrees in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary and in political science from Columbia University. He is a regular contributor to the International Herald-Tribune. In addition to the New York Times, his articles and book reviews have appeared in Atlantic Monthly, Chronicle of Higher Education, Los Angeles Times, and other national publications.

A resident of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Fiske serves on a number of boards of non-profit organizations working for access to college and international understanding. He is also a founding member of the board of the Central Park School for Children, a charter school in Durham.

Jane Mallison has taught for more than twenty years and has served on the College Board SAT Committee.

David Hatcher has written and co-written several books, workbooks, and other training materials on vocabulary, writing, proofreading and editing, and related subjects. His writing has been published in the Washington Post and in national magazines.

Read an Excerpt

Excerpt from Chapter 1: Aggressive Words

"Comin'-at-ya!" That's, more or less, the literal meaning of "aggressive." Whether actual or just implied, the words below all involve some form of attack.

1. Scathe (rhymes with bathe)
This means "to harm or injure" and comes into English from Old Norse; those Vikings knew a thing or two about scathing. Today, you'll see it mostly in the two forms illustrated below.

• While Henrik would never hit a member of his family, his scathing comments are brutal enough.
• The powerful force of Hurricane Katrina left no resident of New Orleans unscathed.

2. Lacerate (LASS-er-ate)
This word refers to ripping or tearing, whether literal or figurative.

• The pit-bull attack left Jeff with deep lacerations on his shin.
• The English translation of Jonathan Swift's self-written Latin epitaph refers to death as the only place where his heart would not be lacerated by a fierce indignation.

3. Disparage (dis-PAIR-idge)
Though not as cruel as scathe or lacerate, this verb refers to a withering belittlement of someone or something. (The root word is related to the word peer, so if you're dis-peered, you're being made less of an equal than the speaker.)

• Because Angela is insecure about her abilities, she finds it important to disparage the ideas of others, even before they've been given a hearing.
• Martin's disparagement of Bethany's attempts to make him happy gradually led to their break-up.

4. Deride (de-RIDE)
Akin in meaning to disparage, this verb contains the additional tinge of meaning "scornful laughter."

• In Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, Helena, ignorant of the magic potion put onto the eyes of Lysander and Demetrius, feels sure their declarations of love are attempts to deride her.
• "I'd rather have you make a straightforward attack on me than to treat my ideas with such derision in our staff meetings," asserted Randolph nervously to his supervisor.

5. Temerity (tem-ER-it-ee)
From the Latin word meaning rash, this noun means "extreme boldness." Someone with temerity exhibits a foolish disregard for danger. There is actually an adjective form of the word, temerarious, but using this uncommon form would be a little bit audacious.

• Oliver Twist had the temerity to ask for some more porridge when he knew the directors of the orphanage were determined to feed the boys as little as possible.
• It took a lot of temerity for the soldier to cross No Man's Land in the middle of a skirmish.

6. Diatribe (DYE-ah-tribe)
The root of the Greek word diatribe or "learned discourse" is diatribein, which means "to consume or wear away." In English, the noun means "a bitter, abusive lecture."

• Stalin's speech was a furious diatribe, harshly critical of his political opponents.
• Xiao Xiao's cutting humor and brutal sarcasm made each of her movie reviews a hilarious diatribe against contemporary culture.

7. Animus (AN-i-muss)
In its general meaning this noun expresses the idea of a hostile disposition, ill will toward someone. (In Jungian psychology the word describes masculine aspects of a female's unconscious.) The noun form is animosity.

• "Why do all of your remarks to me have such an animus? I haven't done anything to deserve this jeering," said the fed-up Malcolm.
• The comic book character Animus deserves his name, for he is indeed a hatemonger and expresses animosity toward others.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Aggressive Words
2. Fighting Words
3. Flabby Words
4. Funny Words
5. Farrago
Quiz #1
6. Lighthearted Words
7. Logophile Words
8. Mental Words
9. Nature Words
10. Gallimaufry
Quiz #2
11. "No" Words
12. Powerful Words
13. Repeating Words
14. Riddling Words
15. Hodgepodge
Quiz #3
16. Scholarly Words
17. Shape-Shifting Words
18. Short Words
19. Sinful Words.
20. Olio
Quiz #4
21. Smart Words
22. Tiny Words
23. Uncertain Words
24. Unchanging Words
25. Potpourri
Quiz #5

Appendix: Quiz Answers
About the Authors