Gradutate Record Exam

1. Vicissitude(n): a change or variation occurring in the course of something; regular change or succession of one state or thing to another; the quality of being changeable; One of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings.
Synonyms: alteration, change, difficulty, diversity, mutability, mutation, reversal, shift, switch, variation, variety.

2. Propitious(adj): presenting favorable conditions; indicative of favor; auspicious; favorably inclined; Kindly; gracious; likely to result in or show signs of success.
Synonyms: advantageous, auspicious, beneficial, benign, encouraging, favorable, friendly, gracious, helpful, opportune, promising, prosperous, rosy, timely.

3. Hasten(v): to move or act swiftly; to cause to hurry; to speed up; accelerate; speed up the progress of; facilitate; cause to occur rapidly; to drive or urge forward; to push on.
Synonyms: accelerate, advance, barrel, bolt, dart, drive, expedite, fleet, gallop, hie, hurry, precipitate, precipitate press, push, quicken, race, run, rush, scamper, scurry, speed, trot, urge, whisk.

4. Minutiae(n): small or trifling matters; Usually, minutiae. precise details.
Synonyms: details, ins and outs, items, odds and ends, particulars, trivia.

5. Dogged(adj): persistent in effort; damned; confounded; stubbornly tenacious; to track or trail persistently; To hold or fasten with a mechanical device; obstinately determined.
Synonyms: adamant, determined, headstrong, insistent, mulish, obstinate, persevering, persistent, staunch, steadfast, stubborn, tenacious, unshakable, unyielding.

6. Commotion(n): A condition of turbulent motion; An agitated disturbance; political or social disturbance; confused movement.
Synonyms: agitation, bouleversement, brouhaha, bustle, clamor, clatter, convulsion, flap, flare, flourish, fluster, fracas, fuss, hubbub, hurly-burly, mutiny, pandemonium, perturbation, pother, racket, revolt, riot, tempest, todo, tumult, turmoil, upheaval, uproar.

7. Addendum(n): a thing to be added; an addition; an appendix to a book; Something added or to be added, especially a supplement to a book.

8. Puckish(adj): mischievous; impish; naughtily or annoyingly playful
Synonyms: impish, mischievous, mysterious, naughty, playful, wicked.

9. Impecunious(adj): having little or no money; penniless; poor, not having enough money to pay for necessities
Synonyms: broke, destitute, impoverished, indigent, needy, penniless, poverty-stricken.


Issue Topic:

1. It is primarily through formal education that a culture tries to perpetuate the ideas it favors and discredit the ideas it fears.

2. It is often necessary, even desirable, for political leaders to withhold information from the public.


Argument Topic:

1. The following appeared in an article in a magazine for writers

"A recent study showed that in describing a typical day's conversation, people make an average of 23 references to watching television and only 1 reference to reading fiction. This result suggests that, compared with the television industry, the publishing and bookselling industries are likely to decline in profitability. Therefore, people who wish to have careers as writers should acquire training and experience in writing for television rather than for print media."