Prepare for the MCAT with these vocabulary and key terms practice questions. This covers essential terms from biology, chemistry, physics, and psychology sections.
Q: embodies
Answer: convey the impression of represent, to represent
Q: deserts
Answer: an outcome (good or bad) that is well deserved
Q: foster
Answer: help develop, help grow
Q: esoteric
Answer: understood only by a small group or a select few
Q: a priori
Answer: reasoning based on generalprinciples
Q: aback
Answer: unexpected, surprised
Q: abase
Answer: degrade
Q: abash
Answer: humiliate, embarrass
Q: abate
Answer: lessen, subside
Q: abatement
Answer: reduction, decrease, reduction
Q: abdicate
Answer: relinquish power orposition
Q: abet
Answer: aid, encourage (typically ofcrime)
Q: abeyance
Answer: temporary suspension
Q: abhor
Answer: to detest; to hate strongly
Q: abject
Answer: wretched, pitiful
Q: wretched
Answer: Miserable, pathetic
Q: abjure
Answer: to renounce, repudiate under oath; to avoid, shun
Q: renounce
Answer: to give up or resign something
Q: ablate
Answer: cut away
Q: ablution
Answer: Act of cleansing,cleansing
Q: accolade
Answer: applause, tribute, praise, an award
Q: tribute
Answer: praise, honor, homage, recognition, commendation, glorification, money, tax, levy
Q: aboriginal
Answer: indigenous, native
Q: native
Answer: person or thing that is born in a certain place
Q: abound
Answer: be plentiful
Q: abreast
Answer: side-by-side
Q: abrogate
Answer: cancel
Q: abscess
Answer: infected and inflamed tissue
Q: abscond
Answer: to run away (secretly)
Q: absolve
Answer: acquit, free from blame
Q: abstain
Answer: refrain
Q: abstract
Answer: difficult to understand, not concrete; theoretical
Q: concrete
Answer: definite or specific; real, tangible
Q: tangible
Answer: capable of being touched; real, concrete
Q: intangible
Answer: Unable to be touched or grasped; not having physical presence
Q: abstruse
Answer: hard to understand
Q: abut
Answer: touch, border on
Q: abysmal
Answer: deficient, sub par
Q: abyss
Answer: chasm, bottomless pit
Q: chasm
Answer: a deep, gaping hole; a gorge
Q: accede
Answer: to agree to
Q: acclaim
Answer: praise, approval; to salute; to hail
Q: acclimate
Answer: accustom oneself to aclimate, adjust
Q: acclivity
Answer: ascent, incline
Q: empirical
Answer: based on observation or experiment and not on theory
Q: ascertain
Answer: to find out for certain
Q: Untenable
Answer: Unable to be maintained or defended against attack or objection
Q: Mitigate
Answer: To lessen; Mollify; Abate; Assuage
Q: Derision
Answer: Contemptuous ridicule or mockery
Q: Interpose
Answer: To place or insert between one thing and another; To say (words) as an interruption; Interpolate
Q: Teleology
Answer: The assigning of purpose to otherwise purposeless things
Q: Spurious
Answer: Not being what it claims to be: Fake or false
Q: Abate
Answer: To reduce in degree, amount, or intensity
Q: Axiom
Answer: A statement or proposition which is regarded as being established, accepted, or a self-evident truth
Q: Bilk
Answer: To cheat
Q: Panoply
Answer: An impressive array
Q: Levity
Answer: Overly casual
Q: Castigate
Answer: To reprimand severely
Q: Ebullient
Answer: Cheerful and full of energy
Q: Inscrutable
Answer: Difficult or impossible to comprehend or interpret
Q: Mendacious
Answer: Dishonest
Q: Opaque
Answer: Unable to see through
Q: Stochastic
Answer: Randomly determined
Q: Disparate
Answer: Fundamentally different
Q: Petulant
Answer: Bad tempered; Cantankerous: Querulous; Testy; Peevish; Irascible
Q: Parochial
Answer: Narrow in scope; Myopic
Q: Acidulous
Answer: Sour in taste or manner
Q: Arrogate
Answer: To claim without justification
Q: Collusion
Answer: Secret or illegal cooperation
Q: Laudable
Answer: Praiseworthy
Q: Fomenting
Answer: To instigate; To stir up
Q: Inexorable
Answer: Impossible to stop or prevent
Q: Invective
Answer: Insulting, harsh, or abusive language; Vituperation
Q: Cavalier
Answer: Showing a lack of proper concern; Haughty; Arrogant
Q: Sublimate
Answer: To modify an instinctual impulse into a culturally and sociably acceptable action/behavior
Q: Prodigal
Answer: Lavish; Wastefully extravagant; Profligate
Q: Repudiate
Answer: To deny/reject the validity of
Q: Alacrity
Answer: Willingness; Eagerness
Q: Gregarious
Answer: Sociable; Outgoing
Q: Intrepid
Answer: Fearless
Q: Zeitgeist
Answer: The defining mood or spirit in a particular part of history
Q: Pusillanimous
Answer: Showing a lack of courage; Cowardly
Q: Veracity
Answer: Filled with truth and accuracy
Q: Apologist
Answer: Someone who creates an argument in the defense of something controversial
Q: Eschew
Answer: To abstain from; To deliberately avoid using…He focuses on the kernel, and on code and quality, and almost completely eschews politics.
Q: Incredulity
Answer: A state of being unable or unwilling to believe something
Q: Tirade
Answer: A long, harsh speech or verbal attack
Q: Mollify
Answer: To calm or make less severe
Q: Pejorative
Answer: Disparaging; Derogatory
Q: Polemic
Answer: Controversy; Argument
Q: Mercurial
Answer: Unpredictable
Q: Germane
Answer: Relevant to a subject
Q: univariate
Answer: 1 set of data
Q: phenomena
Answer: observable facts or events, something that is impressive or extraordinary
Q: operationalization
Answer: putting knowledge into practice or skill, the process by which concepts are made measurable.
Q: abstract
Answer: difficult to understand; impersonal; theoretical, theoretical; complex, difficult
Q: Deviate
Answer: to depart, especially from a path or plan
Q: attribute
Answer: essential quality, a characteristic
Q: hegemony
Answer: predominant influence of one nation over another, strong influence; domination
Q: critique
Answer: a critical review