Academic Encounters

Chapter 3 Vocabulary

Section 1

1. adolescence (teenage years) Adolescence is a time of physical, mental, and emotional change for most people.

2. turmoil (lack of stability; being mixed up) The 1960s were a time of political and social turmoil in the United States.

3. rebellion (breaking away from the norm) James Dean became famous in his movie Rebel Without a Cause. He portrays a rebellious young man.

4. perspective (point of view) I have a different perspective on this problem than you do because I am older than you.

Section 2

5. a marked increase (a substantial increase) The rate of tuberculosis among homeless people in Seattle showed a marked increase.

6. the premium on s.t. (the value or worth) The premium put on good math skills is very high.

7. in retrospect (looking back on s.t.) In retrospect, I should have become a dog catcher instead of a politician. Dog catchers are more popular.

8. onset (beginning or start of s.t.) A bad cough is symptomatic of the onset of the flu.

Section 3

9. abstract (not physical or concrete) Adolescents become increasingly interested in abstract ideas like the meaning of existence, etc.

10. ponder (think deeply about; wonder about) I was pondering my future when I suddenly got the idea to become a dog catcher.

11. contemplation (deep thought about s.t.) Contemplation of time and the universe is something that both scientists and religious people do.

12 . foundation (base of s.t.) Reading is the foundation of learning.

13. integrate (to put together) Critical thinking involves integrating ideas from different areas.

14. trivial question (unimportant) Your question about the eating habits of earthworms is trivial.

15. engage in (do, start s.t.) We are going to engage in a discussion on the eating habits of earthworms.

16. a tendency to do s.t. (likely to do s.t.) I have a tendency to get angry when people say bad things about dogcatchers.

17. alienation (feelings of being separated, not belonging). Alienation is one of the common negative feelings that adolescents have.

18. submissiveness (tendency to follow orders, give in) Sheep are very submissive animals. They just follow the leader.

19. conformity (following the crowd) When I was young, I was a non-conformist. All my friends wanted to be lawyers, but I wanted to be a dog or cat catcher.

20. free rein (to have freedom to do s.t.) You can have free rein in this essay. You can write about anything you want.

Section 4

21. tragic (extremely unfortunate, a bad event) The accident was tragic. He lost both legs and his sight.

22. magnified (increased) Stress is magnified if people feel they have no way to control it.

23. stem the tide of s.t. (control the spread of s.t.) Bill Gates has donated a lot of money to help stem the tide of AIDS.

24. impending (coming soon, imminent) The impending storm is expected to bring heavy rain and wind.

25. ample (plenty) Seattle depends on ample snowfall in the winter in the mountains.

26. campaign against s.t. (a program, or movement) The campaign against smoking has not been very successful.