Professional Documents
Culture Documents
(//www.collegevine.com/)
ESSAY REVIEW S U B M IT Y OU R E S S AY
(//WWW.COLLEGEVINE.COM/APPLY/SUBMIT-
ESSAY)
BLOG IN S I GH T S
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM)
ZEN RE LA X
(//WWW.COLLEGEVINE.COM/WELCOME/ZEN/)
LEARN MORE F R E E C ON S U LT AT IO N
(//WWW.COLLEGEVINE.COM/FREE-
CONSULTATION/)
activities/)
Academics (https://blog.collegevine.com/high-school-academics/)
Search …
24
SUBSCRIBE
When taking the ACT essay section, students have 45 minutes to write a well-reasoned
argumentative essay about a given prompt. The new ACT Essay prompts tend to be about
“debate” topics — two sides of an issue are presented, with no obviously “right” side.
Oftentimes, these subjects carry implications for broader issues such as freedom or
morality. Test-takers are expected to convey some stance on the issue and support their
argument with relevant facts and analysis.
In addition to some of the more obvious categories, like grammar and structure, students’
essays are also evaluated on their mastery of the English language. One way to
demonstrate such mastery is through the correct usage of advanced vocabulary words.
Below are 50 above-average vocabulary words sorted by the contexts in which they could
most easily be worked into an ACT essay.
These words can easily be used when stating facts and describing examples to support
one’s argument. On ACT essays, common examples are trends or patterns of human
behavior, current or past events, and large-scale laws or regulations.
A t d t di tf thi N
Antecedent – a precursor, or preceding event for something – N
Entrenched – characterized by something that is rmly established and di cult to change – Adj.
Instill – to gradually but rmly establish an idea or attitude into a person’s mind – V
Context 2: Analysis
These words can often be used when describing common patterns between examples or
casting some form of opinion or judgement.
Demagogue – a political leader or person who looks for support by appealing to prejudices instead
Deter – to discourage someone from doing something by making them doubt or fear the
consequences – V
Zealot – a person who is fanatical and uncompromising in pursuit of their religious, political, or other
ideals – N
These words are appropriate for taking a stance on controversial topics, placing greater
weight on one or the other end of the spectrum, usually touching on abstract concepts,
g p y g p
and/or related to human nature or societal issues.
Autonomy – independence or self governance; the right to make decisions for oneself – N
Dichotomy – a division or contrast between two things that are presented as opposites or entirely
di erent – N
Although it’s true that vocabulary is one of the lesser criteria by which students’ ACT essays
are graded, the small boost it may give to a student’s score could be the di erence
between a good score and a great score. For those who are already con dent in their
ability to create and support a well-reasoned argument but still want to go the extra mile,
having a few general-purpose, impressive-sounding vocabulary words up one’s sleeve is a
great way to tack on even more points.
To learn more about the ACT test, check out these CollegeVine posts:
breakdown/)
the-satact-is-the-most-important/)
Angela Yang
(Https://Blog.Collegevine.Com/Author/Angeqyang/)
Angela is a student at Cornell College of Engineering. At CollegeVine, she works
primarily as ACT Verbal Division Manager. She enjoys teaching a variety of subjects
(https://blog.collegevine.com/author/angeqyang/)
and helping students realize their dreams.
(https://blog.collegevine.com/3-
(https://blog.collegevine.com/how-
(https://blog.collegevine.com/the-
(https://blog.collegevine.com/5-
grammar-rules-every- the-acts-graded-a- 4-types-of-passages- reasons-the-new-act-
student-messes-up-on- breakdown/) youll-see-on-act- essay-is-a-better-
the-act/) How the ACT’s Graded: A reading/) measure-of-your-actual-
3 Grammar Rules Every Breakdown The 4 Types of Passages writing-abilities/)
Student Messes Up On (https://blog.collegevine.com/how-
You’ll See on ACT 5 Reasons the New ACT
the ACT the-acts-graded-a- Reading Essay Is a Better
(https://blog.collegevine.com/3-
breakdown/) (https://blog.collegevine.com/the-
Measure of Your Actual
grammar-rules-every- 4-types-of-passages- Writing Abilities
student-messes-up-on- youll-see-on-act- (https://blog.collegevine.com/5-
the-act/) reading/) reasons-the-new-act-
essay-is-a-better-
measure-of-your-actual-
writing-abilities/)
(https://blog.collegevine.com/13-
tips-for-act-test-day/)
13 Tips for ACT Test Day
(https://blog.collegevine.com/13-
tips-for-act-test-day/)
POST TAGS
ACT (https://blog.collegevine.com/tag/act/)
vocabulary (https://blog.collegevine.com/tag/vocabulary/)
About CollegeVine
Our mission is to help students and their families con dently navigate high school and the
college admissions process. We o er Mentorship
(https://www.collegevine.com/prepare/mentorship/), SAT Tutoring
(https://www.collegevine.com/prepare/sat-tutoring/), and Application Guidance
(https://www.collegevine.com/apply/college-apps/).
Popular Posts
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/14-AWESOME-INTERNSHIPS-FOR-HIGH-
SCHOOL-STUDENTS/) 14 AWESOME INTERNSHIPS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/14-AWESOME-INTERNSHIPS-FOR-HIGH-
SCHOOL-STUDENTS/)
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/WHAT-TO-SAY-IN-A-COLLEGE-INTERVIEW-
RESPONDING-TO-TELL-ME-ABOUT-YOURSELF/) WHAT TO SAY IN A COLLEGE
INTERVIEW: RESPONDING TO ‘TELL ME ABOUT YOURSELF’
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/WHAT-TO-SAY-IN-A-COLLEGE-INTERVIEW-RESPONDING-
TO-TELL-ME-ABOUT-YOURSELF/)
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/HOW-TO-WRITE-MOCK-TRIAL-OPENING-AND-
(
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/PARENTS-OF-RISING-SENIORS-6-IMPORTANT-
REMINDERS/) PARENTS OF RISING SENIORS: 6 IMPORTANT REMINDERS
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/PARENTS-OF-RISING-SENIORS-6-IMPORTANT-
REMINDERS/)
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/THE-ULTIMATE-GUIDE-TO-OBJECTIONS-IN-
MOCK-TRIAL/) THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO OBJECTIONS IN MOCK TRIAL
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/THE-ULTIMATE-GUIDE-TO-OBJECTIONS-IN-
MOCK-TRIAL/)
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/ADMISSIONS-HEROS-TOP-25-COMBINED-
BSMD-PROGRAMS/) COLLEGEVINE’S TOP 25 COMBINED BS/MD PROGRAMS
(HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/ADMISSIONS-HEROS-TOP-25-COMBINED-
BSMD-PROGRAMS/)
Essay Breakdowns
COLLEGE/)
UNIVERSITY/)
CALTECH (HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/ESSAY-BREAKDOWN/CALTECH/)
UNIVERSITY/)
MIT (HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/ESSAY-BREAKDOWN/MIT/)
DAME-UNIVERSITY/)
BREAKDOWN/PRINCETON-UNIVERSITY/)
UC SCHOOLS (HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/ESSAY-BREAKDOWN/UC-SCHOOLS/)
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO (HTTPS://BLOG.COLLEGEVINE.COM/ESSAY-
BREAKDOWN/UNIVERSITY-OF-CHICAGO/)
CONTACT US
CollegeVine
Cambridge, MA 02140
support@collegevine.com (mailto:support@collegevine.com)
Mentorship (//www.collegevine.com/prepare/mentorship/)
Contact Us (//www.collegevine.com/about/contact/)
NEWSLETTER
Subscribe to our newsletter. We'll keep you updated on all things admissions, high school, test prep,
and more.
(//www.collegevine.com/)
About (//www.collegevine.com/about/mission-statement/)
(https://facebo
(https://tw
(https