158 MCGRAW-HILL’S SAT
Vocabulary Lesson 46: Good Learnin’
Today’s roots: arkhaios ancient demos people
logos study, word, speech genea descent❑ etymology(n) the study of the origin of words (etymon-Gr true sense +logosword)
A good understanding of etymologycan help you succeed on the SAT I.❑ archaeology(n) the study of past cultures (arkhaiosGr ancient +logiastudy)
There are many fascinating archaeologicalsites right in the center of Athens.❑ anthropology(n) the study of human cultures (anthros-humankind+logiastudy)
Anthropologistsare fascinated by the similarities between tribal rituals and modern social conventions.❑ ethics(n) the study of and philosophy of moral choice (ethos-character)
The more deeply one studies ethics,the less one is able to think in terms of moral absolutes.❑ semantics(n) the study of the meanings of words and symbols (sema-sign)
It’s amazing that the noun pedestrianand the adjective pedestriancan be so different semantically.❑ theology(n) the study of religion (theos-god+logiastudy)
While in Catholic school, we had many theologicaldiscussions about the role of God in daily life.❑ pathology(n) the study of disease (pathossuffering+logiastudy)
The tissue sample was sent to the pathologylab to determine if there was any disease in the liver.❑ sociology(n) the study of human social behavior and social institutions (socius-fellow+logiastudy)
I was amazed to learn in sociologyclass that mandatory schooling until age sixteen is a fairly recent practice.❑ entomology(n) the study of insects (entomon-insect+logiastudy)
Anna spends so much time burrowing in the yard that she may know more about bugs than most entomologists.❑ genealogy(n) the study of ancestry (geneadescent+logiastudy)
Sarah was so fascinated by genealogythat she compiled a three-volume guide to her family ancestry.❑ demographics(n) the study of statistics relating to human populations (demos-people+grapheinto write)
Thedemographicsreveal that Democratic candidates typically perform better in urban areas than in rural areas.❑ oncology(n) the study of tumors (onco-tumor+logiastudy)
When my doctor discovered a tumor near my kidney, he referred me to the best oncologiston the staff.❑ paleontology(n) the study of fossils and ancient life (palailong ago +logiastudy)
I like to dig in my backyard and pretend I’m a paleontologistmaking an important fossil discovery.❑ neurology(n) the study of the human brain and nervous system (neuronGr nerve)
I love studying the brain, but I don’t want to cut it up; I think I prefer neurologyto neurosurgery.