Vivacious Vocabulary
TWO IDEAS, CHARACTERS, EVENTS, OR ACTIONS BEING PLACED SIDE BY SIDE IN ORDER TO CREATE A CONTRAST.
JUXTAPOSITON
Example: Two siblings in a story are opposites-one is always good and one is always evil.
What was the name of the ship on which the Pilgrims traveled to North America in 1620?
The Mayflower
Mayflower, in American colonial history, the ship that carried the Pilgrims from England to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where they established the first permanent New England colony in 1620. Although no detailed description of the original vessel exists, marine archaeologists estimate that the square-rigged sailing ship weighed about 180 tons and measured 90 feet (27 metres) long. In addition, some sources suggest that the Mayflower was constructed in Harwich, England, shortly before English merchant Christopher Jones purchased the vessel in 1608.
Who was the first President of the United States?
George Washington
Washington was an American political leader, military general, statesman, and Founding Father, who also served as the first President of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Washington commanded Patriot forces in the new nation's vital American Revolutionary War, and led them to victory over the British. Washington also presided at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, which established the new federal government. For his manifold leadership during the American Revolution, he has been called the "Father of His Country".
Who did James Early Ray assassinate in Memphis in April 1968?
Martin Luther King Jr.
He was an American Baptist minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1954 until his assassination in 1968. Born in Atlanta, King is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, tactics his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi helped inspire. King led the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and in 1957 became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference(SCLC). With the SCLC, he led an unsuccessful 1962 struggle against segregation in Albany, Georgia, and helped organize the nonviolent 1963 protests in Birmingham, Alabama. He also helped organize the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance.
The Revolution of 1800 brought this president into office.
Thomas Jefferson
POLITE, INDIRECT EXPRESSIONS WHICH REPLACE WORDS AND PHRASES CONSIDERED HARSH AND IMPOLITE OR WHICH SUGGEST SOMETHING UNPLEASANT. EX: "KICK THE BUCKET."
EUPHEMISM
Example: Passed away instead of died.
What was the name of the world's first man-made satellite launched by the USSR in 1957?
Sputnik
The Soviet Union launched Sputnik into an elliptical low Earth orbit on 4 October 1957, orbiting for three weeks before its batteries died, then silently for two more months before falling back into the atmosphere. It was a 58 cm (23 in) diameter polished metal sphere, with four external radio antennas to broadcast radio pulses.
Who became US president after Herbert Hoover?
Franklin D Roosevelt (1933)
Franklin Delano Roosevelt often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American statesman and political leader who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. A Democrat, he won a record four presidential elections and became a central figure in world events during the first half of the 20th century. Roosevelt directed the federal government during most of the Great Depression, implementing his New Deal domestic agenda in response to the worst economic crisis in U.S. history. As a dominant leader of his party, he built the New Deal Coalition, which realigned American politics into the Fifth Party System and defined American liberalism throughout the middle third of the 20th century. His third and fourth terms were dominated by World War II. He is often rated by scholars as one of the three greatest U.S. presidents, along with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.
Which presidential couple were implicated in the Whitewater affair?
The Clintons
The Clinton family is a prominent American political family related to Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States (1993–2001), and his wife Hillary Clinton, the 67th United States Secretary of State (2009–13), Senator from New York (2001–09) and the First Lady of the United States (1993–2001). Their immediate family was the First Family of the United States from 1993 to 2001. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first female presidential nominee from a major political party in United States history. The Clintons (Bill and Hillary) are the first married couple to each be nominated for president.
The election of this man triggered the South’s decision to leave the Union in the election of 1860.
Abraham Lincoln.
He was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. Lincoln led the nation through the Civil War, its bloodiest war and its greatest moral, constitutional, and political crisis. He preserved the Union, abolished slavery, strengthened the federal government, and modernized the U.S. economy.
A NUMBER OF WORDS, TYPICALLY THREE OR MORE, THAT HAVE THE SAME FIRST CONSONANT SOUND FALL WITHIN THE SAME SENTENCE OR PHRASE.
ALLITERATION
Example: She sells seashells by the sea-shore.
What took place on Griffin's Wharf in America in 1773?
The Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773. The target was the Tea Act of May 10, 1773, which allowed the British East India company to sell tea from China in American colonies without paying taxes apart from those imposed by the Townshend Acts. American Patriots strongly opposed the taxes in the Townshend Act as a violation of their rights. Demonstrators, some disguised as Native Americans, destroyed an entire shipment of tea sent by the East India Company.
Which two signers of the Declaration of Independence went on to serve as president of the United States?
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson
John Adams was an American statesman, diplomat, and Founding Father who served as the second President of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Before his presidency, he served as the first Vice President of the United States from 1789 to 1797. He was a lawyer, diplomat, and leader of American independence from Great Britain. Adams was a dedicated diarist, and correspondent with his wife and adviser Abigail, recording important historical information on the era.
Thomas Jefferson was an American statesman, diplomat, architect, and Founding Father who served as the third President of the United States from 1801 to 1809. Previously, he had served as the second Vice President of the United States from 1797 to 1801. The principal author of the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson was a proponent of democracy, republicanism, and individual rights motivating American colonists to break from the Kingdom of Great Britain and form a new nation; he produced formative documents and decisions at both the state and national level.
Who's last words were,"Now it's on to Chicago, and let's win there"?
Bobby Kennedy
Robert Francis Kennedy was an American politician and lawyer who served as the 64th United States Attorney General from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. Senator from New York from January 1965 until his assassination in June 1968. Kennedy, like his brothers John and Edward, was a prominent member of the Democratic Partyand has come to be viewed by some historians as an icon of modern American liberalism.
The disputed election of 2000 was between these two candidates.
George W. Bush and Al Gore
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. He had previously served as the 46th governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000.
Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Gore was Bill Clinton's running mate in their successful campaign in 1992, and the pair was re-elected in 1996. Near the end of Clinton's second term, Gore was selected as the Democratic nominee for the 2000 presidential election but lost the election in a very close race after a Florida recount. After his term as vice-president ended in 2001, Gore remained prominent as an author and environmental activist, whose work in climate change activism earned him (jointly with the IPCC) the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
A STYLISTIC DEVICE IN WHICH SEVERAL COORDINATING CONJUNCTIONS ARE USED IN SUCCESSION IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE AN ARTISTIC EFFECT.
POLYSYNDETON
Example: “In years gone by, there were in every community men and women who spoke the language of duty and morality and loyalty and obligation.” –William F. Buckley
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from which country?
France
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French people commemorating the alliance of France and the United States during the American Revolution.
What figure in American history, hero of the Mexican War, and losing candidate for president in 1852, is believed to have inspired the exclamation "Great Scott"?
Gen. Winfield Scott
Scott was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early stages of the American Civil War, and various conflicts with Native Americans. Scott was the Whig Party's presidential nominee in the 1852 presidential election, but was defeated by Democrat Franklin Pierce. He was known as "Old Fuss and Feathers" for his insistence on proper military etiquette, and as the "Grand Old Man of the Army" for his many years of service.
Who was the first African American to win the Nobel peace prize?
Ralph Bunche
Ralph Johnson Bunche (August 7, 1904-1971) was born in Detroit, Michigan. He won a prize in history and another in English upon completion of his elementary school work and was the valedictorian of his graduating class at Jefferson High School in Los Angeles, where he had been a debater and all-around athlete who competed in football, basketball, baseball, and track.
Name three out of the four Republican candidates involved in the election of 1824.
John Quincy Adams, Henry Clay, William Crawford, and Andrew Jackson.
The United States presidential election of 1824 was the tenth quadrennial presidential election, held from Tuesday, October 26, to Thursday, December 2, 1824. In an election contested by four members of the Democratic-Republican Party, no candidate won a majority of the electoral vote, necessitating a contingent election in the House of Representatives under the provisions of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution. On February 9, 1825, the House of Representatives elected John Quincy Adams as president. The 1824 presidential election was the first election in which the winner of the election lost the popular vote.
THE STUDY OF SENTENCE STRUCTURE AND VARIATION.
SYNTAX
Example:
Incorrect: While watching a movie, people who text on their phone are very annoying.
Correct: People who text on their phone while watching a movie are very annoying.
Marjorie Robb, who died in Boston in 1992 (age 103), Barbara Dainton, Millvina Dean, and Lillian Asplund, achieved notoriety for being among the last living survivors of what?
The sinking of the Titanic (1912).
RMS Titanic sank in the early morning of 15 April 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean, four days into the ship's maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City. The largest ocean liner in service at the time, Titanic had an estimated 2,224 people on board when she struck an iceberg at around 23:40 on Sunday, 14 April 1912. Her sinking two hours and forty minutes later at 02:20 on Monday, 15 April, resulted in the deaths of more than 1,500 people, making it one of history's deadliest marine disasters during peacetime.
Who in 1963 murdered Lee Harvey Oswald, the assassin (according to official accounts) of US President John F Kennedy?
Jack Ruby
Original name, Jacob Rubenstein, he was an American nightclub owner who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the suspected assassin of Pres. John F. Kennedy, on November 24, 1963, as Oswald was being transferred to a county jail. Despite Ruby’s claims to the contrary—and a lack of evidence—some have posited that he was part of a larger conspiracy concerning Kennedy’s assassination.
According to the Census Bureau, what are the five most common surnames in the United States?
Smith, Johnson, Williams, Jones, and Brown.
"Tippecanoe and Tyler too" and "Log Cabin and Hard Cider" campaign all involved the election of this year.
1840
The 1840 United States presidential election was the 14th quadrennial presidential election, held from Friday, October 30, to Wednesday, December 2, 1840. In the midst of the Panic of 1837, incumbent President Martin Van Buren of the Democratic Party was defeated by Whig nominee William Henry Harrison. The election marked the first of two Whig victories in presidential elections.