Lesson 4: Thought and Judgement
By: Miguel Hernández, Ignacio Pérez, and Eugenio González
AbstruseAbstruse : adjectiveDefinition: Difficult to understand
Ex: The students had trouble keeping up with the Physics class’s abstruse formulas.
AcumenAcumen: nounDefinition: Quickness and keenness of insight
or judgmentEx: Michael Jordan’s basketball acumen made
him one of the best players in NBA history.
AscertainAscertain: verbDefinition: To discover or to determine with
certainty, especially through examination or experimentationEx: Through the suspect’s confession, the
court ascertained that he committed the crime.
CerebralCerebral: adjectiveDefinition: a. Of or relating to the brain
Ex: After the car accident, John suffered cerebral damage which left him disabled for the rest of his life.
Definition: b. Appealing to or requiring the use of intellect; intellectualEx: Completing Sudoku puzzles
requires much cerebral activity.
Faculty Faculty: noun Definition: a. A division of a university or a
group of teachers. Ex: The University of Puerto Rico’s faculty has
meetings every week to discuss the progress of each class.
Definition: b. Natural power or abilityEx: Since Alex didn’t wear her safety goggles
while using chemicals she lost her faculty of sight.
Obfuscate Obfuscate: verb Definition: a. To make difficult to
understand.Ex: The coffee that was spilled on the project
obfuscated its contents. Definition: b. To darken, to make dim or
difficult to see. Ex: The heavy pouring rain obfuscated the road
for the bus driver.
Ruminate Ruminate: verb Definition: a. To think deeply about, to turn
a matter over and over in one’s mind.Ex: The confused professor ruminated for days,
deciding what assignment he would give to his AP classes.
Definition: b. To chew cud, or partially digested food.Ex: Camels are known for ruminating the same
chunk of grass for a long period of time.
Stymie Stymie: verb Definition: To prevent from making progress,
to frustrate or thwart efforts. Ex: Bad weather conditions stymied the FIFA
World Cup games for two days.
SurmiseSurmise: verb Definition a. (verb) to guess; draw a
conclusion without sufficient evidence Ex: The teacher surmised that the students
didn’t study for the exam because they all failed.
Definition b. (noun) a guess, a conclusion drawn without sufficient evidenceEx: The Big Bang Theory is a surmise because
astronomers still do not have the sufficient evidence to prove how the universe was created.
TenetTenet: noun Definition: a principle or belief held by a
person or an organizationEx: Freedom of speech is a central and sacred
tenet of any democracy.