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DEFINITION: (adjective) Inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits.
SYNONYMS: combative, contentious, disputative, litigious.
USAGE: Her disputatious nature and exceptional verbal skills made her a perfect candidate for a career in law.
Discuss

When their existing president resigned in 1987, students at Gallaudet University, a liberal arts university for the deaf in Washington, DC, began campaigning for a deaf successor to the post, which had never been held by a deaf person. When the school's board selected a hearing candidate on March 6, 1988, students began to protest and issued four demands, including the immediate naming of a new deaf president and the resignation of the chair of the board. How many of their demands were met? Discuss

DEFINITION: (noun) Impertinent, disrespectful speech.
SYNONYMS: back talk, lip, mouth.
USAGE: "Don't give me any of your sass, just go upstairs and clean your room!" yelled my mother.

Many Bostonians resented the heavy British military presence in their city during the late 1700s, and the soldiers' enforcement of the unpopular Townshend Acts merely exacerbated the tense situation. On March 5, 1770, soldiers opened fire on an aggressive, rioting civilian mob, killing five men. The Boston Massacre, as it became known, fueled the anti-British sentiment that culminated in the American Revolutionary War. Which future US president served as the troops' defense lawyer?

DEFINITION: (noun) The right or privilege of voting; franchise.
SYNONYMS: right to vote, vote.
USAGE: The campaign to obtain suffrage in the United States was a primary effort of the women's rights movement in the 19th century.

Frederick Barbarossa was elected King of Germany in 1152 and crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 1155. Shortly thereafter, an apparent misunderstanding with Pope Adrian IV led Frederick to mount military operations against Italy and install an antipope in opposition to Adrian's successor. The schism continued for some time, but Frederick and the Catholic pontiff ultimately reconciled. According to scholars, what factors may have contributed to Frederick's drowning death in the shallow Saleph River?

DEFINITION: (adjective) Penetrating, clear, and sharp, as in operation or expression.
SYNONYMS: acute, discriminating, keen, knifelike, penetrating, piercing, sharp.
USAGE: His witty and incisive comments went straight to the heart of the matter.

Though the April Uprising of 1876, a Bulgarian revolt against the perceived Ottoman oppression, failed as a revolution, it succeeded in raising international support for the Bulgarian plight. News of atrocities committed by Ottoman troops suppressing the uprising quickly spread to the international community, and Russia soon declared war on the Ottomans. The subsequent Treaty of San Stefano created a large autonomous Bulgaria within the Ottoman Empire, but it was later revised. Why?

DEFINITION: (noun) A short trip or excursion, usually for pleasure.
SYNONYMS: excursion, expedition, junket, outing, pleasure trip, sashay.
USAGE: They took a jaunt through the countryside, ending the day with a romantic picnic under a shady tree.

Recognized as one of the National Basketball Association's greatest players of all time, Wilt Chamberlain led the league in scoring for 7 seasons and in rebounding 11 times, was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player 4 times, and was elected to basketball's Hall of Fame. However, he is perhaps best known for being the only player in league history to score 100 points in a single game—a feat he achieved while playing for the Philadelphia Warriors. How many total points were scored in that game?

DEFINITION: (noun) The elementary stages of any subject (usually plural).
SYNONYMS: ABC, ABCs, alphabet, first principle.
USAGE: He mastered only the rudiments of geometry.

Viewed by many to be the result of a period of factional infighting and religious hysteria, the witch trials of Puritanical Salem Village, Massachusetts, led to the executions of 20 people—15 women and five men—and the imprisonment of approximately 150 accused witches. Even after the trials ended, people who had previously been found not guilty of witchcraft remained in prison, held until they paid their jail fees. What is "spectral evidence," and how did it play a role in the witch trials?

DEFINITION: (verb) To move rapidly along a surface, usually with frequent light contacts or changes of direction; skip or glide quickly.
SYNONYMS: scamper, scurry, scuttle.
USAGE: The area was populated by countless tiny lizards that would skitter away when approached.

After investigating charges of child abuse and the illegal stockpiling of weapons at the Texas ranch of the Branch Davidian religious sect, US ATF agents raided the compound. The confrontation turned violent, and 10 people were killed in the firefight. A siege of the compound ended 51 days later, when the complex was engulfed in flames. Seventy-nine people, including 21 children and Davidian leader David Koresh, died in the incident. How did the Davidians receive advance warning of the ATF raid?

DEFINITION: (adjective) No longer current or in fashion; out-of-date.
SYNONYMS: old-fashioned, dated, outdated, obsolete, unfashionable, antiquated, outmoded, old hat, outworn, unhip, démodé.
USAGE: Punk rock is considered by many to be passé now.

Occurring in the midst of the Dominican Republic's turbulent 19th-century history, the 1844 revolt that overthrew French-Haitian rule established an independent republic with a presidency that was, in turns, held by Pedro Santana and Buenaventura Báez. Each president at one point tried to bring stability to the country through foreign rule—the former through Spain and the latter through the US. During what period did the US occupy the island nation and establish a military government there?

DEFINITION: (adjective) Worn to shreds; or wearing torn or ragged clothing.
SYNONYMS: tatterdemalion.
USAGE: At last her rags became so tattered and torn that she was ashamed of appearing in the village any longer.

Radar is a means for detecting the position, movement, and nature of a remote object through radio waves reflected from its surface. During the 1930s, several countries independently developed the technology for military use, exploiting radar's capacity to detect aircrafts and ships. One of the earliest practical radar systems was devised by Sir Robert Watson-Watt, a descendent of the inventor of the steam engine, James Watt. What was the "Battle of the Beams"?

DEFINITION: (verb) Prepare oneself for a military confrontation.
SYNONYMS: arm, build up, fortify.
USAGE: They are girding themselves for battle against a new enemy.

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, which depicts the last hours of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, is the highest-grossing R-rated film ever made and was nominated for three Academy Awards. Several Jewish groups have expressed concern that the film blames the death of Jesus on the Jews as a collective group and could encourage anti-Semitism. The movie has also sparked debate about whether its depictions of violence are too graphic. In what languages is the film's dialogue spoken?