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Learning doesn't have to be dull, nor the rewards from education deferred. At C2, we believe carefully structured contests and reward challenges can help engage some students and provide them with the incentive they need to shift their learning into a higher gear.

Words of the Week
Brain Teasers

Words of the Week

Herman Melville once wrote, "a fool thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things." Never were there truer words - especially when it comes to preparing for the SAT. Real mastery of vocabulary comes not from just mouthing words, but from understanding them, using them - and knowing when not to use them.

Each day, devote yourself to learning a new word - one you normally wouldn't use in conversation. Here are some suggestions:

March 4, 2010

Root: PEL, PULS(E) – drive, push, beat

This week's root is from the Latin word pellere, meaning "to drive" and a related form of that root, pulsare, meaning "to beat, strike, or push." The latter sense is the source of our word pulse, which is most commonly used to refer to a heartbeat. Another common word, appeal, also comes from this root (the spelling changed slightly along the way, of course). It literally means "to drive toward," though in English it has taken on the more metaphorical meaning of "to ask for help or consideration." Think of this as "driving" your wishes/needs/etc. toward someone. Similarly, something that is appealing to you causes you to "drive" toward it.

Words

• appellation (n.) [ap- (ad-), "into, toward" + pel(l), "drive" + -ation] – a name, title, or designation (literally, a word that has been "driven into" you)
  Elmore Rual Torn disliked his given name and so, when he became an actor, he took on the appellation "Rip Torn."
  Adjective form: appellative
• compel (v.) [com- (con-), "together" + pel, "drive"] – to force or drive (someone) toward (something); to subdue or overpower
  Raymond's inappropriate behavior compels me to not invite him to my next party.
  Noun form: compulsion – a strong or irresistible desire to do something; the act of compelling
  Adjective form: compulsive – having to do with irresistible desires
• compelling (adj.) [com- (con-), "together" + pel(l), "drive" + -ing] – having a powerful or irresistible effect; overpowering
  Archibald found the 800-page novel to be so compelling that he regretted having to put it down in order to sleep and eat.
• compulsory (adj.) [com- (con-), "together" + puls, "drive" + -ory] – required; using force to constrain
  Though the "Introduction to Art" class was compulsory, Henry would have taken it anyway.
  Noun form: compulsoriness
• dispel (n.) [dis-, "off" + pel, "drive"] – to drive off in many directions or disperse; to cause to vanish
  Greta's fear of flying was dispelled only after successfully completing her first flight.
• expel (v.) [ex-, "out" + pel, "drive"] – to drive out or away; to cut off from membership (as of a school)
  The mayor choked noisily on his steak until Phil used the Heimlich maneuver to expel the offending piece of meat.
  Noun form: expulsion – the act or process of driving something out or away
  Adjective form: expulsive

Check out previous Words of the Week »

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Brain Teasers

Forget what the anatomy books tell you. The brain is indeed a muscle, and the only way it gets stronger is through exercise. Train yourself to become the intellectual equivalent of Arnold Schwarzenegger with a daily brain workout. Check back regularly for the C2 Brain Teaser of the Week, and push yourself.

Do the Math:
(and contributed by: Jacob Peterson)

In the four correctly worked-out multiplication problems below, each of the 10 digits is represented by one of the letters Q through Z.  The same letter always represents the same digit.  Can you replace all the letters to reveal the correct equations?

Q x QR = RQQ
 S x TS = TTU
 V x VW = UUU
XY x XZ = YZZ

Check out previous Brain Teasers »

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