Picture These SAT Words in a Flash [Cards]

Philip Geer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2006

Here is a highly effective and fun way for students to build their word power while they study in preparation for the SAT’s Critical Reading and Writing Skills sections. This learning tool is a set of flash cards—but flash cards with a difference! The front side of each card presents a humorous cartoon, a visual pun that relates to the headword at the card’s top. The pun supplies a clue to the word’s meaning, which is presented on the reverse side, with examples of the word used in sentences. For example, the headword hierarchy is printed above a cartoon showing Noah examining his work chart at his ark-building factory. His chart shows diagrams of higher arks at its top, medium-high arks in the center, at lower arks at its bottom. The caption reads: “A higher ark he built in the hierarchy of arks,” and the card’s reverse side gives students the meaning of hierarchy: “arrangement by rank or standing.” The boxed set contains a total of 200 vocabulary cards, each with its new word for test-takers to learn, its cartoon, and its pun.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

(box, back panel)
Picture These
SAT Words
in a Flash

200 flash cards • 200 funny cartoons

Here’s a set of flash cards with a difference! It’s an entertaining and effective way to build your word power while you prepare for the SAT’s Critical Reading and Writing Skills sections. Each card teaches a new word. It presents its headword with a cartoon and punning caption to serve as an amusing and valuable memory aid. The pun supplies a clue to the headword’s meaning, and you’ll find its definition on the card’s reverse side.

A new and entertaining way to build your vocabulary for the SAT

Product Details

• Cards: 202 pages
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series (February 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764179217
• ISBN-13: 978-0764179211
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 4.1 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #713,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Memorable pictures and puns guarantee quick recall, April 7, 2006

By 

Sue Alpaugh - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picture These SAT Words in a Flash (Cards)

Reviewer: Sue Alpaugh, English teacher from New Jersey

I was very pleased with my students' responsiveness to Philip Geer's book Simon's Saga, and with its effectiveness as a tool for learning and recalling the meanings of advanced words.

Recently I've been trying out Picture These SAT Words! and its set of flashcards - Picture These SAT Words in a Flash - with my classes. The pictures and accompanying puns that integrate the sound links for word recall are very creative and funny. My students really like the zany ideas behind them, and also appreciate the rhythm and rhyme of the puns. Another excellent thing about this method is that the sound link itself comes as close as it possibly can to the actual sound of the word.

One favorite is the difficult word "iconoclastic." The sound link is Ike Kono's class. The picture shows a teacher, Mr. Ike Kono, writing on a blackboard. His students are seen being "iconoclastic" (attacking cherished traditions). One student is sticking pins into a small Santa Claus doll. Others are raising their hands to suggest the abolishment of schools, tests, and Thanksgiving. The pun below the picture reads:
Iconoclastic students in Ike Kono's class.

Another example that really amuses my students is "soporific," a difficult word which means "marked by sleepiness." The sound link given is soap horrific. The picture shows an alert old man sitting in a bathtub scrubbing himself, surrounded by little devils and snakes rising up out of the water. On the floor in front of the tub is a discarded soap wrapper upon which is written "soap horrific." From the bathroom door two old ladies look in on this scene. One says "He used to fall asleep in the bath until he tried Soap Hoffific." The pun below the picture reads: He isn't soporific when he uses Soap Horrific.

As with Simon's Saga, I would rate Picture These SAT Words! and Picture These SAT Words in a Flash very highly as advanced vocabulary building tools. The book teaches 300 important SAT words, and the box of flashcards is a selection of 200 words from the book. Both are fun and both have their advantages. The book has excellent exercises after each unit that reinforce the sound link and ensure that the words are learned. The set of flashcards offers the added dimension of fun and games.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Get serious!, April 25, 2009

By 

Felix the cat - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picture These SAT Words in a Flash (Cards)

I would recommend this to children in elementary school. Pictorial definitions are fine for this age, however older students should have surpassed the dumbed down comic book approach. The pictorial representations fail to take into account the shades of meanings of words. The definitions offered will not stand up in most situations because of this narrow view of a word definition. This is where the product fails to deliver. Again, if you want to enhance your vocabulary, use a text based definition that takes into account the nuances of word meanings otherwise you are simply taking your chances with a quick cram job that is too surfacy. You will fail miserably when given a word on a standarized test in a context driven situation due to the narrowly focused definitions.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Tool For Studying SAT Vocabulary!, January 10, 2007

By 

Ai (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Picture These SAT Words in a Flash (Cards)

As a junior in high school, I am constantly looking for tools to help me study for upcoming SATs. Using these flash cards, I was able to memorize the words quickly and effectively. The comic that is included with every word is a great visual aid as well. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wishes to improve their SAT vocabulary! Great product!