Anthem (Webster's Thesaurus Edition)

113 Pages·2006·0.92 MB·English

by  Ayn Rand

ANTHEM

Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®,
GMAT®, and AP® English Test Preparation

Ayn Rand

PSAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Boardand the National Merit Scholarship
Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT is a registered trademark of the College
Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE, AP and Advanced Placement are registered
trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT is a
registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated with this book
nor endorses this book, LSAT is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council which neither
sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.
Anthem

Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®,
GMAT®, and AP® English Test Preparation

Ayn Rand

PSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT® is a registered trademark of the
College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are
registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book,
GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated
with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council
which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.
ICON CLASSICS

Published by ICON Group International, Inc.
7404 Trade Street
San Diego, CA 92121 USA

www.icongrouponline.com

Anthem: Webster’s Thesaurus Edition for PSAT®, SAT®, GRE®, LSAT®, GMAT®, and AP® English
Test Preparation

This edition published by ICON Classics in 2005
Printed in the United States of America.

Copyright ©2005 by ICON Group International, Inc.
Edited by Philip M. Parker, Ph.D. (INSEAD); Copyright ©2005, all rights reserved.

All rights reserved. This book is protected by copyright. No part of it may be reproduced, stored in a
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International, Inc.

PSAT® is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board and the
National Merit Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book;
SAT® is a registered trademark of the College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses
this book; GRE®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are registered trademarks of the
Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book, GMAT® is a
registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither
affiliated with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law
School Admissions Council which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights
reserved.

ISBN 0-497-01014-3
iii
Contents

PREFACE FROM THE EDITOR..........................................................................................1

PART ONE........................................................................................................................3

PART TWO......................................................................................................................17

PART THREE..................................................................................................................27

PART FOUR....................................................................................................................29

PART FIVE......................................................................................................................33

PART SIX........................................................................................................................37

PART SEVEN..................................................................................................................41

PART EIGHT...................................................................................................................47

PART NINE......................................................................................................................51

PART TEN.......................................................................................................................57

PART ELEVEN................................................................................................................61

PART TWELVE................................................................................................................65

GLOSSARY.....................................................................................................................71

Ayn Rand 1

PREFACE FROM THE EDITOR

Designed for school districts, educators, and students seeking to maximize performance on
standardized tests, Webster’s paperbacks take advantage of the fact that classics are frequently
assigned readings in English courses. By using a running thesaurus at the bottom of each page, this
edition of Anthem by Ayn Rand was edited for students who are actively building their
vocabularies in anticipation of taking PSAT®, SAT®, AP® (Advanced Placement®), GRE®,
LSAT®, GMAT® or similar examinations.1

Webster’s edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of
synonyms and antonyms for difficult and often ambiguous English words that are encountered in
other works of literature, conversation, or academic examinations. Extremely rare or idiosyncratic
words and expressions are given lower priority in the notes compared to words which are “difficult,
and often encountered” in examinations. Rather than supply a single synonym, many are provided
for a variety of meanings, allowing readers to better grasp the ambiguity of the English language,
and avoid using the notes as a pure crutch. Having the reader decipher a word’s meaning within
context serves to improve vocabulary retention and understanding. Each page covers words not
already highlighted on previous pages. If a difficult word is not noted on a page, chances are that it
has been highlighted on a previous page. A more complete thesaurus is supplied at the end of the
book; Synonyms and antonyms are extracted from Webster’s Online Dictionary.

Definitions of remaining terms as well as translations can be found at www.websters-online-
dictionary.org. Please send suggestions to [email protected]

The Editor
Webster’s Online Dictionary
www.websters-online-dictionary.org
1 P S A T ® i s a r e g i s t e r e d t r a d e m a r k o f t h e College Entrance Examination Board and the National Merit
Scholarship Corporation neither of which sponsors or endorses this book; SAT® is a registered trademark of the
College Board which neither sponsors nor endorses this book; GRE®, AP® and Advanced Placement® are
registered trademarks of the Educational Testing Service which neither sponsors nor endorses this book,
GMAT® is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admissions Council which is neither affiliated
with this book nor endorses this book, LSAT® is a registered trademark of the Law School Admissions Council
which neither sponsors nor endorses this product. All rights reserved.

Ayn Rand 3

PART ONE

It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put
them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we
were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no
transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The
laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so.
May we be forgiven!
But this is not the only sin upon us. We have committed a greater crime, and
for this crime there is no name. What punishment awaits us if it be discovered
we know not, for no such crime has come in the memory of men and there are no
laws to provide for it.%
It is dark here. The flame of the candle stands still in the air. Nothing moves
in this tunnel save our hand on the paper. We are alone here under the earth. It is
a fearful word, alone. The laws say that none among men may be alone, ever
and at any time, for this is the great transgression and the root of all evil. But we
have broken many laws. And now there is nothing here save our one body, and
it is strange to see only two legs stretched on the ground, and on the wall before
us the shadow of our one head.
The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads without
sound, black and glistening as blood. We stole the candle from the larder of the

Thesaurus
candle: (n) candela, light, taper, (adj) rational, calm, confident, bold, commissariat, spence.
bougie, CD, candlepower, lamp, wax unimpressed, charming, fearless, stole: (n) wrap, stolen, scarf, stolon,
light, Standard candle; (v) examine, courageous, reassuring, unafraid, stealing, robe, alb, tunicle, surplice,
illuminate. wonderful. alba, cassock.
cracked: (adj) nutty, batty, crazy, forgiven: (v) conciliatory, placable. threads: (n) duds, clothing, apparel,
chapped, balmy, wacky, dotty, glistening: (adj) shining, glossy, shiny, clothes, wear, vesture, coat, cords,
crackled, deranged, loony, crackers. glisten, brilliant, beaming, sleek, dress, garb, garment.
ANTONYMS: (adj) resonant, sane. lustrous, sparkling, reflecting light, transgression: (n) fault, crime,
fearful: (adj, n) afraid; (adj, v) dreadful, gleaming. ANTONYM: (adj) dull. misdeed, error, infraction, offense,
cowardly; (adj) terrible, larder: (n) storeroom, pantry, food, violation, misconduct, breach,
apprehensive, awful, timid, anxious, victuals, viands, provisions, trespass, infringement. ANTONYMS:
craven, frightful, eerie. ANTONYMS: provender, stowage, stillroom, (n) piety, obedience.
4 Anthem
Home of the Street Sweepers. We shall be sentenced to ten years in the Palace of
Corrective Detention if it be discovered. But this matters not. It matters only that
the light is precious and we should not waste it to write when we need it for that
work which is our crime. Nothing matters save the work, our secret, our evil, our
precious work. Still, we must also write, for—may the Council have mercy upon
us!—we wish to speak for once to no ears but our own.%
Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron bracelet which all
men wear on their left wrists with their names upon it. We are twenty-one years
old. We are six feet tall, and this is a burden, for there are not many men who are
six feet tall. Ever have the Teachers and the Leaders pointed to us and frowned
and said:
“There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown
beyond the bodies of your brothers.” But we cannot change our bones nor our
body.
We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are
forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may not wish. We know
that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it. This is our
wonder and our secret fear, that we know and do not resist.
We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike. Over the
portals of the Palace of the World Council, there are words cut in the marble,
which we repeat to ourselves whenever we are tempted:

“We are one in all and all in one.
There are no men but only the great WE,
One, indivisible and forever.”

We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not.
These words were cut long ago. There is green mould in the grooves of the
letters and yellow streaks on the marble, which come from more years than men
could count. And these words are the truth, for they are written on the Palace of

Thesaurus
bracelet: (n) annulus, armlet, circlet, verboten, proscribed, outlawed, quarter. ANTONYMS: (n) cruelty,
wristband, necklace, ring, hoop, illegitimate; (adj, adv) off-limits. harshness, unkindness, severity,
areola, circle, anklet, annulet. ANTONYMS: (adj) allowed, mercilessness, ruthlessness,
curse: (n, v) blight, plague; (n) permitted, permissible, legal, open. impatience, inhumanity.
anathema, blasphemy, malediction, indivisible: (adj) inseparable, mould: (n, v) mildew, cast, form,
denunciation; (adj, v) beshrew; (v) indivisibility, undividable, integral, model; (v) make, frame, knead,
swear, ban, damn, vituperate. atomic, indissoluble, indiscerptible, fashion, forge; (n) molding, matrix.
ANTONYMS: (n) blessing, undivisible, undividual, unbreakable, sentenced: (adj) doomed, guilty.
benediction, making; (v) individual. streaks: (n) stripes, cords.
communicate. mercy: (n) kindness, compassion, pity, strive: (v) endeavor, contend, contest,
forbidden: (adj) banned, taboo, illegal, favor, leniency, pardon, forgiveness, struggle, fight, attempt, combat,
prohibited, contraband, illicit, grace, charity, humanity; (n, v) strain, work, aspire, aim.
Ayn Rand 5
the World Council, and the World Council is the body of all truth. Thus has it
been ever since the Great Rebirth, and farther back than that no memory can
reach.%
But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, else we are
sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective Detention. It is only the Old
Ones who whisper about it in the evenings, in the Home of the Useless. They
whisper many strange things, of the towers which rose to the sky, in those
Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without horses, and of
the lights which burned without flame. But those times were evil. And those
times passed away, when men saw the Great Truth which is this: that all men are
one and that there is no will save the will of all men together.
All men are good and wise. It is only we, Equality 7-2521, we alone who were
born with a curse. For we are not like our brothers. And as we look back upon
our life, we see that it has ever been thus and that it has brought us step by step
to our last, supreme transgression, our crime of crimes hidden here under the
ground.
We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were five years
old, together with all the children of the City who had been born in the same
year. The sleeping halls there were white and clean and bare of all things save
one hundred beds. We were just like all our brothers then, save for the one
transgression: we fought with our brothers. There are few offenses blacker than
to fight with our brothers, at any age and for any cause whatsoever. The Council
of the Home told us so, and of all the children of that year, we were locked in the
cellar most often.
When we were five years old, we were sent to the Home of the Students,
where there are ten wards, for our ten years of learning. Men must learn till they
reach their fifteenth year. Then they go to work. In the Home of the Students we
arose when the big bell rang in the tower and we went to our beds when it rang
again. Before we removed our garments, we stood in the great sleeping hall, and
we raised our right arms, and we said all together with the three Teachers at the
head:

Thesaurus
arose: (v) happen, occur. (pron) another. ANTONYMS: (prep) quiescence, quiescency, short sleep.
burned: (adj) baked, scorched, within; (adv) nearer, closer. ANTONYMS: (adj) active; (n)
tempered, sore, hurt, heated, flame: (adj, n) fire, sweetheart; (adj, v) waking.
hardened, destroyed, bleak, parched, burn, glow; (n, v) flash; (n) ardour, towers: (n) edifice.
adust. burning, fervor, enthusiasm, whatsoever: (adj) any, at all, possible;
cellar: (n) basement, cellarage, wine combustion, sheen. (pron) what, anything, no matter
cellar, godown, warehouse, winery, garments: (n) attire, clothing, dress, what, partly, somewhat, anything
silo, pit, excavation, story, storey. apparel, raiment, outfit, costume, that, whatso.
farther: (adj, adv, prep) beyond; (adj) garb, array, gear, anything worthless. whisper: (n, v) murmur, hum,
additional, more, distant; (adv) sleeping: (adj) asleep, inactive, latent, mumble, suggestion, hint, inkling; (v)
furthermore, besides, abroad, in sleepy, vegetive, vegetative; (n) breathe, hiss; (n) rustle, trace, breath.
addition, too; (adj, prep) outside; dormancy, noctambulism, ANTONYM: (n) information.