Words You Should Know

Do you know these words? I was good--a few words would have needed a context--until the very last word. What the hell is a ziggurat? And why must a high school graduate know this word? Even Blogger highlighted it as misspelled. I assure you. It is not misspelled. My husband said that the list-maker just needed a word that began with "z".

Also, why is both unctuous and obsequious on the list? The same goes for bowdlerize and expurgate. Redundant, no? What's with the editorial angst?

And I find these words rather interesting; I question the timing: enfranchise, impeach, incontrovertible, nonsectarian, oligarchy, omnipotent, reparation, subjugate, suffragist, supercilious, totalitarian, vacuous, vortex, wrought, oh, and nihilism. What is this? The politically correct word list? Why not add "identity politics" and "progressive" and be done with it? Oh, and tin foil hat.

H/T Gina Cobb