letdown; a disappointing decline after a previous rise
The ending felt like an anticlimax after such buildup throughout.
Vocabulary like anticlimax appears on the Digital SAT in Words-in-Context questions, where you choose the word that fits a passage's meaning and tone. You can also drill this word with vocabulary flashcards.
story; short account of an incident (especially a biographical one)
bring to life; heighten or intensify
hatred; a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility
abnormal; deviating from the general or common order or type
odd item; deviation from the normal or common order or form or rule
hostility; a state of deep-seated ill-will
predecessor; someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
expect or prepare for something