Essential Words for the TOEFL (7th edition) » Lesson 21

Word List
  • affluent
    n. affluence
    →
    adj. rich in money or means; prosperous
    syn. wealthy
    He is not from an affluent family, but he worked hard and was able to attend college.
    The affluent supporter had a building named in her honor.
  • decline
    n. decline
    →
    v. to move from good to bad, or from much to little; to refuse
    syn. decrease
    The old man’s health has declined since he retired.
    Serious communicable diseases are on the decline in most parts of the world.
  • outburst
    →
    n. a sudden and intense release of something
    syn. eruption
    The joke caused an outburst of laughter from the audience.
    There was an outburst of complaints from the students when the teacher moved the test to Monday.
  • partisan
    →
    adj. strongly supporting a group or point of view
    syn. biased
    Partisan political infighting has caused a decline in the efficiency of Congress.
    His views reflected his partisan bias.
  • pattern
    adj. patterned; v. pattern
    →
    n. a regular, repeated arrangement or action
    syn. habit
    The bright pattern of the monarch butterfly distracts its predators.
    The new stadium was patterned after the old traditional ballparks.
  • phenomena
    adv. phenomenally; adj. phenomenal; n. phenomenon
    →
    n. natural events or facts; strange or notable happenings
    syn. events
    Rain showers are almost unknown phenomena in the Atacama Desert of Chile.
    The musician’s phenomenal performance was applauded by the critics.
  • philanthropic
    n. philanthropist; n. philanthropy
    →
    adj. a feeling of love for people, usually resulting in financial aid to worthy causes
    syn. humanitarian
    The philanthropic work of the foundation benefits all sectors of society.
    His philanthropy is recognized around the world.
  • placid
    adv. placidly
    →
    adj. quiet; not easily upset
    syn. calm
    The placid nature of her personality made her easy to work with.
    The waves moved placidly toward shore.
  • plentiful
    adv. plentifully; n. plenty
    →
    adj. more than sufficient
    syn. abundant
    Examples of Miro’s art are plentiful.
    A balanced diet normally provides plenty of the necessary vitamins.
  • propensity
    →
    n. a bias toward certain things or actions
    syn. tendency
    He has a propensity to procrastinate.
    She has a propensity for being extremely friendly to newcomers.
  • reaction
    adv. reactively; adj. reactive; v. react; adj. reactionary
    →
    n. a reply; a change that occurs when substances are mixed
    syn. response
    When chlorine and ammonia are mixed, the chemical reaction causes chlorine gas.
    They reacted to the report by making some swift changes in management.
  • rhythm
    adv. rhythmically; adj. rhythmic
    →
    n. a regular pattern, usually in music
    syn. pulse
    The rhythm of the rain hitting the roof put him to sleep.
    She noticed the rhythmic beating of her heart as the moment of truth arrived.
  • run into
    →
    ph. v. to come into contact with something or someone
    syn. encounter
    She ran into her old roommate at the reunion.
    The distracted driver narrowly avoided running into the tree.
  • scenic
    adv. scenically; n. scenery; n. scene
    →
    adj. concerning pleasant natural surroundings
    syn. picturesque
    The scenic route to the summit is much more interesting than the fastest route.
    The scenery in rural Japan is impressive.
  • shallow
    adv. shallowly; n. shallowness
    →
    adj. not far from top to bottom
    syn. superficial
    Estuaries are typically shallow bodies of water.
    The results of their research demonstrated the shallowness of the hypothesis.
  • sheltered
    v. shelter; n. shelter
    →
    adj. protected from harmful elements; isolated from reality
    syn. protected
    She has led a sheltered life, her parents having done everything for her.
    Everyone looked for shelter from the blazing sun.
  • vanishing
    v. vanish
    →
    adj. going out of sight
    syn. disappearing
    The red squirrel is a vanishing species that needs a protected habitat to survive.
    No one knows with certainty what caused the dinosaurs to vanish from the face of the earth.
Matching

Choose the synonym.

  1. picturesque
    • a. scenic
    • b. calm
    • c. outlandish
    • d. fertile
  2. partisan
    • a. patterned
    • b. bizarre
    • c. abundant
    • d. biased
  3. eruption
    • a. disguise
    • b. outburst
    • c. omission
    • d. decrease
  4. disappear
    • a. vary
    • b. vanish
    • c. reject
    • d. fabricate
  5. shallow
    • a. swift
    • b. substantial
    • c. placid
    • d. superficial
  6. propensity
    • a. modicum
    • b. tendency
    • c. aspect
    • d. intuition
  7. reaction
    • a. allocation
    • b. investigation
    • c. response
    • d. means
  8. rich
    • a. fertile
    • b. saturated
    • c. influential
    • d. affluent
  9. protected
    • a. plentiful
    • b. phenomenal
    • c. sheltered
    • d. passable
  10. rhythm
    • a. pulse
    • b. pattern
    • c. function
    • d. notion
Multiple-Choice Test Questions

  1. Until the latter half of the twentieth century, the Chesapeake Bay’s sheltered, nutrient-rich waters supported plentiful populations of marine life. Commercial fishing and recreational activities abounded. By the 1970s, however, residential and industrial development of the surrounding land had led to significant pollution of the bay. Various projects have been initiated in an effort to reverse the environmental damage that the bay has suffered.

    The word plentiful in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. vanishing
    • b. abundant
    • c. fascinating
    • d. declining
  2. The bee family Apidae, which includes honeybees, no longer uses honeypots that could be damaged by exposure to the elements. Instead, honey and pollen are stored in vertical combs with a layer of cells on each surface. Of the four species of honeybees in this family, only three are found in Asia. Their nests have several combs and are sheltered in crevices of rocks or hollows of trees.

    The word sheltered in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. recovered
    • b. abundant
    • c. discovered
    • d. protected
  3. Andrew Carnegie established several independent, philanthropic foundations. Among them are funds for the recognition of heroic acts. These include the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, the Endowment for International Peace, and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, which was established in 1905 to provide pensions for college teachers.

    The word philanthropic in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. partisan
    • b. service
    • c. humanitarian
    • d. financial
  4. The world of magic comprises a wide range of phenomena, from the intricate ritual beliefs and practices of religious systems, to acts of conjuring and sleight of hand for entertainment. Magic is a social and cultural phenomenon found in all places and in all periods of history, with varying degrees of importance.

    The word phenomena in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. motions
    • b. patterns
    • c. expectations
    • d. occurrences
  5. A person’s need for food is determined by age and by average heights and weights. Individual activity levels are also used to determine the level of ideal calorie consumption. For example, a decrease in recommended daily calorie consumption with increasing age is consistent with the known reduction in metabolism that occurs with aging and with a normal decrease in physical activity.

    The word decrease in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. decline
    • b. balance
    • c. resistance
    • d. development
  6. Liquids vary in the amount of acid they contain. For example, water contains relatively little acid, while vinegar contains a large quantity. Acidic content is determined by dipping litmus paper into a liquid. This paper is saturated with a colorant obtained from plants called lichens. The colorant reacts to the presence of acid by turning different shades of red—the brightness of the shade can be measured on a scale called a pH scale.

    In stating that the colorant reacts to the presence of acid in the liquid, the author means that it
    • a. combines chemically with the acid.
    • b. disappears or dissolves in the liquid.
    • c. causes the liquid to lose its redness.
    • d. neutralizes the acid into a base.
  7. Gars are long, slender, predatory fish, with a long, tooth-studded jaw and a tough, armored skin. They are a primitive fish that inhabit placid fresh waters of the Western Hemisphere. Because of the highly vascular and cellular nature of the gar’s swim bladder, it functions as a lung. This makes the gar able to survive in large numbers in the Everglades of the southern United States.

    The word placid in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. steady
    • b. protected
    • c. calm
    • d. sheltered
  8. In the human body, different toxins produce different reactions. Irritation of the upper respiratory tract by inhaled formaldehyde gas is rapidly reversible because as soon as inhalation ends, the irritation subsides. In contrast, the response produced by silica dust is irreversible, because once the silicotic nodules are formed, they remain in the lung.

    The word reactions in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. responses
    • b. narrations
    • c. influences
    • d. harvests
  9. Much of the world’s unique heritage is endangered by pollution, the advance of human settlements, conflicts over the use of land and resources, and other problems. Thus, many countries are setting aside scenic natural areas as rapidly as possible. The tendency of many governments has been to establish as many parks as possible before natural environments are altered by human activities.

    The word scenic in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. cultivated
    • b. traditional
    • c. delightful
    • d. picturesque
  10. A “must carry” rule is designed to ensure that local TV stations do not vanish from cable TV offerings. It requires cable systems to carry all local broadcast channels within a certain area of their transmitters. The law was struck down in 1985, although many aspects of that case are still being argued.

    The word vanish in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. graduate
    • b. pass
    • c. disappear
    • d. elude
Answer Key
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