Essential Words for the TOEFL (7th edition) » Lesson 24

Word List
  • affordable
    adv. affordably; v. afford
    →
    adj. able to be done, usually referring to something you can do without damage or loss
    syn. economical
    The new dictionary is quite affordable.
    He could afford the house because of current low interest rates.
  • contaminated
    v. contaminate; n. contamination
    →
    adj. to make something impure by adding something dirty or a poisonous substance
    syn. pollute
    This contaminated water supply must be closed off to the public.
    Bacteria and insects are frequently agents of food contamination.
  • discernible
    adv. discernibly; v. discern; n. discernment
    →
    adj. noticeable; easily seen
    syn. detectable
    A feeling of anxiety was discernible among the members of the team.
    The new student was unable to discern the humor of the teacher’s joke.
  • flourishing
    v. flourish
    →
    adj. active and growing; healthy
    syn. thriving
    Small flourishing companies would be harmed by an increase in the minimum wage.
    A young mind will flourish with the proper guidance.
  • insufficient
    →
    adj. not enough; unsatisfactory
    syn. inadequate
    He had insufficient materials to build his construction project.
    A small breakfast is usually insufficient to have a good start to the day.
  • maintain
    n. maintenance
    →
    v. to support; to keep in good condition
    syn. preserve
    The building had to be renovated because it was not well maintained.
    Proper maintenance of a car’s engine will preserve its performance and value.
  • mediocre
    n. mediocrity
    →
    adj. of average quality; not good or bad
    syn. average
    This is a mediocre research report.
    The mediocrity of his work was disappointing.
  • negligible
    adv. negligibly; adj. neglected; adj. neglectful; adj. negligent; n. neglect; n. negligence; v. neglect
    →
    adj. hardly noticeable; scarcely detectable
    v. to ignore; to give little attention
    syn. insignificant
    The amount of bacteria in the culture was negligible.
    His negligence caused him to lose all of the work he had done on the computer.
  • parallel
    v. parallel
    →
    adj. being almost of the same type or time; comparable
    syn. similar
    There were many parallels between his life and mine.
    Her background parallels mine.
  • potent
    →
    adj. very strong
    syn. powerful
    He gave a potent speech at the convention.
    The venom of the coral snake is extremely potent.
  • reciprocate
    →
    v. to give something or express a feeling in return
    syn. respond
    After he fixed her car, she reciprocated by buying him lunch.
    He is very polite, and I reciprocate by showing him the same politeness.
  • remarkable
    adv. remarkably
    →
    adj. worthy of mention; uncommon
    syn. exceptional
    The invention of the radio was a remarkable achievement.
    The actor was remarkably calm before his performance.
  • scattered
    v. scatter
    →
    adj. spread out or separated widely
    syn. dispersed
    Hurricane Andrew left debris scattered throughout Miami.
    The crowd scattered when it began to rain heavily.
  • somewhat
    →
    adj. a little
    syn. slight
    They feel somewhat tired after the mile run.
    Buying food at a convenience store can be somewhat expensive.
  • stem from
    →
    ph. v. to emerge or develop from something
    syn. originate
    The author’s talent in writing stems from his love of reading books.
    Many opportunities have stemmed from his decision to attend the university.
  • tedious
    adv. tediously; n. tedium
    →
    adj. long and tiring
    syn. monotonous
    The tedious lecture bored most of the audience.
    Some people become frustrated by the tedium of daily living.
Matching

Choose the synonym.

  1. discernible
    • a. exceptional
    • b. detectable
    • c. solid
    • d. negligent
  2. average
    • a. ample
    • b. approximate
    • c. slight
    • d. mediocre
  3. originate
    • a. stemfrom
    • b. preserve
    • c. maintain
    • d. disperse
  4. potent
    • a. powerful
    • b. reliable
    • c. firm
    • d. durable
  5. affordable
    • a. remarkable
    • b. formidable
    • c. economical
    • d. proportional
  6. similar
    • a. prophetic
    • b. substantial
    • c. parallel
    • d. varied
  7. insufficient
    • a. inadequate
    • b. satisfactory
    • c. acute
    • d. abysmal
  8. negligible
    • a. exceptional
    • b. intricate
    • c. insignificant
    • d. scattered
  9. thriving
    • a. flourishing
    • b. vanishing
    • c. polluting
    • d. astounding
  10. monotonous
    • a. ambiguous
    • b. hazardous
    • c. prosperous
    • d. tedious
Multiple-Choice Test Questions

  1. The Ceratosaurus, a genus of large carnivorous dinosaurs found as fossils in Late Jurassic rocks of North America, was similar to, and possibly closely related to, the Allosaurus. Ceratosaurus weighed up to 2 tons. This dinosaur was somewhat smaller than Allosaurus. It had a distinctive horn on its snout, a row of bony plates down the middle of its back, and four clawed fingers rather than three.

    The word somewhat in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. potently
    • b. uniquely
    • c. slightly
    • d. peculiarly
  2. The countries of Scandinavia were influenced by the spirit of improvement prevalent throughout Europe during the eighteenth century, but showed less advanced agriculture than others. Danish farmers were somewhat slowed in using new methods because of political restrictions. At the end of the nineteenth century, however, these political restrictions lessened, and the agriculture industry reciprocated by developing solid advances in farming techniques.

    The word reciprocated in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. repelled
    • b. emulated
    • c. stagnated
    • d. responded
  3. Tourists throng to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor year-round. The Inner Harbor was built in an area that was once a contaminated industrial port. This area underwent rapid development in the 1980s. It is now a waterside array of high-fashion stores, new hotels, outdoor performances, moving boats, docked ships, and locales for eating and drinking.

    The word contaminated in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. deserted
    • b. polluted
    • c. dangerous
    • d. flourishing
  4. The Northwest Territories are Canada’s most sparsely settled area. Most settlements consist of only a few hundred people. About two-thirds of Canada’s Inuit Eskimos live there, scattered throughout the Arctic sector. Most Europeans who live in this territory live in the Mackenzie Valley.

    The word scattered in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. maintained
    • b. sheltered
    • c. organized
    • d. distributed
  5. Plastics are a vast group of synthetic materials whose structures are based on the chemistry of carbon. They are also called polymers because they are made of extremely long chains of carbon atoms. An important characteristic of plastics is that they can be readily molded into finished products by the application of heat. As a finished product, one of its well-known properties includes remarkable resistance to heat.

    The word remarkable in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. periodic
    • b. proportional
    • c. exceptional
    • d. practical
  6. Extensive water storage is common to a class of animals called ruminants. The class includes sheep and cattle, but the class member best known for storing water is the camel. There are two types of camel, the single-humped dromedary and the double-humped Bactrian camel found in the dry steppes of central Asia, where there is insufficient water for other animals to survive long-term. The ability of these animals to store water makes them the ideal beasts of burden on long treks across the desert.

    The word insufficient in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. inadequate
    • b. abysmal
    • c. endemic
    • d. intrinsic
  7. As computer systems improve, databases will play an increasingly important role as sources of information for the general public. As databases become more refined, the need for awareness of a particular database will become more important. Users will need to be able to discern how reliable information coming from a database is.

    The word discern in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. maintain
    • b. account
    • c. determine
    • d. classify
  8. The late 1970s and 1980s were years of delirious skyscraper construction. This was found in the cities that experienced economic progress, such as Dallas, Houston, and Atlanta in the southern United States, and also Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore. Although New Yorkers, in particular, had reason to complain that the building of mediocre skyscrapers was choking Manhattan, few distinguished profiles were added to the skylines of modern cities.

    The word mediocre in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. average
    • b. renowned
    • c. functional
    • d. contemporary
  9. The deserts of the world are distributed in a pair of parallel belts lying approximately 25 degrees north and south of the equator. Of these, the world’s largest desert is found in the Northern Hemisphere. The Sahara and smaller deserts, forming much of the arid portion of the Middle East, are located in high-pressure regions directly influenced by global circulation of the atmosphere.

    The word parallel in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. proportional
    • b. noticeable
    • c. broad
    • d. similar
  10. The life of the Atlantic salmon is typical of all salmon. The young fish leave the streams of their origin and spread into the feeding water of the cold seas. When they are sexually mature, they return to their home streams. In early summer, vast numbers of fish can be observed in their run upstream. Potent river currents and swift rapids are insufficient to stop the salmon’s journey. It is not known how the fish identify the right river system and the specific nesting sites, but research indicates that the fish sense a chemical code specific to their home stream.

    The word potent in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. deep
    • b. powerful
    • c. stagnant
    • d. quick
Answer Key
Favorite Books
Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know

The study of the English language has spread all over the world, and high school and college students everywhere have come to realize that language mastery depends on the possession of a comprehensive vocabulary. This is just what 1100 Words You Need to Know has been offering through the five earlier editions and continuing on this sixth one.

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