Essential Words for the TOEFL (7th edition) » Lesson 25

Word List
  • briefly
    adj. brief; n. brevity
    →
    adv. short, usually in time
    syn. concisely
    The visiting professor spoke briefly at the faculty meeting.
    Solar eclipses are brief moments when the Earth and Moon cross the Sun’s fixed position in the solar system.
  • circulate
    adj. circulatory; n. circulation
    →
    v. to cause to move along a fixed path; move freely
    syn. distribute
    The news of the president’s visit circulated quickly throughout the city.
    A dollar bill remains in circulation for approximately one and a half years.
  • consistently
    adj. consistent; v. consist; n. consistency
    →
    adv. without changing; keeping the same principles, ideas, or quality
    syn. dependably
    The temperature must be maintained consistently at 75° centigrade.
    The policy of the government concerning unemployment has been consistent.
  • exhibit
    n. exhibit; n. exhibition; n. exhibitor
    →
    v. to show or demonstrate
    syn. display
    The compound exhibits the qualities of an acid.
    It was the best exhibition of talent that I have ever seen.
  • found
    n. foundation*; n. founder
    →
    v. to establish; start up;
        *a philanthropic organization
    syn. establish
    The wealthy woman founded a hospital in her hometown.
    The foundation maintained a number of philanthropic activities.
  • improperly
    adj. improper; n. impropriety
    →
    adv. not following established rules; not desirable
    syn. inappropriately
    The disappointing outcome was a result of an improperly prepared petri dish.
    There was an impropriety with the way the funds were spent.
  • impulsively
    adj. impulsive; n. impulse; n. impulsiveness
    →
    adv. acting without thinking
    syn. capriciously
    She reacted impulsively to the loud noise.
    Many shoppers buy items on impulse.
  • infrequently
    adj. infrequent; n. infrequency
    →
    adv. almost never
    syn. rarely
    Tornadoes occur infrequently in the eastern part of the United States.
    Deserts are characterized by their infrequent rainfall.
  • isolated
    v. isolate; n. isolation
    →
    adj. to keep separated from others
    syn. secluded
    The failure of the communications system left the towns isolated.
    The doctors were unable to isolate the cause of the epidemic.
  • overtly
    adj. overt
    →
    adv. in a way clearly seen; not done secretly
    syn. openly
    He overtly disregarded the regulations.
    Her overt attempt to take control of the discussion failed.
  • profoundly
    adj. profound; n. profundity
    →
    adv. in a deep way; showing deep knowledge of a subject
    syn. significantly
    Everyone was profoundly impressed by the news reports.
    The Nobel Prize is a profound recognition of outstanding achievement.
  • sharply
    adj. sharp; v. sharpen; n. sharpness
    →
    adv. showing sensitivity or quick thinking; showing a quick change in direction
    syn. quickly
    Car prices rose sharply over the past year.
    There was a sharp change in the humidity after the storm.
  • situated
    n. situation*; v. situate
    →
    adj. being found in a certain place
           *a current condition
    syn. located
    The resort town of Cancun is situated in the northern part of the Yucatan peninsula.
    They found themselves in a very difficult situation.
  • subsequently
    adj. subsequent
    →
    adv. following; coming after something
    syn. afterward
    The public applauded the president’s actions and subsequently his ratings in the polls improved.
    This report, and all subsequent reports, must be written in the appropriate style.
  • unmistakable
    adj. unmistakably
    →
    adj. clearly able to be determined
    syn. indisputable
    The markings of the insect provided for an unmistakable identification of the species.
    It is unmistakably clear that the report must be finished by noon.
  • upstanding
    n. upstandingness
    →
    adj. marked by integrity; good, honest
    syn. moral
    The school only accepts upstanding young adults.
    The neighborhood has been kept clean and beautiful thanks to its upstanding residents.
Matching

Choose the synonym.

  1. consistently
    • a. dependably
    • b. significantly
    • c. readily
    • d. diligently
  2. capriciously
    • a. impulsively
    • b. profoundly
    • c. reluctantly
    • d. scarcely
  3. moral
    • a. diligent
    • b. outstanding
    • c. generic
    • d. upstanding
  4. circulated
    • a. sharpened
    • b. distributed
    • c. maintained
    • d. encircled
  5. briefly
    • a. rarely
    • b. reliably
    • c. concisely
    • d. severely
  6. exhibited
    • a. displayed
    • b. founded
    • c. located
    • d. highlighted
  7. overtly
    • a. entirely
    • b. openly
    • c. evenly
    • d. actually
  8. inappropriately
    • a. disapprovingly
    • b. approximately
    • c. improperly
    • d. unintentionally
  9. secluded
    • a. situated
    • b. isolated
    • c. established
    • d. shifted
  10. indisputably
    • a. severely
    • b. infrequently
    • c. significantly
    • d. unmistakably
Multiple-Choice Test Questions

  1. The colossal Statue of Liberty is situated in New York harbor on a small island park near Ellis Island. Standing 302 feet high including its base, it shows a woman holding a torch in her raised right hand. In her left, there is a tablet proclaiming liberty, bearing the date July 4, 1776. An elevator rises to the balcony level, and a spiral staircase leads to an observation platform in the statue’s crown.

    The word situated in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. visited
    • b. exhibited
    • c. isolated
    • d. located
  2. In its earliest forms, astrology consisted of simple omens that astrologers interpreted from the celestial bodies in the sky. In its developed form, astrology analyzes the presumed effects of the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars on the Earth for a specific time and place. Astrologists also contend that the position of constellations at the moment of your birth profoundly influences your future.

    The word profoundly in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. subsequently
    • b. significantly
    • c. unmistakably
    • d. consistently
  3. When a language is devised as a means of communication between persons having no language in common, it is called a lingua franca. This lingua franca is native to none of those using it. A lingua franca with a sharply reduced grammar and vocabulary is called a pidgin. When a whole speech community gives up its former language or languages and takes a pidgin as its native tongue, the pidgin becomes a creole.

    The word sharply in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. severely
    • b. overtly
    • c. impulsively
    • d. improperly
  4. Cedarwood is a light, soft, resinous, and durable wood, even when it makes contact with soil or moisture. It is an important timber used in construction in regions where it is found, but is infrequently used elsewhere. Many varieties of the Atlas cedar are popular ornamental trees in North America, especially along the Pacific and Gulf coasts.

    The word infrequently in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. rarely
    • b. briefly
    • c. selectively
    • d. continually
  5. In 1876 the Johns Hopkins University was founded in Baltimore as the first U.S. institution to incorporate the German ideal of university education. Since that time, graduate education has become an important aspect of many institutions. Older universities, such as Harvard and Yale, and newer ones, such as Stanford and Chicago, have embraced the aims of advanced learning conducted in a spirit of freedom and autonomy.

    The word founded in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. erected
    • b. distinguished
    • c. criticized
    • d. established
  6. Recent studies in psychology have explored the reasons why some purchases are made on impulse while others are given a significant amount of forethought. One finding is that shoppers are more likely to impulsively buy clothes than garden tools. It suggests that buying on impulse is strongly related to shoppers’ attitudes about themselves and to their “self-images.” Useful objects such as garden tools engage shoppers less personally than items that enhance their appearance.

    In discussing purchases made on impulse, the author is referring to purchases that shoppers make
    • a. after weighing all the pluses and minuses.
    • b. on a moment’s notice and without thinking.
    • c. in boutiques rather than department stores.
    • d. to alter the feelings of people around them.
  7. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain can be interpreted on several levels. On the surface, it is a picturesque novel in which young Huck Finn relates his adventures as he travels down the Mississippi River with a runaway slave named Jim. On another level, it is a societal satire on the constraints of civilization. Huckleberry Finn becomes a study of nature’s indifference; the river, like society, is sometimes benevolent, sometimes malicious, and always impulsive.

    The word impulsive in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. abundant
    • b. baffling
    • c. capricious
    • d. philanthropic
  8. Because of New Zealand’s location, there was no higher animal life in the country when the Maori arrived. There were two species of lizard: the gecko, and the tuatara, a reptile that was extinct everywhere else for 100,000,000 years. There were also a few primitive species of frogs and two species of bats. These are all living today, but are confined to outlying islands and isolated parts of the country.

    The word isolated in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. secluded
    • b. negligible
    • c. protected
    • d. unlikely
  9. The American painter Frank Duveneck was an important influence on other American artists of his generation. In 1870, he went to Munich to study at the Royal Academy, where he had a brief acquaintance with William Merritt Chase. Duveneck was an admirer of the realism of Gustave Courbet, but his Munich work also shows how well he had assimilated the masterful brushwork and the skill in capturing expressions of the Dutch portraitist Frans Hals.

    The word brief in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. thriving
    • b. fleeting
    • c. superficial
    • d. fertile
  10. A dramatic monologue is a speech of long duration made by a character to a second person. In fiction, an interior monologue is a type of monologue that exhibits the thoughts, feelings, and associations passing through a character’s mind.

    The word exhibits in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. clarifies
    • b. examines
    • c. displays
    • d. answers
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.

Read more