Essential Words for the TOEFL (7th edition) » Lesson 5

Word List
  • baffle
    adj. baffling; n. bafflement
    →
    v. to confuse to a point at which no progress can be made
    syn. puzzle
    The causes of many harmful diseases have baffled doctors for centuries.
    That was a baffling question.
  • bear
    adv. bearably; adj. bearable
    →
    v. to produce, to carry; to show; to endure
    syn. yield
    This orchard bears many fine harvests of apples.
    Although stock prices declined, losses have been bearable for most investors.
  • blur
    adj. blurred; n. blur
    →
    v. to make something difficult to see
    syn. cloud
    The rain blurred everyone’s view of the valley.
    The whole accident is just a blur in my mind.
  • brilliant
    adv. brilliantly; n. brilliance
    →
    adj. intensely bright or colorful; intelligent
    syn. radiant
    Einstein was a brilliant thinker.
    She brilliantly produced a solution to the problem.
  • caution
    adj. cautious; adj. cautionary; adv. cautiously; n. caution
    →
    v. to alert someone of danger, warn someone to take care or pay attention to something
    syn. warn
    The officer cautioned the motorist to slow down.
    They entered into the negotiations cautiously.
  • enhance
    n. enhancement; adj. enhanced
    →
    v. to increase in a positive way, such as in value, power, or beauty
    syn. strengthen
    Passing the exam should enhance your chances of being admitted to college.
    The computer enhanced our productivity.
  • facilitate
    adv. facilitative
    →
    v. to make easier; to ease the progress of
    syn. assist
    His careful planning facilitated the completion of the project.
    Good teaching strategies facilitate student learning.
  • incessant
    adv. incessantly
    →
    adj. nonstop, continual, or never-ending
    syn. constant
    The woman’s incessant talking disturbed everyone watching the movie.
    The dogs’ incessant barking kept the whole neighborhood up all night.
  • in conjunction with
    →
    prep.
    ph. in addition to, alongside
    syn. along with
    Exercise, in conjunction with a nourishing diet, contributes to a healthy lifestyle.
    The architects planned the building in conjunction with the engineers.
  • intrigue
    adj. intriguing; adv. intriguingly; n. intrigue
    →
    v. to interest greatly
    syn. fascinate
    He was intrigued by the acclaim that he received.
    The intriguing question baffled historians.
  • obstruct
    n. obstruction; adj. obstructive; adv. obstructively
    →
    v. to prevent movement, progress, or success
    syn. block
    Just after the storm, downed trees obstructed many roads in the community.
    A huge building obstructed the ocean view from the apartment.
  • persuade
    adv. persuasively; adj. persuasive; n. persuasion
    →
    v. to change a belief or behavior by argument or reason
    syn. convince
    They couldn’t persuade their critics to see their point of view.
    John presented a persuasive argument for his salary increase.
  • recompense
    adv. recompensable; v. recompense
    →
    n. a repayment or reward for a deed
    syn. compensation
    The knight received gold as recompense for saving the kingdom.
    His boss assured him that he’d be recompensed for his extra efforts.
  • shed
    →
    v. to throw off naturally; to give out
    syn. discard
    In order to grow, crabs must shed their shells.
    The experiments shed no new information on the cause of the disease.
  • unique
    adv. uniquely; n. uniqueness
    →
    adj. to be the only one of a kind; special
    syn. rare
    He was presented with a unique opportunity to attend the conference.
    His style of writing is uniquely his own.
  • well-suited
    →
    adj. to be complementary or appropriate; a good match
    syn. compatible
    The design of the house is well-suited to its surroundings.
    The experienced principal was well-suited for the job of superintendent of schools.
  • work out
    →
    v. to end or cause to end successfully; to develop
    syn. solve
    Their ambitious plan will likely work out.
    The two groups worked out a compromise that benefited them both.
Matching

Choose the synonym.

  1. incessant
    • a. unique
    • b. constant
    • c. blocked
    • d. baffled
  2. obstruct
    • a. warn
    • b. tempt
    • c. enhance
    • d. block
  3. intrigue
    • a. fascinate
    • b. elicit
    • c. intensify
    • d. enrich
  4. well-suited to
    • a. uniqueto
    • b. compatiblewith
    • c. enhancedwith
    • d. dedicatedto
  5. workout
    • a. finalize
    • b. compensate
    • c. solve
    • d. oppose
  6. convince
    • a. assert
    • b. persuade
    • c. restore
    • d. yield
  7. rare
    • a. determined
    • b. warned
    • c. vague
    • d. unique
  8. facilitate
    • a. assist
    • b. refine
    • c. alter
    • d. discard
  9. enhance
    • a. entice
    • b. strengthen
    • c. relinquish
    • d. encourage
  10. puzzled
    • a. valid
    • b. assertive
    • c. baffled
    • d. astute
Multiple-Choice Test Questions

  1. A newborn chick uses its egg tooth to break the shell of its egg and escape from it at hatching. This toothlike structure is then shed since its only use is to help the bird break the eggshell. Some animals, such as lizards and snakes, develop a true tooth that projects outside the row of other teeth. This tooth helps adults hatch their young.

    The word shed in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. guarded
    • b. preserved
    • c. discarded
    • d. enhanced
  2. Imitation gems are usually made of glass or plastics. In recent years, an enormous array of plastics has become available for imitations, but these materials are soft and lack the clarity present in real gemstones. Therefore, they are less satisfactory for the purpose than glass. Flint glasses, containing lead oxide, have higher refractive indices and therefore possess a brilliance not found in plastics. This makes flint glasses more suitable than plastic for imitation gems.

    The word brilliance in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. radiance
    • b. lightness
    • c. enhancement
    • d. appeal
  3. During a shower, meteors appear to spread from a point in the sky, called the radiant. These radiant points give each shower its name. For example, the Perseids shower appears to radiate from the constellation Perseus. During the heaviest showers, 30 to 70 meteors may be seen every hour, but on unique occasions in a spectacular display, that number may be visible every second.

    The word unique in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. intriguing
    • b. amazing
    • c. celebrated
    • d. rare
  4. Sometimes, advertisers impact society by the use of advocacy ads, whose purpose is not to persuade the public to buy a product, but to change the public’s view about a specific issue. Companies use this advertising to influence public opinion. Critics say that such ads are unfairly one-sided; advertisers say that the mass media have been equally one-sided in failing to report company views.

    The word persuade in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. convince
    • b. dissuade
    • c. solicit
    • d. encourage
  5. In the mid-1800s, gold and silver were common components of dentures. As a result, they were very expensive. However, in 1851, a process to harden the juices of certain tropical plants into rubber was discovered. This new product could be molded to a model of a patient’s mouth and artificial teeth could be made. As a result, when used in conjunction with new manufacturing methods, these molds caused the cost of dentures to fall dramatically.

    The phrase in conjunction with in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. along with
    • b. under
    • c. throughout
    • d. within limits of
  6. The issue of where human life first arose has always been an intriguing question for science. Many guesses, or hypotheses, have been advanced, ranging from Asia to Europe. However, the oldest known human bones, or fossils, were discovered in East Africa in 1972. They are nearly 2 million years old. Their age was determined by measuring the age of the rocks surrounding them and comparing them to other fossils.

    In stating that the origin of human life is an intriguing question, the author means that it
    • a. interests a lot of scientists.
    • b. can never be answered.
    • c. receives too much attention.
    • d. will always be a mystery.
  7. The Sioux and Cheyenne peoples told outsiders not to look for gold on Indian land. Eventually, the Sioux and Cheyenne had to defend their land against a U.S. army force in the Battle of Little Bighorn. This battle, also known as “Custer’s Last Stand,” was led by General George Custer. Custer was cautioned by his advisors not to underestimate the strength of his opponent, but ignored their advice, resulting in the defeat of the U.S. force.

    The word cautioned in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. warned
    • b. discarded
    • c. advised
    • d. convinced
  8. Clothing and adornments used among certain cultures often reflect the social status of an individual. Body painting and tattooing are common methods used to distinguish social status. Other methods include the use of lip, ear, and nose rings, in addition to bracelets, arm bands, necklaces, and head ornaments made of delicate, colorful feathers. It is common for groups of people to use the natural resources around them to work out a way of visually designating social rank.

    The verb work out in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. restore
    • b. discard
    • c. argue
    • d. develop
  9. Species of alyssum are particularly suitable as edging plants for flower gardens. Alyssum is generally grayish with yellow or white flowers. One popular species is sweet alyssum, a perennial that grows up to nine inches tall. The narrow, green-gray leaf of the sweet alyssum usually bears many silvery hairs.

    The word bears in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. produces
    • b. elicits
    • c. attracts
    • d. inspires
  10. In ancient times, the labyrinth was a structure composed of a complex series of passageways and chambers, probably at first designed to baffle enemies. A labyrinth either had branched paths with misleading ends, or it contained one long meandering path that led to a central end.

    The word baffle in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. obstruct
    • b. puzzle
    • c. discard
    • d. astound
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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