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

Word List
  • brash
    adv. brashly; n. brashness
    →
    adj. confident or aggressive; lacking regard for consequences
    syn. reckless
    The brash young man made many poor business decisions.
    Lucy’s brashness often got her into trouble at school.
  • clarify
    n. clarification
    →
    v. to make more easily understood; to make clear
    syn. explain
    Chapter 2 in the textbook clarifies the process of osmosis.
    A clarification of the government’s position on this matter is necessary.
  • conceal
    n. concealment
    →
    v. to prevent from being seen or discovered
    syn. hide
    The students concealed their feelings about the course.
    His concealment of the evidence made his case more difficult to prove.
  • confirm
    adj. confirmed; n. confirmation
    →
    v. to make certain; give support
    syn. prove
    The director confirmed that the meeting would be on the tenth.
    We have just received confirmation of your reservation on the flight to Los Angeles.
  • convenient
    adv. conveniently; n. convenience
    →
    adj. easy to reach; near; suitable to one’s needs
    syn. practical
    The investigator suspected that the disappearance of the evidence was too convenient to be accidental.
    For the convenience of the student body, the library is located in a central location.
  • core
    n. core
    →
    adj. the central or most important part of something
    syn. chief
    The core curriculum consists of courses that are required of all students.
    The core of an apple is not edible.
  • critical
    v. critique; n. criticism; n. critic; adv. critically
    →
    adj. very serious or unsafe; finding fault
    syn. dangerous
    It is critical to follow the directions for the experiment exactly as the instructor indicates.
    The runner accepted criticism from his coach very well.
  • discrepancy
    →
    n. a difference between things that should be similar or equal
    syn. inconsistency
    The discrepancy in her experiment data led her to believe that she had made a mistake.
    There is usually a discrepancy between how coffee smells and how it tastes.
  • distort
    adj. distorted; n. distortion
    →
    v. to change from the original shape or condition, usually in an unnatural way
    syn. deform
    Time and space are distorted when traveling at the speed of light.
    Distortion of the image from a microscope can be caused by low light.
  • diverse
    adv. diversely; n. diversity; v. diversify
    →
    adj. various; distinct from others
    syn. different
    Freud had many diverse interests in psychology.
    The diversity of life forms on the earth makes zoology an interesting area of study.
  • eventually
    →
    adv. to happen at some time in the future, usually gradually
    syn. finally
    A good education will eventually pay big dividends.
    Eventually the couple will pay off their mortgage and own their house.
  • prosperous
    adv. prosperously; v. prosper; n. prosperity
    →
    adj. successful, wealthy
    syn. thriving
    In the early 1900s, San Francisco was a prosperous city.
    Bacteria prosper under the proper conditions.
  • purposefully
    adj. purposeful; adv. purposely; n. purpose
    →
    adv. done for a special reason
    syn. deliberately
    The course syllabus was designed purposefully to be easy to follow.
    He was authorized to spend the money for business purposes.
  • reveal
    adv. revealingly; adj. revealing; n. revelation
    →
    v. to uncover; to expose
    syn. disclose
    The president revealed some of his ideas before he gave his speech.
    The report made some revelations about the nature of the conflict.
  • scarcely
    adj. scarce; n. scarcity
    →
    adv. almost not
    syn. hardly
    The woman scarcely spoke a word of English.
    Due to a scarcity of water, a rationing plan was established.
  • simultaneous
    adv. simultaneously
    →
    adj. occurring at the same time
    syn. concurrent
    The boys simultaneously screamed, “Ice cream!”
    This student is skilled at performing many tasks simultaneously.
  • theoretically
    adj. theoretical; n. theory; v. theorize
    →
    adv. according to a reasoned, but not proven, point of view
    syn. hypothetically
    His argument was theoretically appealing, but not realistic.
    Leonardo da Vinci theorized that Earth was not the center of the universe.
Matching

Choose the synonym.

  1. deform
    • a. hide
    • b. distort
    • c. concur
    • d. block
  2. simultaneous
    • a. instant
    • b. permanent
    • c. coincidental
    • d. concurrent
  3. eventually
    • a. finally
    • b. soon
    • c. once
    • d. consequently
  4. clarify
    • a. shed
    • b. enhance
    • c. explain
    • d. elicit
  5. brash
    • a. distorted
    • b. thoughtful
    • c. reckless
    • d. deceptive
  6. thriving
    • a. prosperous
    • b. resilient
    • c. convenient
    • d. tolerable
  7. inconsistency
    • a. critique
    • b. discrepancy
    • c. deliberation
    • d. sufficiently
  8. different
    • a. noticeable
    • b. diverse
    • c. conventional
    • d. curious
  9. hypothetically
    • a. exceedingly
    • b. haphazardly
    • c. theoretically
    • d. routinely
  10. reveal
    • a. disclose
    • b. baffle
    • c. conceal
    • d. confirm
Multiple-Choice Test Questions

  1. The geologic history of Earth reveals much information about the evolution of the continents, oceans, atmosphere, and biosphere. The layers of rock at Earth’s surface contain evidence of the evolutionary processes these components underwent when each layer was formed. By studying this rock record from the beginning, it is possible to track their development through time.

    The word reveals in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. teaches
    • b. discloses
    • c. traces
    • d. donates
  2. Day-to-day weather constitutes a major element of the environment and an important factor in human well-being and activity. Agriculture, animal husbandry, transportation, and public health and safety are all greatly influenced by weather. It is not surprising that one of humanity’s oldest environment-related interests has been to manage the weather purposefully.

    The word purposefully in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. prosperously
    • b. eventually
    • c. exceedingly
    • d. deliberately
  3. Illumination plays a great role in our psychological and physical well-being. Light can model objects or flatten them, reveal colors or distort them, provide a cheerful environment or a gloomy one. Glare and reflected glare can cause discomfort and reduce visibility. In addition to calculating illumination, a lighting engineer must deal with all of these problems through the choice of light sources and fixtures.

    The word distort in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. hide
    • b. accentuate
    • c. deform
    • d. highlight
  4. The different appearance of animals is chiefly superficial; the diverse variety of known forms can be assorted among only a half-dozen basic body plans. These plans are established during the embryonic stages of development and limit the size and complexity of the animals. Symmetry, number, and development of tissue, presence, and nature of body cavities, and several aspects of early development define these fundamental plans of organization.

    The word diverse in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. recognized
    • b. acknowledged
    • c. different
    • d. critical
  5. When the settlers of the western United States abandoned their original log cabins, sod houses, and dugouts, they built small, wood-framed dwellings of one or two rooms without a basement. Rooms were usually added as prosperous families grew larger. This usually resulted in a series of large, open rooms laid end to end so that each would have an equal amount of sunlight.

    The word prosperous in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. numerous
    • b. thriving
    • c. prominent
    • d. courageous
  6. The medical profession is sometimes accused of being more interested in itself than the quality of care it delivers. Many patients feel they don’t get the attention they deserve; many see the profession as selfish to its core. Doctors rarely agree, as a recent survey comparing their attitudes and that of the public shows. Seventy percent of the public were disappointed in the quality of care; only 35 percent of the doctors agreed.

    In stating that the medical profession is selfish to its core, the author means that it
    • a. is entirely interested only in itself.
    • b. contains a group of bad doctors.
    • c. has wide support among patients.
    • d. includes good and bad physicians.
  7. Industrial cities appeared after the full development of industrial capitalism in the core nation-states of the eighteenth century. As a result, one of the dramatic features of the industrial revolution eventually developed, a remarkable increase in production. This increase was made possible by the improved methods of manufacturing that were adopted by factories.

    The word eventually in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. quickly
    • b. carefully
    • c. instantaneously
    • d. gradually
  8. The earliest complete calendars were probably based on lunar observations. But lunar years were not convenient for agricultural purposes. Therefore, to keep in step with the Sun, lunar-solar calendars were formed by adding an additional “leap” month when the observation of crops made it seem necessary. Eventually the Gregorian civil calendar, a solar calendar that is calculated without reference to the Moon, became the most popular method of measuring years.

    The word convenient in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. useful
    • b. ideal
    • c. proper
    • d. practical
  9. Mollusks have existed for some 500 million years, and about 10,000 extinct species are known. There are 350 or more living species of cephalopods from the Mollusk family. One of these is the cuttlefish. Fossil evidence confirms that the ancient cuttlefish has existed in its present form for more than 20 million years. When we compare the modernday cuttlefish to the ancient fossils, we see evidence that the well-developed head, the many arms, two gills, two kidneys, and three hearts of the contemporary cuttlefish were also present in the cuttlefish of long ago.

    The word confirms in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. discloses
    • b. asserts
    • c. proves
    • d. reveals
  10. The first swimsuits concealed the shape of the human body. Over the decades, attitudes relaxed regarding the public display of one’s body shape. Designers could move away from conservative styles and promote those that revealed a body’s physical attributes.

    The word concealed in the passage is closest in meaning to
    • a. hid
    • b. distorted
    • c. enhanced
    • d. disrupted
Answer Key
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Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know

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