Words for TOEFL

Question 1

isolation

Answer 1

noun. the state of being alone or kept apart from others
Syn. privacy

• The isolation of the mountain community
• forced isolation always made the sociable child lonely

Question 2

abroad

Answer 2

adv. to or in another country
syn. overseas; internationally
Louis Armstrong often traveled abroad.
Living abroad can be an educational experience.

Question 3

abrupt

Answer 3

adj. quick; without warning
syn. sudden
adv. abruptly
n. abruptness
There was an abrupt change in the weather.
After the incident everyone left abruptly.

Question 4

acceptable

Answer 4

adj. allowable or satisfactory
syn. permissible
v. accept
adv. acceptably
n. acceptability
adj. accepting
The idea was acceptable to everyone.
The registrar accepted more applicants than he should have.

Question 5

acclaim

Answer 5

n. enthusiastic approval; applause
syn. praise
adj. acclaimed
n. acclamation
Leonardo DiCaprio has earned acclaim abroad as an actor.
Acclaimed authors often win Pulitzer Prizes.

Question 6

adverse

Answer 6

adj. displeasing, objectionable, or bad
syn. unfavorable
adv. adversely
n. adversity
n. adversary
The game was cancelled by officials due to the adverse weather conditions.
His indecision adversely affected his job performance.

Question 7

aspect

Answer 7

n. a part or characteristic of something; an
element
syn. facet
I would trust the professional’s advice in that aspect of economics.
There are many fascinating aspects to the complex procedure.

Question 8

attractive

Answer 8

adj. calling attention to; pleasing; creating interest; pretty.
syn. appealing
v. attract
n. attraction
n. attractiveness
adv. attractively
The idea of working four, ten-hour work days was attractive to many employees.
The major attraction of the show was a speech by the president.

Question 9

autonomous

Answer 9

adj. by itself; with no association
syn. independent
adv. autonomously
Mexico became an autonomous state in 1817.
Although working closely with the government, all businesses function autonomously.

Question 10

chronic

Answer 10

adj. always present; continual
syn. constant
adv. chronically
The author’s chronic headache prevented her from finishing the chapter.
He is chronically late to class.

Question 11

disapproval

Answer 11

n. the act of disagreeing; not giving approval
syn. objection
v. disapprove
adv. disapprovingly
Their disapproval of the plan caused the experiment to be abandoned.
The students disapproved of the level of difficulty of the test.

Question 12

disruptive

Answer 12

adj. causing confusion and interruption
syn. disturbing
v. disrupt
n. disruption
adv. disruptively
Frequent questions during lectures can be disruptive.
The storm caused a disruption in bus service.

Question 13

haphazardly

Answer 13

adv. having no order or pattern; by chance
syn. arbitrarily; carelessly
adj. haphazard
n. haphazardness
It was obvious that the house was built haphazardly.
Susan completed the assignment in a haphazard way.

Question 14

intervention

Answer 14

n. taking action; be involved
syn. involvement
v. intervene
The tutor’s intervention helped him improve his grade.
Some world leaders decide to not intervene in the affairs of other nations.

Question 15

persistent

Answer 15

adj. continuous; refusing to give up; firm -in action or decision
syn. constant
v. persist
n. persistence
adv. persistently
The attorney’s persistent questioning unsettled the witness.
Her persistence earned her a spot on the team.

Question 16

postpone

Answer 16

v. to change to a later time; to delay
adj. postponable
n. postponement
syn. reschedule
The referees decided to postpone the soccer match. The postponement of the meeting upset the impatient club members.

Question 17

valid

Answer 17

adj. producing a desired result based on truths or facts
n. validity
adv. validly
syn. convincing
The students had a valid reason for missing class. The professor questioned the validity of the test results.

Question 18

withdraw

Answer 18

v. to remove, take out, or take back.
n. withdrawal
syn. extract
The player withdrew from the competition.
Gloria had to make a withdrawal from her savings to pay tuition.