Download developing your vocabulary

DEVELOPING YOUR VOCABULARY
PREPARING FOR STANDARDIZED VOCABULARY TESTS
Many standardized tests assess verbal aptitude and vocabulary skills. If you plan to attend
college, you will have to take college admissions tests, such as the SAT (Scholastic
Aptitude Test) or the ACT (American College Testing Program). Even if you don’t go to
college, you will likely have to pass some kind of aptitude test for a trade school, an
employer, or the military.
Because standardized vocabulary tests assess general aptitude and accumulated
knowledge of word meanings and word relationships, it’s not possible to “cram” for them.
However, if you read widely, work steadily on building your vocabulary, and practice
effective test-taking strategies, you will improve your chances of scoring well on the
vocabulary portions of standardized tests.
Standardized tests usually include three main groupings of vocabulary questions:
definitions, synonym and antonym recognition, and word analogies.
Definitions
Some test items require you to identify the meaning of words. Such items may be phrased
as incomplete statements of definitions that you must complete by supplying the correct
meaning form one of several choices.
To rectify something is to _____.
a
destroy it
b
correct it
c
release it
d
ignore it
Answer: a b
c
d
The correct answer is choice b: Rectify means “to set right or correct.”
A definition test item may also be constructed so that you are asked to identify the synonym
of an underlined word.
To work diligently is to work _____.
a
carelessly
b
grudgingly
c
indifferently
d
persistently
Answer: a b
c
d
The correct answer is choice d: Diligently means “persistently; with perseverance or
careful, steady effort.”
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Developing Your Vocabulary 1
Definition questions ask you to select the best answer form among four or five answer
choices. The correct answer may not be the only or most common definition or synonym of
the word. Therefore, always read through all of the answer choices carefully.
Synonym and Antonym Recognition
In a test section on synonym or antonym recognition, you are asked to select the word most
similar in meaning (synonym) to the word given or the word nearly opposite in meaning
(antonym).
Choose the word most similar in meaning to the underlined word.
inane a
insane
b
difficult
c
troublesome
d
foolish
Answer: a b
c
d
The correct choice is d: Inane means “foolish, empty, or silly.”
Choose the word most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word.
candid
a
respectable
b
evasive
c
invigorating
d
haughty
Answer: a b
c
d
The correct answer is b: Evasive is an antonym of candid, which means “direct” or
“straightforward.”
Tips for Answering Synonym/Antonym Recognition Items
1 . Use the “divide and conquer” principle as you search for the answer. Look for
prefixes, roots, and suffixes that give clues to meanings.
2 . Read every word carefully. Don’t be fooled by answer choices that look or sound like
a word that could be the answer. For example, if you are asked to find a synonym for
anecdote and one of your answer choices is cure, don’t be hasty. You might confuse
anecdote with antidote, a word that sounds somewhat similar.
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Developing Your Vocabulary 2
3 . With very few exceptions, the correct answer will be the same part of speech as the
word given. if the given word is a verb, its synonym or antonym will also be a verb,
for example.
4 . Eliminate all obviously wrong choices. Then, if the particular test you are taking does
not penalize you for guessing and you have eliminated all but two possible choices,
make an educated guess. (This approach should be your last resort. Guessing should
never be your primary test-taking strategy.)
5 . Remember that, as with definition test items, you are being asked to find the best
answer rather than the “absolutely right” answer. Very few words have synonyms
that are completely identical in meaning or antonyms that are completely opposite in
meaning.
Word Analogies
In a word analogy test item, you have to match two pairs of terms that demonstrate the
same relationship. Usually, one pair of terms is provided. First, you must identify the
relationship between those two words. Then, from among the answer choices, you need to
find another pair of words that have the same relationship.
In the item below, choose the pair of words whose relationship is most similar to that
of the first pair.
HARD : NAILS ::
a steep : mountain
b loud : bell
c light : feather
d soggy : ground
Answer: a b
c
d
The correct answer is c: The relationship between the words is one of characteristic-toobject: hard is a descriptive quality of nails. Option c is the only answer choice that also
states this relationship. Just as nails are hard, feathers are light. (Think of the clichés “hard
as nails” and “light as a feather.”) But steepness is not necessarily a quality of mountains,
nor loudness a quality of bells, nor sogginess a quality of ground.
Word analogies are based on many possible relationships. Here are several that are most
commonly used in analogy test items:
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Developing Your Vocabulary 3
synonym-antonym
person-to-characteristic
greater degree-to-lesser degree
cause-effect
worker-to-created object
class-to-species
action-to-object
object-to-characteristic
synonym-synonym
worker-to-tool
part-to-whole
group-to-member
person-to-task
tool-to-purpose
worker-to-workplace
time-to-place
Other relationships include associational, hierarchical, mathematical, symbolic, gender, and
even grammatical. In fact, just about any way that two things can be related is likely to
show up on an analogy test.
Tips for Attacking Word Analogies
1 . First, phrase the given analogy in a complete sentence: “Egg is to chicken as _____ is
to _____.”
2 . Specify the relationship between the first pair of words, and revise your sentence
accordingly: “An egg is a product of a chicken as a _____ is a product of a _____.”
3 . Examine the answer choices for the closest possible match to the relationship you
have identified in the first pair of words. As you consider each possible answer, you
will often gain some insight that prompts you to revise your statement of the original
pair’s relationship. The most obvious relationship may not be the one that the analogy
is presenting. You may have to make your statement of the relationship more general,
more specific, or completely different from what you originally thought it was. For
example: “A chicken comes from an egg as a _____ comes from a _____.”
4 . Look for parallel structure. If the given pair in the analogy is in part-to-whole order,
the correct answer should also be in part-to-whole order, rather than whole-to-part.
5 . The best answer always fulfills all aspects of the relationship exhibited by the first
pair. Don’t be misled by partially correct answer choices that do not fully express the
relationship that exists between the given pair of words. For example, if the given
pair is HARD : NAILS, the answer steep : mountain would be incorrect because nails
must be hard, but mountains do not necessarily have to be steep.
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Developing Your Vocabulary 4
HINT
There is no way to prepare for specific analogy test items, But if you practice
answering analogies in test-preparation books and become familiar with the most
common analogy relationships, you will have a better chance of succeeding on
analogy tests.
Self-Check
1 . Choose the answer that best completes the sentence.
Something that is pernicious is _____:
a
destructive
b
annoying
c
chronic
d
illusive
2 . Choose the word that is most similar in meaning to the underlined word.
impetuous
a imperfect
b studious
c impulsive
d sacred
3 . Choose the word that is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word.
disperse
a dispel
b gather
c render
d prevaricate
4 . Choose the pair of words whose relationship is most like that of the first pair.
BEAR : DEN ::
a
dog : doghouse
b
fox : lair
c
army : retreat
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Developing Your Vocabulary 5
d
baby : crib
Answer Key
Self-Check
1. a
2. c
3. b
4
b
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Developing Your Vocabulary 6