Lesson 4: Essential Words for the TOEFL

Jun 7, 2016

ambiguous ○ apparent ○ arbitrary ○ assert ○ astounding •astute ○ authorize ○ deceptively ○ determined ○ elicit ○ forbid ○ petition ○ relinquish ○ resilient ○ tempt

ambiguous
[adj.] of unclear meaning, something that can be understood in more than one way
[Syn.] vague

[adv.] ambiguously
[n.] ambiguity

The men received an ambiguous message from their boss.
His letter was full of ambiguities.

apparent
[adj.] to be clear in meaning or open to view, easily understood
[Syn.] visible

[adv.] apparently

It was apparent that he needed to rest.
No one apparently knew to solve the problem.

arbitrary
[adj.] an action or decision made with little thought, order, or reason
[Syn.] haphazard

[adv.] arbitrarily
[n.] arbitrariness

Her choice of clothing seemed arbitrary.
The teacher arbitrarily decided to give the class a test.

assert
[n.] to express or defend oneself strongly, to state positively
[Syn.] declare

[adv.] assertively
[n.] assertiveness
[n.] assertion
[adj.] assertive

The government asserted its control over the banking system.
The company president is an assertive individual.

astounding
[adj.] very surprising
[Syn.] astonishing

[v.] astound
[adv.] astoundingly

The scientists made an astounding discovery.
The fans were astounded by their team’s success.

astute
[adj.] very intelligent, smart, clever
[Syn.] perceptive

[adj.] astutely
[n.] astuteness

He was an astute worker, finishing in half the time it took the others to finish.
They astutely determined that there would be no chance to finish on time.

authorize
[v.] to give permission or power to do something
[Syn.] empower

[adj.] authorized
[n.] authority

Only authorized employees are allowed in the laboratory.
The dean has the authority to resolve academic problem of students.

deceptively
[adv.] to make someone think that something is true or good when it is false or bad
[Syn.] misleadingly

[adj.] deceptive
[v.] deceive
[n.] deception

The magician deceptively made the rabbit disappear.
Richard deceived Joe about the cost of the coat.

determined
[adj.] to be strong in one’s opinion, to be firm in conviction
[Syn.] resolute

[n.] determination
[v.] determine

They were determined to go to graduate school.
The judge determined that the man was lying.

elicit
[v.] to get the facts, to draw out, to evoke
[Syn.] extract

[n.] elicitation

A lawyer will elicit all the facts necessary to prove her case.
Elicitation of the truth can be difficult at times.

forbid
[v.] to command not to do something to have a dangerous look, bad feeling
[Syn.] ban

[adj.] forbidden
[adj.] forbidding
[adv.] forbiddingly

His father will forbid him to use the car.
The cave looks forbidding let’s not go in.

petition
[v.] to make a request
[Syn.] appeal

[n.] petition

Canada petitioned the United Nations to consider its case.
The student’s petition was denied.

relinquish
[v.] to give up control
[Syn.] abdicate

[n.] relinquishment

The troubled executive relinquished his control of the company.
The relinquishment of his claim to the building will allow the building to be sold.

resilient
[adj.] strong enough to recover from difficulty or disease
[Syn.] tenacious

[adv.] resiliently
[n.] resilience

She has a resilient personality and will soon feel better.
The doctor was surprised by his patient’s resilience.

tempt
[v.] to make it attractive to do something wrong
[Syn.] entice

[adv.] temptingly
[n.] temptation
[adj.] tempting

The idea of getting rich quickly tempted him to invest his life savings.
Desserts are more tempting when one is on a diet.

Choose the synonym.
1. appeal
  1. detect
  2. assert
  3. petition
  4. allow
2. astounding
  1. celebrated
  2. astonishing
  3. visible
  4. energetic
3. ban
  1. forbid
  2. empower
  3. intensify
  4. restore
4. elicit
  1. declare
  2. authorize
  3. conform
  4. extract
5. abdicate
  1. relinquish
  2. alter
  3. encourage
  4. heighten
6. misleadingly
  1. abruptly
  2. deceptively
  3. progressively
  4. truly
7. resolute
  1. determined
  2. perfect
  3. renown
  4. perceptive
8. resilient
  1. bothersome
  2. vital
  3. unbearable
  4. tenacious
9. tempt
  1. entice
  2. divide
  3. discourage
  4. notice
10. vague
  1. intolerable
  2. adverse
  3. beautiful
  4. ambiguous
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the sentence.
1. Not until 1946 did the world chess governing body, FIDE, assert its control over international championship play.
  1. declare
  2. relinquish
  3. petition
  4. decrease
2. All classifications of human societies and cultures are arbitrary.
  1. useful
  2. haphazard
  3. insufficient
  4. ambiguous
3. Paul Newman’s apparently effortless acting skill has enabled him to play a variety of characters.
  1. seemingly
  2. extremely
  3. visibly
  4. deceptively
4. The Monroe Doctrine authorized the United States to intervene in the affairs of Latin American countries in case of foreign invasion.
  1. empowered
  2. forbade
  3. elicited
  4. tempted
5. J. Edgar Hoover was an astute professional who served as director of the FBI for 48 years.
  1. perceptive
  2. resilient
  3. astounding
  4. determined

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