Lesson 7: Essential Words for the TOEFL

Jun 7, 2016

appropriate ○ clarify ○ conceal ○ confirm ○ constantly ○ convenient ○ core ○ critical ○ distort ○ diverse ○ prosperous ○ purposefully ○ reveal ○ scarcely ○ theoretically

appropriate
[adj.] correct or good for the purpose
[Syn.] proper

[n.] appropriateness
[adv.] appropriately

It is not appropriate to cheat on tests.
She was dressed appropriately in a suit for the job interview.

clarify
[v.] to make more easily understood, to make clear
[Syn.] explain

[n.] clarification

Chapter 2 in the textbook clarifies the process of osmosis.
A clarification of the government’s position on this matter is necessary.

conceal
[v.] to prevent from being seen or discovered
[Syn.] hide

[n.] concealment

The students concealed their feelings about the course.
His concealment of the evidence made his case more difficult to prove.

confirm
[v.] to make certain, given support
[Syn.] prove

[adj.] confirmed
[n.] confirmation

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.

constantly
[adv.] in an unchanging manner; happening all the time
[Syn.] continually

[adj.] constant

Philosophy constantly questions the nature of human existence.
The speed of light is constant at 186,000 miles a second.

convenient
[adj.] easy to reach, near; suitable to one’s needs
[Syn.] practical

[adv.] conveniently
[n.] convenience

The student union is convenient to the physical sciences building.
For the convenience of the student body, the library is located in a central location.

core
[adj.] the central or most important part
[Syn.] chief

[n.] core

The core of the curriculum consists of courses that are required of all students.
They are loyal to the core.

critical
[adj.] very serious or requiring careful judgment; finding fault
[Syn.] dangerous

[v.] critique
[n.] criticism
[n.] critic
[adv.] critically

It is critical to follow the directions for the experiment exactly as the instructor indicates.
The runner accepted criticism from his coach very well.

distort
[v.] to change from the original shape or condition, usually in an unnatural way
[Syn.] deform

[adj.] distorted
[n.] distortion

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
[adj.] various; distinct from others
[Syn.] different

[adv.] diversely
[n.] diversity
[v.] diversify

Freud had many diverse interests in psychology.
The diversity of life forms on Earth makes zoology an interesting area of study.

prosperous
[adj.] successful, wealthy
[Syn.] thriving

[adv.] prosperously
[v.] prosper
[n.] prosperity

In the early 1900s, San Francisco was a prosperous city.
Bacteria prosper under the proper conditions.

purposefully
[adv.] done for a special reason
[Syn.] deliberately

[adj.] purposeful
[adv.] purposely
[n.] purpose

The course syllabus was designed purposefully to be easy to follow.
He was authorized to spend the money for business purposes.

reveal
[v.] to uncover, to expose
[Syn.] disclose

[adv.] revealingly
[adj.] revealing
[n.] revelation

The president revealed some of his ideas before he gave his speech.
The report made some revelations about the nature of the conflict.

scarcely
[adv.] almost not
[Syn.] hardly

[adj.] scarce
[n.] scarcity

The woman scarcely spoke a word of English.
Due to a scarcity of water, a rationing plan was established.

theoretically
[adv.] according to a reasoned, but not proven, point of view
[Syn.] hypothetically

[adj.] theoretical
[n.] theory
[v.] theorize

His argument was theoretically appealing but not realistic.
Leonardo da Vinci theorized that the Earth was not the center of the universe.

Choose the synonym.
1. deform
  1. hide
  2. distort
  3. amaze
  4. block
2. scarcely
  1. delicately
  2. visibly
  3. continually
  4. hardly
3. proper
  1. appropriate
  2. practical
  3. rigid
  4. complex
4. clarify
  1. shed
  2. enhance
  3. explain
  4. elicit
5. dangerous
  1. chief
  2. deceptive
  3. critical
  4. routine
6. thriving
  1. prosperous
  2. resilient
  3. convenient
  4. tolerable
7. purposefully
  1. comparatively
  2. deliberately
  3. constantly
  4. sufficiently
8. different
  1. noticeable
  2. diverse
  3. conventional
  4. curious
9. hypothetically
  1. exceedingly
  2. haphazardly
  3. theoretically
  4. routinely
10. reveal
  1. disclose
  2. baffle
  3. conceal
  4. confirm
Choose the word that is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the sentence.
1. Industrial cities appeared after the full development of industrial capitalism in the core nation-states of the eighteenth century.
  1. chief
  2. prosperous
  3. smallest
  4. diverse
2. For calculating a calendar, it is convenient to use the tropical solar year.
  1. practical
  2. critical
  3. necessary
  4. appropriate
3. All things consist of atoms and molecules that are constantly in motion.
  1. definitely
  2. always
  3. hardly
  4. uniquely
4. Fossil evidence confirms that the ancient cuttlefish has existed in its present form for more than 20 million years.
  1. proves
  2. suggests
  3. clarifies
  4. reveals
5. The first swimsuit concealed the shape of the human body.
  1. hid
  2. flattered
  3. distorted
  4. revealed

Back