TOEFL Words | Questions 031-040
031. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur fossils containing preserved embryos.
The word “outstanding” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) extensive
(B) surprising
(C) vertical
(D) excellent
032. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzamden, suggesting that a specific site was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time.
The word “site” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) example
(B) location
(C) development
(D) characteristic
033. The quality of preservation is almost unmatched, and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the
value of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of
pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.
The phrase “account for ” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) record
(B) describe
(C) equal
(D) explain
034. In the seventeenth century the organ, the clavichord, and the harpsichord became the chief instruments of the keyboard group, a
supremacy they maintained until the piano supplanted them at the end of the eighteenth century.
The words “a supremacy” in line 9 are closest in meaning to
(A) a suggestion
(B) an improvement
(C) a dominance
(D) a development
035. A series of mechanical improvements continuing well into the nineteenth century, including the introduction of pedals to sustain
tone or to soften it, the perfection of a metal frame, and steel wire of the finest quality, finally produced an instrument capable of
myriad tonal effects from the most delicate harmonies to an almost orchestral fullness of sound, from a liquid, singing tone to a ship,
percussive brilliance.
The word “myriad” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) noticeable
(B) many
(C) loud
(D) unusual
036. Each one was virtually a stone town, which is why the Spanish would later call them pueblos, the Spanish word for towns. These
pueblos represent one of the Anasazis’ supreme achievements. At least a dozen large stone houses took shape below the bluffs of
Chiaco Canyon in northwest New Mexico.
The word “supreme” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) most common
(B) most outstanding
(C) most expensive
(D) most convenient
037. They functioned as sanctuaries where the elders met to plan festivals, perform ritual dances, settle pueblo affairs, and impart tribal lore to the younger generation.
The word “settle” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) sink
(B) decide
(C) clarify
(D) locate
038. Then, to connect the pueblos and to give access to the surrounding tableland, the architects laid out a system of public roads with
stone staircases for ascending cliff faces.
The word “ascending” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) arriving at
(B) carving
(C) connecting
(D) climbing
039. Within a very short time, however, the incongruity of playing lively music to a solemn film became apparent, and film pianists began to take some care in matching their pieces to the mood of the film.
The word “solemn” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) simple
(B) serious
(C) short
(D) silent
040. Certain films had music especially composed for them. The most famous of these early special scores was that composed
and arranged for D. W. Griffith’s film Birth of a Nation, which was released in 1915.
The word “composed” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) selected
(B) combined
(C) played
(D) created
The word “scores” is closest in meaning to which of following?
(A) totals
(B) successes
(C) musical compositions
(D) groups of musicians
TOEFL Words | Answers 031-040
031 D
032 B
033 D
034 C
035 B
036 B
037 C
038 D
039 B
040 D C
