TOEFL Words | Questions & Answers 4/44

This page gives you ten original TOEFL-style vocabulary items built around the target words below. Answer all ten first, then check your choices against the answer key at the end.

TOEFL Words | Questions 031-040

031. The clarity of the restored recording is outstanding, capturing details in the orchestra that even the original tapes had lost.

The word "outstanding" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) detailed
• (B) modest
• (C) unusual
• (D) excellent

032. Archaeologists returned to the same site each summer, convinced that deeper layers still held undiscovered tools.

The word "site" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) example
• (B) location
• (C) theory
• (D) collection

033. Careful record-keeping and steady funding still do not account for why the expedition reached the summit two weeks ahead of schedule.

The phrase "account for" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) measure
• (B) predict
• (C) resemble
• (D) explain

034. For nearly two centuries, string quartets held a supremacy in chamber music that later ensembles found difficult to challenge.

The word "supremacy" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) a rivalry
• (B) a decline
• (C) a dominance
• (D) a partnership

035. The new synthesizer could produce a myriad of tonal effects, from soft, breathy textures to sharp, metallic bursts.

The word "myriad" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) subtle
• (B) many
• (C) warm
• (D) familiar

036. The observatory's rotating dome is considered one of the engineers' supreme achievements, admired by visitors decades after it was built.

The word "supreme" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) most recent
• (B) most outstanding
• (C) most controversial
• (D) most complex

037. Village elders would gather each month to settle disputes over grazing land before they escalated further.

The word "settle" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) postpone
• (B) decide
• (C) document
• (D) avoid

038. Workers cut narrow stone steps into the cliff for ascending the terraced fields above the river.

The word "ascending" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) descending
• (B) crossing
• (C) widening
• (D) climbing

039. The documentary's solemn tone made the light background music feel oddly out of place during the funeral scene.

The word "solemn" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) cheerful
• (B) serious
• (C) lengthy
• (D) quiet

040. For the silent film festival, an emerging composer composed original scores for four restored features, blending piano and strings to match each movie's mood.

The word "composed" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) licensed
• (B) rehearsed
• (C) recorded
• (D) created

The word "scores" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) sets of twenty
• (B) final results
• (C) musical compositions
• (D) practice sessions

Answers

• 031 — D: outstanding ≈ excellent — remarkably good.
• 032 — B: site ≈ location — a particular place.
• 033 — D: account for ≈ explain — to give a reason for something.
• 034 — C: supremacy ≈ dominance — a position of being superior to others.
• 035 — B: myriad ≈ many — a very large, varied number.
• 036 — B: supreme ≈ most outstanding — the greatest of its kind.
• 037 — B: settle ≈ decide — to reach a final decision about something.
• 038 — D: ascending ≈ climbing — moving upward.
• 039 — B: solemn ≈ serious — grave or formal in tone.
• 040 — D, C: composed ≈ created; scores ≈ musical compositions — composed means created, and scores are written musical works.

For more practice like this, browse the vocabulary hub or try a full reading practice set.