TOEFL Words | Questions & Answers 9/44

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 081-090

081. Once celebrated across the region, the traveling circus troupes had faded from public memory by the time television became common.

The phrase "faded from" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) increased in
• (B) disappeared from
• (C) settled into
• (D) returned to

082. The bicycle's folding frame was a novel design that let commuters carry it onto crowded trains.

The word "novel" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) traditional
• (B) affordable
• (C) innovative
• (D) colorful

083. The workshop relied on a stationary generator bolted to the concrete floor rather than a portable one that could be moved outside.

The word "stationary" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) quiet
• (B) fixed
• (C) compact
• (D) electric

084. The harbor was too shallow for any vessel drawing more than two meters of water.

The word "vessel" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) anchor
• (B) route
• (C) harbor
• (D) craft

085. New treatment guidelines emerged only after the committee spent months outlining the main circumstances under which the drug should be prescribed.

The word "emerged" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) appeared
• (B) vanished
• (C) weakened
• (D) waited

The word "outlining" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) translating
• (B) revising
• (C) summarizing
• (D) printing

086. Between coats of varnish, the restorer followed a deliberate process of cleaning and inspecting each panel under bright light.

The word "deliberate" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) quick
• (B) careful
• (C) casual
• (D) secret

087. The delicate fabric demanded that the tailor use only silk thread and the smallest needles available.

The word "demanded" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) suggested
• (B) avoided
• (C) required
• (D) delayed

088. Apprentices in the workshop were trained to imitate the master printmaker's exact line weight and shading technique.

The word "imitate" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) copy
• (B) criticize
• (C) invent
• (D) avoid

089. The tanager is comparably common to other forest songbirds in the region, unlike the far rarer quetzal that draws birdwatchers from abroad.

The word "comparably" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) surprisingly
• (B) similarly
• (C) rarely
• (D) obviously

090. Even within the same litter, puppies can show markedly different inclinations, some eager to explore and others content to nap.

The word "inclinations" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) abilities
• (B) routines
• (C) preferences
• (D) memories

Answers

• 081 — B: faded from ≈ disappeared from — gradually vanished from.
• 082 — C: novel ≈ innovative — new and original.
• 083 — B: stationary ≈ fixed — not moving or movable.
• 084 — D: vessel ≈ craft — a boat or ship.
• 085 — A, C: emerged ≈ appeared; outlining ≈ summarizing — came into existence, once the details were summarized.
• 086 — B: deliberate ≈ careful — done with close attention.
• 087 — C: demanded ≈ required — made necessary.
• 088 — A: imitate ≈ copy — to reproduce someone else's style or actions.
• 089 — B: comparably ≈ similarly — in much the same way or degree.
• 090 — C: inclinations ≈ preferences — natural tendencies or leanings.

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