TOEFL Words | Questions & Answers 10/44

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 091-100

091. Filling out five separate paper forms for a single reimbursement was a cumbersome process that most employees dreaded.

The word "cumbersome" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) burdensome
• (B) generous
• (C) reasonable
• (D) urgent

092. Weekend deliveries were confined to the downtown district until the company expanded its fleet the following year.

The word "confined" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) issued
• (B) delayed
• (C) limited
• (D) requested

093. The interview questions were carefully framed so that witnesses could describe events without being led toward a particular answer.

The word "framed" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) recorded
• (B) avoided
• (C) posed
• (D) translated

094. The two companies supposedly split the regional market evenly, though internal documents later suggested otherwise.

The word "supposedly" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) harshly
• (B) openly
• (C) seemingly
• (D) narrowly

095. Inspectors shut down the food stall after finding it violated basic sanitation rules for handling raw meat.

The word "sanitation" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) safety
• (B) zoning
• (C) health
• (D) commerce

096. Early explorers held conflicting theories about the source of the river, with some insisting it began in the mountains and others in the lowland marshes.

The word "conflicting" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) popular
• (B) ancient
• (C) opposing
• (D) detailed

097. Deep beneath the surface, the sandy topsoil eventually gives way to solid bedrock that construction crews must drill through.

The phrase "gives way to" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) breaks apart from
• (B) settles beneath
• (C) turns into
• (D) connects to

098. Without direct samples, geologists can only speculate about the exact composition of the planet's inner core.

The word "speculate" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) confirm
• (B) forget
• (C) argue
• (D) hypothesize

099. Commuters would gladly switch routes if the alternative existed of a direct rail line into the city center.

The word "alternative" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) option
• (B) shortcut
• (C) excuse
• (D) budget

100. Rescue teams needed heavy equipment to penetrate the dense underbrush blocking the trail to the campsite.

The word "penetrate" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) walk around
• (B) go through
• (C) settle into
• (D) burn away

Answers

• 091 — A: cumbersome ≈ burdensome — awkward and difficult to manage.
• 092 — C: confined ≈ limited — restricted to a certain area or scope.
• 093 — C: framed ≈ posed — worded or presented in a particular way.
• 094 — C: supposedly ≈ seemingly — apparently, though not necessarily true.
• 095 — C: sanitation ≈ health — cleanliness rules meant to protect public health.
• 096 — C: conflicting ≈ opposing — in disagreement with each other.
• 097 — C: gives way to ≈ turns into — changes into something different.
• 098 — D: speculate ≈ hypothesize — to form a theory without full proof.
• 099 — A: alternative ≈ option — another possible choice.
• 100 — B: penetrate ≈ go through — to make a way into or across something.

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