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TOEFL Words | Questions & Answers 12/44

VocabularyUpdated 3 min read

This page drills ten TOEFL vocabulary words through original context sentences. Read each sentence, choose the option closest in meaning to the bolded word, then check your answers against the key below.

TOEFL Words | Questions 111-120

  1. City council members sometimes have more direct effect on daily traffic patterns than regional planners do, since they approve local signage, crosswalks, and speed limits.

The word "effect" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) importance
  • (B) influence
  • (C) requirement
  • (D) appearance
  1. Community gardens support two distinct groups of growers: retirees seeking a quiet hobby and young families teaching children where food comes from.

The word "distinct" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) temporary
  • (B) popular
  • (C) separate
  • (D) shared
  1. Many universities are setting stricter limits on lecture hall capacity this term, partly to reduce noise and partly to comply with updated fire codes.

The word "setting" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) ignoring
  • (B) calculating
  • (C) negotiating
  • (D) establishing
  1. Toward these ends, the nonprofit expanded its afterschool tutoring program, since better literacy rates were the outcome donors most wanted to see.

The word "ends" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) goals
  • (B) origins
  • (C) methods
  • (D) complaints
  1. Switching from a desk job to competitive mountaineering required a drastic change in diet, sleep schedule, and daily exercise routine.

The word "drastic" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) temporary
  • (B) radical
  • (C) seasonal
  • (D) minor
  1. Researchers extracted trace pollen samples from the lake sediment by dissolving the surrounding rock in a mild acid solution.

The word "extracted" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) identified
  • (B) preserved
  • (C) removed
  • (D) duplicated
  1. In many instances, the surviving manuscripts were damaged by moisture long before archivists placed them in climate-controlled storage.

The word "instances" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) theories
  • (B) records
  • (C) warnings
  • (D) cases
  1. Although the insects had been entombed in amber for millions of years, researchers could still identify the fine structure of their wings.

The word "entombed" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) trapped
  • (B) dissolved
  • (C) scattered
  • (D) hardened
  1. Collectors in every era, from ancient Roman senators to modern executives, have shown a marked preference for owning original artwork.

The word "marked" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) recent
  • (B) pronounced
  • (C) debatable
  • (D) private
  1. The introduction of the smartphone camera in the mid-2000s ushered in a new era of casual photography that reshaped how people documented daily life. Across town, a large civic mural was executed by a local artist who spent three months studying the building's history before picking up a brush.

The phrase "ushered in" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) delaying
  • (B) publicizing
  • (C) beginning
  • (D) restricting

The word "executed" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) photographed
  • (B) duplicated
  • (C) displayed
  • (D) created

Answers

  • 111 — B: effect ≈ influence — a policy's effect is the influence it has on outcomes.
  • 112 — C: distinct ≈ separate — two distinct groups are clearly separate from each other.
  • 113 — D: setting ≈ establishing — setting a limit means officially establishing it.
  • 114 — A: ends ≈ goals — "toward these ends" means toward these goals.
  • 115 — B: drastic ≈ radical — a drastic change is a radical, sweeping one.
  • 116 — C: extracted ≈ removed — to extract a sample is to remove it carefully.
  • 117 — D: instances ≈ cases — "many instances" means many individual cases.
  • 118 — A: entombed ≈ trapped — something entombed is sealed in and trapped.
  • 119 — B: marked ≈ pronounced — a marked preference is a pronounced, noticeable one.
  • 120a — C: ushered in ≈ beginning — an event that ushers in an era begins it.
  • 120b — D: executed ≈ created — a work "executed by" an artist was created by them.

Keep building your word list with the rest of the vocabulary series, then apply these words in context with reading practice.

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