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TOEFL Words | Questions & Answers 13/44

VocabularyUpdated 3 min read

This page drills ten more TOEFL vocabulary words through original context sentences. Read each sentence, pick the closest meaning for the bolded word, then compare your choice with the answer key at the end.

TOEFL Words | Questions 121-130

  1. Before committing to oil paint, the illustrator spent an afternoon sketching the harbor from three different angles.

The word "sketching" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) photographing
  • (B) drawing
  • (C) framing
  • (D) selling
  1. University enrollment has grown fastest in the domains of data science, public health, and renewable energy over the past decade.

The word "domains" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) buildings
  • (B) salaries
  • (C) fields
  • (D) committees
  1. Widespread access to satellite internet is making a fundamental transformation possible in how remote communities receive schooling and medical advice.

The word "fundamental" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) sudden
  • (B) costly
  • (C) temporary
  • (D) basic
  1. The workshop still employs a handful of skilled carpenters who can repair antique furniture without power tools.

The word "skilled" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) expert
  • (B) underpaid
  • (C) cautious
  • (D) senior
  1. For two decades, a single foreman presided over the entire assembly line, deciding schedules and settling disputes between crews.

The words "presided over" are closest in meaning to:

  • (A) benefited from
  • (B) managed
  • (C) competed with
  • (D) reported on
  1. Astronomers still debate which entities in the night sky qualify as planets rather than dwarf planets or asteroids.

The word "entities" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) theories
  • (B) illustrations
  • (C) objects
  • (D) measurements
  1. The weaver repeated geometric motifs of diamonds and zigzags across every blanket she produced for the market.

The word "motifs" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) warnings
  • (B) letters
  • (C) tools
  • (D) designs
  1. Museum curators increasingly treat folk carving as a distinct tradition rather than folding it into the broader category of fine sculpture.

The word "distinct" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) separate
  • (B) celebrated
  • (C) informal
  • (D) rare
  1. On the rare occasion when the observatory's telescope needs major repair, the whole research schedule shifts by several weeks.

The word "rare" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) festive
  • (B) infrequent
  • (C) generous
  • (D) awkward
  1. Desert reptiles have little success maintaining a constant internal temperature, so they rely on shade and burrows instead.

The word "maintaining" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) measuring
  • (B) adjusting
  • (C) preserving
  • (D) forecasting

Answers

  • 121 — B: sketching ≈ drawing — to sketch something is to draw it quickly.
  • 122 — C: domains ≈ fields — a domain here is a field or area of activity.
  • 123 — D: fundamental ≈ basic — a fundamental change is a basic, structural one.
  • 124 — A: skilled ≈ expert — a skilled worker has expert-level ability.
  • 125 — B: presided over ≈ managed — to preside over an operation is to manage it.
  • 126 — C: entities ≈ objects — an entity here is simply a distinct object.
  • 127 — D: motifs ≈ designs — a motif is a recurring design element.
  • 128 — A: distinct ≈ separate — a distinct tradition stands apart as separate.
  • 129 — B: rare ≈ infrequent — a rare occasion happens infrequently.
  • 130 — C: maintaining ≈ preserving — to maintain a state is to preserve it.

Continue reviewing target words in the vocabulary archive, then put them to work with a session of reading practice.

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