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TOEFL Words | Questions & Answers 16/44

VocabularyUpdated 3 min read

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

TOEFL Words | Questions 151-160

  1. The neighborhood council spends most of its monthly meeting settling disputes over fence lines and parking spaces.

The word "disputes" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) agreements
  • (B) arguments
  • (C) ceremonies
  • (D) festivals
  1. Before the new bylaw passed, boat owners had unrestricted access to the marina at any hour of the day or night.

The word "unrestricted" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) unsatisfactory
  • (B) seasonal
  • (C) unlimited
  • (D) shared
  1. The two strands of copper wire are fed separately into the braiding machine before emerging twisted into a single cable.

The word "fed" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) eaten
  • (B) sharpened
  • (C) welded
  • (D) put
  1. Workers on the offshore rig are exposed to sudden shifts in air pressure whenever they move between deck levels quickly.

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

  • (A) subjected to
  • (B) protected from
  • (C) unaware of
  • (D) distracted by
  1. Caffeine can exert a noticeable effect on sleep quality even when consumed as early as midafternoon.

The word "exert" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) delay
  • (B) cause
  • (C) measure
  • (D) avoid
  1. Heat from the stovetop diffuses slowly through a cast-iron pan, which is why chefs prize it for even cooking.

The word "diffuses" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) cools
  • (B) thickens
  • (C) travels
  • (D) evaporates
  1. If a car tire overheats on a long highway drive, the added pressure can cause it to rupture without warning.

The word "rupture" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) soften
  • (B) expand
  • (C) leak
  • (D) burst
  1. Modern electron microscopes can reveal minuscule surface details on a butterfly's wing that are invisible to the naked eye.

The word "minuscule" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) tiny
  • (B) smooth
  • (C) fragile
  • (D) translucent
  1. A wireless pacemaker enables doctors to monitor a patient's heart rhythm remotely without an office visit.

The word "enables" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) restricts
  • (B) allows
  • (C) duplicates
  • (D) delays
  1. The clinic does not diagnose rare diseases on-site; rather, it refers unusual cases to a specialist hospital two hours away.

The word "rather" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) similarly
  • (B) briefly
  • (C) instead
  • (D) partly

Answers

  • 151 — B: disputes ≈ arguments — disputes over property are arguments about it.
  • 152 — C: unrestricted ≈ unlimited — unrestricted access means access without limits.
  • 153 — D: fed ≈ put — wire fed into a machine is put into it.
  • 154 — A: exposed to ≈ subjected to — exposed to pressure means subjected to it.
  • 155 — B: exert ≈ cause — to exert an effect is to cause one.
  • 156 — C: diffuses ≈ travels — heat that diffuses through metal travels through it.
  • 157 — D: rupture ≈ burst — a tire that ruptures bursts open.
  • 158 — A: minuscule ≈ tiny — minuscule details are extremely tiny ones.
  • 159 — B: enables ≈ allows — a device that enables monitoring allows it.
  • 160 — C: rather ≈ instead — "rather" here signals an alternative, like instead.

Explore more themed lists in the vocabulary archive, then apply these words with reading practice.

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