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TOEFL Words | Questions & Answers 18/44

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 171-180

  1. The woodpecker wedged its beak into a narrow gap in the bark to reach the insect hiding underneath.

The word "gap" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) branch
  • (B) opening
  • (C) nest
  • (D) husk
  1. Before eating the mango, the parrot carefully discards the tough outer skin with quick flicks of its beak.

The word "discards" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) opens
  • (B) saves
  • (C) gets rid of
  • (D) hides
  1. The surgeon's deft hands closed the incision in half the time her colleagues usually needed.

The word "deft" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) cautious
  • (B) slow
  • (C) confident
  • (D) skilled
  1. The old oak table has a robust frame that has survived three house moves without a single crack.

The word "robust" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) strong
  • (B) lightweight
  • (C) modern
  • (D) narrow
  1. The printer's decision to list every signer's name heralded the united support of all the delegates.

The word "heralded" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) delayed
  • (B) announced
  • (C) questioned
  • (D) recorded
  1. After decades of teaching, she was appointed to a senior position overseeing the entire district's curriculum.

The word "position" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) ceremony
  • (B) award
  • (C) job
  • (D) request
  1. Coral reefs are among the major building blocks of shallow ocean ecosystems, sheltering thousands of species.

The word "major" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) urgent
  • (B) recent
  • (C) tiny
  • (D) principal
  1. The sculptor spent weeks ensuring the vase's base was perfectly symmetrical before firing it in the kiln. The water damage on the ceiling was obvious to anyone who walked into the room.

The word "symmetrical" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) proportionally balanced
  • (B) oddly angular
  • (C) rapidly shrinking
  • (D) densely packed

The word "obvious" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) hidden
  • (B) apparent
  • (C) debated
  • (D) temporary
  1. Wooden sailing ships dominated ocean trade for centuries before steam engines took over in the 1800s.

The word "dominated" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) threatened
  • (B) replaced
  • (C) controlled
  • (D) competed in
  1. Local ferry routes became supplements to the new highway system rather than disappearing once the roads were paved.

The word "supplements" is closest in meaning to:

  • (A) shortcuts
  • (B) obstacles
  • (C) alternatives
  • (D) extensions

Answers

  • 171 — B: gap ≈ opening — a gap in bark is a small opening.
  • 172 — C: discards ≈ gets rid of — to discard a skin is to get rid of it.
  • 173 — D: deft ≈ skilled — deft hands are skilled, precise ones.
  • 174 — A: robust ≈ strong — a robust frame is a strong, sturdy one.
  • 175 — B: heralded ≈ announced — an act that heralds support announces it.
  • 176 — C: position ≈ job — a senior position is a senior job.
  • 177 — D: major ≈ principal — major building blocks are the principal ones.
  • 178a — A: symmetrical ≈ proportionally balanced — a symmetrical shape is evenly balanced.
  • 178b — B: obvious ≈ apparent — obvious damage is readily apparent damage.
  • 179 — C: dominated ≈ controlled — ships that dominated trade controlled it.
  • 180 — D: supplements ≈ extensions — a supplement to a system extends it.

Find more sets like this on the vocabulary hub, then apply these words with reading practice.

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