TOEFL Words | Questions & Answers 28/44

This page drills TOEFL-level words in fresh context sentences, some with two target words in the same item. Read each sentence, choose the closest meaning for the bolded word, then check your answers against the key at the end.

Questions 271–280

271. Consumer groups warned that the private water company might charge exorbitant rates once it no longer faced local competition.

The word "exorbitant" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) delayed
• (B) expensive
• (C) negotiable
• (D) refundable

272. Proponents of the new bike-lane network argued that it would reduce traffic accidents within the first year.

The word "proponents" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) bystanders
• (B) skeptics
• (C) regulators
• (D) supporters

273. By the time the trade routes reopened, the merchant guild had already undergone major changes; historians trace this shift to the outbreak of a regional conflict a decade earlier.

The word "outbreak" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) outcome
• (B) beginning
• (C) aftermath
• (D) summary

The word "undergone" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) prevented
• (B) postponed
• (C) announced
• (D) experienced

274. Several young portrait painters consorted with wealthy patrons who commissioned works for their private galleries.

The word "consorted" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) competed
• (B) negotiated
• (C) apologized
• (D) associated

275. The gallery received sufficient funding this year to restore three damaged paintings before the winter exhibition.

The word "sufficient" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) adequate
• (B) delayed
• (C) partial
• (D) borrowed

276. Cheap overseas labor drew manufacturing jobs away from the small mill towns throughout the 1970s.

The word "drew" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) warned
• (B) taxed
• (C) replaced
• (D) attracted

277. City planners hoped the new tunnel would annihilate the long delays that had plagued commuters for a generation.

The word "annihilate" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) eliminate
• (B) delay
• (C) prolong
• (D) publicize

278. The warehouse district grew rapidly around the rail yard. Moreover, its central location made it a natural hub for regional shipping, a role its planners had described as aptly suited to the terrain.

The word "moreover" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) meanwhile
• (B) furthermore
• (C) nevertheless
• (D) otherwise

The word "aptly" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) appropriately
• (B) barely
• (C) rarely
• (D) accidentally

279. Skilled weavers used dried grasses and thin roots to fashion intricate baskets for storing grain and carrying water.

The word "fashion" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) repair
• (B) sell
• (C) discard
• (D) create

280. Each finished article was inspected for loose threads before it left the workshop.

The word "article" is closest in meaning to:

• (A) worker
• (B) machine
• (C) invoice
• (D) object

Answers

• 271 — B: exorbitant ≈ expensive — unreasonably high, usually referring to price.
• 272 — D: proponents ≈ supporters — people who argue in favor of an idea.
• 273 — B, D: outbreak ≈ beginning; undergone ≈ experienced — the start of an event, and having gone through change.
• 274 — D: consorted ≈ associated — spent time with, often socially or professionally.
• 275 — A: sufficient ≈ adequate — enough for a particular purpose.
• 276 — D: drew ≈ attracted — pulled toward something, often figuratively.
• 277 — A: annihilate ≈ eliminate — to destroy or get rid of completely.
• 278 — B, A: moreover ≈ furthermore; aptly ≈ appropriately — adding a point, and describing something fittingly.
• 279 — D: fashion ≈ create — to shape or make something by hand.
• 280 — D: article ≈ object — a particular item or thing.

For more vocabulary drills, visit /blog/vocabulary/, and build reading speed with practice sets at /practice/reading/.