Vocabulary
What is being tested
Vocabulary questions ask you to choose the word that fits the meaning and the context. You must understand denotation (dictionary meaning), connotation (positive, negative or neutral feeling), register (formal versus colloquial), collocation (words that naturally keep company, such as heavy rain, not strong rain), shades of meaning between near-synonyms, idiom and figurative language, and word formation (prefixes, suffixes, roots).
Traps that appear in questions
- Near-synonyms with different strength. Warm, hot and scorching are not interchangeable.
- Wrong connotation. Childish is negative; childlike is usually positive. Thrifty is approving; stingy is not.
- Wrong register. A formal report should not use kids or a lot of stuff.
- Wrong collocation. Make a decision, not do a decision; commit a crime, not make a crime.
- Literal answers to figurative questions. “She froze” means she stopped moving, not that she turned to ice.
- Prefix traps. Inflammable means easily set on fire, not fireproof; valuable and invaluable both mean highly valued.
Worked example
“The committee gave a ______ response, promising nothing and committing to nothing.” Options: A. cautious B. cowardly C. reluctant D. vague Cowardly is too emotional and negative for a committee minute. Reluctant implies unwillingness, but the text stresses emptiness of content. Cautious fits the careful tone but not “promising nothing”. Vague matches “committing to nothing”. Always test the chosen word by putting it back in the sentence and reading it aloud.
Rule of thumb
Replace the blank with your own word first, then find the option closest to it. If two options seem right, one will usually be wrong on connotation, register or collocation.