Vocabulary
What the questions test
Vocabulary items rarely ask for a dictionary definition in isolation. They ask you to use context clues: definition ("a nocturnal animal, one active at night"), example ("citrus fruits, such as oranges and grapefruits"), contrast ("unlike her talkative brother, Mia was taciturn"), and inference ("he clutched the rail, knuckles white").
You also need word parts - prefixes (un-, re-, dis-, pre-, mis-), suffixes (-less, -ful, -tion, -ous), and roots (bene, aud, spec, port, dict) - plus reference skills (dictionary, thesaurus, glossary) and connotation: the feeling a word carries beyond its meaning. Slim and skinny share a definition; only one insults.
Traps
- Picking the most familiar meaning of a multiple-meaning word instead of the one the sentence supports.
- Missing a contrast clue - the word "unlike" or "but" flips the meaning.
- Confusing denotation (literal meaning) with connotation (feeling).
- Treating an affix as a whole word: -less means "without," so fearless is not "full of fear."
- Choosing a synonym that fits the topic but not the sentence.
Worked example
"The desert was barren, devoid of even a single shrub."
Cover barren. Predict: empty, bare. Check with the clue "devoid of even a single shrub" - that confirms "empty, unable to support life." Replace it and reread: the sentence still makes sense.
Rule of thumb: cover, predict, replace, reread. If your replacement changes the sentence's meaning, the clue is telling you to try again.