Vocabulary and Word Meaning
Vocabulary and Word Meaning
Items here ask you to fix the meaning of a word from its surroundings, or to choose between words that are close but not identical. The exam rewards precision about connotation, register and part of speech rather than a large but loose vocabulary.
Core rules
- Use the four context-clue types: definition ('a coterie, that is, a small closed group'), contrast ('not merely frugal but positively miserly'), example ('citrus fruits such as ortanne and grapefruit') and inference from the sentence's logic.
- Check the part of speech before the meaning. 'The report was tabled' (verb) differs from 'a table of figures' (noun), and only one fits the slot.
- Connotation decides the answer when two options are denotationally close. 'Childish' and 'childlike' share a root, but one sneers. Ask whether the sentence's tone is approving, neutral or critical.
- Learn word-building rather than word lists. Roots and affixes (bene-, mal-, -cred-, -dict-, -voc-; -ness noun, -ify verb, -ous adjective) let you decode unfamiliar items and identify the required word class.
- Idioms are fixed units: 'to bite the bullet' means to endure something unpleasant, not to act aggressively.
Worked example
Sentence: 'Her reply was terse - not curt, she insisted, merely economical.' Question: 'terse' most nearly means (a) rude (b) abrupt but brief (c) detailed (d) hesitant. Reasoning: The dash introduces a gloss, and 'not curt' blocks (a). 'Economical' points to brevity, and the contrast with 'curt' keeps the tone neutral rather than hostile. Answer: (b). Choosing (a) ignores the explicit denial; choosing (c) contradicts 'economical'.
Traps
- Picking a synonym that differs in register ('kids' for 'children' in a formal report).
- Assuming a familiar word carries its commonest meaning in every context.
- Ignoring a negation or contrast cue that reverses the sense.
- Answering from the word alone without returning to the sentence.