Word Knowledge

1. c. If something is specious, it is deliberately deceitful or misleading. Choice a, special, may look like specious, but that does not mean the words have the same meaning.

Special means unusual in a positive way.

Choice b, wide open, does not have the same meaning as specious either. Choice d, aimless, means wandering or lacking direction.

2. a. To expedite a process is to hurry it up or accelerate it. Choice b, evaluate, means to assess. Choice c, reverse, means to go back, which is indicated by its prefix re-, meaning again. Choice d, justify, means to support.

3. b. If something is plausible, it is believable or credible, which explains why the teacher would have excused the lateness. Choice a, unbelievable, has the opposite meaning of credible, and an unbelievable excuse

wouldn’t likely be accepted by a teacher. Nor would an insufficient, or inadequate, excuse, which is why choice c is incorrect. Choice d, apologetic, means sorry, and it is less likely that a teacher would sooner accept an apolo-getic excuse than a plausible one.

4. b. Concurrent means happening at the same time, which is also the definition of simulta-neous. Choice a, incidental, means minor.

Choice c, apprehensive, means reluctant.

Choice d, substantial, means large.

5. d. Impromptu means without preparation, which is also the definition of spontaneous.

Impromptu contains the prefix im-, meaning without, and since the word rehearsed, or practiced, does not indicate a lack of any-thing, choice c can be eliminated. Choice a, tactless, means lacking care. Choice b, pas-sive, means inactive.

6. a. To rescind is to cancel or withdraw an offer, which can be inferred from its prefix re-, meaning again or back. Choices b, increase (to make larger), c, oppose (to be against), and d, divide (to split) do not indicate a movement back.

7. c. To infer something is to surmise it or deduce it from the evidence. Although choice a, intuited, shares a prefix with inferred, it means to conclude based on a feeling rather than concrete evidence. Choice b, imagined, means to picture something in one’s mind, not to make a conclusion based on evidence.

Choice d, implied, means suggested, and it does not make sense within the context of this sentence.

8. c. To saturate is to fill or load to capacity, which is also the meaning of soak. Choice a, deprive, means to take away, which can be inferred from its prefix de-, which means to remove. Choice b, construe, means interpret.

Choice d, verify, means to check facts, which can be inferred from its root word ver-, indi-cating truth.

9. a. A synopsis is an abbreviated version, as is a summary. Choice b, abundance, means a great deal. Choice c, stereotype, means a cli-chéd or prejudiced concept. Choice d, con-figuration, means arrangement.

10. b. A hyperbole is an extravagant statement, as is an exaggeration. Choice a, sincerity, means honesty. Choice c, understatement, means the opposite of hyperbole, which can be inferred from its prefix, under-, meaning less. Choice d, indignation, means annoyance.

11. d. To delineate is to explain something in detail or describe it. Choice a, reverse, means to go back, which can be inferred from its prefix re-, meaning again or back. Choice b, count, means to sum. Choice c, battle, means to fight.

12. a. Like an advocate, a proponent is a supporter of something, which is indicated by its prefix pro-, meaning favoring. Choice b, delin-quent, means offending. Choice c, idealist, means optimistic. Choice d, critic, means someone who is the opposite of a proponent.

13. d. An intrepid person approaches a challenge without fear. Choice a, belligerent, means warlike. Choice b, consistent, means con-stant. Choice c, timid, is the opposite of intrepid.

14. b. A statute is a law, as is an ordinance. Choice a, replica, means copy, which can be inferred from its prefix, re-, meaning again. Choice c, collection, means a set of related objects.

Choice d, hypothesis, means a theory.

15. a. One could be aggrieved, or enraged, by a verdict, whereas one could be suspicious or wary (choices c and d), of it. Someone who has a stake in a verdict would be interested in it, so choice b, meaning uninterested, can be ruled out.

16. a. If something is disconcerting, it is disturbing or upsetting. Choice b, delightful, means pleasant, which would not describe lies being told by one’s daughter. Choice c, simple, means plain. Choice d, enlightening, means informative, and a lie is the opposite of informative.

17. a. To refrain is to hold back, or desist, from doing something. Choice b, secure, means safe. Choice c, glimpse, means see briefly.

Choice d, persevere, means continue.

18. d. To delegate a task is to assign it or to appoint another to do it. A captain would not likely be responsible for analyzing or examining responsibility, so choice a is incorrect. One might respect responsibility (choice b), but this would not likely be a captain’s duty, nor would criticizing a responsibility (choice c).

19. b. Something that is spurious is not genuine, or false. Choice a, prevalent, means common.

Choice c, melancholy, means sad. Choice d, actual, means real, which is the opposite of spurious.

20. d. To articulate something is to express it with words, which is the main job of a spokes- person. A spokesperson would not be responsible for trusting (choice a), refining or changing (choice b), or verifying or checking the facts of (choice c) a depart-ment’s philosophy.

21. d. To appease is to soothe or calm someone down. Choice a, please, may look similar to appease, but the two words do not share the same meaning. Choices b, anger, and c, annoy, mean the opposite of appease.

22. c. The prefix ex- means out, so one can con-clude that expansive means spacious or spread out. Choices a, obsolete (meaning out-of-date), b, meager (meaning weak), and d, costly (meaning expensive) all fit the sen-tence’s context, but none of them indicate something that is spread out or expansive.

23. c. To be urbane is to show refined manners or be sophisticated. Choices a, foolish, and b, vulgar (meaning crass), have opposite mean-ings of urbane. Choice d, sentimental, means romantic or nostalgic.

24. a. A rationale is a reason or explanation for doing something. Choice b, regret, means to be sorry. Choice c, denial, means refusal.

Choice d, anticipation, means expectation.

25. b. The word although indicates that Ivan did not have the expected reaction to his failed test. One would expect a student to be upset about a failed test, but Ivan was apathetic or indifferent about it. Therefore, choice a, upset, is incorrect. Choice c, curious, means interested, which does not make sense in the context of this sentence. Although Ivan was not upset about the failed test, it is not likely he would be enthusiastic, or excited, about it, so choice d is incorrect.

26. c. An accolade is a great compliment, or praise.

Choice a, disbelief, means a lack of belief, which can be concluded from its prefix dis-, meaning not. Choice b, impression, means idea or image. Choice d, happiness, means the state of being happy.

27. d. Verisimilitude is the appearance of being true, or realism, which can be concluded from its root word veri-, meaning true.

Choice a, deceit, means lie, which is the opposite of verisimilitude. Choice b, fanati-cism, means extreme passion. Choice c, simi-larity, means sameness.

28. b. To take umbrage is to feel resentment about something or take offense to it. Choice a, pro-tection, means defense. Choice c, transition, means a change, which can be inferred from its prefix, trans-, meaning across. Choice d, gathering, means assembling.

29. a. Alacrity is enthusiasm and eagerness, which is how someone might approach a hobby she or he enjoys doing. One probably would not bother with a hobby if it stirred feelings of sadness (choice b), bitterness (choice c), or unconcern (choice d).

30. c. Minutiae are the finer points or details that might prevent someone from progressing with a project efficiently. Choice a may seem similar to minutiae because both the prefix micro- and the root word minut- mean small, but the root word -cosm means world, so microcosm means small world. Choice b, regiment, means division. Choice d, pattern, means model.

31. a. Penury is pennilessness, or destitution.

Choice b, punishment, may look similar to penury, but the two words do not share the same meaning. Choice c, judgment, means an analysis or verdict. Choice d, agony, means extreme pain.

32. c. Forbearance means patience, willingness to wait, or tolerance. Choice a, poverty, means poor. Choice b, strength, means power.

Choice d, ancestry, means history.

33. a. Asperity is rigor, severity, or harshness.

Choice b, pettiness, means small-mindedness.

Choice c, complexity, means difficulty.

Choice d, fortune, means wealth.

34. d. Decorum is having good manners, respect, or etiquette. Choice b, decoration (meaning adornment), may look similar to decorum, but the two words do not share the same meaning. Choice a, shy, means timid. Choice c, coarse, means harsh or rough.

35. a. Consternation is concern or dismay, which is an emotion one might feel after reading about a tragedy. Choice b, constellation, may look similar to consternation, but it means a pattern of stars. Choice c, reservation, means hesitation, which is not as expected an emo-tion to feel after reading about a tragedy as dismay is. One might experience disbelief after reading about a tragedy, but disbelief and consternation do not share the same meaning, so choice d is incorrect.

part 3: paragraph Comprehension 1. d. This is a main idea question. Although the

last sentence expands on the main point, the rest of the passage explains why hearsay evi-dence is only admissible when it doesn’t matter whether the statement is true. Choice a deals with only one idea mentioned in the passage. Choice b is incorrect because the passage never questions the truthfulness of hearsay evidence. Choice c is incorrect because the passage only presents facts and does not express a personal argument.

2. a. This is a facts and details question, and choice a is correct because the idea that rumors are not necessarily credible does not appear in the passage. Choice b appears in the second sentence of the passage, Hearsay that depends on the statement’s truthfulness is inadmissible because the witness does not appear in court and swear an oath to tell the truth. Choices c and d appear in the third sentence: Because his or her demeanor when making the statement is not visible to the jury, the accuracy of the statement cannot be tested under cross-examination.

3. b. This is a facts and details question, and the answer appears in the final sentence of the passage: If, for example, a defendant claims to have been unconscious at a certain time, and a witness claims that the defendant actually spoke to her at that time, this evidence would be admissible because the truth of what the defendant actually said is irrelevant. The words for example indicate a hypothetical example is to follow. Choice a is incorrect because the passage does not contain any lists. Choice c is incorrect because there is no mention of the Constitution in the passage.

Choice d is incorrect because the passage does not cite case law.

4. c. This is an inference question, which is indi-cated by indefinite words such as suggests and most likely. The passage mentions the truthfulness of testimony several times. The statement that introducing hearsay would deprive the accused of the constitutional right to confront the accuser implies that to do so would be unfair to the accused. The passage does not question the reliability of most hearsay witnesses (choice a), nor does it question the relevance of hearsay testimony (choice d). Choice b is incorrect because the importance of physical evidence is not dis-cussed in this passage.

5. d. This is a facts and details question, and the answer appears in the opening sentence:

During the next ten months, all bus operators with two or more years of service will be required to have completed twenty hours of refresher training on one of the Vehicle Maneuvering Training Bus simulators. There is no mention of operating a computer in the passage, so choice a is incorrect. The first sentence of the passage mentions that bus operators will have to complete the refresher training course During the next ten months, but it does not say that the course lasts ten months, so choice b is incorrect. The sen-tence also explains that all bus operators with two or more years of service must complete the training course, not new operators, so choice c is incorrect.

6. a. This is a facts and details question, and the answer appears in the second sentence in the second paragraph: The new refresher training system reinforces defensive driving skills and safe driving habits. Choice c is mentioned in the final sentence of the passage, but it is not presented as the main purpose of the

refresher training course. Although choices b and d are possible benefits of the program, these are not mentioned in the passage.

7. c. This is an inference question; the directions indicate that the city prefers, but does not require, use of the new container, so choice b is incorrect. In addition, it appears the city charges residents only for additional con-tainers, which eliminates choice d. Choice a is incorrect because the passage does not indicate anything about the number of recy-cling containers households are allowed to use.

8. d. This is a facts and details question, which is expressed in the opening sentence: The city has distributed standardized recycling con-tainers to all households. . . . The passage never indicates the quality (choice a) or size (choice c) of the new containers. That the city prefers households use the new contain-ers, but does not require that they do, con-tradicts choice b.

9. d. This is a facts and details question; the direc-tions mention nothing about main or sec-ondary roads. Choice a is mentioned in the second sentence, which discusses the effec-tiveness of the salt and calcium chloride combination in below-zero temperatures.

Choice b is mentioned in the final sentence, which mentions that the salt and calcium chloride combination is less damaging to foli-age along the roadways. The passfoli-age states that the salt and calcium chloride is used to melt ice, so choice c is incorrect.

10. a. This is a facts and details question, and the answer appears in the second sentence of the passage: In some areas, the salt is combined with calcium chloride, which is more effective in below-zero temperatures and which melts ice better. Choices b, c, and d are not men-tioned in the passage at all.

11. a. This is an inference question since the pas-sage never states the name of the book that contains it. The passage discusses an impor-tant event in twentieth-century U.S. history, so choice a is the most likely answer. The passage states that the events it describes happened in 1956; this rules out choice c.

The purpose of the passage is to explain a historical event, not tell a children’s story (choice b) or explain the best way to choose a college (choice d).

12. b. This is a facts and details question, and the answer appears in the third sentence: None-theless, on her first day in class, Autherine bravely took a seat in the front row. Choice a is contradicted in the first sentence, which states that the dean of women refused to allow Autherine to live in a university dormitory.

The passage does not discuss Lucy’s later profession (choice c) or major (choice d).

13. d. This is a main idea question, which is expressed in the topic sentence: Photojour-nalists who cover tragic events, such as terror-ist attacks, extreme poverty, and death, are susceptible to stress disorders. Choices a and c are details in the passage, not the main idea of the passage. Choice b is incorrect because the passage states that witnessing a terrorist attack might cause stress disorders, not that it will most likely cause stress disorders.

14. d. This is an inference question, and the answer is suggested in the opening sentence, which mentions several tragedies caused by humans: terrorist attacks, extreme poverty, and death. Choice a is incorrect because extreme poverty is only one of the circum-stances mentioned in the passage. Choice b is incorrect because the passage does not indicate precisely when stress disorders are first noticeable. Collecting relief funds is not an issue discussed in the passage, so choice c is incorrect.

15. a. This is an inference question. The more trauma photojournalists witness, the more likely they are to develop stress disorders, so it would be most advantageous for news-room managers to rotate the photojournal-ists who are exposed to traumatic events, ensuring that no one photojournalist is exposed more than others. Although overex-posure to war would possibly cause a stress disorder, war is not mentioned in the pas-sage, so choice b is incorrect. There is no evidence in the passage to support choices c and d.

part 4: mathematics Knowledge