TOEFL Academic Vocabulary — Set 1
TOEFL · VocabularyCore academic word list vocabulary that appears frequently across TOEFL reading passages.
1Answer the questions Tap an answer. You see why straight away.
1. What does "substantial" mean in the sentence: "The study found a substantial increase in test scores"?
2. What does "constitute" mean in: "Women constitute nearly half of the workforce in that industry"?
3. What does "derive" mean in: "The word is derived from Latin"?
4. What does "consequently" mean in: "The bridge was closed; consequently, traffic was rerouted"?
5. What does "hypothesis" mean in: "The researchers tested their hypothesis in the lab"?
6. What does "denote" mean in: "The symbol denotes a chemical reaction"?
7. What does "invariably" mean in: "He invariably arrives ten minutes early"?
8. What does "contradict" mean in: "The new data contradicts the earlier findings"?
9. What does "arbitrary" mean in: "The deadline seemed completely arbitrary"?
10. What does "underlying" mean in: "The underlying cause of the problem was never addressed"?
Answer key — TOEFL Academic Vocabulary — Set 1
- B — Large / significant. "Substantial" means large or significant in amount or degree.
- B — Make up / form. "Constitute" means to make up or form a whole.
- B — Obtained or developed from a source. "Derive" means to obtain or develop something from a particular source.
- B — As a result. "Consequently" means "as a result" — it shows a cause-and-effect relationship.
- B — A tentative explanation to be tested. A "hypothesis" is a proposed explanation that has not yet been proven, tested through further study.
- B — Indicate / signify. "Denote" means to indicate or represent something.
- C — Always / without exception. "Invariably" means always, without exception.
- B — Is inconsistent with / opposes. "Contradict" means to be in direct opposition to, or inconsistent with, something else.
- B — Random / not based on a clear system. "Arbitrary" means based on random choice rather than any reason or system.
- B — Fundamental / basic but not immediately obvious. "Underlying" means forming the basis of something, often not immediately obvious.