TOEFL Academic Vocabulary — Set 2
More high-frequency academic vocabulary for TOEFL reading and listening passages.
1. What does "mitigate" mean in: "The new policy aims to mitigate the effects of climate change"?
2. What does "coherent" mean in: "She gave a coherent explanation of the theory"?
3. What does "predominant" mean in: "English is the predominant language used in international business"?
4. What does "empirical" mean in: "The theory is based on empirical evidence"?
5. What does "ambiguous" mean in: "The instructions were ambiguous, so students interpreted them differently"?
6. What does "notion" mean in: "The notion that money guarantees happiness has been widely challenged"?
7. What does "diminish" mean in: "Interest in the project began to diminish after the first year"?
8. What does "plausible" mean in: "It is a plausible explanation, though not the only one"?
9. What does "inherent" mean in: "There are inherent risks in any surgical procedure"?
10. What does "conversely" mean in: "Some students thrive under pressure; conversely, others perform worse"?
Answer key — TOEFL Academic Vocabulary — Set 2
- B — Make less severe. "Mitigate" means to make something less severe or harmful.
- B — Logical and well-organized. "Coherent" means logical and consistent, easy to follow.
- B — Most common or dominant. "Predominant" means the most common, powerful, or noticeable.
- A — Based on observation or experiment. "Empirical" means based on observation or experience rather than theory alone.
- B — Having more than one possible meaning. "Ambiguous" means open to more than one interpretation.
- B — An idea or belief. "Notion" means an idea, belief, or concept.
- B — Decrease / become smaller. "Diminish" means to become or make smaller, weaker, or less.
- B — Reasonable / believable. "Plausible" means seeming reasonable or probable.
- B — Existing as a natural and basic part of something. "Inherent" means existing as a natural or essential part of something.
- B — In contrast / on the other hand. "Conversely" introduces an opposite or contrasting idea.
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