Listless means tired, sluggish, or lacking energy; thus lethargic, (B), is the correct answer. Word parts are not terribly helpful on this question, but you might have a sense that listless has a negative charge. If so, that narrows your choices down to either (B) or (D).
Use the context of the sentence to guess the underlined word’s meaning. What are great teachers able to do with complex ideas? They explain them, understand them, or simplify them. Only choice (C) reflects one of those concepts.
Think of words that sound like victor. The first word that comes to mind may be victory, which means the act of winning or defeating others, and this fits with the sentence. A victor is defined as one who defeats or vanquishes a foe, so (D), winner, is the best answer.
Think about what the word sounds like. Something lacking is missing. The answer missing something is (B), relaxed, which is the lack of stress or action. The textbook definition of lackadaisical is lacking life, spirit, or zest.
Mentally reread the sentence, substituting each answer choice for the underlined word. Choices (A) and (D) make no sense when you do so. Don’t fall for choice (C): one might have an idea that more money should be spent on education, but it isn’t correct usage to say that one “has an ideal that.” In fact, contention is defined as a point advanced in a debate or argument, so the answer (B), position is closest in meaning to the given word.
Break the word into parts: news and worthy are both English words, so you can guess that newsworthy means interesting enough to warrant news coverage. Answer choice (A), notable, is the closest in meaning.
Try mentally rereading the sentence and substituting each answer choice for the underlined word. It doesn’t make sense to say that someone’s class attendance was (A) latent (hidden) or (D) common. Class attendance could possibly be (B) constant, but that doesn’t jibe with the phrase “if anything,” which suggests that the person’s class attendance is minimal or scanty. In fact, something sporadic is something that is occurring occasionally, and (C) irregular is the best fit.
Remembered real-life context may be helpful here. Have you ever heard a young person described as “having a lot of potential”? That phrase is used to describe a young person who has many promising possibilities before her. Here, potential is used in its adjective form (you can tell because the answer choices are all adjectives), and as an adjective potential means possible.
This word is made up of other English words: black and list. You can guess that being put on a black list is probably a metaphor for something fairly negative. In fact, the word blacklisted refers to a way of keeping out undesired people by creating a list of banned individuals. Thus, answer choice (B) is the only correct answer, as banned and barred are similar words.
Use the context of the sentence to make a prediction. You’re told that the task is a tough one, so perhaps not many people would want to volunteer for it. That suggests that presumptuous means something like unrealistic. Choice (D) overconfident, or too confident, is the best match.
Use the context of the sentence to make a prediction. The sentence tells you that a memento helps you to remember something. Only choice (C) souvenir is something that helps you remember.
Use the sentence’s context to make a prediction. A legacy is something that the school president will leave behind him when he’s gone. Of the choices, only (A) memory is something that remains behind after someone is gone.
Use the context to make a prediction. The parents are worried, so you can infer that something bad may be coming in their children’s future. Only choice (B) danger is sufficiently negative to fit the context.
There’s no context, and word parts aren’t going to be helpful here. Perhaps remembered real-life context could help. If you have ever heard someone referred to as a “man of integrity” or a “woman of integrity,” you may remember that’s a compliment. That knocks out choice (B), since coercion has a negative charge, and choice (C), since togetherness is not a trait that a single individual can have. (A family or other close-knit group might have togetherness.) That leaves only choices (A) ability and (D) honesty, and only (D) conveys the same sense of virtue as the phrase “man of integrity.” In fact, integrity means the state of being whole or the state of being very moral or upright.
Use the context to make a prediction. An infraction is something for which a person is punished, so it must be a crime or act of breaking the rules. Choice (D) violation is the best fit.
Think about words that sound like the underlined word: collective sounds like a noun or adjective form of the word collect. When you collect, you gather together things or people to form a group. That should point you to answer choice (A).
There’s no context in the question, and it would be difficult to see word parts in the word hoax. Perhaps remembered real-life context will help. You may have heard the word hoax in connection with the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, UFO photos, or other fake things that people have claimed are real. In fact, a hoax is a trick meant to convince someone what is false is true.
Word parts may be helpful here: the root gen, which relates to beginnings, also gives us generate. You might also have heard the word genesis used in real life to refer to beginnings. In fact, genesis means the origin or coming into being of something.
Remembered real-life context may be helpful here. The famous feud between the Hatfields and McCoys was a prolonged dispute between two families. In fact, a feud is defined as a quarrel that is often prolonged, and choice (B) fits that definition.
There is no context in the question stem, and word parts may not be helpful if you aren’t sure what fraud means. Remembered real-life context may be helpful. If you have heard news stories about people who have committed tax fraud, you know that those people lied to the government about their taxes. Thus, something fraudulent must have to do with lying; (B) fake is the best choice.
There’s no context, and word parts may not be helpful. However, think of words that sound like adept. If you have ever heard someone described as inept, you may remember that person is ineffective or clumsy. Thus, you might guess that adept means the opposite. An adept person is someone highly skilled or well-trained.
The context here may be helpful: think about what words might be used to describe how supportive of a cause someone is. Only choice (A) is a word that might be used in that way. Word parts may also be helpful here. The root ard or ars relates to fire and gives us words like arson and ardor. Ardent is the state of being fiery or intense in feeling, and (A) passionate is the best match.
Use context to make a prediction: if the town was suffering, the overcrowding must have been pretty severe. Only choice (B) widespread suggests the same idea.
Make a prediction based on the context. The speaker predicts that in a contest between the big dog and the fence, the big dog is going to prevail. Thus, the fence must not be very strong. Choice (D) weak is the best fit.
There’s no context, and word parts are unlikely to be helpful. Remembered real-life context may be helpful. If you think about where you’ve heard the word sinister, the villains in movies or comic books may come to mind. This suggests that sinister means wicked or evil.
You may have heard the word witty used to describe people who tell good jokes. Then, ask yourself which of the answer choices would also describe good jokes. Typically, good jokes are clever. None of the other choices make sense.
Make the most of context here. An account said to “open the jury’s eyes” would must have clarified or illuminated a situation. Thus, the last two choices are not appropriate, as they are negative responses. Of the other two, only choice (A) fits the context of the sentence.
There’s no context, but the prefix re-, which means back or again, might be helpful. It’s difficult to see how (B) color or (C) trick would involve doing something back or again. In fact, to relinquish something is to give it up or give it back, so of the answer choices, only (A), concede fits.
Make the most of context here: a person is most likely to hope that good times either continue or come back again. Only choice (C) return makes sense.
Remembered real-life context may be helpful. You may have heard news stories in which someone “incited” others to violence. That suggests that incite means something like cause to do. Of the choices given, only (A) induce gets that meaning across.
Use the context in the sentence to make a -prediction. George’s critics were paying attention to something else, so that might have been a good time for George to do whatever he thought was best. Thus, in implementing the strategy, George went ahead with it or set it in motion. Only answer choice (A) enact has that meaning.
Query has the same root as question and actually means the same thing.
Make the most of context: you are told that a timid animal is not one you should fear. Thus, that animal is reluctant to attack you; perhaps it’s likely to run away instead. In fact, timid means shy or lacking in courage. The correct answer choice is (B), cowardly.
Word parts can be helpful here. Col– is a form of con–, together. A colleague is someone you are together in a league or group with. For example, at work, a colleague is a coworker. Of the choices given, only peer is an equivalent answer.
Make the most of context: an opponent who is both tough and smart would be a powerful enemy. In fact, potent means having or wielding authority or influence. Choice (D) is the best fit.