Section 1 – Word in Context

Phương pháp làm bài

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Question 1

1/ In recommending Bao Phi’s collection Sông I Sing, a librarian noted that pieces by the
spoken-word poet don’t lose their ______ nature when printed: the language has the same
pleasant musical quality on the page as it does when performed by Phi.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

A/ jarring
B/ scholarly
C/ melodic
D/ personal

Question 2

2/ Osage Nation citizen Randy Tinker-Smith produced and directed the ballet Wahzhazhe,
which vividly chronicles Osage history and culture. Telling Osage stories through ballet is
______ choice because two of the foremost ballet dancers of the twentieth century were
Osage: sisters Maria and Marjorie Tallchief.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A/ an unpredictable
B/ an arbitrary
C/ a determined
D/ a suitable

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Question 3

US traffic signals didn’t always contain the familiar three lights (red, yellow, and green).
Traffic lights only ______ red and green lights until the three-light traffic signal was
developed in 1923.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A/ avoided
B/ featured
C/ appreciated
D/ Disregarded

Q4

Some foraging models predict that the distance bees travel when foraging will decline as
floral density increases, but biologists Shalene Jha and Claire Kremen showed that bees’
behavior is inconsistent with this prediction if flowers in dense patches are ______: bees will
forage beyond patches of low species richness to acquire multiple resource types.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A/ depleted
B/ homogeneous
C/ immature
D/ Dispersed

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Q5

The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1837 story “Dr. Heidegger’s
Experiment.” The main character, a physician, is experimenting with rehydrating a dried
flower.

At first [the rose] lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe none of its
moisture. Soon, however, a singular change began to be visible. The crushed and dried
petals stirred and assumed a deepening tinge of crimson, as if the flower were reviving from
a deathlike slumber.

As used in the text, what does the phrase “a singular” most nearly mean?
A/ A lonely
B/ A disagreeable
C/ An acceptable
D/An extraordinary

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 Word in Context Practice 1

Q1 –

Researchers and conservationists stress that biodiversity loss due to invasive species is
____________. For example, people can take simple steps such as washing their footwear after
travel to avoid introducing potentially invasive organisms into new environments.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. preventable
B. undeniable
C. common
D. concerning

Q2 –

In habitats with limited nutrients, certain fungus species grow on the roots of trees, engaging
in mutually beneficial relationships known as ectomycorrhizae: in this symbiotic exchange,
the tree provides the fungus with carbon, a nutrient necessary for both species, and the
fungus _______ by enhancing the tree's ability to absorb nitrogen, another key nutrient, from
the soil.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. overreacts
B. reciprocates
C. retaliates
D. deviates

Q3 –

Handedness, a preferential use of either the right or left hand, typically is easy to observe in
humans. Because this trait is present but less _____ in many other animals, animal-behavior
researchers often employ tasks specially designed to reveal individual animals' preferences
for a certain hand or paw.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. recognizable
B. intriguing
C. significant
D. useful

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Q4 –

In Nature Poem (2017), Kumeyaay poet Tommy Pico portrays his_ the natural world by
honoring the centrality of nature within his tribe's traditional beliefs while simultaneously
expressing his distaste for being in wilderness settings himself.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. responsiveness to
B. ambivalence toward
C. renunciation of
D. mastery over

Q5 –

Some scientists have suggested that mammals in the Mesozoic era were not a very _____
group, but paleontologist Zhe-Xi Luo's research suggests that early mammals living in the
shadow of dinosaurs weren't all ground-dwelling insectivores. Fossils of various plant-eating
mammals have been found in China, including species like Vilevolodon diplomylos, which
Luo says could glide like a flying squirrel.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. predatory
B. obscure
C. diverse
D. localized

Q6 –

Critics have asserted that fine art and fashion rarely _______ in a world where artists create
timeless works for exhibition and designers periodically produce new styles for the public to
buy. Luiseño/Shoshone-Bannock beadwork artist and designer Jamie Okuma challenges this
view: her work can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and purchased through her
online boutique.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. prevail
B. succumb
C. diverge
D. intersect

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Q7 –

The author's claim about the relationship between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens is ______
, as it fails to account for several recent archaeological discoveries. To be convincing, his
argument would need to address recent finds of additional hominid fossils, such as the latest
Denisovan specimens and Homo longi.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. disorienting
B. tenuous
C. nuanced
D. unoriginal

Q8 –

The province of Xoconochco was situated on the Pacific coast, hundreds of kilometers
southeast of Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. Because Xoconochco’s location
within the empire was so __________, cacao and other trade goods produced there could reach
the capital only after a long overland journey.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A. unobtrusive
B. concealed
C. approximate
D. peripheral

Q9 –

After the war, America saw an outpouring of Mexican American literature, which became
increasingly popular. Post-war author Harris is probably the author who contributed the
most to the Mexican American literary movement. Thus, Harris's work has been attached
with _______ importance while the works of Hanks, a Mexican American author before the
war, have been largely forgotten.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) erratic
B) understated
C) overlooked
D) outsized

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Q10 –

Linguist Thomas hypothesized that the word “own” is among the most commonly used
adjectives. By analyzing the data of the text in an encyclopedia, Thomas found that the word
“own” was ranked as the eighth most commonly used word in the encyclopedia, which _______
Thomas’s hypothesis.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) entailed
B) refuted
C) substantiated
D) materialized.

Q11 –

As one of the remarkable buildings that beautify Central Jakarta’s cityscape, the Istiqlal
Mosque inspires people with its enormity and contemporary design. With an _____ view, the
Istiqlal Mosque has attracted large number of visitors every year.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) limited
B) popular
C) imposing
D) intricate

Q12 –

There are many art exhibitions in the Art Institute of Chicago, but browsing some other art
works in the street can _______the visitor’s experience.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A) satisfy
B) supplement
C) provoke
D) impede

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 Word In Context Practice 2

1. The work of Max Weber, an early social theorist, was ------- by a student who aided in
collecting and organizing a plethora of data.

A. prevent
B. compromised
C. limited
D. facilitated

2. However modest were Marvin Gay’s beginnings as a member of his father’s church choir,
he became a famous and ------- performer.

A. wealthy
B. unqualified
C. spiritual
D. esteemed

3. Sustainable development is characterized by political -------, with conservationists, oil

A. approval
B. shrewdness
C. distinction
D. discord

4. A painter’s ability to render a likeness is both ------- and acquired; the artist blends
natural abilities with worldly experience in the creation of his or her art.

A. anticipated
B. innate
C. aesthetic
D. ubiquitous

5. Unlike its counterpart in Manhattan, Brooklyn’s Broadway is ------- by an elevated train

A. shrouded
B. substantiated
C. perpetuated
D. articulated

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6. Pennsylvania earned its nickname, the Keystone State, because of its natural position as
a geographical axis ------- several Northeast states.

A.financing
B. surpassing
C. adjoining
D. buttressing

7. Some would argue that one acclaimed and popular album is sufficient for a musician to
be known as a success, but others contend that, unless a musician has a ------- track record
of stellar albums, such a claim is premature at best.

A. conditional
B. long-standing
C. dependable
D. profound

8. The ------- of cable television news is so far-reaching that movie, music, and even comedy
channels offer news programs and investigative reporting.

A. weakness
B. proliferation
C. bewilderment
D. eagerness

9. Domesticated dogs often replicate the dominance rituals of wild canines, playfully
staking and attacking their fellow pets to establish their own -------.

A. weakness
B. obscurity
C. liberation
D. ascendancy

10. Although polls indicated that many in the country believed in adopting a stricter
immigration policy, the party platform ------- such a move as dangerously xenophobic.

A. bolstered
B. repudiated
C. inspired
D. reiterated

11. Stranded on a narrow ridge of rock, the mountain climber realized it would take some --
---footwork to extricate to herself from this precarious situation.

A. adroit
B. lucrative
C. disingenuous
D. capricious

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12. The toy store tried every form of ------- to bring customers into the store: coupons, free
candy, gift giveaways, and even employees dressed as a popular action figures.

A. overthrow
B. inducement
C. freedom
E. inflation

13. In Eastfield, the conductor of the town’s orchestra is a very ------- citizen, even more
renowned than the mayor or the police chief.

A dictatorial
B prominent
C fastidious
D rebellious

14. Some experts assert that driving while talking on a cell phone is dangerous and ------
because it prevents drivers from devoting their full attention to the land.

A. foolhardy
B. distracting
C. harmless
D. inconvenient

15. Recent research in linguistics suggests that some language skills are not ------- skills,
but are passed down through our genetic code.

A. communicative
B. fluent
C. acquired
D. challenging

17. The director’s movie was not conceived of an instructional work, but purely as a -------,
which he hoped would entertain audiences.

A. collaboration
B. diversion
C. biography
D. didacticism

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18. The documentary contrasted ------- criminals known for their vicious deeds with the
faultless victims innocent of any wrongdoing.

A. virtuous
B. notorious
C. malicious
D. righteous

19. So ------- was the floral shop, with its hundreds of plants and flowers, that nearly every
visitor commented on the sweet aroma.

A. quaint
B. resplendent
C. redolent
D. profitable

20. Fortunately, Mary has a keen sense of awareness; her ------- stopped her from taking the
next step, which would have landed her in the uncovered manhole before her.

A. intuition
B. apprehensiveness
C. perspective
D. hesitation

21. It is often difficult for parents to safeguarded their children from danger while still ------
- an attitude of openness and curiosity throughout childhood.

A. forgoing
B. preventing
C. rejecting
D. fostering

22. With the introduction of the motorbus, the tramway suddenly seemed comparatively
expensive to operate, and the ------- it enjoyed in the early 1900s diminished.

A. favor
B. obscurity
C. misfortune
D. affiliations

23. The Thanksgiving tradition in North America is more ------- than any other; people of all
ages, religions, and ethnic backgrounds commemorate this occasion by giving thanks for a
bountiful harvest.

A. quintessential
B. tenable
C. widespread
D. pervasive

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24. Capitalism, originally espoused by Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations as a means of
ensuring the financial well-being of the majority of people, has lately been ------- for
increasing international poverty.

A. disparaged
B. denounced
C. condemned
D. acclaimed

25. Fans who prefer college basketball claim that professional players who are paid to play
lack the ------- and passion of collegiate athletes, who are playing largely for pride.

A. apathy
B. zeal
C. boredom
D. levity

26. Although popular images of the 1950s often portray the era as a time of ------- in
America, this decade was actually a time of great apprehension, marked by the nation’s
growing fear of Communism and nuclear proliferation as well as mounting racial tensions.

A. uncertainly
B. turbulence
C. serenity
D. equanimity

27. Contrary to the myth that suggests that Americans who live on the coasts are more ------
-, Midwesterners, who tend to traverse the nation by car rather than by plane, often know
more about geography than their “more sophisticated” counterparts on the coasts.

A. cosmopolitan
B. aggressive
C. amiable
D. worldly

28. The magician, not wanting to reveal his secrets, responded ------- to media inquiries
about his latest trick.

A. elliptically
B. colloquially
C. naively
D. cogently

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30. After living in a cramped and ------- studio apartment for several years, Roberta moved
to a house that was commodious and comfortable.

A. expensive
B. inhospitable
C. congested
D. expansive

31. The scientist’s hypothesis was finally ------- when researchers showed that the new
census data contradicted his original findings.

A. emphasized
B. ratified
C. applied
D. debunked

32. The medieval monk lived ------- life, living alone or with few others, in spartan
conditions.

A. an inspired
B. an anachronistic
C. a gregarious
D. an ascetic

33. Ever since the town changed its zoning laws, local homeowners have unite against the
idea of a large office building ------- the dynamic of their mostly residential community.

A. converting
B. disengaging
C. juxtaposing
D. disrupting

34. Researchers have administered the General Social Survey regularly since 1972;
therefore, it is considered to be ------- survey.

A. a cyclical
B. an anonymous
C. a demographic
D. an irregular

35. As the Spanish Civil War progressed, it became increasingly marked by foreign
interventions and shifting alliances, making for a convoluted situation that belied the war’s
------- beginnings.

A. straightforward
B. auspicious
C. serendipitous
D. somber

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36. On the morning of his driving test, Max was ------- and could not sit still.

A. lethargic
B. restless
C. confident
D. adroit

37. Mickey carefully ------- equal amounts of her property to each of her children in order to
prevent any altercations between them.

A. contended
B. explicated
C. allocated
D. beheld

38. The senator’s chances of winning another term in office are -------, since she has
consistently broken promises and let people down.

A. cogent
B. remote
C. disastrous
D. veritable

39. Editors must not only ------- what writers mean to say, but also assist them in saying it
the best possible way.

A hamper
B interpret
C champion
D comprehend

40. To truly understand a television news story, one has to be able to distinguish the
information that is pertinent from that which is -------, nonessential material added in for
sensationalism.

A. ostentatious
B. conspicuous
C. superfluous
D. paramount

41. Coyotes are often thought of as ------- creatures since their yip, or howl, is a high-pitched
and piercing sound that triggers humans’ primordial fears.

A. unnerving
B. anthropological
C. industrious
D. rigid

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42. The actor has a ------- personality: outgoing on stage but shy in social settings, he is
scarcely the same person.

A. consummate
B. gregarious
C. varied
D. suspicious

43. Andrea’s tendency to boast of her skill as a driver was more ------- than genuinely
irritating; it was hard to take such claims seriously from someone who has had her license
suspended twice.

A. humorous
B. infuriating
C. unproductive
D. apathetic

44. Although the Internet is now used in countless ways, it was originally designed for a
very -------- purpose.

A. limited
B. precocious
C. innovative
D. expansive

45. People who perjure themselves on the witness stand during a trial not only ------- the
judicial process but also jeopardize their own freedom, since they have committed a crime
that is punishable by imprisonment.

A. fortify
B. subvert
D. embellish
E. cherish

46. Though Brain Greene’s book The Elegant Universe eventually received widespread
critical acclaim, some conventional scientists initially spoke of its revolutionary theory of
physics with -----

A. approbation
B. disparagement
C. profundity
D. obsolescence

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47. Although Edgar draws inspiration from a broad range of artistic influences, his most
renowned paintings reflect the ------- tradition of his homeland.

A. artless
B. global
C. accessible
D. indigenous

48. Not surprisingly, Joan’s gossiping was more ------- to her own reputation than to that of
the person she was maligning.

A. advantageous
B. injurious
C. flagrant
D. puerile

49. The validity of the contract was not -------; both plaintiff and defendant agreed that it
was entered into freely.

A. acknowledged
B. recorded
C. contested
D. cohesive

50. Because the effects of new trade relationships may take years to manifest, both the
benefits and costs of trade treaties may not be fully ------- when they are first signed.

A. ratified
B. understood
C. arbitrated
D. apparent

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