ASVAB Word Knowledge Practice Test 4

Answer: B

Correct answer: Estimate wrongly. MIS- means wrongly and the base is judge. A driver who misjudges stopping distance estimates it incorrectly.

• A: Refusing to think about something is a different action from judging it wrongly.
• B (correct): MIS- signals a mistaken action, so to misjudge is to judge or estimate incorrectly.
• C: Being overly harsh is a separate idea; the sentence is about an inaccurate estimate, not a severe one.
• D: Measuring exactly is the opposite of a mistaken judgment.

Answer: A

Correct answer: cautious. Put each choice into the sentence. The hikers were cautious about the loose rocks reads naturally and keeps the tone, while terrified exaggerates the emotion and tired comes from the look-alike word weary.

• A (correct): Substituting cautious keeps the meaning: the hikers were careful about the loose rocks.
• B: This mixes up wary with weary, a different word that means tired.
• C: This overstates the feeling; wary means watchful and careful, not overwhelmed by fear.
• D: This is the opposite of being on guard against a danger.

Answer: D

Correct answer: reliable. Depend means rely on, and -able adds the idea of capability, so dependable means able to be relied on. The steady, on-time record confirms that reliable is the closest synonym.

• A: Changeable means likely to vary, which conflicts with a full year of on-time work.
• B: Needy suggests the mechanic requires help, the opposite of being someone others can count on.
• C: Reliant means needing support from something else, which reverses who depends on whom.
• D (correct): Dependable describes something or someone you can count on, and finishing every job on time shows exactly that.

Answer: D

Correct answer: messy. The contrast signal "unlike" tells you the supply room is the opposite of neat and well organized. The opposite of neat is messy.

• A: Tidy describes the tool crib, the room being contrasted, so it is the opposite of the target word.
• B: Spacious refers to size; the contrast is about neatness, not how much room there is.
• C: Whether a room is locked has nothing to do with the contrast with "neat and well organized."
• D (correct): The word "unlike" sets the supply room against a neat, organized room, so the supply room was messy.

Answer: B

Correct answer: barely noticeable. Subtle marks a low intensity: the difference is faint and easy to miss. Barely noticeable preserves that degree, while obvious reverses it and unpleasant or permanent add unrelated qualities.

• A: The sentence gives no judgment about whether the difference looks bad.
• B (correct): Subtle describes something faint or hard to detect, and the word only reinforces a small degree.
• C: This reverses the degree; a subtle difference is hard to spot, not easy to see.
• D: Whether the difference lasts is a separate idea that subtle does not express.

Answer: A

Correct answer: extent. "Sheer" and the need for federal help show the sentence is about how big the damage was. SCALE therefore means extent or magnitude, not a measuring device or a ratio.

• A (correct): Damage large enough to require outside help is described by its size or extent.
• B: Scales cover fish and reptiles; that sense has nothing to do with flooding.
• C: A scale can weigh objects, but flood damage cannot be placed on a scale.
• D: A scale can be a proportion on a map, but the sentence is about how large the damage was.

Answer: D

Correct answer: convincing. Linking each recommendation to the data shows sound, persuasive reasoning. Cogent means convincing; it describes reasoning quality, not length or style.

• A: Lengthy refers to size or duration; a cogent case can be short.
• B: Eloquent praises graceful expression, while the sentence stresses sound reasoning tied to data.
• C: Complicated means complex, which cogent does not imply.
• D (correct): Cogent describes reasoning that is clear and persuasive, which fits a case linked step by step to data.

Answer: B

Correct answer: draw out. Elicit is a verb meaning to draw out a response or information. Illicit sounds similar but means illegal, so unlawful is a sound-alike trap.

• A: Conceal means hide, the opposite of bringing the truth out.
• B (correct): Elicit means to bring out a response or information, which is what draw out means.
• C: Unlawful is the meaning of illicit, a different word that only sounds like elicit.
• D: Asking questions is the method used, but elicit names the result of getting the truth out.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Below the required level. SUB- means under or below. Welds that failed the required strength test are below the standard, which is why they were rejected.

• A (correct): SUB- means below, so substandard work falls short of the required standard.
• B: Above the standard would be closer to SUPER-, the opposite of SUB-.
• C: Replacement is a different action and is not implied by SUB-.
• D: Welds that met the standard would not be rejected.

Answer: B

Correct answer: quick to recover. Regrouping and finishing on time after a setback shows the ability to bounce back. Resilient here is figurative and means quick to recover.

• A: Easily influenced is a figurative meaning of malleable, not resilient.
• B (correct): Resilient means able to recover after strain or a setback, which fits regrouping and finishing on time.
• C: Easily broken describes something brittle, the opposite of recovering from a setback.
• D: The sentence is figurative; nothing suggests the crew's bodies were flexible.

Answer: B

Correct answer: shortage. The base is scarce (in short supply) and -ity forms a noun for that condition. The need to ration supplies confirms the meaning is a shortage.

• A: Scarcity looks like it contains scare, but its base is scarce, so it has nothing to do with fear.
• B (correct): Scarce plus -ity names the condition of being scarce, which is a shortage, and the rationing confirms it.
• C: Purity is a different -ity quality noun that describes how clean the water is, not how much there is.
• D: Abundance means a large supply, the opposite condition; nobody rations what is plentiful.

Answer: C

Correct answer: believable. Plausible means appearing reasonable or probably true. Proven adds certainty the word does not contain, so believable is the closest meaning without overstating.

• A: False is close to the opposite of how plausible presents the explanation.
• B: Proven overstates plausible; a plausible story seems likely but has not been confirmed.
• C (correct): Plausible means seeming reasonable or likely to be true, which believable matches.
• D: A plausible explanation may or may not be detailed; that adds a property not in the word.

Answer: C

Correct answer: prompt. Timely modifies the noun warning, so it is an adjective despite its -ly ending. A warning that arrives soon enough to act on is prompt.

• A: Repeated means happening many times, which the sentence does not suggest.
• B: Temporary means lasting a short time, which confuses timing with duration.
• C (correct): Timely is an adjective describing the warning as coming at the right moment, which is prompt.
• D: Slowly is an adverb and contradicts the sentence, since the warning came early enough to save the crew.

Answer: A

Correct answer: generous-spirited. Magn- means great and anim- means spirit, so the word describes a great or generous spirit. Praising the losing team shows that generosity.

• A (correct): Magn- (great) plus anim- (spirit) describes a big-hearted person, which fits a coach praising the losers.
• B: Anim- can suggest life, but lively misses the generosity shown toward the other team.
• C: Pride in winning would point toward boasting, the opposite of praising opponents.
• D: This reads magn- too literally; the word describes character, not body size.

Answer: D

Correct answer: suspended. The phrase "until nine o'clock Thursday morning" shows the hearing will resume. ADJOURNED therefore means suspended or paused, not canceled, which would add the unwanted idea of permanently ending it.

• A: Opened is the reverse of adjourned, which ends or pauses a session.
• B: Nothing in the sentence says the hearing moved to a new place, only that it will continue later.
• C: Canceled overstates the meaning; a hearing set to resume Thursday has not been called off for good.
• D (correct): Stopping the hearing until a stated later time means it was paused, to resume Thursday.