NJSLA Vocabulary in Context 3

Question 1

In the sentence 'The explorer's tenacious pursuit of the lost city kept her going despite countless setbacks,' what does tenacious mean?

Accepted Answer

persistent

Answer

Tenacious means not giving up easily; showing great determination.

Question 2

Read this excerpt: 'The novel's protagonist is an enigmatic figure whose true motives are never fully revealed.' What does enigmatic mean?

Accepted Answer

mysterious and puzzling

Answer

Enigmatic describes something or someone that is difficult to understand or interpret.

Question 3

A teacher describes a student's essay as 'verbose.' Based on the root 'verb-' (word), what does verbose most likely mean?

Accepted Answer

using too many words

Answer

Verbose comes from the Latin root for 'word' and means using more words than necessary.

Question 4

In the sentence 'Her sanguine outlook helped her recover quickly from disappointment,' what does sanguine most likely mean?

Accepted Answer

optimistic

Answer

Sanguine means optimistic, especially in a difficult situation.

Question 5

The word 'paramount' appears in this sentence: 'Student safety is of paramount importance in every school decision.' What does paramount mean?

Accepted Answer

most important

Answer

Paramount means more important than anything else; supreme.

NJSLA Exam Practice Test