PERT Vocabulary & Word Meaning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the sentence 'The prolific author published twelve novels in ten years,' what does 'prolific' mean?
- Struggling
- Producing a large amount of work (Correct answer)
- Highly educated
- Well-known
Correct answer: Producing a large amount of work
'Prolific' means producing many works, ideas, or results over a period of time.
Question 2: Which word best replaces 'aggravate' without changing the sentence's meaning: 'Loud noise tends to aggravate her headaches.'?
- Relieve
- Worsen (Correct answer)
- Cause
- Ignore
Correct answer: Worsen
'Aggravate' means to make something worse, so 'worsen' is the closest synonym in this context.
Question 3: The prefix 'mal-' in words like 'malfunction' and 'malnutrition' means:
- Good
- Many
- Bad or poorly (Correct answer)
- Again
Correct answer: Bad or poorly
The prefix 'mal-' comes from Latin meaning 'bad' or 'poorly,' as seen in malfunction (working badly) and malnutrition (poor nutrition).
Question 4: What does 'infer' mean as used in reading comprehension questions?
- To state directly
- To memorize a passage
- To draw a conclusion from evidence (Correct answer)
- To summarize the main idea
Correct answer: To draw a conclusion from evidence
'Infer' means to reach a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning rather than explicit statements.
Question 5: Choose the meaning of the underlined word: 'Her response was so VAGUE that no one understood what she meant.'
- Detailed
- Emotional
- Unclear and imprecise (Correct answer)
- Harsh
Correct answer: Unclear and imprecise
'Vague' means not clear, definite, or precise, making it hard to understand the speaker's intent.
Question 6: Which suffix turns the adjective 'bold' into a noun meaning 'the quality of being bold'?
- -ing
- -ness (Correct answer)
- -ful
- -ly
Correct answer: -ness
Adding the suffix '-ness' to an adjective creates a noun meaning 'the state or quality of being' that adjective, as in 'boldness.'
Question 7: The word 'eloquent' describes a speaker who is:
- Nervous and stuttering
- Fluent and persuasive in expression (Correct answer)
- Loud and aggressive
- Dull and boring
Correct answer: Fluent and persuasive in expression
'Eloquent' means having or showing the ability to speak or write clearly and effectively.
PERT Vocabulary & Word Meaning 2
In the sentence 'The prolific author published twelve novels in ten years,' what does 'prolific' mean?