HSPT: Reading vocabulary: define the word before you look
Learn a quick method for HSPT Reading vocabulary questions: define the word yourself, then pick the choice with the same meaning, using word parts when you only half know it.
How do you answer a vocabulary question when most of the choices seem to fit?
Short answer
Say what the word means in your own words before reading the choices, then pick the choice with that meaning. Most wrong choices fit the phrase but mean something else.
Know first: Common prefixes such as re-, pre- and dis-, Nouns, verbs and adjectives
Step 1 of 5
A choice can fit the phrase and still be wrong
Some HSPT Reading questions show a word inside a short phrase, such as a hesitant volunteer, and ask which choice means most nearly the same as the word.
The phrase gives you a hint, but it also sets a trap. A cheerful volunteer, a tired volunteer and a careful volunteer all make sense. Only one choice matches what hesitant actually means: unsure or slow to act.
| Word part | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| re- | again or back | renew: make new again |
| pre- | before | preview: see before |
| dis- | not, or the opposite of | disloyal: not loyal |
| -less | without | fearless: without fear |
| bene- | good or well | beneficial: doing good |
| mal- | bad or badly | malfunction: work badly |
Word parts won't give you every word, but they often narrow four choices to one or two.
Step 2 of 5
Watch the method work
Worked example: a drowsy student
In the phrase “a drowsy student,” what does drowsy most nearly mean?
- Asleepy
- Bclever
- Cquiet
- Dlate
- 1
Define it first
Drowsy means half asleep, the way you feel when it's hard to keep your eyes open.
- 2
Match the meaning
Sleepy says the same thing. That's the answer.
- 3
Check the traps
Clever, quiet and late all fit the phrase a ___ student, so they look reasonable. None of them means half asleep.
Answer
sleepy
Find the wrong step
A student answers this question: In the phrase “a feeble excuse,” what does feeble most nearly mean? (A) weak (B) clever (C) long (D) honest
- 1
Reads the phrase: a feeble excuse.
- 2
Thinks an excuse can be clever, so picks (B) clever.
What went wrong
That only checks whether the choice fits the phrase. Clever fits, but it is not what feeble means.
- 3
Moves on without ever defining feeble.
The fix
Define the word first: feeble means weak. A feeble excuse is a weak one. The answer is (A) weak.
Step 3 of 5
Try it yourself
Check yourself · Question 1
In the phrase “a hasty decision,” what does hasty most nearly mean?
Answer: B
Hasty means done too quickly, often without enough thought. A hasty decision is one made in a rush.
Trap answer: difficult
Fits the phrase, wrong meaning
- Why it looks right
- Hard decisions and rushed decisions often go together, so difficult sounds right.
- Why it's wrong
- Hasty is about speed. A decision can be hasty and easy, or slow and difficult.
- The right answer
- made too quickly
Check yourself · Question 2
In the phrase “a vivid memory,” what does vivid most nearly mean?
Answer: C
Vivid means bright and sharply clear. A vivid memory is one you can picture in detail.
Check yourself · Question 3
In the phrase “dismount the horse,” what does dismount most nearly mean?
Answer: A
Dis- means the opposite of. To mount a horse is to get on, so to dismount is to get off.
Common mistake
Picking a choice because it looks or sounds like the word.
- Why it's tempting
- When you don't know the word, a familiar-looking choice feels safe.
- Do this instead
- Sound-alikes are common traps, such as adapt (adjust) and adopt (take as your own). Define the word or use its parts first, then match the meaning.
Step 4 of 5
What to remember
Remember
- Define the word in your own words before you look at the choices.
- Most wrong choices fit the phrase. The answer has the same meaning as the word.
- When you only half know a word, use its parts (re-, dis-, -less) to check your guess.
Step 5 of 5
Practice on a real question
Use what you just learned on this question, then check the explanation.
In your own words
Before you looked at the choices in the practice question, what did you think the word meant? Which choice fits the phrase but has a different meaning?