Chapter 6
The Word Knowledge Subtest
IN THIS CHAPTER
Looking at typical question types
Guessing for the best score
Testing your word knowledge
A decent vocabulary is essential in the military if you want to get ahead. The military operates on paperwork, and whether you’re trying to get more supplies (submit necessary logistical requisitions) or get the assignment you want (application for personnel career-enhancement programs), you need to develop a good vocabulary.
Word Knowledge is what the military calls the vocabulary subtest on the ASVAB. Because a strong vocabulary is essential to success in the military, the Department of Defense has made this vocabulary test a part of the all-important AFQT score — the score that determines whether you’re qualified to join the military service of your choice (see Chapter 2). The military considers clear communication so important that this skill is taught and graded at all levels of leadership training and is often required for promotion.
Word knowledge isn’t part of the AFQT score just because the military likes to use big words. It’s included because words stand for ideas, and the more words you understand, the more ideas you can understand (and the better you can communicate with others). Society (including people in the military) often equates a large vocabulary with intelligence and success.
Getting Acquainted with the Test Format
The Word Knowledge portion of the ASVAB measures your vocabulary knowledge. It consists of 16 questions on the version most people take: the CAT-ASVAB. (There are 35 questions on the paper version, but most people don’t take that one.) The questions come in three styles: synonyms, context, and antonyms. Your task is to choose the answer closest in meaning to the underlined word unless the test specifically tells you to choose the answer most opposite in meaning. Look at the following examples:
Abatement most nearly means
(A) encourage.
(B) relax.
(C) obstruct.
(D) terminate.
In this case, the correct answer is Choice (D) because abatement means putting an end to something or subsiding.
In the second type of question, you see an underlined word used in the context of a sentence. Again, your goal is to choose the answer closest in meaning to the underlined word as it’s used in the sentence. For example:
His painting was garish.
(A) offensive
(B) tacky
(C) pretty
(D) expensive
“Closest in meaning” doesn’t mean “the exact same thing.” You’re looking for words most similar in meaning.
In case you’re wondering, the answer is Choice (B).
Finally, you’ll encounter a handful of questions about antonyms. You’ll know you’re facing an antonym question when you see the words most opposite in meaning. Consider the following question:
The word most opposite in meaning to achieve is
(A) win.
(B) junction.
(C) fail.
(D) championship.
The correct answer is Choice (C) because achieve means to successfully bring something about by effort, skill, or courage — and the opposite of that is to fail.
Bumping Up Your Test Score
Sometimes on the Word Knowledge subtest, you either know the answer at first glance, or you don’t. Even with that restriction, however, you can pick up a few tricks to help you get the best score possible.
Keeping an eye on the clock
Like all the ASVAB subtests, the Word Knowledge subtest is timed. On the CAT-ASVAB, you get 8 minutes to answer 16 questions, meaning you get to spend about 30 seconds on each one. If you’re one of the few people taking the paper version, you have 11 minutes to answer the 35 questions, which translates into slightly less than 20 seconds to answer each question. For most people, that’s plenty of time (as long as you’re not thinking more about what you’re missing on Facebook than you are about the test).
If you’re taking the computerized version of the ASVAB, your remaining time appears on the computer screen. If you’re taking the paper version of the test, a clock is clearly visible in the room, and the test proctor posts the start and stop time for the subtest on a blackboard or whiteboard.
Watching out for the evil homonym
A homonym is a word with multiple unrelated meanings (see Chapter 5). The word may be spelled the same for both or all meanings, or it may be spelled differently. If it’s spelled the same, it may have a different pronunciation. Some homonyms spelled differently can have the same pronunciation.
The ASVAB doesn’t contain any trick questions. In other words, the test doesn’t present you with two legitimate answers and ask you to try to decide which one is the “best.” However, homonyms can still trip you up if you don’t pay attention. Look at the following example:
Isle most nearly means
(A) walkway.
(B) island.
(C) intention.
(D) description.
Isle and aisle are homonyms. Isle means island, and aisle means walkway (like in the grocery store). They’re two words that sound the same, but they’re spelled differently and mean different things. In this case, the correct answer is Choice (B).
Some homonyms are spelled the same but have different meanings. Just for the record, these are called heteronyms (one new word for your vocabulary: check!). You won’t see multiple correct definitions on the Word Knowledge subtest when you’re doing a direct definition problem, but you may see such multiple correct definitions when the word is used in the context of a sentence. For example:
Jack tied a bow around his neck.
(A) knot
(B) weapon
(C) ship front
(D) triangle
All the answer choices are proper definitions for the word bow. However, only one choice, Choice (A), makes sense for bow in the context of the sentence. It just wouldn’t make sense for Jack to tie a weapon, the front of a ship, or a triangle around his neck.
Considering guessing
Sometimes on the Word Knowledge subtest, you just don’t know the answer. In that case, don’t leave it blank. (You can’t leave answers blank on the computerized version of the test anyway.) The paper version of the ASVAB doesn’t penalize you for wrong answers. If you leave the answer blank, you have a 0 percent chance of getting it right. But if you make a wild guess, you have a 25 percent chance of stumbling upon the right answer.
On the CAT-ASVAB, make sure your guesses are educated and that you don’t click random answer buttons quickly just to get through. The test’s creators designed the grading software to issue a pretty hefty penalty for multiple wrong answers toward the end of your subtests. They figure this scenario implies you were running out of time and didn’t read the questions; to do well on the ASVAB and AFQT, you need to be prepared with adequate time for each question.
Keep in mind that although you may know the word in the question, you may not know one or more of the words in the multiple-choice answers. In that case, use the process of elimination to narrow down your choices. Eliminate the words you know aren’t correct and guess which of the remaining words is most likely correct.
Before making a wild guess, take a few seconds to look at the word from a different perspective. You may find that you know the word after all — just in a different form. In English, one root word can be changed slightly to perform all sorts of roles; it might be able to act as a noun, a verb, an adjective, or an adverb with just a little modification. So if you know what the root word attach means, you can figure out what the word attachment means. If you know adherent, you can deduce what adherence means. (You can find much more information on this topic in Chapter 5.)
You can use root word clues to identify unfamiliar words on the ASVAB. Say you run across the word memento on the Word Knowledge test:
Memento most nearly means
(A) souvenir.
(B) beauty.
(C) speed.
(D) trouble.
If you don’t have a clue what the word memento means, all is not lost. Take a closer look. What other word starting with the letters mem- do you know? How about the word memory? Memory is a noun that means something you remember, so the word memento is likely related to memories. Other words you might know are memoir, memorable, and even the word memo. So when you look over the possible choices, you can choose the one that has something to do with memory.
But wait. None of the answers actually says “memory.” Now what? Just use the process of elimination. One of the answers has a lot to do with memory: Choice (A), souvenir.
Trying On Some Sample Questions
Now you’re ready to pit your skills against the Word Knowledge subtest of the ASVAB. Try these sample questions to see how you do. They’re similar to what you’ll see on the ASVAB.
1. Bestial most nearly means
(A) playful.
(B) animal-like.
(C) tantalizing.
(D) pregnant.
2. The enemy was relentless with negotiations.
(A) overwhelmed
(B) happy
(C) strict
(D) peaceful
3. Malignant most nearly means
(A) tumor.
(B) angry.
(C) kind.
(D) evil.
4. Bernard wanted to ask a lawyer whether his friend’s investment idea was licit.
(A) legal
(B) profitable
(C) illegal
(D) sensible
5. Achromatic most nearly means
(A) automatic.
(B) tasty.
(C) colorless.
(D) manual.
6. The legal team was impressed with her dynamic ideas.
(A) offensive
(B) fun
(C) powerful
(D) cowering
7. Wry most nearly means
(A) smile.
(B) distorted.
(C) angry.
(D) happy.
8. Melissa was justifiably proud of her recent abstinence.
(A) grades
(B) sobriety
(C) trustworthiness
(D) awards
9. Tolerate most nearly means
(A) accept.
(B) conserve.
(C) annoy.
(D) rush.
10. Lyle’s landlord instructed him to vacate the apartment.
(A) paint
(B) leave
(C) clean
(D) sell
Answers and Explanations
Use this answer key to score the practice Word Knowledge questions.
- B. Bestial is an adjective that means having animal characteristics. Noting the similarity between the words bestial and beast can lead you in the right direction with this question.
- C. Used as an adjective, relentless means unyieldingly severe, strict, or harsh. The other words don’t fit the context of the sentence.
- D. Malignant is an adjective that means evil or harmful. You may have been tempted to select Choice (A) because you’ve heard of a malignant tumor, but tumor and malignant don’t mean the same thing.
- A. Licit is an adjective that means lawful. Although you may not have been familiar with the word licit, chances are good that you’ve come across the opposite-meaning word, illicit, and you probably know that it means illegal. So you can deduce that licit means the opposite of illegal, or legal.
- C. Achromatic is an adjective that means having no color. If you knew that the word root chrom refers to color and that the prefix a- means without, you could figure out that achromatic means without color.
- C. Used as an adjective, dynamic refers to a process or system that’s characterized by constant progress, activity, or change. You can use clues in the sentence to rule out Choices (A) and (D) because if the legal team is impressed, she’s probably not offensive or cowering. Although dynamic can mean fun, the word closest in meaning to what’s in the sentence is powerful.
- B. Wry is an adjective that means crooked or twisted.
- B. Abstinence is a noun that means the willful avoidance of something — for example, a substance such as alcohol or drugs.
- A. Tolerate is a verb meaning to allow or accept without hindrance.
- B. Vacate is a verb that means to give up occupancy of a location. The word root, vac, is key here. A vacation involves leaving your normal place of residence. When people evacuate an area, they leave that area. A vacuum is created when matter leaves a given area.