Reading Passage #02: "Birds that feed in flocks..."

TestMagic Top 10 Vocab List

This list is designed to help you learn new TOEFL vocabulary and remember it.

TestMagic has chosen the Top 10 words or phrases that are most likely to appear on your next TOEFL test and put them on this list.

To make full use of this list, you should look at the Parts of Speech (that will help you with the grammar section), and read each Sample Sentence. The Sample Sentences are designed to be easy to remember and understand. Furthermore, each sentence has other useful vocabulary in it as well.

Finally, test yourself by taking the little quiz in the last column. Choose the answer that is closest in meaning to the words in bolded red. TestMagic has simulated the TOEFL vocab questions here--they are just as tricky as the real TOEFL questions!

Good luck! Any comments? Contact TestMagic!

 

 

# New Word Part of Speech Sample Sentence Sample TOEFL Vocab Question
1. feed vi If fish that are kept in an aquarium are given an unlimited supply of food, they will generally feed too much. O swim
O eat
O sleep
O grow
2. sheltered adj (past participle of to shelter) Humans have been able to survive in extremely hot and cold environments because they have learned to build sheltered dwellings that protect them from harsh weather. O protected
O large
O remote
O strong
3. dense adj Before the Europeans arrived in North America, the forests covering the terrain were so dense that travel was only possible on foot or by horse. O woody
O tall
O healthy
O thick
4. cavity count noun Many rodents and small animals are able to find cavities in the trunks of trees to store their food or build their nests.  O insects
O leaves
O bark
O holes
5. burrow vi Gophers are known for their ability to burrow underground, often making tunnels that are many feet long. O live
O dive
O travel
O dig
6. party count noun If a skier becomes lost on the slopes, a search party is sent out to find and rescue the wayward skier. O group
O doctor
O celebration
O investigation
7. safety in numbers noun phrase Wolves usually travel together in packs, instinctively knowing that there is safety in numbers.

What does the author mean by "there is safety in numbers?"
O Science can reduce environmental damage.
O The last wolf in a group is the safest one.
O Wolves are safer when they stay together.
O Wolves cannot be safe if they are alone.

8. at any given moment adverb phrase Many people are aware that their lives can change at any given moment and therefore try to cherish every moment in the present. O freely
O for the better
O drastically
O unpredictably
9. counteract vt The best way to counteract the heat on the tongue caused by eating hot peppers is not by drinking ice water, but by eating bread. O reverse
O increase
O measure
O preserve
10. margin count noun The animals that stay at the margins of a group are the ones that are most vulnerable to attack. O top
O older animals
O edges
O center

 

 

TestMagic Grammar Practice: Puppy Rule

If you see a singular count noun without a determiner, it is WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

These grammar exercises are designed to reinforce the vocab you have just learned and a certain grammar rule.

In this case, we will focus on the Puppy Rule: A singular count noun cannot stand alone.
1. If fish that are kept in an aquarium are given unlimited supply of food, they will generally feed too much.  
2. Humans have been able to survive in extremely hot and cold environment because they have learned to build sheltered dwellings that protect them from harsh weather. 
3. Before the Europeans arrived in North America, the forests covering terrain were so dense that travel was only possible on foot or by horse.
4. Many rodents and small animals are able to find cavities in the trunks of trees to store their food or build their nest. 
5. Gophers are known for their ability to burrow underground, often making tunnels that are many foot long.
6. If a skier becomes lost on the slopes, search party is sent out to find and rescue the wayward skier.
7. Wolf will generally travel with its pack, instinctively knowing that there is safety in numbers.
8. Many people are aware that their lives can change at given moment and therefore try to cherish every moment in the present.
9. The best way to counteract the heat on tongue caused by eating hot peppers is not by drinking ice water, but by eating bread.
10. The animals that stay at the margins of group are the ones that are most vulnerable to attack.