ASVAB — All Questions

Static most nearly means

• a.increasing
• b.electrical
• c.motionless✓
• d.changeable

Static means not moving and not changing: a static display, sales that stayed static all quarter. The word is Greek, from statikos, causing to stand, the same standing that sits in stasis and thermostat. Changeable and increasing both describe movement, the opposite. Electrical plays on static electricity.

Vehement most nearly means

• a.measured
• b.forceful✓
• c.reckless
• d.lukewarm

A vehement denial is intense and forceful, and someone vehemently opposed leaves no doubt. Vehement shares Latin vehere, to carry, with vehicle: the vehement speaker is carried away by feeling. It rates that force, not whether it is wise or rash, so measured and reckless miss. Lukewarm is the opposite.

With fuel running short, the company commander had to curtail night training. "Curtail" most nearly means

• a.shorten✓
• b.delay
• c.review
• d.extend

Fuel running short forces a cut, not a wait: to curtail is to shorten or cut back something already under way. The curt in it is the curt of a curt reply, clipped and short. Delay tempts because both answer a shortage, but a delayed drill still runs its full length later.

The last three miles of the ruck march were arduous, and half the platoon fell behind. "Arduous" most nearly means

• a.prolonged
• b.enjoyable
• c.demanding✓
• d.unplanned

Half the platoon fell behind over only three miles, so the word measures effort, not scenery: arduous means hard, steep, taxing. Latin arduus meant steep, as in a climb. Prolonged tempts because hard marches feel long, but a stroll can be long and still easy.

Even after four rejections, the sales rep stayed tenacious about following up with that account. "Tenacious" most nearly means

• a.persistent✓
• b.suspicious
• c.optimistic
• d.apologetic

Four rejections and he is still calling: tenacious means holding on and refusing to let go. Latin tenere, to hold, also gives tenant, tenure and retain. Optimistic tempts because both keep a person going, but optimism is about expecting good news, not about gripping.

A juror who has already formed an opinion about the defendant cannot be impartial. "Impartial" most nearly means

• a.reliable
• b.tolerant
• c.unbiased✓
• d.informed

Having already picked a side is exactly what the word rules out: impartial means taking no part, favoring neither side. Read it as im- (not) plus partial (leaning partly one way). Informed tempts because jurors are supposed to learn the case, but knowing it is not leaning.

The battalion augmented its medical section with two nurses borrowed from the post clinic. "Augmented" most nearly means

• a.relieved
• b.assessed
• c.replaced
• d.enlarged✓

Two nurses are added to a section that already exists, so augment means to increase by adding to. Latin augere, to increase, also gives auction, where the bids keep climbing. Replaced tempts, but the original medics stay on; nothing was swapped out for them.

In the cold the plastic housing turned brittle and cracked the moment the technician tightened the screw. "Brittle" most nearly means

• a.fragile✓
• b.flexible
• c.slippery
• d.scorched

It cracked on a single turn instead of bending, so the plastic snapped rather than gave: brittle means hard but easily broken. Peanut brittle shatters the same way. Flexible tempts as the opposite quality, the bend the cold took out of the housing.

The squad leader was reprimanded for letting the vehicle log fall two weeks behind. "Reprimanded" most nearly means

• a.scolded✓
• b.praised
• c.charged
• d.briefed

A late logbook is a paperwork lapse and the response fits it: to reprimand is to rebuke or scold formally. Latin re- plus premere, to press back, the premere behind press, pressure, repress and suppress. Charged tempts because a reprimand is official, but it is a dressing-down, not a criminal case.

The work order was so ambiguous that two crews arrived expecting to do different jobs. "Ambiguous" most nearly means

• a.revised
• b.routine
• c.unclear✓
• d.verbose

Two crews read one order and took away two meanings, so the flaw is double meaning: ambiguous means open to more than one reading. Ambi- means both, as in ambidextrous. Verbose tempts as another writing fault, but wordy instructions can still be perfectly clear.

The engineers proposed a novel approach to cooling the server room, one no data center had tried. "Novel" most nearly means

• a.permanent
• b.original✓
• c.imaginary
• d.reliable

No data center had tried it, so the approach is brand new: as an adjective, novel means original or previously unseen. Cousins are novelty, innovate and renovate, all built on novus, new. Imaginary tempts because a novel is a work of fiction, but that is the noun, a separate sense.

At a U.S. city council meeting, with two members absent, the council tabled the zoning proposal until the next meeting. "Tabled" most nearly means

• a.advertised
• b.approved
• c.rejected
• d.postponed✓

Members are missing and the item waits for the next meeting, so nothing was settled: in American parliamentary use, to table a proposal is to set it aside for later, while British usage does the reverse. Rejected tempts because tabling can quietly kill a measure, but the proposal is still alive.

The manager tempered her criticism with praise for the parts of the report that worked. "Tempered" most nearly means

• a.reversed
• b.hardened
• c.softened✓
• d.repeated

Praise is folded in to take the sting out, so temper here means to moderate or make less harsh, as in a tempered opinion. Hardened tempts because tempering steel is a heat treatment that changes how hard metal is, a technical sense this sentence does not use.

By March the family had exhausted the savings they set aside for house repairs. "Exhausted" most nearly means

• a.borrowed
• b.refunded
• c.fatigued
• d.drained✓

The set-aside money is gone by March, so exhaust here means to use up completely; an exhaust pipe empties a cylinder the same way. Fatigued tempts because exhausted usually describes tired people, but savings cannot be sleepy. The object of the verb picks the sense.

Ignoring the leak for a week only compounded the damage to the subfloor. "Compounded" most nearly means

• a.worsened✓
• b.repaired
• c.combined
• d.revealed

A week of neglect made existing damage bigger, so compound here means to add to a problem and make it worse. Compound interest piles up the same way. Combined tempts because a pharmacist compounds a drug by mixing ingredients, a sense the sentence does not carry.

The inspector's report described a grave defect in the elevator's brake assembly. "Grave" most nearly means

• a.obvious
• b.unusual
• c.routine
• d.serious✓

A brake defect an inspector writes up is weighty and dangerous: as an adjective, grave means serious. It comes from Latin gravis, heavy, the root of gravity and grievous, not from the burial grave. Obvious tempts, but a serious fault can sit hidden inside the machinery.

After the flood the engineer found the bridge piers sound and reopened the lane. "Sound" most nearly means

• a.solid✓
• b.shaky
• c.moist
• d.noisy

The lane reopened, so the piers passed inspection: sound here means whole and in good condition, the sound of safe and sound and of a sound argument, from an old word meaning healthy. Noisy tempts because sound also names what the ear hears, an unrelated noun.

He squandered his first paycheck over one weekend and had nothing left for gas. "Squandered" most nearly means

• a.shared
• b.wasted✓
• c.earned
• d.banked

A whole check gone in two days with nothing to show for it: squander means to spend wastefully, to throw away what you already have. Banked tempts as the opposite habit, the thing the sentence says he failed to do, and earned describes how the money arrived, not where it went.

Before signing off, the auditor scrutinized every line of the expense report. "Scrutinized" most nearly means

• a.approved
• b.defended
• c.examined✓
• d.compiled

Every line, and before signing, points to close looking: scrutinize means to inspect in careful detail. Latin scrutari meant to rummage through, which is why an inscrutable face cannot be searched for clues. Approved tempts because auditors do sign off, but looking is not agreeing.

After six months in the motor pool, the private was proficient with every vehicle in the fleet. "Proficient" most nearly means

• a.patient
• b.curious
• c.popular
• d.skilled✓

Six months of practice and every vehicle in the fleet: the sentence measures ability gained by doing, so proficient means competent and skilled. Pro- plus facere, to make headway, gives proficiency and profit. Patient tempts because six months takes patience, which is not the same as ability.

Parking across two handicapped spaces was a flagrant violation, not an honest mistake. "Flagrant" most nearly means

• a.unplanned
• b.obvious✓
• c.careless
• d.routine

Two marked spaces at once, and the sentence rules out an honest mistake: flagrant means conspicuously offensive, wrong in a way nobody could miss or excuse. Latin flagrare, to burn, also gives conflagration. Careless tempts, but carelessness is accidental and a flagrant act is done in plain sight anyway.

The city closed a four million dollar deficit by delaying road work for a year. "Deficit" most nearly means

• a.agreement
• b.surcharge
• c.shortfall✓
• d.guarantee

The city has to close it by cutting planned work, so the word names money that is missing: a deficit is the gap left when spending outruns income. De- plus facere, to fail, also gives deficient. Surcharge tempts as a money word, but a surcharge is an extra amount collected.

Between emergencies, most of the paramedic's shift was mundane: forms, restocking, and coffee. "Mundane" most nearly means

• a.required
• b.exciting
• c.ordinary✓
• d.rewarded

Forms and restocking are set against the emergencies, so the word marks the dull middle: mundane means ordinary and everyday. Latin mundus meant the world, so mundane is literally worldly. Required tempts because paperwork is required, but plenty of required work is dramatic.

Two deputies apprehended the suspect three blocks from the store. "Apprehended" most nearly means

• a.followed
• b.released
• c.arrested✓
• d.searched

Deputies, a suspect, and a chase that ends: apprehend here means to seize and take into custody. The same root runs through comprehend, to grasp with the mind, and apprehensive, gripped by worry. Followed tempts because of the three blocks, but the distance is where it ended.

The platoon sergeant bolstered his request for new radios with three weeks of failure logs. "Bolstered" most nearly means

• a.questioned
• b.reinforced✓
• c.postponed
• d.summarized

Three weeks of failure logs are propping the request up, so bolster means to strengthen with added support. A bolster is the long firm pillow that holds you up in bed. Questioned tempts because data can also undercut a claim, but here the evidence is on the sergeant's side.

After the deployment notice went out, the family readiness office was inundated with calls. "Inundated" most nearly means

• a.flooded✓
• b.briefed
• c.charged
• d.staffed

One notice, then more calls than the office can handle at once: inundate means to flood or overwhelm with a rush of something. Latin unda is a wave, the same wave inside undulate. Staffed tempts because a flood of calls needs people, but that is the response, not the word.

Losing altitude over open water, the crew jettisoned the cargo to keep the aircraft flying. "Jettisoned" most nearly means

• a.discarded✓
• b.lightened
• c.inspected
• d.organized

The crew throws the load out to stay in the air, so jettison means to cast off or throw overboard. It shares a root with jet and with jetsam, goods thrown from a ship. Lightened tempts because that is the result, but the word names the throwing itself, not its effect.

He relinquished the union presidency the week he accepted a management job. "Relinquished" most nearly means

• a.reorganized
• b.surrendered✓
• c.transferred
• d.celebrated

Taking a management job forces him to let the post go, so relinquish means to give up something you hold. Latin linquere, to leave behind, also gives derelict. Transferred tempts, but relinquishing names only the letting go; the sentence never says who takes the office next.

Counting inventory by hand for six hours was tedious but not difficult. "Tedious" most nearly means

• a.costly
• b.boring✓
• c.simple
• d.urgent

The sentence draws the contrast for you: six hours of counting was hard to sit through yet easy to do, so tedious means tiresomely long and dull. The cousin noun is tedium. Simple tempts because the work was easy, but that easiness is what the sentence adds, not what tedious itself says.

The limit of forty applications a day felt arbitrary, since no one could explain where the number came from. "Arbitrary" most nearly means

• a.strict
• b.unfair
• c.random✓
• d.formal

Nobody can say where the number came from, so no rule stands behind it: arbitrary means chosen by whim rather than by reason. Think of an arbiter ruling on personal judgment alone. Unfair tempts because arbitrary limits often feel unjust, but the word marks the missing reason.

With the bridge already destroyed, further shelling of the crossing was futile. "Futile" most nearly means

• a.necessary
• b.dangerous
• c.premature
• d.pointless✓

The bridge is down already, so more rounds cannot accomplish anything: futile means useless, unable to produce a result. The cousin noun is futility. Dangerous tempts because shelling carries risk, but the sentence weighs what the effort can achieve, not what it costs.

The witness was shaken but coherent, and her account matched the store video. "Coherent" most nearly means

• a.logical✓
• b.audible
• c.sincere
• d.nervous

She is upset yet her story holds together and lines up with the video: coherent means clear and consistent, with the parts fitting one another. To cohere is to stick together, as in cohesion. Audible tempts because a shaken witness is hard to hear, but volume is not the issue.

Adverse weather grounded the flight, so the team drove through the night instead. "Adverse" most nearly means

• a.unpredicted
• b.exceptional
• c.unfavorable✓
• d.encouraging

The weather worked against the team and cost them the flight: adverse means unfavorable, acting in opposition. Ad- plus vertere, to turn against, also gives adversary. Unpredicted tempts, but a storm forecast days ahead is still adverse. Do not confuse it with averse, meaning unwilling.

The damage was minor and did not warrant a full investigation. "Warrant" most nearly means

• a.explain
• b.justify✓
• c.prevent
• d.appoint

Minor damage is being weighed against the trouble of an inquiry, so warrant here means to justify or call for. Think of unwarranted, meaning uncalled for. Explain tempts because both deal in reasons, and the familiar search warrant is the noun, a different use of the word.

The ceremony will commence as soon as the colors are posted. "Commence" most nearly means

• a.shift
• b.pause
• c.begin✓
• d.close

Posting the colors is the opening act, and the ceremony follows it: commence means to start. A graduation is called commencement because it opens the next stage of life, which is exactly why close tempts here; the word marks a beginning, never an ending.

She was discreet about the coming layoffs, mentioning them to no one before the announcement. "Discreet" most nearly means

• a.hopeful
• b.anxious
• c.curious
• d.guarded✓

She knew and told no one, so the word praises her handling of a secret: discreet means careful about what you reveal. Watch the homophone discrete, spelled with the two e's apart, which means separate. Curious tempts, but wanting to know is the opposite of holding back.

The county levied a small fee on each building permit to pay for inspections. "Levied" most nearly means

• a.removed
• b.debated
• c.imposed✓
• d.awarded

The county places a charge on permits and collects it for a purpose, so levy means to impose officially. Latin levare, to raise, is why you raise a tax, and armies were once levied the same way. Debated tempts because councils argue over fees before the charge is ever placed.