PSAT Vocabulary Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Wireless devices have become so ubiquitous that many public spaces now provide charging stations. What does “ubiquitous” suggest about the devices?
They are found almost everywhere
They are technically complex
They are frequently replaced
They are increasingly affordable
2. A second laboratory repeated the experiment and obtained similar results, helping to corroborate the original finding. What did the second experiment do?
Made the finding easier to understand
Proposed an alternative to the finding
Limited the scope of the finding
Provided support for the finding
3. The trail looked short on the map, but its steep slopes and loose rocks made the hike arduous. What does “arduous” most nearly mean?
Unfamiliar
Demanding
Dangerous
Indirect
4. Before approving the article, the fact-checker will scrutinize every quotation and statistic. What will the fact-checker do?
Compare their writing styles
Arrange them chronologically
Explain them to a general audience
Examine them closely
5. When asked why the project was late, the manager gave a candid account of the team's planning mistakes. Which description best fits the manager's account?
Brief and incomplete
Carefully optimistic
Frank and honest
Formal and impersonal
6. Because the judge had no connection to either competitor, both sides trusted her to make an impartial decision. Which word is closest in meaning to “impartial”?
Strict
Independent
Unbiased
Unpredictable
7. During a week of warm weather, one afternoon of freezing temperatures was anomalous. Why was that afternoon anomalous?
It had been predicted incorrectly
It differed noticeably from the pattern
It continued longer than expected
It caused the weather to change
8. The research team called its conclusion tentative because it had studied only a small number of participants. Which word best replaces “tentative”?
Controversial
Detailed
Provisional
Conventional
9. City planners added shade trees to mitigate the effects of extreme summer heat. What does “mitigate” most nearly mean?
Intensify
Document
Reduce
Postpone
10. The editor asked Maya to make her introduction more concise without removing its central argument. What change should Maya make?
Add background examples
Replace the argument with a summary
Use more technical terminology
Express the same point more briefly
11. Rather than proposing an ideal solution that the town could not afford, the committee recommended a pragmatic repair plan. Which quality best describes the plan?
Traditional and resistant to change
Ambitious despite major uncertainty
Temporary and poorly considered
Practical under the circumstances
12. A witness changed key details of her story several times, which could undermine confidence in her account. What could those changes do?
Clarify the account
Weaken confidence in the account
Broaden the account's relevance
Shift attention away from the account
13. Jordan was ambivalent about accepting the internship: the work sounded fascinating, but the long commute was discouraging. What does “ambivalent” mean here?
Experiencing conflicting feelings
Uninterested in either the work or the commute
Enthusiastic despite a minor inconvenience
Certain that the benefits outweigh the costs
14. After the storm damaged several branches, the resilient young tree produced healthy new growth. What does “resilient” mean in this context?
Able to recover from difficulty
Likely to change unpredictably
Protected from all damage
Dependent on careful maintenance
15. Engineers determined that the bridge design was feasible within the available budget and schedule. What had they concluded?
The design could realistically be completed
The design was more innovative than expected
The design required further explanation
The design would prevent future delays
16. Once digital files became standard, the office's system of storing every record on microfilm was largely obsolete. What does “obsolete” mean?
Expensive to maintain
No longer in common use
Restricted to specialists
Difficult to organize