Synonyms

1 · What the question looks like

The Verbal Reasoning section starts with synonyms. Each question shows one word in capital letters and four choices. Pick the choice that means most nearly the same.

Example: LUCID (A) lucky (B) clear (C) confusing (D) bright. A lucid explanation is easy to understand, so "clear" is closest. "Bright" is a trap from the related word "lucent."

2 · Define it first

Cover the choices and say what the word means in your own words. "TACITURN: says very little." Then look for the match: reserved.

Reading the choices first lets a familiar-sounding word pull you in before you have thought about the meaning.

3 · Where have you heard it?

Many hard words live in familiar phrases: "a perfunctory nod" (quick, without real interest), "spurious claims" (false), "a propitious moment" (favorable).

Put the word into its phrase, then swap in each choice. The one that keeps the meaning is the answer.

4 · Roots do a lot of the work

bene good, mal bad, ver true, culp blame, dur hard or lasting, sag wise, ami/imic friend, pugn fight, anim spirit, ques/quer ask or complain, loqu speak.

EXCULPATE (ex = out, culp = blame) means to clear of blame. INIMICAL (in = not, imic = friend) means unfriendly or harmful.

5 · Prefixes

in-, im-, un-, dis-, a- mean not; ob- against; circum- around; pre- before; sub- under; re- again or back; trans- across; mal- badly.

INTRANSIGENT = not willing to move or compromise: uncompromising. Prefixes are clues, not proof: INFLAMMABLE means easy to set on fire.

6 · Positive or negative charge

Even when you cannot define a word, you can often hear whether it is good or bad. PERNICIOUS sounds harsh, so cross out "harmless" and "precise" and look for something negative: harmful.

7 · Same part of speech

The answer is the same part of speech as the capitalized word. -ous, -ive, -ful, -ent, -ible, -ic usually mark adjectives; -tion, -ment, -ity, -ance mark nouns; -ize, -ate, -fy often mark verbs.

If the word is a verb (VACILLATE), an adjective choice is almost never the answer.

8 · The traps

The antonym: for ZEALOUS, "indifferent" is there because it is linked in your memory. The look-alike: DILATORY is not about dilating; it means slow to act. The same topic: for SANGUINE, "bloody" comes from the Latin root for blood, but sanguine means optimistic.

9 · Close but not the same

Some choices are near the meaning but miss its strength or angle. QUERULOUS (always complaining) is not "questioning," even though both come from the same root.

When two choices both seem right, pick the one that could replace the word in the most sentences.

10 · Second meanings

If no choice matches your meaning, think of another one. To CHECK a fire is to stop it, not to look at it. A SANCTION can be a permission or a penalty; the choices will show which.

11 · Pacing

The section has 40 questions in 20 minutes, about 30 seconds each. Synonyms should go quickly. If you do not know a word, use roots and charge, make your best choice, and keep moving. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.