MEPX
Chapter 6 of 10All chapters
  1. 1Why context works
  2. 2The four clue types
  3. 3Word parts
  4. 4Shades of meaning
  5. 5Building vocabulary
  6. 6Vocabulary in exams
  7. 7Figurative use
  8. 8Academic and formal words
  9. 9Latin and Greek roots
  10. 10Keeping it

Chapter 6 of 10

Vocabulary in exams

A predictable question type.

The method

Cover the options, read the sentence, and predict the meaning yourself. Then find the option closest to your prediction rather than testing each one.

  • Substituting each option back into the sentence checks the fit.
  • Wrong options often use a different sense of the same word.

Traps

A common meaning that does not fit this sentence, a word that looks similar, or a meaning that is true of the topic but not of the word. Read the whole sentence, including what follows.