Advanced vocabulary exercise 2

✓ Useful for TOEFL ✓ Useful for Cambridge B2/C1

DID YOU KNOW?

The gap between a good IELTS/TOEFL score and a great one is often a vocabulary gap.

IELTS Lexical Resource and TOEFL writing both reward the use of precise, varied, and contextually appropriate vocabulary. Relying on common words (good, bad, big, said) when more specific alternatives exist (beneficial, detrimental, substantial, argued) is a measurable drag on your score.

This exercise extends the vocabulary work from Exercise 1, targeting a further set of high-frequency academic words. Combined, these two exercises cover a significant portion of the vocabulary that differentiates Band 6.5 from Band 7.5 in IELTS, and a 22 from a 26 in TOEFL writing.

This exercise will help you practice advanced-level vocabulary. Complete each of the following sentences using one of these words: relish, esoteric, admonish, abide, copious, fickle, plethora, corroborate, enigmatic, agile, diligent, incisive, fathom, alacrity, sophomoric, lavish, wistful, dearth, resilient, subjugate

1. He invested amounts of money ( = a lot of money) in this business.

2. The band's lyrics will not appeal to anyone intelligent.

3. Listening to sad music always puts me in a mood.

4. The rebellion occurred after authorities failed to the insurgents.

5. There is a ( = an abundance) of good, young writers in Los Angeles right now.

6. Robert's lawyer made it clear that Robert should by the committee's decision.

7. Not many people can come back to work after going through what she went through, but she's a very woman.

8. Instead of wasting his money on jewelry and fancy clothes, he donated most of it to a local animal shelter.

9. Sally is really . It usually takes her at least half an hour to choose something from a restaurant menu.

10. The ( = scarcity) of open-minded individuals in this city depressed him.

11. I can't ( = begin to understand) why he would do what he did.

12. She's very , which makes her hard to read.

13. His comment about the current situation was a breath of fresh air compared to the other candidates' beating around the bush.

14. At first she couldn't believe that she won, but then she began to the victory.

15. He was found guilty because he couldn't find any witnesses to his story.

16. Sarah's mother did not hesitate to her daughter for doing so poorly on her exam.

17. Her ability to perform her duties with makes her a valuable asset to our organization.

18. His writings are quite . They're definitely not for the masses.

19. The mechanic checked every possible thing in the car.

20. The monkeys are quite and can climb to the top of the tree very quickly.

Make sure you try both our advanced-level vocabulary practice tests:
Advanced vocabulary test 1
Advanced vocabulary test 2