FAST Practice Test Vocabulary

Read this sentence from a test prep passage.

"It brightens the room with wonder."

What tone is created by the language in this sentence?

• boldness

• fascination

• intelligence

• satisfaction

"A fish swims down from above and you watch as the large jellyfish grabs the fish with its limbs instead of stinging it. It shoves the fish into its balloon of a body and relishes the taste."

What does the word relishes mean as it is used in the sentence?

• struggles through

• stores memories of

• enjoys considerably

• thinks deeply about

Which word comes from a Latin word meaning "an object used to spur or cause a reaction"?

Measuring sleep in insects is tricky. Scientists have generally focused on a group of behavioral signs of sleep, such as stillness, drooping, and muscle relaxation. Sleeping bugs also require intense stimulus to jar them into responding. Experiments show that some insects experience sleep rebound, which means that if deprived of sleep, they will subsequently need more of it.

• focused

• relaxation

• stimulus

• rebound

• subsequently

What does the word accolades mean as it is used in the paragraph below?

To have an asteroid named after you is an honor, but [Aretha] Franklin...already had plenty of those. The legendary singer had accumulated, over a career spanning five decades, more than 100 singles on the Billboard charts, 18 Grammy Awards, and numerous other accolades.

• fictional stories

• formal recognitions

• various professions

• performance spaces

Read this sentence from a test prep passage.

"His gentle breezes are filled with the promise of renewal and help trees from a green canopy across the land."

What is the meaning of the word canopy as it is used in this sentence?

• cover

• liquid

• mask

• crown

The word antagonistic comes from the Greek words anti-, which means "opposed to" and agon, which means "a struggle or contest." What does antagonistic mean?

• calculating

• confrontational

• motivated

• tense

Read this excerpt from a test prep passage.

"Molly sat gingerly next to her grandmother, trying not to startle her; however, Pete, the dog, had other plans. He leapt onto Molly's lap before wriggling his way between the young girl and her grandmother. Lola woke with a start..."

What does the word gingerly mean as it is used in the passage?

• carefully

• gracefully

• confidently

• suspiciously

Read this paragraph from a test prep passage.

"In ancient Athens, boys went to school and girls stayed home. Boys learned reading and writing, and they studied the works of poets and philosophers...Girls left the house infrequently and learned only basic reading and math at home."

What does the word infrequently mean as it used above?

• unusually

• commonly

• unpredictably

• seldomly

Read this sentence from a test prep passage.

"Soon after Cleopatra ascended to the throne, her brother's advisors acted against her."

What connotation does the word ascended give to the idea of ruling?

• It is a choice to rule.

• It is a burden to rule.

• It is an honor to rule.

• It is a challenge to rule.

Read this paragraph from a test prep passage.

"Every year, many tourists visit the pyramids to experience their grandeur in person and learn about ancient Egyptian civilization. Even though the interiors are not accessible, the pyramids are still quite a sight to behold!"

Which dictionary entry of the word "accessible" does this passage use?

• easy to speak to

• capable of being influenced

• easily used by people with disabilities

• capable of being reached