2022 / 2023 ASVAB For Dummies. Angie Papple Johnston
(A) cringed
(B) laughed
(C) shouted
(D) endured
The signal phrase in the question is “as if,” which is very similar to “like.” Knowing that, what’s the most likely answer? If you saw a ghost, you probably wouldn’t laugh, shout, or endure. (I’d run.) The most correct answer is Choice (A), cringed, because that’s far more likely to be your response than any of the other choices are.
One of these things is not like the other: Ruling out wrong answers
One of the most successful ASVAB strategies involves ruling out answers that aren’t likely to be correct before settling on the one you think is right. When two answer choices mean almost the same thing, or when some choices don’t match the prefix, suffix, or root word, you can cross them off as possibilities.
(A) vacate.
(B) reside.
(C) depart.
(D) leave.
Choices (A), (C), and (D) are all very similar in meaning, leaving only Choice (B), reside, as the clear front-runner.
On the ASVAB, your choices aren’t likely to be this obvious, but you may be able to rule out two choices and give yourself a 50-50 chance of finding the correct answer.
(A) cure.
(B) heal.
(C) contort.
(D) tragedy.
Choices (A) and (B) are essentially the same, so you can eliminate those two. Now look at the prefix, de-, and compare it to what you find in Table 4-2 or other words that begin with the same prefix. De- means “away from.” In Table 4-4, you can see that the root word form means “shape.” That means Choice (C), contort, is the right answer for this question. (Combining ASVAB test-taking strategies gives you an extra edge!)
Mind filling in? Replacing the word with the answer choices
When you encounter a Word Knowledge question that asks you to define a word in a sentence, you may find that swapping out the underlined word with each of your choices leads you to the correct answer.
(A) person
(B) carrier
(C) event
(D) bacteria
Replace pathogen with person, carrier, event, and bacteria. (The word ingested is a big clue. The words person, carrier, and event just don’t make sense in the sentence.)
This strategy can work in conjunction with other strategies, too:
(A) helpful
(B) harmful
(C) erasing
(D) backward
Replace deleterious with each of the answer choices. Choice (B), harmful, is the only one that makes sense — especially because the sentence says, “Maria was worried,” which shows you that the correct answer won’t be something positive.
Say what? Parts of speech matter
When you see a Word Knowledge question that asks you to define a word in a sentence, you might be able to weed out one or two incorrect choices by knowing the parts of speech. Table 4-6 lists the eight parts of speech, notes what roles they play in sentences, and gives you some examples.
TABLE 4-6 Parts of Speech
| Part | Role | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | Names a person, place, thing, or idea | Mr. Hall, lawyer, United States, suffix |
| Verb | Expresses an action or state of being | to write, to read, to eat, to play, to be |
| Adjective | Describes a noun | green, sleepy, hungry, fast, beautiful |
| Adverb | Modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb | tremendously, very, cautiously, dangerously, sneakily |
| Pronoun | Replaces a noun | he, she, they, it, this, I, you |
| Preposition | Relates a noun or pronoun to another word | in, on, around, after, under |
| Conjunction | Connects clauses to sentences | and, but, if |
| Interjection | Expresses emotions or feelings | cool, awesome, holy cow, uh-oh, eek |