How to Test Your Present Vocabulary

Once—as a child—you were an expert, an accomplished virtuoso, at learning new words.

Today, by comparison, you are a rank and bumbling amateur.

Does this statement sound insulting?

It may be—but if you are the average adult, it is a statement that is, unfortunately, only too true.

Educational testing indicates that children of ten who have grown up in families in which English is the native language have recognition vocabularies of over twenty thousand words—

And that these same ten-year-olds have been learning new words at a rate of many hundreds a year since the age of four.

In astonishing contrast, studies show that adults who are no longer attending school increase their vocabularies at a pace slower than twenty-five to fifty words annually.

How do you assess your own vocabulary?

Is it quantitatively healthy?

Rich in over-all range?

Responsive to any situation in which you may find yourself?

Truly indicative of your intellectual potential?

More important, is it still growing at the same rapid clip as when you were a child?

Or, as with most adults, has your rate of increase dropped drastically since you left school? And if so, do you now feel that your vocabulary is somewhat limited, your verbal skills not as sharp as you would like them to be?

Let us check it out.

I challenge you to a series of tests that will measure your vocabulary range, as well as your verbal speed and responsiveness.

A Test of Vocabulary Range

Here are sixty brief phrases, each containing one italicized word; it is up to you to check the closest definition of each such word. To keep your score valid, refrain, as far as possible, from wild guessing. The key will be found at the end of the test.

1. disheveled appearance:

   1. untidy
   2. fierce
   3. foolish
   4. peculiar
   5. unhappy

2. a baffling problem:

   1. difficult
   2. simple
   3. puzzling
   4. long
   5. new

3. lenient parent:

   1. tall
   2. not strict
   3. wise
   4. foolish
   5. severe

4. repulsive personality:

   1. disgusting
   2. attractive
   3. normal
   4. confused
   5. conceited

5. audacious attempt:

   1. useless
   2. bold
   3. foolish
   4. crazy
   5. necessary

6. parry a blow:

   1. ward off
   2. fear
   3. expect
   4. invite
   5. ignore

7. prevalent disease:

   1. dangerous
   2. catching
   3. childhood
   4. fatal
   5. widespread

8. ominous report:

   1. loud
   2. threatening
   3. untrue
   4. serious
   5. unpleasant

9. an incredible story:

   1. true
   2. interesting
   3. well-known
   4. unbelievable
   5. unknown

10. an ophthalmologist:

    1. eye doctor
    2. skin doctor
    3. foot doctor
    4. heart doctor
    5. cancer specialist

11. will supersede the old law:

    1. enforce
    2. specify penalties for
    3. take the place of
    4. repeal
    5. continue

12. an anonymous donor:

    1. generous
    2. stingy
    3. well-known
    4. one whose name is not known
    5. reluctant

13. performed an autopsy:

    1. examination of living tissue
    2. examination of a corpse to determine the cause of death
    3. process in the manufacture of optical lenses
    4. operation to cure an organic disease
    5. series of questions to determine the causes of delinquent behavior

14. an indefatigable worker:

    1. well-paid
    2. tired
    3. skillful
    4. tireless
    5. pleasant

15. a confirmed atheist:

    1. bachelor
    2. disbeliever in God
    3. believer in religion
    4. believer in science
    5. priest

16. endless loquacity:

    1. misery
    2. fantasy
    3. repetitiousness
    4. ill health
    5. talkativeness

17. a glib talker:

    1. smooth
    2. awkward
    3. loud
    4. friendly
    5. boring

18. an incorrigible optimist:

    1. happy
    2. beyond correction or reform
    3. foolish
    4. hopeful
    5. unreasonable

19. an ocular problem:

    1. unexpected
    2. insoluble
    3. visual
    4. continual
    5. imaginary

20. a notorious demagogue:

    1. rabble-rouser
    2. gambler
    3. perpetrator of financial frauds
    4. liar
    5. spendthrift

21. a naïve attitude:

    1. unwise
    2. hostile
    3. unsophisticated
    4. friendly
    5. contemptuous

22. living in affluence:

    1. difficult circumstances
    2. countrified surroundings
    3. fear
    4. wealth
    5. poverty

23. in retrospect:

    1. view of the past
    2. artistic balance
    3. anticipation
    4. admiration
    5. second thoughts

24. a gourmet:

    1. seasoned traveler
    2. greedy eater
    3. vegetarian
    4. connoisseur of good food
    5. skillful chef

25. to simulate interest:

    1. pretend
    2. feel
    3. lose
    4. stir up
    5. ask for

26. a magnanimous action:

    1. puzzling
    2. generous
    3. foolish
    4. unnecessary
    5. wise

27. a clandestine meeting:

    1. prearranged
    2. hurried
    3. important
    4. secret
    5. public

28. the apathetic citizens:

    1. made up of separate ethnic groups
    2. keenly vigilant of their rights
    3. politically conservative
    4. indifferent, uninterested, uninvolved
    5. terrified

29. to placate his son:

    1. please
    2. help
    3. find a job for
    4. make arrangements for
    5. change a feeling of hostility to one of friendliness

30. to vacillate continually:

    1. avoid
    2. swing back and forth in indecision
    3. inject
    4. treat
    5. scold

31. a nostalgic feeling:

    1. nauseated
    2. homesick
    3. sharp
    4. painful
    5. delighted

32. feel antipathy:

    1. bashfulness
    2. stage fright
    3. friendliness
    4. hostility
    5. suspense

33. be more circumspect:

    1. restrained
    2. confident
    3. cautious
    4. honest
    5. intelligent

34. an intrepid fighter for human rights:

    1. fearless
    2. eloquent
    3. popular
    4. experienced
    5. famous

35. diaphanous material:

    1. strong
    2. sheer and gauzy
    3. colorful
    4. expensive
    5. synthetic

36. a taciturn host:

    1. stingy
    2. generous
    3. disinclined to conversation
    4. charming
    5. gloomy

37. to malign his friend:

    1. accuse
    2. help
    3. disbelieve
    4. slander
    5. introduce

38. a congenital deformity:

    1. hereditary
    2. crippling
    3. slight
    4. incurable
    5. occurring at or during birth

39. a definite neurosis:

    1. plan
    2. emotional disturbance
    3. physical disease
    4. feeling of fear
    5. allergic reaction

40. made an unequivocal statement:

    1. hard to understand
    2. lengthy
    3. politically motivated
    4. clear and forthright
    5. supporting

41. vicarious enjoyment:

    1. complete
    2. unspoiled
    3. occurring from a feeling of identification with another
    4. long-continuing
    5. temporary

42. psychogenic ailment:

    1. incurable
    2. contagious
    3. originating in the mind
    4. intestinal
    5. imaginary

43. an anachronous attitude:

    1. unexplainable
    2. unreasonable
    3. belonging to a different time
    4. out of place
    5. unusual

44. her iconoclastic phase:

    1. artistic
    2. sneering at tradition
    3. troubled
    4. difficult
    5. religious

45. a tyro:

    1. dominating personality
    2. beginner
    3. accomplished musician
    4. dabbler
    5. serious student

46. a laconic reply:

    1. immediate
    2. assured
    3. terse and meaningful
    4. unintelligible
    5. angry

47. semantic confusion:

    1. relating to the meaning of words
    2. pertaining to money
    3. having to do with the emotions
    4. relating to mathematics
    5. caused by inner turmoil

48. cavalier treatment:

    1. courteous
    2. haughty and highhanded
    3. negligent
    4. affectionate
    5. expensive

49. an anomalous situation:

    1. dangerous
    2. intriguing
    3. unusual
    4. pleasant
    5. unhappy

50. posthumous child:

    1. cranky
    2. brilliant
    3. physically weak
    4. illegitimate
    5. born after the death of the father

51. feels enervated:

    1. full of ambition
    2. full of strength
    3. completely exhausted
    4. troubled
    5. full of renewed energy

52. shows perspicacity:

    1. sincerity
    2. mental keenness
    3. love
    4. faithfulness
    5. longing

53. an unpopular martinet:

    1. candidate
    2. supervisor
    3. strict disciplinarian
    4. military leader
    5. discourteous snob

54. gregarious person:

    1. outwardly calm
    2. very sociable
    3. completely untrustworthy
    4. vicious
    5. self-effacing and timid

55. generally phlegmatic:

    1. smug, self-satisfied
    2. easily pleased
    3. nervous, high-strung
    4. emotionally unresponsive
    5. lacking in social graces

56. an inveterate gambler:

    1. impoverished
    2. successful
    3. habitual
    4. occasional
    5. superstitious

57. an egregious error:

    1. outstandingly bad
    2. slight
    3. irreparable
    4. unnecessary
    5. deliberate

58. cacophony of a large city:

    1. political administration
    2. crowded living conditions
    3. cultural advantages
    4. unpleasant noises, harsh sounds
    5. busy traffic

59. a prurient adolescent:

    1. tall and gangling
    2. sexually longing
    3. clumsy, awkward
    4. sexually attractive
    5. soft-spoken

60. uxorious husband:

    1. henpecked
    2. suspicious
    3. guilty of infidelity
    4. fondly and foolishly doting on his wife
    5. tightfisted, penny-pinching

The Meaning of Your Score

A Test of Verbal Speed

Part 1

This is a timed test.

In no more than three minutes (time yourself, or have someone time you), decide whether the word in column B is the same (or approximately the same) in meaning as the word in column A; opposite (or approximately opposite) in meaning; or whether the two words are merely different.

Circle S for same, O for opposite, and D for different.

You will not have time to dawdle or think too long, so go as fast as you can.

Part 2

This is also a timed test.

In no more than three minutes (again, time yourself or have someone time you), write down as many different words as you can think of that start with the letter D.

Do not use various forms of a word, such as do, doing, does, done, doer, etc.

Space is provided for 125 words. You are not expected to reach that number, but write as fast as you can and see how many blanks you can fill in before your time is up.

Scoring — Verbal Speed

Part 1

Part 2

Total Score

The meaning of your verbal speed score:

A Test of Verbal Responsiveness

Part 1

Write in the blank in column B a word starting with the letter P that is the same, or approximately the same, in meaning as the word given in column A.

Example: look — peer

Warning: Every answer must start with the letter P.

Part 2

Write in the blank in column B a word starting with the letter G that is opposite, approximately opposite, or in contrast to the word given in column A.

Example: stop — go

Warning: Every answer must start with the letter G.

Scoring — Verbal Responsiveness

Score Parts 1 and 2 together. Write in the blank the total number of correct responses you made.

The meaning of your verbal responsiveness score:

Vocabulary and Success

Now you know where you stand. If you are in the below average or average group, you must consider, seriously, whether an inadequate vocabulary may be holding you back. (If you tested out on the above average, excellent, or superior level, you have doubtless already discovered the unique and far-reaching value of a rich vocabulary, and you are eager to add still further to your knowledge of words.)

Let us examine, briefly, some of the evidence that points to the close relationship between vocabulary and personal, professional, and intellectual growth.

The Human Engineering Laboratory found that the only common characteristic of successful people in this country is an unusual grasp of the meanings of words. The Laboratory tested the vocabularies of thousands of people in all age groups and in all walks of life—and discovered that those people drawing down the highest salaries made the highest scores. Consider very thoughtfully the explanation that the director of the Laboratory offered for the relationship between vocabulary and success:

“Why do large vocabularies characterize executives and possibly outstanding men and women in other fields? The final answer seems to be that words are the instruments by means of which men and women grasp the thoughts of others and with which they do much of their own thinking. They are the tools of thought.”

There is other evidence.

At many universities, groups of freshmen were put into experimental classes for the sole purpose of increasing their knowledge of English words. These groups did better in their sophomore, junior, and senior years than control groups of similarly endowed students who did not receive such training.

And still more evidence:

At the University of Illinois, entering students were given a simple twenty-nine-word vocabulary test. The results of this test could be used, according to Professor William D. Templeman, to make an accurate prediction of future academic success—or lack of success—over the entire four year college course. “If a student has a superior vocabulary,” states Professor Templeman, “it will probably follow that he will do better work academically.”

And finally:

Educational research has discovered that your I.Q. is intimately related to your vocabulary. Take a standard vocabulary test and then an intelligence test—the results in both will be substantially the same.

You Can Increase Your Vocabulary

The more extensive your vocabulary, the better your chances for success, other things being equal—success in attaining your educational goals, success in moving ahead in your business or professional career, success in achieving your intellectual potential.

And you can increase your vocabulary—faster and easier than you may realize.

You can, in fact, accomplish a tremendous gain in less than two to three months of concentrated effort, even if you do only one session a day—in less time if you do two or more sessions a day.

Furthermore—

You can start improving your vocabulary immediately—and within a few days you can be cruising along at such a rapid rate that there will be an actual change in your thinking, in your ability to express your thoughts, and in your powers of understanding.

Does this sound as if I am promising you the whole world in a neat package with a pretty pink ribbon tied around it? I am. And I am willing to make such an unqualified promise because I have seen what happens to those of my students at New York University and at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, California, who make sincere, methodical efforts to learn more, many more, words.