This document contains all Analysis of an Argument questions used on the GMAT exam. Each question is followed by this statement:

Discuss how well reasoned you find this argument. In your discussion be sure to analyze the line of reasoning and the use of evidence in the argument.
For example, you may need to consider what questionable assumptions underlie the thinking and what alternative explanations or counterexamples might weaken the conclusion. You can also discuss what sort of evidence would strengthen or refute the argument, what changes in the argument would make it more logically sound, and what, if anything, would help you better evaluate its conclusion. The following appeared as part of an annual report sent to stockholders by Olympic Foods, a processor of frozen foods: “Over time, the costs of processing go down because as organizations learn how to do things better, they become more efficient. In color film processing, for example, the cost of a 3-by-5-inch print fell from 50 cents for five-day service in 1970 to 20 cents for one-day service in 1984. The same principle applies to the processing of food. And since Olympic Foods will soon celebrate its 25th birthday, we can expect that our long experience will enable us to minimize costs and thus maximize profits.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in a memorandum from the business department of the Apogee Company:
“When the Apogee Company had all its operations in one location, it was more profitable than it is today. Therefore, the Apogee Company should close down its field offices and conduct all its operations from a single location. Such centralization would improve profitability by cutting costs and helping the company maintain better supervision of all employees.” Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc. The following appeared in a memorandum issued by a large city’s council on the arts: “In a recent citywide poll, 15 percent more residents said that they watch television programs about the visual arts than was the case in a poll conducted five years ago. During these past five years, the number of people visiting our city’s art museums has increased by a similar percentage. Since the corporate funding that supports public television, where most of the visual arts programs appear, is now being threatened with severe cuts, we can expect that attendance at our city’s art museums will also start to decrease. Thus some of the city’s funds for supporting the arts should be reallocated to public television.” Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc. The following appeared in an announcement issued by the publisher of The Mercury, a weekly newspaper: “Since a competing lower-priced newspaper, The Bugle, was started five years ago, The Mercury’s circulation has declined by 10,000 readers. The best way to get more people to read The Mercury is to reduce its price below that of The Bugle, at least until circulation increases to former levels. The increased circulation of The Mercury will attract more businesses to buy advertising space in the paper.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in a report presented for discussion at a meeting of the directors of a company that manufactures parts for heavy machinery:
“The falling revenues that the company is experiencing coincide with delays in manufacturing. These delays, in turn, are due in large part to poor planning in purchasing metals. Consider further that the manager of the department that handles purchasing of raw materials has an excellent background in general business, psychology, and sociology, but knows little about the properties of metals. The company should, therefore, move the purchasing manager to the sales department and bring in a scientist from the research division to be manager of the purchasing department.” Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc. The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine devoted to regional life: “Corporations should look to the city of Helios when seeking new business opportunities or a new location. Even in the recent recession, Helios’s unemployment rate was lower than the regional average. It is the industrial center of the region, and historically it has provided more than its share of the region’s manufacturing jobs. In addition, Helios is attempting to expand its economic base by attracting companies that focus on research and development of innovative technologies.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in the health section of a magazine on trends and lifestyles:
“People who use the artificial sweetener aspartame are better off consuming sugar, since aspartame can actually contribute to weight gain rather than weight loss. For example, high levels of aspartame have been shown to trigger a craving for food by depleting the brain of a chemical that registers satiety, or the sense of being full. Furthermore, studies suggest that sugars, if consumed after at least 45 minutes of continuous exercise, actually enhance the body’s ability to burn fat. Consequently, those who drink aspartame-sweetened juices after exercise will also lose this calorie-burning benefit. Thus it appears that people consuming aspartame rather than sugar are unlikely to achieve their dietary goals.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in the editorial section of a corporate newsletter:
“The common notion that workers are generally apathetic about management issues is false, or at least outdated: a recently published survey indicates that 79 percent of the nearly 1,200 workers who responded to survey questionnaires expressed a high level of interest in the topics of corporate restructuring and redesign of benefits programs.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
 
The following appeared in the opinion column of a financial magazine:
“On average, middle-aged consumers devote 39 percent of their retail expenditure to department store products and services, while for younger consumers the average is only 25 percent. Since the number of middle-aged people will increase dramatically within the next decade, department stores can expect retail sales to increase significantly during that period. Furthermore, to take advantage of the trend, these stores should begin to replace some of those products intended to attract the younger consumer with products intended to attract the middle-aged consumer.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper:
“This past winter, 200 students from Waymarsh State College traveled to the state capitol building to protest against proposed cuts in funding for various state college programs. The other 12,000 Waymarsh students evidently weren’t so concerned about their education: they either stayed on campus or left for winter break. Since the group who did not protest is far more numerous, it is more representative of the state’s college students than are the protesters. Therefore the state legislature need not heed the appeals of the protesting students.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper:
“In the first four years that Montoya has served as mayor of the city of San Perdito, the population has decreased and the unemployment rate has increased. Two businesses have closed for each new business that has opened. Under Varro, who served as mayor for four years before Montoya, the unemployment rate decreased and the population increased. Clearly, the residents of San Perdito would be best served if they voted Montoya out of office and reelected Varro.” Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared as part of a promotional campaign to sell advertising space in the Daily Gazette to grocery stores in the Marston area:
“Advertising the reduced price of selected grocery items in the Daily Gazette will help you increase your sales. Consider the results of a study conducted last month. Thirty sale items from a store in downtown Marston were advertised in The Gazette for four days. Each time one or more of the 30 items was purchased, clerks asked whether the shopper had read the ad. Two-thirds of the 200 shoppers asked answered in the affirmative. Furthermore, more than half the customers who answered in the affirmative spent over $100 at the store.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared as part of a campaign to sell advertising time on a local radio station to local businesses:
“The Cumquat Café began advertising on our local radio station this year and was delighted to see its business increase by 10 percent over last year’s totals. Their success shows you how you can use radio advertising to make your business more profitable.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
 
The following appeared as part of a newspaper editorial:
“Two years ago Nova High School began to use interactive computer instruction in three academic subjects. The school dropout rate declined immediately, and last year’s graduates have reported some impressive achievements in college. In future budgets the school board should use a greater portion of the available funds to buy more computers, and all schools in the district should adopt interactive computer instruction throughout the curriculum.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared as a part of an advertisement for Adams, who is seeking reelection as governor:
“Reelect Adams, and you will be voting for proven leadership in improving the state’s economy. Over the past year alone, 70 percent of the state’s workers have had increases in their wages, 5,000 new jobs have been created, and six corporations have located their headquarters here. Most of the respondents in a recent poll said they believed that the economy is likely to continue to improve if Adams is reelected. Adams’s opponent, Zebulon, would lead our state n the wrong direction, because Zebulon disagrees with many of Adams’s economic policies.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared as part of an article in the education section of a Waymarsh city newspaper:
“Throughout the last two decades, those who earned graduate degrees found it very difficult to get jobs teaching their academic specialties at the college level. Those with graduate degrees from Waymarsh University had an especially hard time finding such jobs. But better times are coming in the next decade for all academic job seekers, including those from Waymarsh. Demographic trends indicate that an increasing number of people will be reaching college age over the next 10 years; consequently, we can expect that the job market will improve dramatically for people seeking college-level teaching positions in their fields.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in an article in a consumer-products magazine:
“Two of today’s best-selling brands of full-strength prescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid, Acid-Ease and Pepticaid, are now available in milder nonprescription forms. Doctors have written 76 million more prescriptions for full-strength Acid-Ease than for full-strength Pepticaid. So people who need an effective but milder nonprescription medication for the relief of excess stomach acid should choose Acid-Ease.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following is an excerpt from a memo written by the head of a governmental department:
“Neither stronger ethics regulations nor stronger enforcement mechanisms are necessary to ensure ethical behavior by companies doing business with this department. We already have a code of ethics that companies doing business with this department are urged to abide by, and virtually all of these companies have agreed to follow it. We also know that the code is relevant to the current business environment because it was approved within the last year, and in direct response to specific violations committed by companies with which we were then working—not in abstract anticipation of potential violations, as so many such codes are.” Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
 
The following appeared as part of an article in the travel section of a newspaper:
“Over the past decade, the restaurant industry in the country of Spiessa has experienced unprecedented growth. This surge can be expected to continue in the coming years, fueled by recent social changes: personal incomes are rising, more leisure time is available, single-person households are more common, and people have a greater interest in gourmet food, as evidenced by a proliferation of publications on the subject.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in an article in a health–and–fitness magazine:
“Laboratory studies show that Saluda Natural Spring Water contains several of the minerals necessary for good health and that it is completely free of bacteria. Residents of Saluda, the small town where the water is bottled, are hospitalized less frequently than the national average. Even though Saluda Natural Spring Water may seem expensive, drinking it instead of tap water is a wise investment in good health.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in a memorandum from the head of a human resources department at a major automobile manufacturing company to the company's managers:
“Studies have found that employees of not-for-profit organizations and charities are often more highly motivated than employees of for-profit corporations to perform well at work when their performance is not being monitored or evaluated. Interviews with employees of not-for-profit organizations suggest that the reason for their greater motivation is the belief that their work helps to improve society. Because they believe in the importance of their work, they have personal reasons to perform well, even when no financial reward is present. Thus, if our corporation began donating a significant portion of its profits to humanitarian causes, our employees’ motivation and productivity would increase substantially and our overall profits would increase as well.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . .etc.

The following appeared as part of an editorial in an industry newsletter:
“While trucking companies that deliver goods pay only a portion of highway maintenance costs and no property tax on the highways they use, railways spend billions per year maintaining and upgrading their facilities. The government should lower the railroad companies’ property taxes, since sending goods by rail is clearly a more appropriate mode of ground transportation than highway shipping. For one thing, trains consume only a third of the fuel a truck would use to carry the same load, making them a more cost-effective and environmentally sound mode of transport. Furthermore, since rail lines already exist, increases in rail traffic would not require building new lines at the expense of taxpaying citizens.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
 
The following appeared in the editorial section of a newspaper:
“As public concern over drug abuse has increased, authorities have become more vigilant in their efforts to prevent illegal drugs from entering the country. Many drug traffickers have consequently switched from marijuana, which is bulky, or heroin, which has a market too small to justify the risk of severe punishment, to cocaine. Thus enforcement efforts have ironically resulted in an observed increase in the illegal use of cocaine.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in a speech delivered by a member of the city council:
“Twenty years ago, only half of the students who graduated from Einstein High School went on to attend a college or university. Today, two–thirds of the students who graduate from Einstein do so. Clearly, Einstein has improved its educational effectiveness over the past two decades. This improvement has occurred despite the fact that the school’s funding, when adjusted for inflation, is about the same as it was 20 years ago. Therefore, we do not need to make any substantial increase in the school’s funding at this time.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in a memo from the customer service division to the manager of Mammon Savings and Loan:
“We believe that improved customer service is the best way for us to differentiate ourselves from competitors and attract new customers. We can offer our customers better service by reducing waiting time in teller lines from an average of six minutes to an average of three. By opening for business at 8:30 instead of 9:00, and by remaining open for an additional hour beyond our current closing time, we will be better able to accommodate the busy schedules of our customers. These changes will enhance our bank’s image as the most customer-friendly bank in town and give us the edge over our competition.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared as part of an article in a magazine on lifestyles:
“Two years ago, City L was listed 14th in an annual survey that ranks cities according to the quality of life that can be enjoyed by those living in them. This information will enable people who are moving to the state in which City L is located to confidently identify one place, at least, where schools are good, housing is affordable, people are friendly, the environment is safe, and the arts flourish.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in a memorandum from a member of a financial management and consulting firm:
“We have learned from an employee of Windfall, Ltd., that its accounting department, by checking about 10 percent of the last month’s purchasing invoices for errors and inconsistencies, saved the company some $10,000 in overpayments. In order to help our clients increase their net gains, we should advise each of them to institute a policy of checking all purchasing invoices for errors. Such a recommendation could also help us get the Windfall account by demonstrating to Windfall the rigorousness of our methods.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in a newspaper editorial:
“As violence in movies increases, so do crime rates in our cities. To combat this problem we must establish a board to censor certain movies, or we must limit admission to persons over 21 years of age. Apparently our legislators are not concerned about this issue since a bill calling for such actions recently failed to receive a majority vote.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper:
“Commuter use of the new subway train is exceeding the transit company’s projections. However, commuter use of the shuttle buses that transport people to the subway stations is below the projected volume. If the transit company expects commuters to ride the shuttle buses to the subway rather than drive there, it must either reduce the shuttle bus fares or increase the price of parking at the subway stations.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following was excerpted from the speech of a spokesperson for Synthetic Farm Products, Inc.:
“Many farmers who invested in the equipment needed to make the switch from synthetic to organic fertilizers and pesticides feel that it would be too expensive to resume synthetic farming at this point. But studies of farmers who switched to organic farming last year indicate that their current crop yields are lower. Hence their purchase of organic farming equipment, a relatively minor investment compared to the losses that would result from continued lower crop yields, cannot justify persisting on an unwise course. And the choice to farm organically is financially unwise, given that it was motivated by environmental rather than economic concerns.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc

The following appeared in a newspaper story giving advice about investments:
“As overall life expectancy continues to rise, the population of our country is growing increasingly older. For example, more than 20 percent of the residents of one of our more populated regions are now at least 65 years old, and occupancy rates at resort hotels in that region declined significantly during the past six months. Because of these two related trends, a prudent investor would be well advised to sell interest in hotels and invest in hospitals and nursing homes instead.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared as part of the business plan of an investment and financial consulting firm:
“Studies suggest that an average coffee drinker’s consumption of coffee increases with age, from age 10 through age 60. Even after age 60, coffee consumption remains high. The average cola drinker’s consumption of cola, however, declines with increasing age. Both of these trends have remained stable for the past 40 years. Given that the number of older adults will significantly increase as the population ages over the next 20 years, it follows that the demand for coffee will increase and the demand for cola will decrease during this period. We should, therefore, consider transferring our investments from Cola Loca to Early Bird Coffee.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in the editorial section of a West Cambria newspaper:
“A recent review of the West Cambria volunteer ambulance service revealed a longer average response time to accidents than was reported by a commercial ambulance squad located in East Cambria. In order to provide better patient care for accident victims and to raise revenue for our town by collecting service fees for ambulance use, we should disband our volunteer service and hire a commercial ambulance service.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following is part of a business plan being discussed at a board meeting of the Perks Company:
“It is no longer cost-effective for the Perks Company to continue offering its employees a generous package of benefits and incentives year after year. In periods when national unemployment rates are low, Perks may need to offer such a package in order to attract and keep good employees, but since national unemployment rates are now high, Perks does not need to offer the same benefits and incentives. The money thus saved could be better used to replace the existing plant machinery with more technologically sophisticated equipment, or even to build an additional plant.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.

The following appeared in an editorial from a magazine produced by an organization dedicated to environmental protection:
“In order to effectively reduce the amount of environmental damage that industrial manufacturing plants cause, those who manage the plants must be aware of the specific amount and types of damage caused by each of their various manufacturing processes. However, few corporations have enough financial incentive to monitor this information. In order to guarantee that corporations reduce the damage caused by their plants, the federal government should require every corporation to produce detailed annual reports on the environmental impact of their manufacturing process, and the government should impose stiff financial penalties for failure to produce these reports.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . .etc.

The following appeared as part of a plan proposed by an executive of the Easy Credit Company to the president:
“The Easy Credit Company would gain an advantage over competing credit card services if we were to donate a portion of the proceeds from the use of our cards to a well-known environmental organization in exchange for the use of its symbol or logo on our card. Since a recent poll shows that a large percentage of the public is concerned about environmental issues, this policy would attract new customers, increase use among existing customers, and enable us to charge interest rates that are higher than the lowest ones available.”
Discuss how well reasoned . . . etc.
 

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet W

waft - scent, waving movement; carry lightly through
wag - merry person
wage - payment, carry on, engage in (war)
warmonger - person who stirs up war
warp - become bent
warrant - authority, written order, guarantee
wary - cautious
weave - make (threads) into cloth
weigh - measure hoe heavy smth is
welter - turmoil; a bewildering jumble
wend - to go, proceed
whimsical - full of odd and fanciful ideas
wince - show bodily or mental pain
woo - try to win

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet V

vacillation - being uncertain, hesitating
vagary - strange act or idea
vain - without use, result; conceited
valiant - brave
valorous - brave
vanquish - conquer
vapor - stim, mist
veer - change direction
venal - ready to do smth dishonest
veneer - surface appearance covering the true nature
veneration - regard with deep respect
veracity - truth
verisimilitude - appearing true or real
veritable - real, rightly named
verve - spirit, vigor, enthusiasm

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet U

ulterior - situated beyond
umbrage - offense, resentment
uncouth - rough, awkward
underbid - make a lower bid then smb else
undermine - weaken gradually, at the base, make smth under
undulate - to move in wavelike fashion, fluctuate
unencumbered - easy-going, trifle
unfeigned - not pretended, sincere
unscathed - unharmed, unhurt
untoward - unfortunate, inconvenient
upbraid - scold, reproach
urbane - elegant, refined in manners

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet T

taciturn - untalkative, silent
talon - claw of a bird of prey
tamp - tap or drive down by repeated light blows
tamper - interfere with
tangential - suddenly changeable
tarnished - lost brightness
taunt - contemptuous reproach, hurtful remark
taut - tightly stretched
tautology - a repetition, a redundancy
tawdry - cheap, gaudy, showy, tacky
tease - annoy; puzzling question
tedious - tiresome

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet S

sagacious - having sound judgment; perceptive, wise; like a sage
salacious - obscene

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet R

rabble - mob, crowd; the lower classes of populace
raconteur - person who tells anecdotes
radiant - bright, shining
raffish - low, vulgar, base, tawdry
rail at - find fault, utter reproaches
ramify - to be divided or subdivided; to branch out
rancorous - feeling bitterness, spitefulness
rant - use extravagant language
rapacious - greedy (esp for money)
rarefy - to make thin, to make less dense, to purify or refine
reactionary - opposing progress
rebuff - snub
recalcitrant - disobedient
recant - take back as being false; give up
recast - cast or fashion anew
recidivism - relapse into antisocial or criminal behavior
reciprocity - granting of privileges in return for similar
recitals - a number of, performance of music
recluse - person who lives alone and avoids people
recompense - make payment to; reward, punish
reconcile - settle a quarrel; restore peace
recondite - little known; abstruse
recourse - smth turned to for help
recreancy - cowardice, a cowardly giving up
recuperate - become strong after illness, loss, exhaustion
redeem - get back by payment; compensate
redemptive - serving to redeem
redoubtable - formidable, causing fear
refine - make or become pure, cultural
refractory - stubborn, unmanageable, untractable
refulgent - shining, brilliant
regale - to delight or entertain; to feast
regicide - crime of killing a king
reiterate - say or do again several times
rejuvenation - becoming young in nature or appearance
relapse - fall back again
relinquish - give up
reluctant - unwilling or disinclined
remonstrate - to protest, object
render - deliver, provide, represent
renovate - restore smth to better condition
renowned - celebrated, famous
rent - regular payment for the use of smth, division or split
repast - meal
repine at - be discontented with
reproach - scold, upbraid
reprobate - person hardened in sin; one devoid of decency
repudiate - disown, refuse to accept or pay
repulsive - causing a feeling of disgust
requite - repay, give in return
resigned - unresisting, submissive
resilience - quality of quickly recovering the original shape
resolve - determine
resort to - frequently visit
restive - refusing to move; reluctant to be controlled
resurrect - bring back into use
resuscitation - coming back to consciousness
retard - check, hinder
reticent - reserved, untalkative, silent, taciturn
revere - have deep respect for
rift - split, crack, dissension

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet Q

quack - person dishonestly claiming to smth
quaff - drink deeply
quail - lose courage, turn frightened
qualm - feeling of doubt, temporary feeling of sickness
quell - suppress, subdue
quibble - try to avoid by sophistication
quiescent - at rest, dormant, torpid
quirk - habit or action peculiar to smb or smth
quixotic - generous, unselfish
quotidian - banal; everyday

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet P

paean - song of praise or triumph
palate - roof of the mouth; sense of taste
palatial - magnificent
palliate - lessen the severity of
palliate - to make something appear less serious, to alleviate, to gloss over
palpability - can be felt, touched, understood
palpitate - tremble, beat rapidly and irregularly
panegyric - formal praise, eulogy
paradigm - a model, example, or pattern
parenthesis - sentence within another one, smth separated
pariah - an outcast, a rejected and despised person
parsimonious - too economical, miserly
partisan - one-sided, committed to a party, biased or prejudiced
patron - regular customer; person who gives support
paucity - scarcity, a lacking of
peccadillo - small sin; small weakness in one's character
pedantic - bookish, showing off learning
pedestrian - commonplace, trite, unremarkable
pellucid - transparent, easy to understand
penchant - strong inclination, a liking
penitent - feeling or showing regret
penury - extreme poverty
peregrination - traveling about, wandering
peremptory - urgent, imperative, unchallengeable, ending debate
perennial - lasting for a long time (e.g.. a year)
perfidious - treacherous, faithless
perfidy - treachery; breaking of faith
perfunctory - done as a duty without care
perilous - dangerous
peripatetic - wandering
perish - be destroyed; decay
perjury - willful false statement, unlawful act
permeate - spread into every part of
pernicious - harmful, injurious
perpetrate - be guilty; commit (a crime)
persevere - keep on steadily, continue
personable - pleasing in appearance, attractive
perspicacity - quick judging and understanding
pertain - belong as a part, have reference
pest - destructive thing or a person who is nuisance
petrified - taken away power (to think, feel, act)
petrify - to make hard, rocklike
petrous - like a rock, hard, stony
petulant - unreasonably impatient
philistine - a smug ignorant person; one who lacks knowledge
phlegmatic - calm, sluggish temperament; unemotional
picaresque - involving clever rogues or adventurers
pied - of mixed colors
pinch - be too tight, take between the thumb and finger
pious - dutiful to parents; devoted to religion
piquant - agreeably pungent, stimulating
pique - hurt the pride or self-respect, stir (curiosity)
pitfall - covered hole as a trap, unsuspected danger
pith - essential part, force, soft liquid substance
pivotal - of great importance (others depend on it)
placate - soothe, pacify, calm
plaintive - mournful, melancholy, sorrowful
plaque - flat metal on a wall as a memorial
platitude - a trite or banal statement; unoriginality
plea - request
plead - address a court of law as an advocate
plethora - glut
pliant - pliable, easily bent, shaped or twisted
plod - continue doing smth without resting
pluck - pull the feathers off, pick (e.g.. flowers)
plumb - get to the root of
plummet - fall, plunge, steeply
plunge - move quickly, suddenly and with force
poignant - deeply moving; keen
poise - be ready, be balanced, self-possession
polemical - controversial, argued
ponderous - heavy, bulky, dull
portent - omen; marvelous; threatening
poseur - someone taking on airs to impress others; a phony
posture - state, attitude; adopt a vain
poverty - state of being poor
pragmatic - practical, favoring utility
precarious - uncertain, risky, dangerous
precept - moral instruction
precepts - rules establishing standards of conduct
precipitate - throw smth violently down from a height
preclude - prevent, make impossible
precursory - preliminary, anticipating
predilection - special liking, mental preference
predominate - have more power than others
preempt - obtain by preemption or in advance
premature - doing or happening smth before the right time
preponderance - greatness in number, strength, weight
presage - warning sign
preternatural - not normal or usual
prevalent - common
prevaricate - to equivocate, to stray from the truth
prim - neat; formal
pristine - primitive, unspoiled, pure, as in earlier times, unadulterated
probity - uprightness, incorruptibility, principle
proclivity - inclination
procrastination - keeping on putting off
prodigal - wasteful, reckless with money
prodigious - enormous, wonderful
profane - worldly, having contempt for God
profligate - wasteful, prodigal, licentious, extravagant
profundity - depth
proliferate - grow, reproduce by rapid multification
prolix - tiring because too long
prone - prostrate; inclined to (undesirable things)
propagation - increasing the number, spreading, extending
propinquity - nearness in time or place, affinity of nature
propitiate - do smth to take away the anger of
propitiatory - conciliatory, appeasing, mitigating
propitious - auspicious, presenting favorable circumstances
prosaic - everyday, mundane, commonplace, trite, pedestrian
proscribe - denounce as dangerous
protracted - prolonged
provident - frugal; looking to the future
provisional - of the present time only
provoke - make angry; vax

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet O

obdurate - hardened and unrepenting; stubborn, inflexible
obfuscate - to darken, make obscure, muddle
oblivious - unaware, having no memory
obloquy - abusively detractive language, sharp criticism, vituperation
obsequious - too eager to obey or serve
obsolete - no longer used
obstreperous - noisy, loud
obtain - to be established, accepted, or customary
obtrusive - projecting, prominent, undesirably noticeable
obviate - to make unnecessary, get rid of

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet N

nadir - lowest, weakest point
nascent - coming into existence, emerging
nebulous - cloud-like; hazy; vague; indistinct
negligent - taking too little care
neophyte - person who has been converted to a belief
nexus - a connection, tie, or link
nibble - show some inclination to accept (an offer)
nice - precise, sensitive to subtleness
noisome - offensive, disgusting (smell)
nonchalant - not having interest

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet M

macabre - gruesome, suggesting death
machination - plot, scheme (esp. evil)
maladroit - tactless, clumsy
malapropism - misuse of a word (for one that resembles it)
malevolence - wishing to do evil
malign - injurious, speak ill of smb, tell lie
malinger - to fake illness or injury, in order to shirk a duty
malleable - yielding; easily shaped; moldable; adapting
manacle - chains for the hands or feet
martial - brave, of associated with war
massacre - cruel killing of a large number of people
matriculation - be admitted, enter a university as a student
mature - come to full development, to a state ready for use
maudlin - sentimental in a silly or tearful way

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet L

labyrinthine - to entangle the state of affairs
lachrymose - causing tears, tearful
lackluster - (of eyes) dull
laconic - brief, to the point, terse
lag - go too slow
lament - show, feel great sorrow
lassitude - weariness, tiredness
latent - present but not yet active, developed or visible
laudatory - expressing or giving praise
lavish - giving or producing freely, liberally or generously
leakage - the process of leaking
legacy - smth handed down from ancestors
libel - statement that damages reputation
liberality - free giving; generosity

Study Material for TOEFL Preparation | Alphabet J

jabber - talk excitedly; utter rapidly
jeopardize - put in danger
jibe - gibe, make fun of
jocular - meant as a joke
judicious - sound in judgment; wise