Expanding Your Vocabulary for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery Exam

Date: Feb 11, 2005

If you are preparing for the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) Exam, you will need a healthy vocabulary. This chapter will help you to expand your vocabulary by gaining a deeper understanding of the mechanics of language.

Terms you'll need to understand:

Connotation
Context
Denotation
Synonyms
Prefix
Suffix
Root word

Techniques you'll need to master:

Building your vocabulary
Understanding words according to their usage
Understanding words according to their construction
Knowing the differences between denotation and connotation

In essence, we live in a communications-centric society. To cope in that society, you must be able to read and understand what you are reading. The beginning of overall reading comprehension lies within adept vocabulary skills—understanding individual words as they appear in context. The Word Knowledge and Paragraph Comprehension sections of the ASVAB assess your ability in vocabulary skills and reading comprehension.

The Word Knowledge module contains 25 questions (the CAT-ASVAB has 16 questions), which you will need to answer in 11 minutes, or 8 minutes on the CAT-ASVAB. To achieve your 70%, you need to answer 18 questions correctly; to achieve 80%, you need to answer 20 questions correctly.

The Word Knowledge portion of the ASVAB tests your knowledge of both common and not-so-common words. This section measures your ability to choose the correct meaning of a word, in context, and choose an appropriate synonym or meaning.

Much of the Word Knowledge module is simply word recognition and knowing the meaning of words. Because vocabulary is an essential part of reading comprehension, you need to get a good handle on this section to prepare you for the Paragraph Comprehension module. In each question on the test, you will see a sentence that contains one underlined word. Your job is to select a word or phrase that has the closest meaning to the underlined word. For example, a Word Knowledge question might look like the following, wherein you must choose a word that means approximately the same as the underlined word:

His behavior was atypical.

usual

abnormal

bizarre

calm

If you are an avid reader, or if you are simply adept at learning and using new words, this section will not be too difficult. However, because we can't all be familiar with all the words of the English language, we have to employ a few tools and methods of discerning what unfamiliar words mean. The following sections teach you about word usage and give you tips for maneuvering through the murky waters of word usage.

Building Your Vocabulary

There is nothing difficult about expanding and improving your word knowledge—it is simply a matter of practice and deliberation. The most important habit you can cultivate, if you haven't already, is to start reading more, especially material that is a little difficult for you. That doesn't mean you have to pick up a college-level physics book or a database programming manual. If you currently read popular fiction, perhaps you can start reading other fiction books in the same genre as those you enjoy, but that have a more advanced writing style. For example, if enjoy adventure novels, you can try some books by Tom Clancy or John Grisham, which contain more difficult, and sometimes technical, words. By doing this, you will encounter words that are new to you, but you can still keep up with the context as presented in an enjoyable story line.

When you come across an unfamiliar word, look it up in the dictionary as soon as possible. That way, you can derive the full meaning of the word. After you look up the word, try to use it a couple of times so you understand not only the meaning and spelling of the word, but how to use it correctly in conversation, too.

If you want to score high on the Word Knowledge portion of the ASVAB, you should develop habits of reading avidly, consulting a dictionary when you need to, playing word games—such as Scrabble—and being aware of other opportunities to improve your language and vocabulary skills through usage.

TIP

Throughout this book, you will encounter words with which you may not be familiar. This is an excellent opportunity to use your vocabulary building skills.

Understanding Context

When you are reading and come across an unfamiliar word, you can often look at the context to help you figure out at least an approximate definition for that word. The other words in the rest of the sentence or paragraph influence and clarify the unfamiliar word and provide its context. The context provides a setting for the word. Further, context clues help provide meaning and usage for the word. The most common context clues are discussed in more detail later in the chapter, but they are listed as follows:

Experience clues
Definition clues
Example clues
Comparison clues

Even if you don't know a certain term, you can put together clues from the context, a clue's tip-off phrase, or a suggested idea, to formulate a guess as to the meaning of a particular word. In addition, a sample context is a sentence or a part of a sentence that clarifies a definition, distinguishes similar meanings, and illustrates the level and mode of usage. For example, the test might present the following type of question:

The nice young man courteously opened the door.

Hastily

Rudely

Slowly

Politely

In this type of question, you need to find a synonym for the underscored word. By understanding the rest of the words in the sentence, you can assume that the young man was kind and polite in opening the door.

Although you might not always be able to look up a new word promptly, seeing the new word in its proper context is very important. You are more likely to remember a new word presented in context than if you were to simply study words from a list. The first couple of times you come across a new word, you might ignore it and skim to the next familiar word. However, after several encounters, you will begin to recall other times you have seen that same word. You are also likely to start noticing incidences of the new word when you hear it in conversation or on the radio or television. When you do learn its definition, you are more likely to remember it because of your experience with that word.

Experience Clues

Sometimes, you can guess at the meaning of an unfamiliar word simply because you have had a similar experience to the one the sentence or paragraph discusses. We can all relate to a number of common experiences, such as feelings you have upon receiving an award for commendable work, the death of a loved one, or falling in love. For example, consider this sentence: "Not even the caterer's late arrival could take away from the bride's euphoria." You might not understand the term euphoria, but you understand the extreme happiness that a bride feels on her wedding day, and you can therefore vaguely understand that euphoria means an exaggerated buoyancy and sense of bodily health.

Definition or Paraphrase Clues

Sometimes you can determine the meaning of a word by the way the writer describes the word by defining or paraphrasing it. We call this description a definition, or paraphrase, clue. A definition clue is one that actually defines a term, and a paraphrase clue is a phrase that restates the term in question.

You will often find definition clues in science and technical books, where the writers must constantly define new terms. Sometimes, commas set off the definition or paraphrase, which immediately follows the target word. In other instances, the definition or paraphrase comes later in the sentence or paragraph. The phrase is called or the word is often indicates a definition clue. For example, "The set of rules that govern how Microsoft programs run is called the Windows Operating System," shows how the phrase Windows Operating System is defined in usage.

Example Clues

In some instances, writers provide you with examples of the unfamiliar word that help you figure out its meaning. Often, parentheses, commas, or dashes offset an example clue. For example, in this sentence, "You can use almost any legume— such as black, navy, and kidney beans—to make a rich and hearty soup," the offset words tell you what a legume is, even if you have never farmed or cooked and have no idea what a legume is.

Noticing examples can help you infer the meaning of a word, and expressions like the following often precede an example clue:

such as
for example
for instance
to illustrate
including

Comparison and Contrast Clues

You can also discern the meaning of a word through comparison clues, wherein a writer compares or contrasts one word or point with another. A comparison clue tells you how things are the same, whereas a contrast clue tells you how things are different.

For example, examine this sentence, "Mike is rather withdrawn and subdued today and is rather lacking in his usual display of bonhomie and zeal". You might not understand the word bonhomie, but you most likely understand the word withdrawn. From this contrast, you can determine that Mike does not want to socialize today and that bonhomie means that Mike is normally of a genial, social nature and is very enthusiastic about life in general.

If you pay attention, you will see introduction words that tip you off that you have a comparison clue, like these:

but
however
instead
although
though
on the other hand
still

Words like these, on the other hand, often introduce comparison clues:

and
another
like
as

Synonyms and Homonyms

When you look up a specific word in the dictionary, you often see three other categories of words listed in addition to the word itself. Antonyms are words that have an opposite meaning to the original word; however, because the ASVAB test does not cover antonyms, neither will we. You will also see two other categories of words in the dictionary, synonyms and homonyms, which the test does address. The following sections discuss each of these categories and what to watch out for on the test.

Words and Their Synonyms

Synonyms are words that have similar, but not exactly the same, meanings. The Word Knowledge section of the ASVAB will test your knowledge of word meanings and synonyms. The test will present you with an underlined word, and ask you to choose a synonym for that word from a list. As you learn new words, ensure that you also learn the meanings and synonyms for that word. For example, the test may give you this type of question:

The best synonym for irrigate is

moisten

aggravate

manuever

wade

You must choose the word with the nearest meaning to "irrigate" from the list, which will be answer A, moisten.

TIP

Remember, a synonym matches the part of speech of the original word. This means that a verb has another verb as a synonym, and a noun has a noun as its synonym. For example, in the list above, irrigate is a verb, therefore, the synonym for irrigate will also be a verb, which is moisten.

Although you can normally substitute a given word for its synonym, you won't necessarily achieve a direct translation in meaning by doing so. In these situations, the difference in meaning between synonyms is a matter of specificity. Take, for instance, this sentence, "The boy ate his supper," as compared to "The boy devoured his supper." Although the essence of both sentences is the same—that the boy has, in some manner, ingested his meal—the specificity and connotation of the two phrases are distinctly different because "ate" indicates a placid attitude toward consuming his meal, whereas "devoured" indicates an urgency and speed to the same basic activity. Because of the variations in meaning between words, you cannot always directly substitute synonyms.

CAUTION

On the Word Knowledge module, you are presented with lists of words or meanings from which to answer synonym questions. More than one of the choices might be a viable answer; choose the one that has the closest meaning and context. In addition, some of the choices might be very closely related in meaning. Make sure that you understand the context, if one is provided, of the word and choose carefully.

Using a Thesaurus

You will often see two types of synonym-listing books: a dictionary of synonyms and a thesaurus. The dictionary of synonyms is fairly straightforward; you simply look up your target word from an extensive list of alphabetically organized words to find synonyms of your target word. The word listing does not necessarily keep contextual synonyms together.

Using a thesaurus is a bit different. Because Roget's International Thesaurus is the most popular and most extensive thesaurus, we will use it as our example. First, look up your target word in the index in the back of the book. The index lists words alphabetically. Second, in the listing under your target word, find the desired context. Last, follow the numerical reference to the contextual listing. The book arranges the categories in numerical order, and the numbers of the categories on each page are at the top outer corner of the page. In this listing, you will find not only your target word, but also all the synonyms within a specific context.

Confusing Homonyms

In addition to misunderstanding a word's denotation, a writer can also make mistakes in diction because he confuses the word he intends with a homonym of that word. Homonyms are words that sound alike but have different spellings and meanings.

CAUTION

Be sure that you can recognize homonyms and how they are spelled. A homonym can change the entire context of a sentence.

For example, "The hare on the back of his neck stood up," doesn't make a lot of sense until you understand that hare should be its homonym, hair. To keep from making the same, confusing mistake, you should consult your dictionary whenever you are unsure of a word's exact meaning. Remember that both meaning and spelling count in the Word Knowledge section of the test. Table 3.1 lists some common homonyms.

Table 3.1 Common Homonyms

Word	Homonym
accept (receive)	except (other than)
affect (have an influence on)	effect (result)
allude (refer to indirectly)	elude (to avoid)
allusion (indirect reference)	illusion (false perception)
bare (unclothed)	bear (to carry; an animal)
board (plank of wood)	bored (uninterested)
brake (stop)	break (smash)
buy (purchase)	by (next to)
cite (quote an authority)	sight (to see); site (a place)
desert (abandon)	dessert (after-dinner course)
elicit (bring out)	illicit (illegal)
fair (average, lovely, or gala)	fare (a fee)
fourth (after third)	forth (forward)
gorilla (large primate)	guerilla (type of warfare)
hear (perceive by ear)	here (in this place)
heard (past tense of hear)	herd (a group of animals)
hole (opening)	whole (complete)
lead (heavy metal)	led (to have guided)
lessen (make less)	lesson (something learned)
meat (flesh)	meet (encounter)
no (opposite of yes)	know (be certain)
passed (past tense of pass)	past (after, or time gone by)
patience (forbearance)	patients (people under medical supervision)
peace (absence of war)	piece (a portion)
plain (unadorned or clear)	plane (carpenter's tool, aircraft, or geometric space)
presence (to be on hand)	presents (gifts)
principal (most important; head	principle (basic truth or law) of a school)
rain (precipitation)	reign (to rule); rein (a strap to control an animal)
raise (build or lift up)	raze (tear down)
right (correct; opposite of left)	rite (religious ceremony); write (enscribe)

Understanding Denotation and Connotation

Language is symbolic in that we use it to represent ideas, objects, and feelings. Because language is only representative, you can interpret any given statement in more than one way. Sometimes the difference is simply literal versus figurative interpretation. Denotation and connotation are two more tools you can employ to discern the meaning of an unfamiliar term. For a writer to express herself precisely, she must understand both the denotations and connotations of words, and use that understanding to convey to the reader her exact intent.

Denotation

A word's denotation is the strict dictionary definition of that word and refers to the actual thing or idea it represents. In other words, a denotation is the actual meaning of the word without reference to the emotional associations it can arouse in a reader.

If a writer wants her readers to fully grasp her meaning, she must use words according to their established denotations to avoid meaning something she didn't intend and end up confusing the reader. An example of a misused word is represented in this sentence, "Her dissent was gradual and hesitating." This is homonym confusion—and subsequently denotation confusion—at its best. Although a dissent (disagreement) may be gradual and hesitating, the most likely denotation is that of descent (travel downward), which makes a lot more sense.

However, even with the apparent objectivity of a dictionary definition, you will still encounter certain language challenges on the denotative level, because a word can have multiple denotations. For example, the dictionary lists more than 20 distinct meanings for the word low. As a result, you can say, "A low wall bordered the field," and you can also say, "John was feeling low today." The same word, used in two different contexts, has two distinctly different meanings. This ambiguity of word meanings can give you a bit of an obstacle in understanding new words. Considering that, ensure that when you read you understand both denotation and context to get the precise meaning of the word as it is used.

In technical or scientific books you are less likely to find a great number of words with multiple denotations than you are, for instance, in a fictional work. In these kinds of books, you have a one-to-one correspondence between word and meaning. For example, if you see the term transistor or operating system, you will perceive each of those terms in only one context each, that being electronic circuitry (for transistor) or a set of governing operating rules for your computer (for operating system).

CAUTION

Be aware that words can have more than one denotation and connotation. Be sure to read the question in the correct context and then choose an answer based on the most correct contextual meaning.

Connotation

Although writers can make mistakes in denotation, a writer is more apt to miss the right word by misjudging its connotation. Connotation refers to the emotional or psychological associations a word carries with it. The connotation of a word goes beyond its strict meaning to express the feelings, thoughts, and images the word suggests or evokes.

You can see an example of the difference between connotation and denotation by examining the phrase United States of America. The denotation is as follows: "A federal republic of North America, including 50 states, and the District of Columbia, the Canal Zone, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands of the United States, American Samoa, Guam Wake, and several other scattered islands of the Pacific." Pretty dry and neutral, huh? Now, compare the connotation of the same phrase, which includes government, patriotism, national pride, and a feeling of republic and oneness with other Americans. As you can see, the connotation is quite different from the denotation.

Because of the subjective nature of language, it has the power to create unpredictable psychological responses. Some connotations are personal, deriving from one's particular experiences, whereas others carry emotional overtones by virtue of the way the writer presents the word.

For example, the word home evokes a different response from someone who came from a happy childhood and home than that evoked in someone who had an unhappy home life. Several types of connotation can influence the way you think about a word, which are as follows:

Positive (favorable) connotation—Words that make people feel good
Negative (unfavorable) connotation—Words that provoke a negative emotional response
Neutral connotation—Words that cause no emotional reaction at all

Depending on the intent of the writer, he will choose either favorable or unfavorable connotations to communicate his point. Most journalistic writing uses favorable connotations for the sake of political correctness and to avoid alienating readers. Scientific or technical documents typically use a neutral connotation. Politically motivated writing normally uses highly charged connotations, both favorable and unfavorable, to achieve the desired impact.

Words also have formal and informal connotations. When you speak with or write to older people, people who are in a position of authority, or others you do not know well, you are most likely to use words with formal connotations. An example would be using the term grandmother instead of a denotative, yet less formal, equal like gramma. Formal connotations tend to be either neutral or favorable. When you speak with or write to your friends, you are most likely to use words with informal connotations.

Finding Word Meaning Through Structure

You can often determine the general meaning of a word by its structure. Compound words have a root word, which might not be a whole word, either preceded by a prefix or followed by a suffix.

Although the English language, especially in the United States, has considerable influence from many different languages, most English root words and prefixes come from Latin or Greek and still carry the same meaning they did in the original language. Your job is to learn the most common prefixes and roots so you can determine a word's meaning from its structure. By learning the most common standard prefixes, roots, and suffixes, you can improve your vocabulary and spelling skills immensely.

Root Words

Root words generally keep the same meaning as they had in the original language, whether it be Latin, Greek, or another mother language. Most of our root words are derived from Latin and Greek; Table 3.2 provides a list of some of the most common Latin and Greek roots, what they mean, and examples of English words containing them.

Table 3.2 Common Root Words

Root	Meaning	Example
anthrop	man; human	anthropomorphic
aster, astr	star	astronomy, astrology
audi	to hear	audible, audience
bene	good, well	benefit, benevolent
biblio	book	bibliography
bio	life	biology, autobiography
dic, dict	to speak	dictator, dictionary
equ; aequ	equal, same	equivalent
fer	to carry	transfer, referral
fix	to fasten	fix, suffix, prefix
geo	earth	geography, geology
gram	written or drawn	telegram
graph	to write	geography, photography
jur, jus	law	jury, justice
lingue	language, tongue	linguistics
log, logue	word, thought, speech	astrology, biology, neologism
manu	hand	manual, manuscript
meter, met	measure	metric, thermometer
op, oper	work	operation, operator
par	equal	parity
path	feeling	pathetic, sympathy
ped	child	pediatrics
phil	love	philosophy, anglophile
phon	sound	phonics
phys	body, nature	physical, physics
psych	soul	psychic, psychology
sci	know	science
scrib, script	to write	scribble, manuscript
tele	far off	telephone, television
ter, terr	earth	territory, extraterrestrial
vac	empty	vacant, vacuum, evacuate
verb	word	verbal, verbose
vid, vis	to see	video, vision, television
voc	call, voice	vocation

Prefixes

Prefixes are standard syllables that attach to the front of root words to modify the root word and provide specificity and meaning. For example, the prefix pro added to the beginning of the root logue, results in the word prologue, which means "before the word, thought, or speech." When you think of multisyllabic words as simply puzzle pieces, it becomes much easier to determine their meanings. Table 3.3 provides a list of the most common prefixes you will see in everyday language.

Table 3.3 Common Prefixes

Prefix	Meaning	Example
a-	on, in	aboard, asleep
a-, an-	not, without	achromatic
ab-, a-, abs-	away, apart from	abdicate, amoral
ad-, a-, ac-, af-, ag-, al-, an-, ap-, ar-, as-, at-	near to, toward, without perceptible force	adhere, ascribe, allude, annex, append, attract
ambi-	both	ambidextrous
amphi-	both or all sides, around, both kinds	amphichroic, amphibious
ante-	before	anteroom, antenatal
anti-	against	antibiotic
bi-	two	biannually, biped
bio-	life	biophysical
circum-	around	circumvent
co-, com-, col-, con-, cor-	with, together	combine, collide, concur, correspond
contra-	against	contradict
counter-	opposite to	counterclockwise
de-	away, off, remove, completely, undo, opposite of, down	depart, debark, derail, debrief, detract, decline
di-	twice, double	dichotomy, dipole
dia-, di-	across, through	diameter
dis- (di-, dif-)	apart, away from	disperse, digress
en-, em	to cover, into	encircle, empathy
epi-, ep-, eph-	among, besides, upon	epigram
ex-	out, former	exhale, ex-president
exo-	outside	exoskeletal
extra-	outside of, beyond	extrasensory, extralegal
fore-	prior to	forewarn
hyper-	excessive, over	hyperactive
hypo-, hyp-	less than, under	hypodermic
icon-, icono	image	iconographer
in-, il-, im-, ir-	into, on, within	include, immigrate
in-, il-, im-, ir-	not, without	inapt, impossible
infra-	below, beneath	infrastructure
inter-	together, between	intercultural
intra-	within, inside of	intracellular
juxta-	near, next to	juxtaposition
macro-	large, long	macroclimate
mega-	large, powerful	megalith
meta-	changed, with, beyond	metabolic, metaphysics
micro-	enlarges, one- millionth part of, abnormally small	microphone, microjoule, microcosm
mini-	small	minibus, miniskirt
mid-	middle point	midsentence
mis-	wrong, bad, amiss	misbrand, miscreant
multi-	much, many	multitask, multitude
non-	not	nontoxic, nonduty
ob-, o, oc-, of-, op-	against, toward, to	obstruct, omit
ortho-	correct, straight	orthopedics
out-	external, surpass	outcast, outrun
over-	above, superior, excessive, move down	overbuild, overlord, overdose, overthrow
peri-	around, near	perimeter
post-	after, behind, later	postwar
pre-	before	prepaid, preempt
pro-	before, on behalf of, favoring	prologue, propitiate, pro-life
pseudo-	false, resembling	pseudonym, pseudopod
re-	back, again	reexamine, reunify
retro-	backward	retrogression
semi-	half, partly	semiconductor
sub-, suc-, suf-, sug-, sum-, sup-, sur-, sus	below, under, nearly, lower, division of	subfloor, subdermal, sublateral, subagent, subcouncil
subter-	beneath, secretly	subtend, subtitle
super-	above, surpassing	supersonic
supra-	above, beyond	supraorbital
syn-, syl-, sym-, sys-	together, with	symbiosis
tele-	distant, far away	telephone, telepath
trans-	across, surpassing	transarctic, transphysical
un-	not, reversal	unadorned, unchain
under-	beneath, inferior, insufficient	undertow, under-god, underpowered
ultra-	surpasses, excessive	ultrasonic

Suffixes

Suffixes, yet another piece of the word structure puzzle, are standard syllables attached to the end of a word to modify and further specify its meaning. Although some suffixes add meaning to the root, most often the addition of a suffix also changes the part of speech (that is, verb, adjective, adverb, or noun) of the original word. In many cases, the suffix gives us clues to indicate which part of speech a particular word is.

For example, if you add an -ist suffix to the word art, you have artist, or one who displays the characteristics of art. In this case, both the root and the modified word are nouns. However, if you add an -istic suffix to the word art, you have artistic, which demonstrates a change of the root from a noun to an adjective. Table 3.4 demonstrates some common suffixes you should know.

NOTE

Inflectional endings, such as the plural -s, possessive -'s, past tense -ed, and comparative -er or -est, appear at the end of a word, but they do not change that word's grammatical function.

Table 3.4 Common Suffixes

Suffix	Meaning	Example
-able, -ble, -ible	able to, fit to	salable, edible
-al	pertaining to	betrayal
-cide	killer or destroyer	insecticide
-clasm, -clysm	break, destroy	cataclysm
-cracy	government, rule by	aristocracy
-er, -or, -ess, ist	one who	painter, artist
-escense, -escent	becoming	effervescent
-fer	to bear, produce	aquifer
-ful	full of	peaceful
-fy	to make	satisfy
-ish	like, similar to	piggish
-ism, istic	characteristic of	barbarism
-ize, ise	to cause to be; to become; to engage in	sterilize, crystalize, theorize
-latry	worship of	idolatry
-less	without	dauntless
-mancy	divination, prophecy	necromancy
-mania	excessive like of, psychosis	pyromania
-oid	resembling	humanoid
-ous	full of, having	zealous
-phobia	dread of, fear of	hydrophobia
-scope	instrument for viewing	telescope
-sect	cut, divided	bisect

Exam Prep Questions

In the following questions, look at the underlined word and pick out the most appropriate synonym or definition from the list. Pay attention to context as you choose your answer.

When adults speak to children, they will often metaphorize.

Change form or structure
Use an allegory
Use colorful language
Condescend

Before the Geneva Convention, genocide was a frequent tool of war.

Massacre
DNA studies
Ancestry
Overthrow

The new recruits understood their subordinate status.

Conquered
Less
Underwater
Lower

The lieutenant declared that the soldier's behavior during the mission was supererogatory.

Superfluous
Questioning
Bad
Good

The judge was compelled to proscribe the youth's activities.

Assign
Support
Engrave
Prohibit

The pilot corrected the plane's attitude in mid-flight.

Temperament
Bearing
Height
Loudness

Tom saw the inanimate object through his binoculars.

Lively
Non-mammalian
Large
Lifeless

Marge studied the chronological listing meticulously.

Time-oriented
Chemical
Extensive
Alphabetical

The congressman proposed a bill to revamp immigration laws.

To leave a country
To enter a country
Pilgrimage
Submerge

The aurora borealis is phenomenonal.

Celestial
Mystical
Sense-oriented
Breathtaking

Exam Prep Answers

The correct answer is B. Metaphorize means to liken one object to another by speaking of it as if it were that other; an allegory. Answer A refers to metamorphosis; C refers to animated conversation; D means to talk down to. Therefore, answers A, C, and D are incorrect.
The correct answer is A. Genocide is the deliberate and systematic massacre of a racial, political, or cultural group. Answer B refers to genetics; C refers to genealogy; D refers to revolution. Therefore, answers B, C, and D are incorrect.
The correct answer is D. Subordinate means lower in rank, order, or class; secondary; inferior to; or controlled by an authority. Answer A refers to being subjugated; B refers to being less in quantity or quality; C refers to submerged. Therefore, answers A, B, and C are incorrect.
The correct answer is A. Supererogatory means an observation or action that goes beyond what is necessary for the task (superfluous). Answer B refers to interrogatory; C refers to derogatory; D refers to exemplary. Therefore, answers B, C, and D are incorrect.
The correct answer is D. To proscribe something is to prohibit or forbid it as harmful. Answer A refers to prescribe; B refers to endorse; C refers to inscribe. Therefore, answers A, B, and C are incorrect.
The correct answer is B. Attitude, in addition to meaning a person's state of mind, can also mean physical position. Although A also means attitude, you must look at the context to determine the correct denotation. C refers to altitude, and D refers to audibility. Therefore, answers A, C, and D are incorrect.
The correct answer is D. Inanimate means not endowed with life or spirit. Answer A refers to animated, the antonym of inanimate; B refers to other than fur-bearing animals; C refers to immense. Therefore, answers A, B, and C are incorrect.
The correct answer is A. Chronological means an arrangement in order of occurrence or time. Answer B deals with properties and composition of substances; C refers to a large listing; D refers to sorting according to the first letter of a word. Therefore, answers B, C, and D are incorrect.
The correct answer is B. Immigration is when a person enters a new country to establish residency. A refers to emigration, which is when a person leaves her birth country; C refers to a long journey; D refers to immerse. Therefore, answers A, C, and D are incorrect.
The correct answer is C. Phenomenonal means something visible or directly observable through the senses, such as an appearance, action, change, or occurrence of any kind. A pertains to those things which are heavenly or divine; B pertains to those things that have a spiritual character or reality beyond the comprehension of human reason; D means astounding or overawing. Therefore, answers A, B, and D are incorrect.