What the question looks like
After the reading passages, the Reading section ends with a block of vocabulary items. These count toward the same 62-question, 25-minute section, so the clock does not reset.
There is no passage. Each item is a short phrase of three to five words with one target word, usually underlined or set in bold. Under the phrase are four single-word choices. The instructions say something close to this: choose the word that means the same, or nearly the same, as the underlined word in the phrase.
A typical item looks like this:
a frugal shopper
with choices such as wasteful, thrifty, hurried, and loyal. The rest of the phrase, in this case 'shopper', is the only context you get. It is small, but it is enough to tell you that the word is an adjective describing a person, which already rules out some kinds of wrong answers.
STS does not publish exactly how many of these items appear, but they form a noticeable run at the end of the section, so you should expect to move through them quickly.
How to solve it
- Read the whole phrase, not just the target word. The other words are your context clue. In 'to abandon the plan', the word 'to' tells you 'abandon' is a verb, and 'the plan' tells you it is something you do to a plan. Any choice that is not a verb you can do to a plan is gone.
- Define the word in your own words before looking at the choices. Say to yourself, 'frugal means careful with money.' If you look at the choices first, a familiar word can pull you toward it whether it fits or not.
- Match your definition to the choices. One choice should line up with what you said. If you find it, check it once by reading the phrase with the choice swapped in, then move on.
- Look for two choices that mean the same thing. Only one choice can be correct, so if two choices are synonyms of each other, neither is the answer. Cross out both.
- If you do not know the word, work by elimination. Cross out any choice that is the wrong part of speech. Cross out any choice that is the opposite of the feeling the phrase gives, since test writers often include an antonym as a distractor. Look at the word's parts, such as a prefix like 'un' or a root you have seen in another word. Then pick from what remains.
- Never leave it blank. There is no guessing penalty on the HSPT. A one-in-four guess is always better than a zero.
Worked examples
Example 1
a frugal shopper
- A.wasteful
- B.thrifty
- C.hurried
- D.loyal
Show answer
Answer: B: thrifty
Frugal means careful about spending, so 'thrifty' is the closest match. Choice A is the trap, because it is the direct opposite, and an opposite often feels connected to the word even though it means the reverse. Choices C and D describe a shopper but have nothing to do with money.
Example 2
to abandon the plan
- A.revise
- B.defend
- C.desert
- D.announce
Show answer
Answer: C: desert
To abandon something is to leave it behind or give it up entirely, and 'desert' means the same. Choice A is tempting because people often change a plan, but revising a plan means keeping it and fixing it, which is not giving it up. Choices B and D are actions you can take with a plan but do not match the meaning at all.
Example 3
a tedious chore
- A.brief
- B.difficult
- C.unusual
- D.tiresome
Show answer
Answer: D: tiresome
Tedious describes something long, dull, and wearing, so 'tiresome' fits. Choice B is the usual trap, since a tedious chore might also be hard, but tedious is about boredom rather than difficulty. Raking a huge lawn is tedious even though every stroke is easy. Choice A is close to an opposite.
Example 4
an ample supply
- A.plentiful
- B.scarce
- C.hidden
- D.fresh
Show answer
Answer: A: plentiful
Ample means more than enough, so 'plentiful' is correct. Choice B is the opposite, placed there to catch a student who half-remembers the word. If you did not know 'ample', the phrase still helps, because 'supply' is something measured in amount, which points you toward A or B and away from C and D.
Traps to watch for
- The antonym distractor. Test writers like to include the opposite of the target word. If two choices are opposites of each other, one of them is probably the answer, and you need to be sure which.
- The word that looks similar. A choice that shares letters with the target word, such as a similar prefix or ending, is not automatically related in meaning. Judge by definition, not by spelling.
- The related-but-different meaning. Some choices are in the right neighborhood but off by a step, like 'difficult' for 'tedious'. Ask whether the choice means the same thing or just often shows up in the same situations.
- Rushing past the phrase. Skipping the two or three words around the target word throws away your only clue, especially the part of speech.
Pacing
The Reading section gives you about 24 seconds per question on average, but these vocabulary items should take far less, around 10 to 15 seconds each, because there is nothing to read. Budget about five minutes for the whole block. If a word is completely unfamiliar, eliminate what you can, pick, and move on, since there is no penalty for a wrong answer.
Because the block sits at the end of the section, it is the part students never reach when the passages run long. If you are behind after the second passage, turn to the last page and do these first. Twenty-two quick points are worth more than the last few questions of a passage you were struggling with, and you can go back once the block is done.
Practice
Try a timed set of vocabulary items alongside every other question type in the free diagnostic.
Build the word bank behind these questions with the HSPT word list, the roots and prefixes, and the ten-minute study method.