You will encounter Word Knowledge problems on the ASVAB. The following sample questions is a good indication of the types of questions and format you will encounter on test day.
Sample questions
Word Knowledge
Time: 11 minutes for 35 questions
Directions: The Word Knowledge subtest is the third subtest of the ASVAB. The questions are designed to measure your vocabulary knowledge. You’ll see three types of questions on this subtest. The first type simply asks you to choose a word or words that most nearly mean the same as the underlined word in the question.
The second type includes an underlined word used in a sentence, and you are to choose the word or words that most nearly mean the same as the underlined word, as used in the context of the sentence.
The third type of question asks you to choose the word that has the opposite or nearly opposite meaning as the underlined word. Each question is followed by four possible answers. Decide which answer is correct, and then mark the corresponding space on your answer sheet.
Kindle most nearly means:
(A)devise
(B)ignite
(C)boil
(D)expire
The word most opposite in meaning to burnout is
(A)successful
(B)ruined
(C)enthusiasm
(D)fatigue
Blatant most nearly means:
(A)obvious
(B)overdrawn
(C)certain
(D)hidden
Hasten most nearly means:
(A)delay
(B)anxious
(C)rush
(D)stabilize
Objective most nearly means:
(A)massive
(B)favored
(C)neutral
(D)dependent
No one could convince the headstrong teen that he was wrong.
(A)cruel
(B)stubborn
(C)friendly
(D)unaffected
The thought of dissecting the frog made me cringe in disgust.
(A)recoil
(B)volunteer
(C)wail
(D)rally
Despite her wild past, Bobbi prefers to live a more domestic lifestyle these days.
(A)native
(B)homebound
(C)foreign
(D)elaborate
Grandma always taught us to be frugal and grateful for what we had.
(A)careless
(B)excessive
(C)cheap
(D)thrifty
I wanted to curtail the date because of Bob’s cat obsession.
(A)develop
(B)shorten
(C)postpone
(D)continue
Answers and explanations
B. ignite
Kindle is a verb that means to arouse or ignite something.
C. enthusiasm
Burnout is a noun that means to be strained or tired of something.
A. obvious
Blatant is an adjective that describes something evident or noticeable.
C. rush
Hasten is a verb that means to speed up or move quickly.
C. neutral
Objective is an adjective that means free from bias or personal preference.
B. stubborn
Headstrong is an adjective that means determined not to follow orders or advice.
A. recoil
Cringe is a verb that means to react to something with discomfort through a physical motion.
B. homebound
As used in this sentence, domestic is an adjective describing a person or thing related to the home.
D. thrifty
Thrifty is an adjective that means being careful with resources.
B. shorten
Curtail is a verb that means to decrease the length of something.