2021 / 2022 ASVAB For Dummies. Angie Papple Johnston

The Word Knowledge subtest is one of the four most important subtests on the ASVAB (along with Paragraph Comprehension, Mathematics Knowledge, and Arithmetic Reasoning). This subtest makes up a significant portion of the AFQT score — the score that determines your eligibility for military service. You also need to do well on the Word Knowledge subtest to qualify for many military jobs, such as air traffic controller, military intelligence, and even firefighting.

Table 4-1 shows the military line scores that are calculated by using your Word Knowledge subtest score.

TABLE 4-1 Military Line Scores That Use the Word Knowledge Score

Branch of Service	Line Score
U.S. Army	Clerical, Combat, General Technical, Operators and Food, Skilled Technical, and Surveillance and Communications
U.S. Air Force	Administrative, General, and Mechanical
U.S. Navy/Coast Guard	Administrative, General Technician, Hospital, Nuclear, and Operations
U.S. Marine Corps	Clerical and General Technician

      Chapter 2 has more information about military line scores. Check out Appendix A for more information on the scores you need to get the job you want.

Checking Out the Word Knowledge Question Format

      The Word Knowledge portion of the ASVAB measures your vocabulary. The questions usually come in one of two types:

       The first type asks for a straight definition.

       The second type gives you an underlined word used in the context of a sentence.

      When you’re asked for a straight definition, your task is quite simple: Choose the answer closest in meaning to the underlined word. Look at the following example:

       Abate most nearly means

      (A) encourage.

      (B) relax.

      (C) obstruct.

      (D) terminate.

      Abate means to suppress or terminate. In this case, the correct answer is Choice (D).

      When you see an underlined word in a sentence, your goal is to choose the answer closest in meaning to the underlined word. Remember: Closest in meaning doesn’t mean the exact same thing. You’re looking for similar or related words. For example:

       His house was derelict.

      (A) solid

      (B) run-down

      (C) clean

      (D) inexpensive

Here, the answer is Choice (B).

      When you take the Word Knowledge subtest on the computerized version of the ASVAB, you have 9 minutes to answer only 15 questions, which means you have 36 seconds to answer each question. (If your Word Knowledge subtest includes tryout questions, which I explain in Chapter 1, you have 18 minutes to answer 30 questions.) On the paper version, the schedule’s a little tighter. You have 11 minutes to answer 35 questions (or less than 20 seconds for each question). Either way, it’s plenty of time, as long as you stay focused and don’t waste time daydreaming about your future in the military (sorry, I mean becoming lost in reverie as you consider your impending enlistment).

      These days most candidates take the computerized version of the ASVAB, which is designed to ask you questions that gauge your ability. You start with a question of medium difficulty. If you answer correctly, you see a harder question next; if you answer incorrectly, you see an easier question next. Some people find that the ASVAB is easier — or harder — than they expect, but that’s only because the test adapts itself to the test-taker’s ability.

       Keep in mind that although you may know the word in the question, you may not know one or more of the words in the multiple-choice answers. If this is the case, use the process of elimination to help you narrow down your choices. Eliminate the words that you know are wrong and then choose the one that’s most likely correct from what’s left.

Building Words from Scratch: Strategies to Help You Decipher Word Meanings

      Webster’s New World Dictionary lists more than 170,000 primary English words and who knows how many derivatives of those words. Wow! Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of memorization. Fortunately, you don’t need to study all those words. It’s possible to decipher English word meanings even if you’ve never heard a particular word before.

      Developing a large vocabulary takes time — often years. However, just because you have a limited amount of time to study doesn’t mean you should give up hope. Instead, focus on the tips throughout this section to help you improve your Word Knowledge score.

      From beginning to end: Knowing prefixes and suffixes

      Prefixes, roots, and suffixes are the main parts that make up words. Not every word has all three, but most have at least one. A word’s prefix — the first syllable — affects its meaning. A suffix is the last syllable in a word, and it, too, affects the word’s meaning. Roots are the parts that lie in the middle of a word. Think of roots as the base of the word and prefixes and suffixes as word parts that are attached to the base to modify its meaning. (Check out the following section for more info on — you guessed it — roots.)

      These basic word parts generally have the same meaning in whatever word they’re used. For instance, the prefix pro- means in favor of, forward, or positive, whether you use it in the word proton or the word proceed.

Tables 4-2 and 4-3 list some common prefixes and suffixes. Each list has the word part, its meaning, and one word that uses each word part. Write down additional words that use each word part to help you memorize the list. You can find even more prefixes, suffixes, and roots in Appendix C.

TABLE 4-2 Prefixes

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Prefix	Meaning	Sample Word
a-	no, not	atheist
ab- or abs-	away, from	absent