Note: A response is acceptable if it encapsulates the target word's main concept, as given below. Where appropriate, we also provide examples of sentences some test takers have used successfully to give a word's meaning.

Also note that you may accept a response that gives the meaning for another part of speech-for example, if a learner tells what "aggressive" (adjective) means instead of the target word "aggression" (noun)-as long as the main concept is included.

Level 1:

home
Main concept: place where a person lives

train
Main concepts: railway car; subway; to teach

confuse
Main concept: mix up

start
Main concept: begin

climb
Main concept: go up or down

Level 2:

touch
Main concepts: come in contact with; feel something; put your hand on something

visit
Main concept: go to a person or place

finish
Main concepts: bring to an end done; over; completed

fence
Main concepts: gate; barrier; something that you put around the yard to protect it

pretend
Main concepts: make believe; to act out something that's not real; to fake that you're doing something

Sample Sentences:
"When people act, they're pretending to be other persons."
"That child is pretending to be an elephant."

Level 3:

beast
Main concepts: monster; animal; cruel, nasty person

explain
Main concepts: make someone understand; give directions or tell about something; carefully make clear

Sample Sentence: "I wrote this letter, but you don't know what I'm talking about. I'll explain it so that you understand."

guard
Main concepts: protect; someone who watches prisoners

ordinary
Main concepts: normal; everyday; average

distant
Main concept: far off

Level 4:

connect
Main concepts: join together; attach one thing to another

interruption
Main concepts: break in an activity; butting in; disturbing; when someone is talking, and you cut in

Sample sentence: "It's an interruption when you're in a meeting and someone comes and knocks on the door."

ruin
Main concepts: destroy; really spoil something

inventor
Main concepts: makes things; the one who thought it up; a person that designed something out of his own imagination

candidate
Main concept: someone who runs for office

Level 5:

energetic
Main concepts: very active; full of pep

victorious
Main concept: having won

territory
Main concepts: land area; someone's property

urge
Main concepts: basic desire; push forward

oppose
Main concepts: be against; challenge; object

Level 6:

surrender
Main concept: to give up

Sample sentence: "The man surrendered after holding everyone hostage."

occupation
Main concepts: job; something you do for a living

decline
Main concepts: become less; go lower; refuse; reject; to turn something down; say no to something

consume
Main concepts: eat or drink up; digest; use it up

dismal
Main concepts: gloomy; dark; grayish

Level 7:

confide
Main concepts: entrust to another; give somebody your trust; tell a secret to somebody

acquaintance
Main concepts: person you know; person you just met; be familiar with someone or something

resume
Main concepts: go on with; re-start; begin where you left off

ample
Main concepts: plenty; more than enough; abundance of something

obligation
Main concepts: duty; something you have to do

Sample sentence: "You are obligated to take the trash out every weekend."

Level 8:

cease
Main concepts: stop; come to an end

aggression
Main concepts: hostile behavior; an attack; showing a lot of attitude and using physical force to get what you want; being militant

reputation
Main concepts: the opinion of others; how you're known; how people look at you; good or bad description of a person's character

perseverance
Main concepts: sticking to an aim; persistent; going to keep going

proposition
Main concepts: formal statement plan or undertaking; an offer; a deal; a business request

Level 9/10:

dispute
Main concepts: disagreement; argument; quarrel; to fight over

agitate
Main concepts: to disturb; to aggravate; swish around, like a washing machine

initiate
Main concepts: to do first; to start something, you are the first to start something; to take into a group

audible
Main concept: can be heard

prominent
Main concepts: standing out; well-known

Sample sentence: "He is the most prominent lawyer in the city."

Level 11/12:

tedious
Main concepts: tiresome; boring; dull; laborious; time-consuming, aggravating work; a long, repetitive, boring thing

repulsive
Main concepts: disgusting something that makes you really sick to your stomach

indifferent
Main concepts: not caring about what is happening; neither good nor bad

Sample sentence: "She is indifferent to what's going on in the world."

inconsistent
Main concepts: not compatible with; not in harmony with; not done on a regular basis; not all the time; different every time

punctual
Main concept: on time