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11+ Vocabulary Questions & Answers

A wide vocabulary helps in almost every part of the 11+, from comprehension to verbal reasoning. Here are ten exam-style questions with answers that show how to work out a word's meaning from the sentence around it.

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What vocabulary questions come up in the 11+?

Most papers ask what a word means in a sentence, or ask your child to choose the word that fits a gap best. The words are ones a keen Year 5 or 6 reader meets in good books, such as reluctant, meagre or vivid.

The most useful habit is to read the whole sentence and look for clues. Then try each option in place of the word and see which one keeps the sentence's meaning.

Try the 10 questions below. Tap a question to reveal the worked answer.

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1. "Tom was reluctant to jump into the freezing lake." What does reluctant mean?
  • A) eager
  • B) unwilling
  • C) quick
  • D) proud
Answer: B) unwilling. Reluctant means not wanting to do something. The freezing lake is the clue: Tom does not want to jump in. Eager means the opposite, so that is a trap.
2. "The prisoners survived on a meagre diet of bread and water." What does meagre mean?
  • A) tasty
  • B) too small in amount
  • C) healthy
  • D) expensive
Answer: B) too small in amount. Meagre describes something that is too small or not enough. Bread and water alone is barely enough to live on, which is the clue.
3. Which word best completes the sentence? "The sunset painted the sky in ___ shades of orange and pink."
  • A) feeble
  • B) hollow
  • C) vivid
  • D) timid
Answer: C) vivid. Vivid means bright and strong, which suits colours in a sunset. Feeble means weak, hollow means empty inside and timid means shy, so none of them describe colours well.
4. "After the long hike, Priya was famished." What does famished mean?
  • A) extremely hungry
  • B) very tired
  • C) lost
  • D) bored
Answer: A) extremely hungry. Famished means extremely hungry. Very tired is a tempting trap because of the long hike, but it is the meaning of a different word (exhausted).
5. "The detective scrutinised the letter for clues." What does scrutinised mean?
  • A) threw away
  • B) glanced at quickly
  • C) examined closely
  • D) wrote
Answer: C) examined closely. To scrutinise something is to examine it very closely and carefully. A detective searching for clues would look carefully, not just glance.
6. Which word best completes the sentence? "The library was so ___ that you could hear a pin drop."
  • A) boisterous
  • B) hushed
  • C) cluttered
  • D) crowded
Answer: B) hushed. Hushed means very quiet. Hearing a pin drop only happens when a place is silent. Boisterous means noisy and lively, the opposite.
7. "Grace was elated when she heard she had won the competition." What does elated mean?
  • A) disappointed
  • B) confused
  • C) overjoyed
  • D) nervous
Answer: C) overjoyed. Elated means extremely happy. Winning a competition is the clue that Grace felt joy.
8. Which sentence uses the word abundant correctly?
  • A) The abundant of the crowd cheered loudly.
  • B) Apples were abundant in the orchard that autumn.
  • C) She abundant ran to the shop.
  • D) He abundanted his homework on time.
Answer: B) Apples were abundant in the orchard that autumn.. Abundant is an adjective meaning plentiful, or more than enough. Only the apple sentence uses it to describe something (the apples). The other sentences try to use it as a noun, an adverb or a verb, which it is not.
9. "The knight was renowned for his courage." What does renowned mean?
  • A) famous
  • B) punished
  • C) teased
  • D) forgotten
Answer: A) famous. Renowned means famous and admired by many people. A knight known for his courage would be praised, not punished, teased or forgotten.
10. "The cat crept stealthily towards the bird." What does stealthily mean?
  • A) noisily
  • B) quietly and secretly
  • C) angrily
  • D) clumsily
Answer: B) quietly and secretly. Stealthily means moving quietly and carefully so as not to be noticed. A cat creeping up on a bird does not want to be heard.

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