Test Prep HSPT Test Exam Prep
High School Placement Test (Page 20 )

Updated On: 7-Oct-2026

Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
VACILLATE

  1. Teeter
  2. Reflect
  3. Swagger
  4. Hesitate
  5. Decide

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

The word “vacillate” is akin to “oscillate,” meaning “to sway or swing.” In the case of vacillate the “swinging to and fro” is implied as being between two options. It is a person who vacillates, not a pendulum. For this reason, it means something like “hesitate” or to be “ambivalent or undecided.” For example, you could say, “After considering both sides of the argument, Maria could not help but vacillate between choosing either option, for both seemed very appealing.



Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
ABATE

  1. Leave
  2. Reject
  3. Disown
  4. Diminish
  5. Spurn

Answer(s): D

Explanation:

The word “abate” most directly means to become less intense. For instance, one could say, “Although Robert was quite angry at his friends, with time, this emotion abated, being replaced with a much calmer state of mind.” In its English origins, the word had a legal usage meaning to put a stop to. Since “abate” distantly has a root in the Latin for to beat, the word could be taken (in a broader sense) as indicating the beating back of something intense.



Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
OVERWROUGHT

  1. Jittery
  2. Overactive
  3. Anxious
  4. Inconsistent
  5. Annoying

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

When someone is “overwrought,” that person is excited or anxious.
While that might cause someone to be jittery or even annoying, the best option among those given is the mere direct definition, “anxious.” The word would be used in a sentence like, “Having arrived at the long-feared day, Jonathan was so overwrought that he could not even sleep because of his agitated nerves.”



Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
PRODIGAL

  1. Gluttonous
  2. Amazing
  3. Wasteful
  4. Famous
  5. Talented

Answer(s): C

Explanation:

You might confuse “prodigal” with “prodigy” or “prodigious.” The former means “being very talented,” especially when that person is very young. For instance, one can speak of Mozart as being a “child prodigy,” having shown great musical talent from his youth. Something “prodigious” is impressive and of great magnitude.
When something is “prodigal,” it is “great” in the sense of being wasteful. The Biblical story about the “Prodigal Son” is about a son who spends all of his money wastefully before coming home to seek forgiveness. He is called “prodigal” because of this wastefulness.



Select the answer choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
SAGACIOUS

  1. Effluent
  2. Astute
  3. Arrogant
  4. Barefaced
  5. Complaisant

Answer(s): B

Explanation:

"Sagacious" and "astute" both mean smart or judicious. "Arrogant" means haughty or overly proud. "Barefaced" means shameless or open. "Complaisant" means agreeable or easy-going. "Effluent" means drainage or outflow.



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