< V > TOEFL Vocabulary (65)

Apartheid (noun) 

racial segregation; specifically: a policy of segregation and political and economic 

discrimination against non-European groups in the Republic of South Africa 

Mandela, 85 next month, received a Nobel Peace prize for his role in guiding South Africa 

from apartheid to multiracial democracy. 

Apocryphal (adjective) 

of doubtful authenticity

More than simply a renowned Mississippi writer, the Nobel Prize winning novelist and

short story writer, William Faulkner, is acclaimed throughout the world as one of the

greatest writers of the twentieth century, one who transformed his "postage stamp" of

native soil into an apocryphal setting in which he explored, articulated, and challenged

the old truths of the heart.

Appalled at (verb) 

to deprive of courage or the power to act as a result of fear, anxiety, or disgust

Many voters were appalled at the misconduct of President Richard Nixon even though

they had voted for him.

Apparatus (noun) 

something, as a machine, devised for a particular function

The right exercise apparatuses help an athlete to increase muscular strength and

endurance.  

Apparent (adjective) 

readily seen, perceived, or understood

Many inclusions in diamonds are not discernable to the naked eye and require

magnification to become apparent. 

Apparition (noun) 

a sudden or dramatic appearance of an object or supernatural being  

Mercury, known since at least the time of the Sumerians (3rd millennium BC), was given

two names by the Greeks: Apollo for its apparition as a morning star and Hermes as

an evening star.

Application (noun) 

a connection to the matter at hand; the condition of being put to use 

A Cognitive Psychology program is especially geared towards the application of formal

and computational modeling and neuroscience methods to these basic questions.

Apprenticeship (noun) 

a type of training in which one learns by practical experience under skilled workers in an 

art, trade, or calling

A young worker bee’s apprenticeship includes taking care of the queen and her eggs,

cleaning out the hive, cooling the hive by fanning its wings, and attacking intruders. 

 

Apt (adjective) 

having or showing a tendency or likelihood

The thesis is apt to be stated somewhere in the last few paragraphs, in which case the

preceding paragraphs gradually lead up to it, or else somewhere right after the

introduction, in which case the balance of the essay justifies the statement and refers back

to it. 

Aquaculture (noun) 

the cultivation of the natural produce of water such as fish or shellfish

In response to the environmental risks associated with the aquaculture industry, the

independent Pew Oceans Commission has called for a moratorium on the expansion of

finfish aquaculture (including salmon) until national policies and standards are in place.