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TOEFL Vocabulary: Study materials and records

40 easy-tier words, each with a short plain-English definition, followed by a quick quiz to check what stuck.

Test Ninjas Research · Updated October 1, 2026

Drafts, outlines, files, captions and the digital side of study: uploads, downloads, scans and versions. These words fill everyday messages about lost files or a revised document, and the chart, graph and diagram words help when a passage refers to visual information.

Most useful for: Complete the Words · Read in Daily Life · Listen to a Conversation · Write an Email.

Study materials and records is one of the easy themes in our TOEFL vocabulary list, where you can also find how the tiers work.

The 40 words

Study materials and records — Easy tier
#WordMeaningTier
1booka written work with bound pagesEasy
2textbooka book used to teach a subjectEasy
3articlea short written work on a topicEasy
4papera written assignment or research reportEasy
5draftan early version of a written workEasy
6outlinea plan showing the main parts of a workEasy
7notea brief written reminder or observationEasy
8notebooka book of blank pages for writingEasy
9foldera holder for papers or digital filesEasy
10filea stored document or set of recordsEasy
11documenta written or electronic recordEasy
12forma sheet with spaces for informationEasy
13labelwords that identify an itemEasy
14titlethe name of a workEasy
15headingwords naming a section of textEasy
16lista series of items written in orderEasy
17tableinformation arranged in rows and columnsEasy
18charta visual display of informationEasy
19grapha drawing that shows numerical relationshipsEasy
20mapa drawing showing where places areEasy
21diagrama drawing that explains parts or stepsEasy
22imagea visual representation of somethingEasy
23photoa picture made with a cameraEasy
24recordstored information about an eventEasy
25copyanother version of the same materialEasy
26versionone form of something that may changeEasy
27editiona published form of a bookEasy
28sourcewhere information comes fromEasy
29referencea source named for support or further readingEasy
30quotationwords repeated from another sourceEasy
31captionbrief text explaining an imageEasy
32linka connection to another digital pageEasy
33websitea collection of related pages onlineEasy
34screenthe surface where a device displays informationEasy
35keyboardthe keys used to enter textEasy
36devicea piece of equipment made for a taskEasy
37printera machine that puts digital text on paperEasy
38scanto make a digital image of a documentEasy
39downloadto copy data from an online sourceEasy
40uploadto send data from a device to a systemEasy

Self-check: match the meaning

Cover the table above. Here are 8 of the 40 study materials and records words, starting with book: choose the word each definition describes.

  1. a written work with bound pages
    1. book
    2. title
    3. source
    4. keyboard
    Show answer

    A. book

  2. a plan showing the main parts of a work
    1. graph
    2. outline
    3. website
    4. upload
    Show answer

    B. outline

  3. a written or electronic record
    1. record
    2. scan
    3. document
    4. draft
    Show answer

    C. document

  4. a series of items written in order
    1. reference
    2. article
    3. file
    4. list
    Show answer

    D. list

  5. a drawing that explains parts or steps
    1. diagram
    2. screen
    3. notebook
    4. heading
    Show answer

    A. diagram

  6. one form of something that may change
    1. download
    2. version
    3. label
    4. map
    Show answer

    B. version

  7. brief text explaining an image
    1. paper
    2. chart
    3. caption
    4. copy
    Show answer

    C. caption

  8. a piece of equipment made for a task
    1. folder
    2. photo
    3. quotation
    4. device
    Show answer

    D. device

Using study materials and records words on the test

  • In Read in Daily Life, words like paper and document tell you what a notice or email wants you to do, so read them as clues to the writer's purpose.
  • In Listen to a Conversation, listen for chart and copy as signals of what each speaker needs or decides.
  • In Write an Email, use link or download only where it states your request or point exactly.
  • In Complete the Words you see only the first letters of a word, so practice spelling outline and label as well as knowing what they mean.

Other easy themes

Frequently Asked Questions

40, from book to upload, all in the easy tier of our TOEFL list. The self-check quiz on this page tests 8 of them, beginning with book.

Language like this is most useful in Read in Daily Life, Listen to a Conversation, Write an Email and Complete the Words. These are everyday words worth being able to use, not just recognize.

Start with outline (a plan showing the main parts of a work); list (a series of items written in order); version (one form of something that may change). In Read in Daily Life, words like paper and document tell you what a notice or email wants you to do, so read them as clues to the writer's purpose.

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