Words In Context

SAT Reading — Words in Context ## What These Questions Ask Words-in-context questions give you a word or phrase from the passage and ask you to choose the answer that best captures what the word means as used in that specific sentence. Common formats: - "As used in the passage, the word ___ most nearly means..." - "Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?" The tricky part: the word used in the passage often has multiple meanings, and one of the wrong answer choices will be the most common meaning. But that common meaning might not fit the context. ## The Cardinal Rule: Always Go Back to the Passage Never answer a words-in-context question from memory. Always: 1. Go back and re-read the sentence (and the sentences before and after) 2. Cover up the underlined word and think: what word would make sense here? 3. Test each answer choice by substituting it into the sentence 4. Pick the answer that makes the sentence make sense in context ## Common Trap: The "Dictionary Definition" Trap The SAT loves to use words that have one common meaning and one less common meaning. The common meaning is almost always a wrong answer. Example: "The scientist's results were striking." - Common meaning: hitting something - Context meaning: remarkable, impressive If the answer choices are "hitting," "remarkable," "attractive," and "sudden," the right answer is "remarkable" — but the test-taker who doesn't read for context might fall for "hitting." ## Tone and Connotation Sometimes words-in-context questions test connotation — the emotional quality of a word. Two words can mean roughly the same thing but carry different tones: -…