Words in Context

What the SAT tests here

Words in Context questions give a short passage with a blank, or a word used in the passage, and ask which word fits best. The test is not about rare vocabulary. It is about reading the sentence closely enough to know exactly what meaning is needed.

A four-step method

1. Cover the choices. Read the passage and decide what the blank must mean.
2. Find the clue. There is always evidence: a colon that explains, a word like although that signals contrast, or a later sentence that describes the result.
3. Predict your own word. A rough word is enough, such as small or changed.
4. Match and test. Pick the choice closest to your prediction and reread the full sentence with it.

Clue words to notice

Signal	What it tells you	Examples
Contrast	the blank is the opposite of nearby information	although, but, yet, however, despite
Explanation	the blank is defined by what follows	colon, that is, in other words
Continuation	the blank agrees with nearby information	and, also, similarly, indeed
Cause and effect	the blank fits a cause or result	because, so, therefore

Example. Although the scientist expected dramatic results, the change she measured was ______, barely distinguishable from normal variation. Although signals contrast with dramatic, and barely distinguishable explains the blank: negligible.

Familiar words, unfamiliar meanings

Many questions use a common word in a secondary sense. Do not choose the meaning you know best; choose the meaning the sentence needs.

• Doctors hoped the drug would arrest the infection: stop, not capture.
• The engineers found the bridge structurally sound: stable, not noisy.
• The nations agreed to relinquish their claims: give up.

Watch the connotation

Two words can mean almost the same thing but carry a different tone. Economical prose is praised for using few words; sparse can sound like something is missing. Ask whether the passage is approving, critical or neutral, and pick a word with the same tone.

Common traps

• Choosing a word that fits the sentence but not the passage. Check the sentence before and after.
• Choosing the most impressive word. The correct answer is the precise one, not the hardest one.
• Ignoring a contrast signal. One although can reverse the meaning you need.

Quick summary

• Predict before you look at the choices.
• Every blank has a clue: contrast, explanation, continuation or cause.
• Common words often appear in uncommon senses.
• Match the tone as well as the meaning.