SAT Writing : Rewriting a Single Word

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

varsity tutors app store varsity tutors android store varsity tutors amazon store varsity tutors ibooks store

Example Questions

Example Question #651 : Improving Paragraphs

1 One such example of regional cooking could be found in the American South. 2 Wherefore foods such as gumbo, barbecue, fried chicken, and watermelons can now be found all across the country, it was once specific to states south of the Mason-Dixon line. 3 And while Southern cuisine has been influenced by Native American tribes, Scottish immigrants, and Cajun settlers, one of the most significant culinary inspirations came from the South’s black population. 4 Dishes such as cornbread, succotash, collard or turnip greens, pimento cheese, crawfish, and sweet tea all hale from the South, as well. 5 For example, okra, black-eyed peas, and sorghum are all foods brought to America and cultivated by African slaves. 6 Soon, soul food (a sometimes contentious term among black chefs) began to be served in black-owned restaurants in the South. 7 Borne out of competing cultural influences and not-infrequent strife, it should be no surprise that Southern food remains a complex delicious cuisine to this day.

In Sentence 4, what word should replace “hale”?

Possible Answers:

harken

hide

hale (no change)

hake

hail

Correct answer:

hail

Explanation:

Objects “hail from” a certain place; they don’t “hale from” anywhere. (“Hail” is a verb and “hale” is an adjective generally used to refer to elderly people meaning hearty or healthy.)

Example Question #21 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Glass; a material most people take for granted, is an essential constitute of modern life. 2 Most glass throughout history have been made of silicon dioxide; which is found in sand. 3 Typically glass is made by melting down and refining raw materials in processes that remove bubbles, improve strength, and augur durability. 4 This process can be tailored to create the desired end product, be that stained glass windows for a church and glass fibers for thermal insulation. 5 Because glass blowing can be used to create fanciful shapes and delicate figurines, most glass today is made more quickly and cheaply in factories. 6 These factories can produce everything. 7 From windshields and sterile medical equipment.

In Sentence 1, what word should replace “constitute”?

Possible Answers:

constitute (no change)

constitution

constituent

constant

consubstantial

Correct answer:

constituent

Explanation:

Based on context, we’re looking for a word that means “component” or “part,” and “constituent” is the only word that fits this definition.

Example Question #3202 : Sat Writing

1 Glass; a material most people take for granted, is an essential constitute of modern life. 2 Most glass throughout history have been made of silicon dioxide; which is found in sand. 3 Typically glass is made by melting down and refining raw materials in processes that remove bubbles, improve strength, and augur durability. 4 This process can be tailored to create the desired end product, be that stained glass windows for a church and glass fibers for thermal insulation. 5 Because glass blowing can be used to create fanciful shapes and delicate figurines, most glass today is made more quickly and cheaply in factories. 6 These factories can produce everything. 7 From windshields and sterile medical equipment.

In Sentence 3, what word should replace “augur”?

Possible Answers:

aubergine

augment

aubade

augur (no change)

aught

Correct answer:

augment

Explanation:

Based on context, we want a word that means improve, increase, or heighten. To augur is to predict or foretell, an aubergine is an eggplant, an aubade is a poem or song about dawn, and aught is an old-fashioned word for anything or everything. The correct word is augment, which means to increase or add to.

Example Question #51 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 The purpose of this agricultural practice is to produce large amounts of meat, milk, eggs, and textiles, such as wool and leather, at low costs. 2 It has many negative consequences; however, and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics. 3 Factory farming, sometimes known euphonically as intensive animal farming, or industrial farming, is the practice of raising livestock at very high densities in order to decrease the costs of production. 4 On most factory farms, animals are reduced to commodities: bred unnaturally, confined in uncomfortably small cages, and dosed with high strength antibiotics to reduce concomitant infections. 5 Although, the livestock suffers considerately, drug-resistant bacteria become more common, and significant environmental hazards arise from the high quantities of animal waste. 6 Does the phrase manure lagoons sound familiar? 7 As a light of this issue, many people choose to become vegetarian or join anti-factory farming campaigns. 8 What will you do?

In Sentence 5, what word should replace “considerately”?

Possible Answers:

conscionably

conscientiously

concurrently

considerately (no change)

considerably

Correct answer:

considerably

Explanation:

Although only a few letters apart, “considerately” and “considerably” have very different meanings. “Considerately” means in a considerate or kind manner, while “considerably” means large in size or quantity. The latter term is the one that makes sense in this context.

Example Question #52 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 The purpose of this agricultural practice is to produce large amounts of meat, milk, eggs, and textiles, such as wool and leather, at low costs. 2 It has many negative consequences; however, and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics. 3 Factory farming, sometimes known euphonically as intensive animal farming, or industrial farming, is the practice of raising livestock at very high densities in order to decrease the costs of production. 4 On most factory farms, animals are reduced to commodities: bred unnaturally, confined in uncomfortably small cages, and dosed with high strength antibiotics to reduce concomitant infections. 5 Although, the livestock suffers considerately, drug-resistant bacteria become more common, and significant environmental hazards arise from the high quantities of animal waste. 6 Does the phrase manure lagoons sound familiar? 7 As a light of this issue, many people choose to become vegetarian or join anti-factory farming campaigns. 8 What will you do?

In Sentence 3, what word should replace “euphonically”?

Possible Answers:

eulogistically 

euphonium

euphonically (no change)

euphorically

euphemistically 

Correct answer:

euphemistically 

Explanation:

A "euphony" is a pleasant sound, "euphoria" is great happiness or elation, a "eulogy" is a speech given in honor of a deceased person, and a "euphonium" is a musical instrument none of which make sense in the sentence. A "euphemism" is a less offensive word or expression used in place of a more offensive one, and it makes sense that “intensive animal farming” is less offensive than the more pejorative “factory farming.”

Example Question #53 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 The purpose of this agricultural practice is to produce large amounts of meat, milk, eggs, and textiles, such as wool and leather, at low costs. 2 It has many negative consequences; however, and many activists have raised concerns about sustainability, environmental risks, and ethics. 3 Factory farming, sometimes known euphonically as intensive animal farming, or industrial farming, is the practice of raising livestock at very high densities in order to decrease the costs of production. 4 On most factory farms, animals are reduced to commodities: bred unnaturally, confined in uncomfortably small cages, and dosed with high strength antibiotics to reduce concomitant infections. 5 Although, the livestock suffers considerately, drug-resistant bacteria become more common, and significant environmental hazards arise from the high quantities of animal waste. 6 Does the phrase manure lagoons sound familiar? 7 As a light of this issue, many people choose to become vegetarian or join anti-factory farming campaigns. 8 What will you do?

In Sentence 4, what word should replace “concomitant”?

Possible Answers:

concurrent

committal

concavity

concordant

concomitant (no change)

Correct answer:

concomitant (no change)

Explanation:

“Concomitant” is an adjective that means accompanying or attendant, so it fits the context of the sentence perfectly. No change is necessary.

Example Question #54 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 It may be hard to believe. 2 But light was once a rare and inviolate commodity. 3 Our ancestors invented willful ways to harness natural light; burning lumps of tallow or animal fat, capturing fireflies in glass jars, and even threading wicks down the throats of a bird called the storm petrel.4 Most of these methods were messy, inconvenient, and costly. 5 So it was fortunate when kerosene became popular. 6 Whale oil was another way to get light, but whaling was a dangerous and deadly occupation. 7 The innovation of the electric light bulb represented another huge leap in convenience and cost-effectiveness. 8 While light is not scarce today; in fact, we often have the opposite problem. 9 Light pollution, or excessive artificial light, which can keep city denizens from ever seeing the stars or appreciating true darkness.

In Sentence 2, what word should replace “inviolate”?

Possible Answers:

inveterate

involuntary

inviolate (no change)

invariable

invaluable

Correct answer:

invaluable

Explanation:

Here, we’re looking for another word that means rare or precious. “Inviolate” means unharmed, which isn’t a concept that applies to light. The correct word here is “invaluable.” Don’t be fooled with this definition; despite what it may look like, “invaluable” actually means very valuable, not un-valuable, so it fits the context well.

Example Question #55 : Rewriting A Single Word

1 It may be hard to believe. 2 But light was once a rare and inviolate commodity. 3 Our ancestors invented willful ways to harness natural light; burning lumps of tallow or animal fat, capturing fireflies in glass jars, and even threading wicks down the throats of a bird called the storm petrel.4 Most of these methods were messy, inconvenient, and costly. 5 So it was fortunate when kerosene became popular. 6 Whale oil was another way to get light, but whaling was a dangerous and deadly occupation. 7 The innovation of the electric light bulb represented another huge leap in convenience and cost-effectiveness. 8 While light is not scarce today; in fact, we often have the opposite problem. 9 Light pollution, or excessive artificial light, which can keep city denizens from ever seeing the stars or appreciating true darkness.

In Sentence 9, what word should replace “denizens”?

Possible Answers:

derogates

denigrates

denizens (no change)

derivations

deserters

Correct answer:

denizens (no change)

Explanation:

A “denizen” is a resident: a person (or thing) that lives in a particular location. It fits perfectly in this context. A deserter is someone who deserts (usally a post or responsibility), to denigrate something is to devalue it by saying very harsh things about it, a derivation is something derived from something else, and to derogate something is to insult (that thing). None of these options make sense in the given sentence.

Example Question #31 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 It may be hard to believe. 2 But light was once a rare and inviolate commodity. 3 Our ancestors invented willful ways to harness natural light; burning lumps of tallow or animal fat, capturing fireflies in glass jars, and even threading wicks down the throats of a bird called the storm petrel.4 Most of these methods were messy, inconvenient, and costly. 5 So it was fortunate when kerosene became popular. 6 Whale oil was another way to get light, but whaling was a dangerous and deadly occupation. 7 The innovation of the electric light bulb represented another huge leap in convenience and cost-effectiveness. 8 While light is not scarce today; in fact, we often have the opposite problem. 9 Light pollution, or excessive artificial light, which can keep city denizens from ever seeing the stars or appreciating true darkness.

In Sentence 3, what word should replace “willful”?

Possible Answers:

willful (no change)

wily

winsome

witty

wherewithal

Correct answer:

wily

Explanation:

Supplying our own synonym, we’re looking for a word that means clever or ingenious. “Wily” means crafty or clever, so it’s the best choice for this sentence.

Example Question #31 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 The word wig itself comes from the English word periwig and can demote a variety of styles, materials, and colors. 2 Have you ever wondered what goes into making a wig? 3 Historically wigs have served a variety of functions and took a number of forms. 4 Wigs have been used as fashion accessories, costume components, and to disguise baldness. 5 These days, wigs are most commonly made from synthetic materials, real human hair, or hair from animals, such as goats and yaks.

In Sentence 1, what word should replace “demote”?

Possible Answers:

deny

decry

deride

denote

demote (no change)

Correct answer:

denote

Explanation:

To "demote" something is to lower its status, but to "denote" something is to indicate it, which makes much more sense in the context. To "deride" something is to mock or ridicule it, to "decry" something is to express disapproval of it, and to "deny" something is to refuse to accept it is true.

Learning Tools by Varsity Tutors