SAT Writing : Increasing the Contextual Relevance of a Single Word

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Writing

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Example Questions

Example Question #61 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Most of you probably know essays to be boring, tendentious assignments required for English class. 2 However the essay has a fascinating history.3 Did you know that the first known example of an essay came in the 16th-century? 4 Its author was Michel de Montaigne the French philosopher. 5 Today the genre includes such disparate types as the dialectic, the narrative, the critical, the historical, the descriptive, and the lyric essay. 6 The genre progressed with essays such as Robert Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s On Poesy or Art, and Virginia Woolf’s A Room of Her Own.” 7 It remains to be, see how the essay will evolve in the future.

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

Possible Answers:

tendentious (no change)

tendency

tenable

tedious

tenancy

Correct answer:

tedious

Explanation:

We’re looking for the adjective that most closely means boring. “Tedious” means dull or uninteresting, so it is a better choice than “tendentious,” or biased.

Example Question #62 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Generally, a person will tell you they prefer not to have their food burned. 2 Because caramel: a delicious sticky dessert, is actually made by slowly burning sugar. 3 A copper saucepan, a candy thermometer, and sugar and water are all you need to make this lascivious treat. 4 Although some chefs prefer to use their eyes and nose rather than a thermometer. 5 Desserts that will be made from caramel, including ice cream, pies, crème brûlée, candy apples, nougats, flan, and pralines. 6 However it may take many disastrous attempts and scorched pans while the amateur caramel maker achieves the golden, buttery perfection of this tasty dessert.

In Sentence 6, what word should replace “while”?

Possible Answers:

unless

while (no change)

before

whereas

because

Correct answer:

before

Explanation:

The sense of the sentence is that it can take many tries to cook caramel correctly, so we want to use “before” to convey that sense.

Example Question #63 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 No one wants to live in the swamp. 2 But swamps are an incredibly important part of the Earth’s ecosystem. 3 They are defined as forested wetlands and can be found from Africa and Asia and in Europe and the Americas. 4 In fact: the only continent to not contained swamps is Antarctica. 5 Because swamps are rarely arid, meaning able to be farmed, and because it usually is not conducive to hunting, they are undervalued by human society. 6 In swamps, a portion of dry land that protects from the water is known as a “hammock.” 7 Moreover, swamps are actually integrity to our world, providing clean water and oxygen for people as well as breeding grounds for animals big and small. 

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

Possible Answers:

arable

arid (no change)

amatory

amiable

arabesque

Correct answer:

arable

Explanation:

The word that means “farmable” here is “arable.”

Example Question #64 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 W. Somerset Maugham was a proliferate and English author of more than two dozen books. 2 Born in 1874 and orphaned at a young age, also working as an ambulance driver in World War I and studying medicine in London. 3 Among his life he traveled in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, within other places, these experiences were also reflected in his writing. 4 His first novel, Liza of Lambeth, drew on these real-life experiences and became an instant bestseller, when it was published, in 1897. 5 One of Maugham’s most famous works, the American writer Theodore Dreiser gave a glowing review to the 1915 novel Of Human Bondage. 6 His legacy includes many plays, film adaptations, a tumultuous love life, an epigrammatic British literary award (the Somerset Maugham Award), and a steady if unexperimental oeuvre of fiction.

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

Possible Answers:

prosperous

profligate

proliferate (no change)

proletarian

prolific

Correct answer:

prolific

Explanation:

While the author may have been "profligate" (wasteful), "prosperous" (wealthy or successful), or even "proletarian" (working class), the only word choice supported by the passage is “prolific,” or productive and fruitful.

Example Question #386 : Improving And Correcting Sentences

1 W. Somerset Maugham was a proliferate and English author of more than two dozen books. 2 Born in 1874 and orphaned at a young age, also working as an ambulance driver in World War I and studying medicine in London. 3 Among his life he traveled in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, within other places, these experiences were also reflected in his writing. 4 His first novel, Liza of Lambeth, drew on these real-life experiences and became an instant bestseller, when it was published, in 1897. 5 One of Maugham’s most famous works, the American writer Theodore Dreiser gave a glowing review to the 1915 novel Of Human Bondage. 6 His legacy includes many plays, film adaptations, a tumultuous love life, an epigrammatic British literary award (the Somerset Maugham Award), and a steady if unexperimental oeuvre of fiction.

In Sentence 6, what word should replace “epigrammatic”?

Possible Answers:

epochal

eponymous

episodic

epigrammatic (no change)

epicanthic

Correct answer:

eponymous

Explanation:

Based on the title of the award, we can surmise that the adjective we’re looking for means named after, and “eponymous” has this meaning. “Epigrammatic” means relating to a short, witty saying; “episodic” means relating to episodes; “epicanthic” refers to a particular skin fold above the eyelid; “epochal” means significant or momentous.

Example Question #387 : Improving And Correcting Sentences

1 Whether or not you are superstitious. 2 Fortunetelling has played a major role in many cultures.3 Also known as divination. 4 Western fortunetelling arose from the Romani people and such as reading tea leaves’, gazing into crystal balls, tarot reading, palmistry, and observing the flights, innards, or eating patterns of birds. 5 In William Shakespeare’s famous play “Julius Caesar,” for example, a soothsayer warns the soon to be assassinated Caesar to beware the Ides of March. 6 Western fortunetelling has also been influenced by Eastern divination methods such as the I Ching and to read coffee beans. 7 Unfortunately several major religions prescribe fortunetelling with very degrees of severity. 8 Despite, fortunetelling still thrives in contemporary culture, psychics and Magic-8 balls are just two of many fun ways to attempt to see into the future.

In Sentence 7, what word should replace “prescribe”?

Possible Answers:

prescribe

proscribe

pronoun

prorate

profile

Correct answer:

proscribe

Explanation:

This is a tricky question; to “prescribe” means to advise the use of a treatment (usually medical), but to “proscribe,” the correct choice, means to forbid. Use the context clues to solve this question. Since the sentence is discussing "varying degrees" of restriction, "proscribe" makes the most sense.

Example Question #65 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 No one wants to live in the swamp. 2 But swamps are an incredibly important part of the Earth’s ecosystem. 3 They are defined as forested wetlands and can be found from Africa and Asia and in Europe and the Americas. 4 In fact: the only continent to not contained swamps is Antarctica. 5 Because swamps are rarely arid, meaning able to be farmed, and because it usually is not conducive to hunting, they are undervalued by human society. 6 In swamps, a portion of dry land that protects from the water is known as a “hammock.” 7 Moreover, swamps are actually integrity to our world, providing clean water and oxygen for people as well as breeding grounds for animals big and small. 

In Sentence 6, what word should replace “protects”?

Possible Answers:

protract

protect (no change)

proscribe

prostrate

protrudes

Correct answer:

protrudes

Explanation:

We can infer that we’re looking for a word that means sticks out of, and “protrudes” is the correct synonym. To “protect” something is to keep it safe, to “protract” something is to prolong it, to “proscribe” something is to forbid it, and to “prostrate” something is to weaken it.

Example Question #66 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 No one wants to live in the swamp. 2 But swamps are an incredibly important part of the Earth’s ecosystem. 3 They are defined as forested wetlands and can be found from Africa and Asia and in Europe and the Americas. 4 In fact: the only continent to not contained swamps is Antarctica. 5 Because swamps are rarely arid, meaning able to be farmed, and because it usually is not conducive to hunting, they are undervalued by human society. 6 In swamps, a portion of dry land that protects from the water is known as a “hammock.” 7 Moreover, swamps are actually integrity to our world, providing clean water and oxygen for people as well as breeding grounds for animals big and small. 

In Sentence 7, what word should replace “integrity”?

Possible Answers:

Integument

Integrity

Integer

Integral

Integrated

Correct answer:

Integral

Explanation:

Based on context, we can supply our own synonym for the word in question. We’re looking for a word that means essential or invaluable, and “integral” has exactly this meaning. (“Integrity” is the quality of honesty and uprightness, an “integer” is a whole number, “integument” is a type of skin covering, and “integrated” is mixed or combined into.)

Example Question #67 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Many people have an imminent dislike of crows, few know much at all about the bird. 2 “Crow” actually refers to a genus not a species that includes jackdaws, ravens, rooks and other birds. 3 Their dark color, striated cries, and appearance in horror movies all make it seem very omnivorous. 4 The truth about this genus is that the birds in it are incredibly intelligent – often nearly so as some apes. 5 Appearing on all continents except South America and Antarctica. 6 These perspicacious birds were once thought to predict the future, including weather and war plans. 7 Today, they are used for scientific research, hunting, or even being kept as pets.

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

Possible Answers:

stringent

stringendo

striated (no change)

stricture

strident

Correct answer:

strident

Explanation:

“Striated” describes a striped or ridged quality and is not a sensible adjective to describe the noise of a crow’s cry. “Strident,” or harsh and grating, is a word often used to describe unpleasant sounds. (“Stringent” means strict or severe, a “stricture” is a type of rule or constraint, and “stringendo” is a musical marking indicating an increase in tempo.)

Example Question #68 : Increasing The Contextual Relevance Of A Single Word

1 Many people have an imminent dislike of crows, few know much at all about the bird. 2 “Crow” actually refers to a genus not a species that includes jackdaws, ravens, rooks and other birds. 3 Their dark color, striated cries, and appearance in horror movies all make it seem very omnivorous. 4 The truth about this genus is that the birds in it are incredibly intelligent – often nearly so as some apes. 5 Appearing on all continents except South America and Antarctica. 6 These perspicacious birds were once thought to predict the future, including weather and war plans. 7 Today, they are used for scientific research, hunting, or even being kept as pets.

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

Possible Answers:

immanent

effervescent

eminent

illimitable

imminent (no change)

Correct answer:

immanent

Explanation:

“Immanent,” or inherent, makes more sense in the passage than does “imminent,” or impending. (“Eminent,” or prominent; “effervescent,” or fizzy; and “illimitable,” or without limits, do not make sense in this sentence.)

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