I seem to have trouble on the SAT vocabulary-in-context questions. Any tips?

Answer 1

You can use positive-negative strategy, plug in the word, but those only go so far on the vocab and word choice questions. Regular readers instinctively know what word is appropriate. They will know "exploit" doesn't always have a negative connotation and it is a better option than "employ." Make time for reading!

Answer 2

Don't look at the answers! Well, at least not at first :)

I suggest going back to the section of the text where the word is located and reading around (the sentence before and after the highlighted word). Then, using context clues, try to come up with either a word, a phrase, or a tone on your own that fits. Now, take that concept (word, phrase, or tone) you have come up with and bring it back to the answer bank and match accordingly.

The test is pushing you to use the "plug-and-play" method to solve these questions, which is both time-consuming and ineffective. Take control of this question type by forming your own answer first and not solely relying on the multiple-choice answer back to inform your decision-making. Good luck!

Answer 3

Vocabulary-in-Context questions ask you what a given word or phrase means as it’s used in the passage.

Here’s what they usually look like:

As used in line 12, “figurative” most nearly means

A) shapely.

B) metaphorically.

C) thoughtfully.

D) literally.

Here are some tips for vocabulary-in-context questions:

✗ Remember that words often have more than one meaning, and there may be meanings for a word that you are not aware of. Usually at least two of the answer choices are correct definitions of the word, just not necessarily the definition that is used in this context.

✗ Look for specific clues in the sentence that will help determine what the word or phrase means. Be sure to consider logically important words in the sentence, such as ‘however,’ ‘but,’ or ‘nevertheless,’ which might affect the meaning of the word.  

✗ Very often it will be necessary to read beyond the sentence — the sentence before, the sentence after, and sometimes even the whole paragraph or beyond. Do whatever footwork is necessary to figure out how the word is being used.