Answering Words-in-Context Questions

Today, we're wrapping up our discussion of the seven types of SAT reading comprehension questions by taking a look at words-in-context questions. These questions test your ability to determine how a word is being used in a specific sentence. A typical context question might ask you "which of the following is closest in meaning to the word" or say "this word could best be replaced by..."

Let's suppose you just finished reading a passage about the modernist writer Gertrude Stein. A sentence in the passage reads, "Stein's early poems were an attempt to put the principles of modernist painting into concrete form." The question regarding that sentence might look like this:

Which of the following is closest to the word concrete?

(A) cement
(B) hard
(C) substantial
(D) written
(E) strong

In order to figure out the correct choice, try the following strategy:

1. Don't think about what the word means to you: When you see the word concrete, you might immediately think of pavement. Because Stein likely wasn't writing poems in the pavement, thinking about what the word means to you won't help you figure out how it's being used in the sentence.

2. Treat the word as a blank in the sentence: Instead of thinking about your own definition of the word, pay close attention to the overall context of the sentence by looking at it like this: "Stein's early poems were an attempt to put the principles of modernist painting into _________ form."

3. Eliminate wrong answer choices: Because the sentence deals with transforming the principles of one art form into another, you know that the answer choices "cement," "hard," and "strong" don't make sense. While the answer choices usually relate to some definition of the word in question, most of the time there will be two or three choices that don't make sense in the context of the sentence. Cross them out.

4. Look for context clues before and after the sentence: These questions will always leave you with two or three appealing choices. In our example, after crossing out the obviously wrong choices, we're left with "substantial" and "written." While "written" seems the more obvious choice, “substantial” also seems to fit. Read the sentences that come before and after the sentence in question. Look for additional information that supports one answer or helps you eliminate the other. In this case, if you don't find anything implying that the principles were more important or more pronounced in Stein's poetry than they were in the paintings, you can safely eliminate "substantial" and choose the right answer, "written."

5. If all else fails, make an educated guess: Sometimes, you may not be sure of the definition of one or more of the words you haven’t crossed out. In that case, it can be difficult to match the word in question with your context clues. Even if you’re not sure, words-in-context questions are good spots for guessing: if you’ve eliminated three wrong answers, then you have a 50 percent chance of getting the question right.

As with all sections of the SAT, the most important strategy of all is to practice these passages. Familiarize yourself with the different types of questions and get comfortable answering them.

Got any questions about the reading comprehension section? Let us know in the comments or email testpreptutor@sparknotes.com.

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