Words in Context (Underlined)

In addition to their "fill-in-the-blank" type of "Words in Context" questions, the College Board has another type where they underline a word and ask you to pick the word that is closest to the definition of that word as it is used in the context of the passage. This type shows up less frequently, and it's possible you won't see it at all on your SAT. However, it's definitely good to be prepared for it.

You will know that you are looking at a one of these questions because you'll see a single underlined word in the passage, and the question is always worded exactly the same. It will say 'As used in the text, what does the word "[underlined word]" most nearly mean?'

Once you've first jumped to reading the question and identified that it is this type of question, the approach to these will be pretty similar to the "fill-in-the-blank" type of "Words in Context" questions. You'll want to carefully read the passage and get an idea of what it is trying to say. Then, see if you can think of a word or a few words that would work as a substitute for the underlined word, keeping the same meaning in the passage. Then, you'll look through the answer choices, and see if any of them match what you had in mind. If not, then go through them one by one and read the passage with them inserted, and see if the passage makes sense with that word there.

Words can mean different things in different contexts. On these questions, they are almost always using the underlined word in a way that deviates from its most typical meaning. So we're not just looking for a word that we think is a synonym for the underlined word. We're looking for a word that could be substituted for the underlined word in the passage, and the passage would still make sense and retain the same meaning.

If you don't know the meaning of the underlined word, that's ok. Even if you did know it's typical meaning, they are probably using it in a different way anyways. Whether or not you think you know its meaning, you'll need to infer its meaning in the passage based on the context around it. If you don't know the meaning of the answer choices, you also shouldn't freak out. Refer to our previous section on the other types of "Words in Context" question, employing a similar strategy here.

Most of the time when they have one of these questions, there will be one answer choice that is a synonym for at least one meaning of the underlined word, but is wrong. Often it will be a synonym for the way you would more typically use the underlined word. Watch out for this trap. Just because it can mean the same thing as the underlined word doesn't mean it would make sense in this context.

While this might not sound like it would be a trap because it seems like it would be obviously wrong, this isn't always the case. These passages are not always straightforward, and a slight misinterpretation can often lead students to think the author is conveying the opposite of what they actually mean. So, while some answer choices seem oviously irrelevant,often these "opposite" answers at least seem relevant, and with a slight misinterpretation, they can even seem right. This is why it's important to pay close attention to the passage, particularly things like transitions words and phrases, or other indications of a shift in the passage.

Just like with the other type of "Words in Context" question, it's crucial that you properly interpret what the passage is trying to convey. Look out for clues like transition words and phrases, colons, or other indicators of the direction or tone of the passage.