SAT Words in Context

The following text is from F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel The Great Gatsby. [Jay Gatsby] was balancing himself on the dashboard of his car with that resourcefulness of movement that is so peculiarly American—that comes, I suppose, with the absence of lifting work in youth and, even more, with the formless grace of our nervous, sporadic games. This quality was continually breaking through his punctilious manner in the shape of restlessness. As used in the text, what does the word "quality" most nearly mean?

• characteristic

• standard

• prestige

• accomplishment

Stephen Hannock's luminous landscape paintings are appealing to viewers but have elicited little commentary from contemporary critics, a phenomenon that may be due to the very fact that the paintings seem so ______. Many critics focus their attention on art that is cryptic or overtly challenging.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

• innovative

• accessible

• profound

• subversive

The following text is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne's 1837 story "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment." The main character, a physician, is experimenting with rehydrating a dried flower. At first [the rose] lay lightly on the surface of the fluid, appearing to imbibe none of its moisture. Soon, however, a singular change began to be visible. The crushed and dried petals stirred and assumed a deepening tinge of crimson, as if the flower were reviving from a deathlike slumber. As used in the text, what does the phrase "a singular" most nearly mean?

• a lonely

• a disagreeable

• an acceptable

• an extraordinary

• displaying

• indicating

• documenting

• taping

Answer explanation

if you had not applied the 5 line rule, recording generally means taping- like you record something on a tape of some kind- but reading the text indicates the scientists want to document the data for further research purposes

I played a certain level on a game and it's very ______

• Arduous

• Boon

• Anachronism

• Antiquated

Yvette knew it would bring shame, but she decided to be _____ about cheating on her exam.

• candid

• lucid

• agile

• elude

No man was more free or outspoken in his criticism of the policy of his employers than this apparently ____ writer.

• venal

• surly

• dour

• candid

Former President Trump had numerous public conversations that people considered him to a _____.

• goad

• bigot

• surly

• venal

• controlled

• automated

• isolated

• aloof

Answer explanation

this word can indeed mean 'aloof' as in a person acting remote. A could also be a choice if you didn't read the context, like a remote control- but it really means that is is far away from where the scientists are.

• caused

• levered

• harmed

• pulled