American Diploma · Digital SAT · Craft and Structure
High-Value Vocabulary for SAT Reading and Writing
130 academic words grouped by meaning — doubt, support, weakening, research verbs, tone, change, size and cause — each with a definition, Arabic meaning and example, plus word-part tips and a 12-question quiz.
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Words in Context questions reward students who know the academic words that SAT-style passages use again and again: words about evidence (corroborate, undermine), about certainty (tentative, speculative), about attitude (sardonic, ambivalent) and about change (supplant, wane). This toolkit gives you 130 high-value words, grouped by meaning, each with a simple definition, the Arabic meaning, and a short original example sentence.
Why vocabulary matters on the Digital SAT
Words in Context questions belong to the Craft and Structure domain (about 28% of the scored Reading and Writing questions, 13–15 questions), and they usually come first in each module. But vocabulary helps everywhere: in purpose and structure questions you must know what "qualify a claim" or "challenge a view" means; in inference questions a single word like "tentative" or "negligible" decides the answer; in tone questions you must tell "wry" from "scornful".
The words below are not rare "dictionary" words. They are the working words of academic English — the words researchers, historians and critics use to describe evidence, arguments and attitudes. That is why they keep appearing in SAT-style passages and choices.
How to learn these words
- Learn by group, not alphabetically. Words with similar meanings (refute, rebut, debunk) are learned faster together, and the test often puts near-synonyms in the same question.
- About 20 words a day, then revise them the next day, after three days and after one week.
- Learn the charge (+, − or neutral) and the strength of each word. "Critical" and "scornful" are both negative, but "scornful" is much stronger.
- Say the example sentence aloud and then make your own sentence about school, family or Egypt. A word you have used is a word you keep.
- Notice the partner words (collocations): evidence corroborates a claim; researchers posit a mechanism; a policy curbs a problem.
إزاي تحفظ الكلمات دي
احفظ كل مجموعة مع بعض لأن الامتحان بيحط كلمات قريبة المعنى في نفس السؤال. اعرف لكل كلمة: هل هي إيجابية ولا سلبية، وقوّتها قد إيه. كل يوم حوالي 20 كلمة، وراجعها تاني يوم وبعد 3 أيام وبعد أسبوع. واعمل جملة من عندك بكل كلمة.
1. Doubt and uncertainty
SAT science passages are full of careful claims. These words tell you how sure the writer is.
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| skeptical (adj.) | doubting that something is true (متشكّك) — e.g. Many astronomers were skeptical of the report until other telescopes confirmed it. |
| dubious (adj.) | probably not true or not honest; also: feeling doubt (مشكوك فيه) — e.g. The website's statistics were dubious, since it gave no source for any of them. |
| tentative (adj.) | not certain or final; careful (مبدئي / غير مؤكَّد) — e.g. The team reached a tentative conclusion and planned three more experiments. |
| ambiguous (adj.) | having more than one possible meaning; unclear (غامض / يحتمل أكثر من معنى) — e.g. The ending of the story is ambiguous: we never learn whether the brothers make peace. |
| speculative (adj.) | based on guesses, not on firm evidence (قائم على التخمين) — e.g. Without fossils, any picture of the animal's color remains speculative. |
| provisional (adj.) | for now only; may be changed later (مؤقّت) — e.g. The museum gave the painting a provisional date until tests could be done. |
| inconclusive (adj.) | not leading to a firm result or decision (غير حاسم) — e.g. The first trial was inconclusive because too few patients took part. |
| qualify (v.) | to limit a statement by adding conditions (يُقيِّد / يحدّ من) — e.g. She qualified her claim, saying it applied only to small coastal towns. |
| reservation (n.) | a doubt or feeling of not fully agreeing (تحفُّظ) — e.g. The engineer supported the plan but expressed reservations about its cost. |
| equivocal (adj.) | unclear, often on purpose; open to two interpretations (مُبهَم / مُراوِغ) — e.g. The minister gave an equivocal answer that neither accepted nor rejected the offer. |
| contentious (adj.) | causing strong disagreement (مثير للجدل) — e.g. The location of the new airport became a contentious issue among residents. |
| unfounded (adj.) | not based on facts or evidence (لا أساس له) — e.g. Fears that the bridge would collapse proved unfounded. |
2. Words that support or confirm
Used when evidence makes a claim stronger. All are positive toward the claim; "corroborate" and "substantiate" are the most common in research contexts.
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| corroborate (v.) | to confirm with new or independent evidence (يؤكِّد بدليل إضافي) — e.g. Diaries written by two travellers corroborate the merchant's account of the storm. |
| substantiate (v.) | to prove a claim with evidence (يُثبِت بالدليل) — e.g. The journalist could not substantiate the rumor, so she did not publish it. |
| bolster (v.) | to make stronger or more convincing (يُقوّي / يدعم) — e.g. Data from a second region bolstered the case for the new vaccine schedule. |
| validate (v.) | to show that something is correct or acceptable (يُثبِت صحّة) — e.g. Field tests validated the computer model's predictions of flood height. |
| affirm (v.) | to state firmly that something is true; to support (يؤكّد) — e.g. The court affirmed the earlier decision. |
| vindicate (v.) | to prove that someone who was doubted was right (يُثبت أنه كان على حق) — e.g. Later discoveries vindicated the geologist, whose theory had been mocked. |
| buttress (v.) | to support an argument, like a wall supports a building (يَسنِد / يدعم) — e.g. She buttresses her argument with letters from the period. |
| reinforce (v.) | to strengthen an existing idea or feeling (يُعزِّز) — e.g. The final scene reinforces the novel's theme of loyalty. |
| attest (to) (v.) | to show or prove that something exists or is true (يشهد على) — e.g. Thousands of preserved receipts attest to the city's busy trade. |
| uphold (v.) | to support and keep a rule, decision or principle (يؤيّد / يحافظ على) — e.g. The committee upheld the ban on fishing in the bay. |
| endorse (v.) | to publicly approve or support (يؤيّد علنًا) — e.g. Several doctors endorsed the campaign to reduce sugar in school meals. |
3. Words that weaken or reject
The opposite group. Notice the strength: "challenge" and "call into question" only raise doubt; "refute", "debunk" and "overturn" show that a claim is wrong.
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| undermine (v.) | to weaken gradually or make less effective (يُضعِف / يُقوِّض) — e.g. Repeated errors in the data undermine the report's conclusion. |
| refute (v.) | to prove that a claim is wrong (يُفنِّد) — e.g. The new fossil refutes the idea that the species never lived in Africa. |
| rebut (v.) | to argue against a claim, giving reasons (يردّ على / يدحض) — e.g. In her reply, the author rebuts each of the reviewer's three objections. |
| discredit (v.) | to make people stop trusting someone or something (يُشكِّك في مصداقية) — e.g. The forged letter was discovered, discrediting the whole collection. |
| dispute (v.) | to say that something is not true or correct (يعترض على) — e.g. Few historians dispute the date of the battle, but many dispute its causes. |
| challenge (v.) | to question whether something is true or right (يتحدّى / يُشكِّك في) — e.g. The study challenges the common belief that sharks avoid shallow water. |
| contradict (v.) | to say or show the opposite (يُناقِض) — e.g. The witness's second statement contradicted her first. |
| debunk (v.) | to show that a popular belief is false (يكشف زيف) — e.g. The documentary debunks the myth that goldfish remember only three seconds. |
| negate (v.) | to cancel the effect of something (يُلغي / يُبطِل) — e.g. Skipping sleep can negate the benefits of extra study time. |
| dismiss (v.) | to refuse to consider seriously (يرفض / يستبعد) — e.g. At first, critics dismissed the young director's film as a student project. |
| overturn (v.) | to reverse a decision or replace an accepted idea (يقلب / يُبطِل) — e.g. The discovery overturned a theory that had been accepted for fifty years. |
| call into question (phr.) | to cause doubt about (يضع موضع شك) — e.g. The broken thermometer calls into question all of that week's readings. |
| Raise doubt (weaker) | Weaken (middle) | Prove wrong (strongest) |
|---|---|---|
| challenge, question, call into question, dispute | undermine, discredit, contradict | refute, debunk, overturn, negate |
4. Research and science verbs
These verbs describe what researchers do. They are very common in passages about studies and in the answer choices of purpose and inference questions.
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| posit (v.) | to suggest an idea as a basis for argument (يفترض) — e.g. The researchers posit that the birds use the sun to navigate. |
| hypothesize (v.) | to propose an explanation that can be tested (يضع فرضية) — e.g. She hypothesized that the fish change color to signal danger. |
| postulate (v.) | to assume something is true as the starting point of a theory (يفترض كمُسلَّمة) — e.g. The model postulates that the planet's core is partly liquid. |
| infer (v.) | to reach a conclusion from evidence (يستنتج) — e.g. From the worn steps, archaeologists inferred that the temple had many visitors. |
| deduce (v.) | to reach a conclusion by logical reasoning (يستنبط) — e.g. By comparing the shadows, the student deduced the time the photo was taken. |
| extrapolate (v.) | to estimate beyond known data by extending a trend (يستقرئ / يمدّ النتائج) — e.g. Extrapolating from ten years of records, they predicted the lake's level in 2040. |
| quantify (v.) | to measure or express as a number (يقيس كمّيًا) — e.g. It is hard to quantify how much a good teacher changes a student's life. |
| replicate (v.) | to repeat an experiment and get the same result (يُكرِّر (تجربة)) — e.g. Two other labs replicated the results within a year. |
| isolate (v.) | to separate one factor so it can be studied alone (يعزل) — e.g. To isolate the effect of light, the team kept temperature and water constant. |
| elucidate (v.) | to make clear; to explain (يوضّح) — e.g. The diagram elucidates how the ancient water wheel lifted water. |
| characterize (v.) | to describe the main qualities of; to be typical of (يصف / يُميِّز) — e.g. The author characterizes the city as noisy but generous. |
| attribute (to) (v.) | to say that something is caused by or belongs to (يَنسِب إلى) — e.g. Scientists attribute the drop in bird numbers to the loss of wetlands. |
infer vs deduce vs extrapolate
Infer: conclude from evidence (the general word). Deduce: conclude by strict logic. Extrapolate: extend a known trend beyond the data you have. If a passage predicts the future from past figures, the precise word is "extrapolate".
5. Tone and attitude: positive and neutral
Tone questions and Words in Context questions often ask how a writer or character feels. First decide the charge, then the exact shade.
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| admiring (adj.) | showing respect and approval (مُعجَب) — e.g. The biography takes an admiring tone toward the doctor's work in rural clinics. |
| reverent (adj.) | showing deep respect, almost religious (مُوقِّر / مُبجِّل) — e.g. Visitors spoke in reverent whispers inside the old library. |
| nostalgic (adj.) | with warm, slightly sad longing for the past (حنين إلى الماضي) — e.g. The narrator is nostalgic about summers in her grandmother's village. |
| earnest (adj.) | serious and sincere (جادّ / صادق) — e.g. His earnest apology convinced the team to give him another chance. |
| optimistic (adj.) | expecting good results (مُتفائل) — e.g. Despite the delays, the engineers remain optimistic about the launch. |
| laudatory (adj.) | expressing praise (مادِح) — e.g. The prize committee's statement was entirely laudatory. |
| objective (adj.) | based on facts, not personal feelings (موضوعي) — e.g. A good news report presents events in an objective way. |
| detached (adj.) | not emotionally involved (محايد / غير متأثّر عاطفيًا) — e.g. The scientist describes the disaster in a detached, technical voice. |
| measured (adj.) | careful, calm and controlled (مُتَّزِن) — e.g. She gave a measured response instead of reacting angrily. |
| ambivalent (adj.) | having mixed feelings (متردِّد / مشاعره متضاربة) — e.g. The poet seems ambivalent about the new city: it excites and frightens her. |
| impartial (adj.) | not favouring either side (غير مُنحاز) — e.g. The judge must remain impartial throughout the trial. |
| pragmatic (adj.) | practical; focused on what works (عملي / واقعي) — e.g. Rather than an ideal plan, the mayor chose a pragmatic one the city could afford. |
6. Tone and attitude: negative and critical
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| sardonic (adj.) | mocking in a bitter, cold way (ساخر بمرارة) — e.g. "What a surprise," he said in a sardonic voice, when the train was late again. |
| scornful (adj.) | showing that you think something is worthless (مُحتقِر) — e.g. The critic was scornful of the film's predictable plot. |
| disdainful (adj.) | showing that you feel superior to someone (مُزدرٍ) — e.g. The duke gave the young painter a disdainful glance. |
| wry (adj.) | lightly and cleverly humorous, often about something unpleasant (ساخر بخفّة) — e.g. She made a wry joke about her twelfth failed experiment. |
| cynical (adj.) | believing people act only for selfish reasons (متشائم من نوايا الناس) — e.g. Years of broken promises had made the villagers cynical about officials. |
| indignant (adj.) | angry because something seems unfair (ساخط) — e.g. Readers were indignant when the prize went to a copied story. |
| dismissive (adj.) | treating something as not worth considering (مُستخِفّ) — e.g. The manager was dismissive of the workers' safety concerns. |
| condescending (adj.) | speaking to others as if they were less intelligent (مُتعالٍ) — e.g. The guide's condescending explanations annoyed the expert visitors. |
| incredulous (adj.) | unable or unwilling to believe something (غير مُصدِّق) — e.g. The fans were incredulous when the champion lost in the first round. |
| derisive (adj.) | openly mocking; laughing at someone (مُستهزِئ) — e.g. The audience's derisive laughter shocked the speaker. |
| exasperated (adj.) | very annoyed after a long time of trouble (نافد الصبر) — e.g. The exasperated teacher explained the rule for the fourth time. |
| Light | Medium | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| wry (gentle humor), skeptical (doubt) | critical, dismissive, cynical | sardonic, scornful, disdainful, derisive |
Tone traps
- Ambivalent ≠ indifferent. Ambivalent = mixed feelings (cares a lot, both ways); indifferent = does not care.
- Detached / objective describe a calm, factual voice — they are not negative.
- Wry is gentle; sardonic is bitter. Choose by the strength of the words in the passage.
- Nostalgic is warm, not sad and not angry.
7. Words for change
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| evolve (v.) | to develop gradually (يتطوَّر) — e.g. Her painting style evolved from realistic portraits to bold abstract shapes. |
| transform (v.) | to change completely (يُحوِّل جذريًا) — e.g. The railway transformed the small fishing village into a busy port. |
| shift (n./v.) | a change in position or direction (تحوُّل / يتحوّل) — e.g. The survey shows a shift in public opinion toward electric cars. |
| accelerate (v.) | to happen faster (يتسارع) — e.g. Warmer water accelerates the melting of the ice shelf. |
| diminish (v.) | to become smaller or less (يتناقص) — e.g. The river's flow diminishes sharply in late summer. |
| erode (v.) | to wear away slowly; to weaken over time (يتآكل) — e.g. Years of scandal eroded public trust in the company. |
| fluctuate (v.) | to rise and fall irregularly (يتذبذب) — e.g. Tomato prices fluctuate from week to week. |
| stagnate (v.) | to stop developing or growing (يركد) — e.g. Without new investment, the town's economy stagnated. |
| revive (v.) | to bring back to life or use (يُحيي) — e.g. A group of young weavers is reviving a nearly forgotten carpet pattern. |
| supplant (v.) | to take the place of something older (يَحِلّ محلّ) — e.g. Digital cameras quickly supplanted film cameras. |
| wane (v.) | to become gradually weaker or smaller (يضعف / يخفت) — e.g. Interest in the game waned after the first season. |
| proliferate (v.) | to increase quickly in number (ينتشر بسرعة / يتكاثر) — e.g. Food-delivery apps have proliferated in large cities. |
8. Importance, size and frequency
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| pivotal (adj.) | of central importance; causing a turning point (مِحوَري) — e.g. The discovery of the letters was pivotal to solving the mystery. |
| negligible (adj.) | so small it does not matter (ضئيل جدًا) — e.g. The new paint added a negligible amount to the building's cost. |
| marginal (adj.) | small and not very important; at the edge (هامشي) — e.g. The update made only a marginal difference to battery life. |
| substantial (adj.) | large in amount or importance (كبير / جوهري) — e.g. The scholarship covers a substantial part of the fees. |
| paramount (adj.) | more important than anything else (ذو أهمية قصوى) — e.g. On the ship, the safety of passengers is paramount. |
| profound (adj.) | very great or deep (عميق) — e.g. The war had a profound effect on the writer's later work. |
| modest (adj.) | not large; limited (متواضع / بسيط) — e.g. The trial produced a modest improvement in reading scores. |
| prevalent (adj.) | common in a particular place or time (شائع / سائد) — e.g. The disease was once prevalent in the delta's villages. |
| scarce (adj.) | available only in small amounts (نادر / شحيح) — e.g. In the desert, firewood is scarce and valuable. |
| pervasive (adj.) | spreading through every part (مُتغلغِل / منتشر في كل جانب) — e.g. A pervasive smell of smoke filled the old house. |
| ubiquitous (adj.) | found everywhere (موجود في كل مكان) — e.g. Mobile phones are now ubiquitous, even in remote areas. |
| peripheral (adj.) | at the edge; not central (جانبي / ثانوي) — e.g. The essay spends too long on peripheral details. |
| Very small | Medium | Very large / everywhere |
|---|---|---|
| negligible, marginal, scarce, peripheral | modest, prevalent | substantial, profound, paramount, pervasive, ubiquitous |
9. Cause, effect and connection
Learn these in pairs: foster / facilitate (help) vs impede / hinder (block); mitigate (make less bad) vs exacerbate (make worse).
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| precipitate (v.) | to make something (usually bad) happen sooner (يُعجِّل بحدوث) — e.g. A sudden rise in bread prices precipitated the protests. |
| foster (v.) | to encourage the development of (يُعزِّز / يرعى) — e.g. Group projects can foster cooperation between students. |
| impede (v.) | to slow or block progress (يُعيق) — e.g. Heavy snow impeded the rescue teams. |
| hinder (v.) | to make something difficult (يُعرقِل) — e.g. A lack of clean water hindered the clinic's work. |
| mitigate (v.) | to make something bad less severe (يُخفِّف) — e.g. Trees along the streets mitigate the summer heat. |
| exacerbate (v.) | to make a problem worse (يُفاقِم) — e.g. Cutting the forests exacerbated the flooding. |
| facilitate (v.) | to make easier (يُسهِّل) — e.g. The new bridge facilitates trade between the two towns. |
| trigger (v.) | to cause something to start suddenly (يُطلِق / يتسبّب في) — e.g. A small earthquake triggered a landslide. |
| stem from (phr. v.) | to come from; to be caused by (ينبع من) — e.g. Her interest in plants stems from childhood visits to her uncle's farm. |
| render (v.) | to cause to be in a certain state (يجعل) — e.g. The flood rendered the road unusable for a week. |
| curb (v.) | to control or limit (يحدّ من) — e.g. The city introduced new fees to curb traffic in the center. |
| induce (v.) | to cause or bring about; to persuade (يُحدِث / يحثّ) — e.g. The medicine can induce sleepiness. |
10. Describing ideas, arguments and evidence
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| novel (adj.) | new and original (جديد ومُبتكَر) — e.g. The students proposed a novel way to collect rainwater from rooftops. |
| conventional (adj.) | usual, traditional (تقليدي) — e.g. Unlike conventional bricks, these are made from recycled plastic. |
| orthodox (adj.) | generally accepted; traditional (مُتعارَف عليه) — e.g. Her method went against orthodox teaching at the time. |
| plausible (adj.) | reasonable and likely to be true (معقول / قابل للتصديق) — e.g. Strong winds are a plausible explanation for the damage. |
| coherent (adj.) | logical and well connected (مُترابِط) — e.g. The essay builds a coherent argument from start to finish. |
| comprehensive (adj.) | including everything; complete (شامل) — e.g. The report gives a comprehensive survey of the region's rivers. |
| nuanced (adj.) | showing small but important differences; not simple (دقيق / متعدّد الجوانب) — e.g. The book offers a nuanced view of the king, neither hero nor villain. |
| simplistic (adj.) | too simple; ignoring important facts (مُبسَّط بشكل مُخِلّ) — e.g. Blaming one person for the crisis is simplistic. |
| rigorous (adj.) | very careful and thorough (صارم / دقيق) — e.g. The drug passed rigorous safety tests. |
| arbitrary (adj.) | based on chance or personal choice, not reason (عشوائي / تعسُّفي) — e.g. The rule seemed arbitrary because no one could explain it. |
| compelling (adj.) | very convincing; demanding attention (مُقنِع) — e.g. The lawyer presented compelling evidence. |
| anecdotal (adj.) | based on personal stories, not systematic study (قائم على قصص فردية) — e.g. The claim rests on anecdotal evidence from a few travellers. |
11. Character and behaviour (literature passages)
| Word / phrase | Meaning / use |
|---|---|
| meticulous (adj.) | giving great attention to every detail (دقيق جدًا) — e.g. The meticulous editor checked every date in the book. |
| diligent (adj.) | hard-working and careful (مُجتهِد) — e.g. A diligent student reviews her mistakes every week. |
| tenacious (adj.) | refusing to give up (مُثابِر) — e.g. The tenacious reporter followed the story for three years. |
| aloof (adj.) | distant and unfriendly; not involved (مُتحفِّظ / مُنعزِل) — e.g. The new neighbor seemed aloof, but he was only shy. |
| reticent (adj.) | not willing to talk about one's feelings or thoughts (كتوم / قليل الكلام) — e.g. The champion was reticent about her plans. |
| impetuous (adj.) | acting quickly without thinking (مُتهوِّر) — e.g. In an impetuous moment, he sold the family's boat. |
| prudent (adj.) | wise and careful about the future (حكيم / حَذِر) — e.g. It is prudent to save some money every month. |
| resilient (adj.) | able to recover quickly from difficulty (مَرِن / سريع التعافي) — e.g. Desert plants are remarkably resilient. |
| complacent (adj.) | too satisfied, so not careful enough (مُتهاوِن) — e.g. After two easy wins, the team became complacent. |
| magnanimous (adj.) | generous and forgiving, especially to an opponent (كريم / متسامح) — e.g. The winner gave a magnanimous speech praising her rival. |
| obstinate (adj.) | refusing to change one's opinion, unreasonably (عنيد) — e.g. The obstinate captain ignored every warning about the storm. |
| gregarious (adj.) | enjoying the company of others (اجتماعي) — e.g. Gregarious by nature, she made friends on her first day. |
أزواج مهمة جدًا
اعرف الأزواج دي كويس لأنها بتيجي كفخ: mitigate (يخفّف) عكس exacerbate (يزوّد المشكلة) — corroborate (يؤكّد) عكس undermine (يُضعف) — ambivalent (مشاعر متضاربة) غير indifferent (مش فارقة معاه) — tentative (مبدئي) عكس conclusive (حاسم).
Word parts: guess a word you have never seen
When you meet an unknown word in a choice, its parts can tell you its charge and often its meaning. Use this to eliminate choices, then confirm with the context.
| Part | Meaning | Arabic | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| un-, in-, im-, ir-, il- | not | عدم / لا | unfounded, inconclusive, impartial, irregular |
| dis- | not, opposite of, away | عكس / إزالة | discredit, dispute, disdain |
| mis- | wrongly | خطأ | misinterpret, misleading |
| re- | again, back | مرة أخرى | replicate, revive, rebut |
| pre- | before | قبل | precede, precipitate, predict |
| sub- | under | تحت | substantial, subtle, subordinate |
| trans- | across, change | عبر / تغيير | transform, transmit |
| pro- | forward, for | إلى الأمام / مع | proliferate, propose, promote |
| ambi- / equi- | both / equal | الاثنين / متساوٍ | ambivalent, ambiguous, equivocal |
| mal- / bene- | bad / good | سيئ / جيد | malfunction, beneficial |
| -cred- | believe | يصدّق | incredulous, discredit, credible |
| -dict- | say | يقول | contradict, predict |
| -spec- / -spic- | look | ينظر | speculative, perspective, suspicious |
| -ten- / -tain- | hold | يمسك | tenacious, sustain, retain |
| -ver- | true | حقيقي | verify, verdict |
| -chron- | time | زمن | chronic, chronological |
| -ous / -ive / -ic | adjective endings | صفة | dubious, pervasive, sardonic |
| -ate / -ize / -fy | verb endings | فعل | corroborate, characterize, quantify |
Fast strategy for test day
- Predict your own simple word first, then look for its academic version among the choices.
- Check charge and strength using the groups on this page (raise doubt → weaken → prove wrong).
- Unknown word? Use its parts (in-, dis-, re-, -cred-) to guess its charge and eliminate.
- Never choose a hard word only because it looks advanced — it must fit the clue exactly.
Practice
Twelve Words in Context questions. Every correct answer — and many of the wrong choices — come from the toolkit above.
Remember
- Learn words in meaning groups, with their charge (+/−) and strength.
- Key opposites: corroborate / undermine, mitigate / exacerbate, foster / impede, ubiquitous / scarce.
- Strength scale for weakening a claim: challenge → undermine → refute / debunk / overturn.
- Ambivalent = mixed feelings; indifferent = no interest. Wry = gentle; sardonic = bitter.
- Unknown word? Use word parts (in-, dis-, re-, -cred-, -spec-) to guess its meaning and eliminate.
All pages in this course
Start here
Craft and Structure
- Words in Context
- High-Value Vocabulary for SAT Reading and Writing
- Text Structure and Purpose
- Cross-Text Connections
Information and Ideas
Standard English Conventions
- Sentence Boundaries
- Commas and Extra Information
- Colons, Dashes and Semicolons
- Subject–Verb Agreement
- Pronouns
- Verb Tense, Aspect and Finiteness
- Modifiers, Parallel Structure and Comparisons
- Plurals and Possessives
Expression of Ideas
Full practice tests