Studying vocabulary is the single easiest way to increase your Critical Reading score on the SAT. Most students can gain anywhere from 60-120 points just by studying vocab!
And one of the very best kept secrets is this: it’s possible to crack these questions even if we don’t necessarily know all the words!
I’ll show you what I mean. Let’s take a look at a vocab question:
Neurosurgeon Alexa Canady maintained that choosing a career was a visceral decision rather than ______ judgment; that is, it was not so much rational as ______.
A) an emotional…intellectual
B) a chance…random
C) an intuitive…impulsive
D) a deliberate…instinctive
E) an intentional…logical
The first question I ask my students about this sentence is, “What does visceral mean?” Most of them don’t know, and that’s okay. “The meaning,” I tell them, “is more or less embedded in the question!”
What we have here is called parallel structure: the first clause of the sentence runs parallel to the second clause, and they are held in opposition by the semicolon. A “visceral decision,” the sentence tells us, is “not so much rational.” Visceral, therefore, means the opposite of rational.
I write this on the board:
Visceral rather than __________
not so much rational as _________
Notice the parallel structure! The first blank requires a word that means the opposite of visceral, which means not rational. The first blank, therefore, will mean roughly rational.
The second blank will mean the opposite of rational! It will need a synonym for visceral.
Once we know what each blank requires, we can test the first blank to help us eliminate answer choices. When we get stuck or we finish eliminating, we can test the second blank. Tests within tests—fun!
“Does emotional mean rational?” I ask my students. “No? Eliminate it.”
“How about a chance?” I ask. “No again! Eliminate it.”
“What about intuitive?” I ask. Some of them say yes. I ask them to think about intuition. “Is intuition something you arrive at after careful reasoning, or is it more of a gut feeling?”
“More of a gut feeling,” they say. “That’s right!” I tell them. “Eliminate it. Out it goes.”
That leaves us with two choices left! Now that we’ve intelligently eliminated, we’re free (and encouraged!) to make a guess, assuming we don’t know any of the remaining words. But we do!
Both deliberate and intentional mean rational, so we need to check the second blank. Notice this is the first time we’ve even considered the possible words for the second blank! “Which one means visceral?” I ask them. “That is, which one means irrational? Instinctive or logical?”
“Instinctive,” they tell me.
“There’s your answer. D.”
Let’s read our sentence:
Neurosurgeon Alexa Canady maintained that choosing a career was a visceral decision rather than deliberate judgment; that is, it was not so much rational as instinctive.
Perfect!
If we use this strategy of elimination, parallel thinking, and careful informed guessing, we’re able to succeed in the vocabulary portion of the Critical Reading section even if we don’t know all the words!
But still, guys—study your vocab…!
Additional Resources:
Conquer SAT Vocabulary Video Course