The rules that solve most questions
- Cover the choices and predict a word from the clue in the sentence.
- Look for signal words: although and but mean the word contrasts with something; because and so mean it agrees.
- A colon or semicolon often introduces an explanation of the missing word.
- Eliminate words that are positive when the clue is negative, and the reverse.
Traps the wrong answers are built on
- Picking a word that fits the topic but not the clue.
- Ignoring a contrast word like although.
Worked example
Although the first results were promising, the scientists were careful not to ______ them; they repeated the experiment three more times before announcing anything.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
- A. overstate
- B. ignore
- C. measure
- D. postpone
Answer: A. The scientists wanted to avoid claiming too much before repeating the experiment, so "overstate" fits.
Practice set
Answer each question to see whether you're right and why.
0 of 8 answered · 0 correct
- Question 1Medium
Although the first results were promising, the scientists were careful not to ______ them; they repeated the experiment three more times before announcing anything.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The scientists wanted to avoid claiming too much before repeating the experiment, so "overstate" fits.
- B: They weren't at risk of ignoring promising results.
- C: Measuring results is what experiments do; being careful not to measure makes no sense.
- D: "postpone them" doesn't fit results that already exist.
- Question 2Medium
The new bridge design was praised for being ______: it used less steel than older designs while carrying the same load.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Using less material for the same job is the definition of efficient.
- A: It was praised, which doesn't suggest controversy.
- B: Nothing suggests the bridge is temporary.
- C: "ornate" describes decoration, not material use.
- Question 3Medium
Rather than present a single explanation, the documentary ______ several competing theories and lets viewers weigh the evidence for each.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
The documentary shows several theories so viewers can compare them: "lays out."
- A: Nothing suggests the theories were invented.
- B: Concealing theories contradicts letting viewers weigh them.
- D: It doesn't dismiss them; viewers weigh them.
- Question 4Medium
The author's tone in the letter is ______; she thanks the committee warmly but makes clear that she disagrees with its decision.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
She is warm (gracious) yet clearly disagrees (firm).
- A: Warm thanks rule out angry and dismissive.
- C: Nothing in the description suggests mockery.
- D: Making her disagreement clear isn't uncertain.
- Question 5Medium
Because the old map was ______, the hikers relied on it only for the main trails and used a compass for everything else.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A
The hikers trusted the map only partly, which follows from it being unreliable.
- B: A detailed map would be more useful, not less.
- C: Color has nothing to do with whether to rely on it.
- D: "valuable" doesn't explain why they used a compass instead.
- Question 6Medium
The species is so ______ that biologists have recorded it only a handful of times in the past century.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D
Being seen only a handful of times means the species is hard to find: elusive.
- A: "familiar" contradicts the rare sightings.
- B: Aggression doesn't explain how rarely it's recorded.
- C: "abundant" means plentiful, the opposite.
- Question 7Medium
The committee's report was ______: in just two pages, it summarized a year of research and listed every recommendation.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C
Covering a lot in two pages is the meaning of concise.
- A: Listing every recommendation isn't vague.
- B: Nothing suggests it repeated itself.
- D: Two pages is the opposite of lengthy.
- Question 8Medium
At first the inventor's idea was met with ______, but after a working prototype was demonstrated, investors lined up to fund it.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B
"At first … but after" signals a change from doubt to support, so "skepticism" fits.
- A: Enthusiasm at first wouldn't need to change.
- C: Immediate approval contradicts the change the sentence describes.
- D: Nothing mentions cost.
Questions people ask
Is this words in context practice like the real SAT?
The questions follow the format of the digital SAT's Craft and Structure domain: a short text with one blank or question and four choices. They are written for this site; they are not official College Board questions.
Where is the domain on the test?
Craft and Structure is one of the four content domains of the SAT Reading and Writing section, alongside Information and Ideas, Expression of Ideas, Standard English Conventions.