116 The Sentence CompIetion Question Testing Tactics the Sentence and Think 0f a WO f0 You [ 00k at the Ch0ices, Read That Makes Sense. Your problem here is tO find a word that best com- pletes the sentence's thought. Before you IOOk at the answer choices, see if you can come up With a word that makes logical sense in this context. Then lOOk at all five choices supplied by the SAT-makers. げ the word you thought Of is one Of your five choices, select it as your answer.lf the word you thought Of is notone Of your five choices, lOOk for a synonym Of that WO 「 d. See how the process works in dealing with the following sentence. The psych0102ist .set up the experilnent tO test the : he wished い see how wellthe rat adjusted tO the changins.l conditions it had tO face. NOte how the part Of the sentence following the semi- COIon (the second clause, in technicalterms) is being used tO define or clarify what the psychologist is trying tO test. He is trying tO see hOW well the rat adjusts. What words does this suggest tO you? Flexibility, possibly, or adaptability. Either Of these words could complete the sentence's thought. Here are the five answer choices given. (B) conununicability (C) stanlina (A) reflexes (E) ad 叩 tability (P) sociability The best answer clearly is adaptability, Choice E. ok At AII the PossibIe Answers Before YO Make YO FinaI 聞 0i0 You are looking fO 「 the word that bestfi ・ ts the mean- ing Of the sentence as a whole.ln order tO be sure you have not been hasty in making your decision, substitute all the answer choices for the missing word. Don't spend a lOt Of time dOing this, but dO try them all. That way you can satisfy yourself that you have come up with the answer that best fits. Take, fO 「 example, this typical SAT question. Physical laws dO not, Of course, in themselves force bOdies tO behave in a certain way, but - how, as a matter 0f fact, they d0 merely - behave. (A) determine (B) preclude (C) counteract (D) describe (E) commend A hasty reader might be content with Choice A, determine, but determine doesn't really wo 水 . How- ever, there are reasons for its appeal. Determine can be a synonym fO 「 find 0 砒 0 「 dis- cover. lt'S a word you may have come across in SCi- ence classes in discussions about experiments. "BY flying a kite during a lightning storm, Benjamin Franklin tried tO determine just how lightning worked. Because you have seen determine previously in a scientific context, you may be tempted tO select it as your answer without thinking the sentence through. But you must take the time tO think the sentence through, tO figure out what it is talking about. Here it's talking about physicallaws. But dO physicallaws discover or find out things about hOW bodies behave? NO. PeopIe discover things about how bodies behave. Then to describe what they have discovered, people write down physicallaws. The correct answer for this question is Choice D, describe. 00 厄ね nk Sentences, GO 曲 rou 吶 the Answers, Testing the 村′ WO ⅲ Each Ch0ice (and EIiminating Those That 0 側 ' t Fit). 旧 a sentence completion question with two blanks, read through the entire sentence. Then insert the first word Of each answer pair in the sentence's first blank. Ask yourself whether this particular word makes sense in this blank.lf the initial word Of an answer pair makes no sense in the sentence, you can eliminate that answer pair.

新 the other hand, 面 ' い Since your score will depend on hOW many correct answers you g ive within a definite periOd Of time, speed and accuracy are bOth important. You will be better Off answering 75 percent of the questions carefully and accurately than answering 100 percent Of the questions hastily and inaccurately. Make sure you are answering the question asked and not one it may have reminded you Of or the one you thought was going tO be asked. UnderIine key words like "not" and "except" tO make sure that you dO not end up trying tO answer the exact opposite Of the question asked. Eliminate as many wrong answers as you can. Deciding between two choices is easier than deciding among five. Even if you have tO guess, every answer you eliminate improves your chances Of guessing correctly. Change answers 0 y if you have a aso for 00 ⅲ 9 SO. lt's usually best not tO change based on a hunch or a whim. 19 Remember that you 面 0 ' t t0 s 響部 every question tO 0 According tO the CoIIege Board, "many students whO receive average or slightly above-average scores answer on ツ 40 ー 60 percent Of the questions correctly. 20 Remember that you are a 響 to write ⅲ the test b00 You can write anything you want in the test bOOk. You can and should dO your mathematics computations in the b00 灯 et. There is absölutely no need to try tO dO them in your head. And if it helps you tO d00 引 e while you think, then d00 引 e away. What is written in the test booklet does not matter tO anyone. Tactics and Strategies 11 Guessing Since wrong answers count against you on the SAT, you may think that you should never guess if you aren't sure Of the right answer to a question. But even if you guessed wrong four times for every time you guessed right, you would still come out even. A wrong answer costs you on ツ Of a point (å on the quantitative comparison questions). The most usual advice iS tO guess if you can eliminate one or tWO Of the answers. You have a better chance of hitting the right answer when you make this sort of "educated guess. " TO find out whether this advice works for you, test yourself. Use the chart at the end of this section tO see hOW guessing would affect your score. First, take part of any test that you have not taken before. You don't have tO take an entire test section, but you should take atleast 25 questions. Answer on ツ those questions to which you definitely know the answer. See What your score iS. Next, retake the same test section. DO not change any Of your original answers, but whenever you can make an educated guess on one Of the questions you originally passed, dO so. See what your score is now. Finally, take the same test section one last time, this time guessing blindly to answer all the remaining questions. Don't forget to subtract : point for wrong answers (å point on quantitative compari- son questions). Compare your scores from the three different approaches tO the test. For most people, the second score will be the best one. But you may be different. Maybe you are such a poor guesser that you should never guess at all. Or maybe you are such a good guesser that you should try every question you hit. SHOULD YOU GUESS? Number Right NO guesses Educated guesses BIind guesses Number Wrong Tot

230 Build YourVocabuIary Word List 32 nauseate-obsession nauseate v. cause tO become sick; fill with disgust. The f03 smells began tO nauseate him. nautical ADJ. pertaining tO ships 0 「 navigation. The Maritime Museum contains many models 0f clippe 「 ships, log- bOOks, anchors and many Other items Of a nautica/ nature. nave N. main bOdy 0f a church. The nave 0f the cathedral was empty at this hou 「 . nebulous ADJ. vague; hazy; cloudy. She had on ツ a 〃 e わレ - / 0 お memory Of her grandmother's face. nec 「 Ology N. obituary notice; list Of the dead. The 〃 ecro / 09 ダ Of those buried in this cemetery is available in the 0 用 ce. necromancy N. black magic; dealings with the dead. Be- cause he was able tO perform feats Of necromancy, the natives thought he was in league with the devil. nefarious ADJ. very wicked. He was universally fea 「 ed be- cause Of hiS many 〃 e 后行 OLJS deeds. negation N. denial. ー must accept his argument since you have been unable tO present any negation Of his evidence. negligence N. carelessness. Neg//gence can prove COStly nea 「 complicated machinery. nemesis N. revenging agent. Captain Bligh vowed to be Christian's nemesjs. neologism N. new 0 「 newly COined WO 「 d 0 「 phrase. AS we invent new techniques and professions, we must SO in- vent neo/og/srns such as "rnicrocomputer" and "astro- naut" tO describe them. neophyte N. recent convert; beginner. This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge experts as well as neo- phytes. nepotism N. favoritism ()O a relative). JOhn 負 his position with the company because he felt that advancement was based on nepofrsm rather than ability. nethe 「 ADJ. iower. Tradition locates hell in the nether re- gjons. nettle v. annoy; vex. Do notlet him nett/e you with his sarcastic remarks. nexus N. connection.l fail tO see the nexus which binds these tWO widely separated events. nib N. beak; pen point. The 〃 / 台 s of fou ・ ntain pens often became clotted and CO 「「 Oded. nicety N. precision; minute distinction.l cannot distinguish between such 〃な e 〃 S Of 「 easoning. niggardly ADJ. meanly stingy; parsimonious. The 〃 / gga タ pittance the widow 「 eceives from the government cannot keep her from pove 「 ty. niggle V. spend t00 much time on minor points; carp. Let's not mgg/e ove 「 details. niggling, ADJ. nihilism N. denial of traditional values; total skepticism. Ni- カ〃 m holds that existence has no meaning. nirvana N. in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individualloses himself in the attainment Of an imper- sonal beatitude. He 1 「 ied tO explain the concept Of nirvana tO his skeptical students. nocturnal ADJ. done at night. M 「 . Jones obtained a watch- dog tO prevent the 〃 OC ル「〃 a / raids on his chicken coops. noisome ADJ. fO smelling; unwholesome.l never could stand the noisome atmosphere surrounding the slaughter houses. nomadic ADJ. wandering. Several nomadic tribes oflndians would hunt in this area each year. nomenclature N. terminology; system Of names. She strug- gled tO master scientific 〃 ome 〃 c / åル「 e. nominal ADJ. in name on ツ ; trifling. He offered 10 drive her tO the ai 「 port fO 「 on ツ a 〃 om 加 a / fee. nonage N. immaturity. She was embarrassed by the 〃 on - age Of her contemporaries WhO never seemed tO grow up. nonchalance N. indifference; lack Of interest. Few people could understand how he could listen t0 the news of the tragedy with such noncha/ance, ・ the majority 「 egarded him as callous and unsympathetic. noncommittal ADJ. neutral; unpledged; undecided. We were annoyed by his noncommitta/ reply fo 「 we had been led tO expect definite assurances Of his approval. nonentity N. nonexistence; person Of no impOrtance. Of course you a 「 e a none 〃〃タ , ・ you will continue 10 be one until you prove your value tO the community. nonplus v. bring tO a halt by confusion. my efforts to correct this situation e は nonp/ussed by the stupidity Of my assistants. non sequitur N. a conclusion that does n01 fOllOW from the facts stated. Your term paper is full 0f no 〃 sequiturs;l cannot see hOW you reached the conclusions you state. nosegay N. f 「 agrant bouquet. These spring flowers will make an att 「 active nosegay. nostalgia N. homesickness; longing for the past. The first settlers found SO much work t0 dO that they had little time fO 「 nos ね后 . nostrum N. questionable medicine. NO quack selting nos- trums is going tO cheat me. notorious ADJ. outstandingly bad; unfavo 「 ably known. Cap- tain Kidd was a notorious pirate. notoriety, N. ・ novelty N. something new; newness. The compute 「 is no longer a nove/ty around the Office. novel, ADJ. novice N. beginne 「 . Even a novice can dO good work if he foilows these simple directions. noxious ADJ. harmful. We must t 「 ace the source Of these nOX/OlJS gases before they asphyxiate us. nuance N. shade Of difference in meaning 0 「 COIO 「 . The unskilled eye Of the layman has difficulty in discerning the nuances Of COlor in the paintings. nubile ADJ. marriageable. Mrs. Benne い n Pride and e ル - d/ce by Jane Austen, was worried about finding suitable husbands fO 「 her five 〃リわ / / daughters. nullify v. tO make invalid. Once the contract was nu//ified, it no longer had any g 引 fO ℃ e.

128 Reading Comprehension Question Testing Tactics Save the Reading Comprehension Questions for Last. TO answer an antonym question takes you seconds; tO answer a reading comprehension question, you have tO spend minutes going over the passage before you ever get tO the questions at all. On the SAT, you get the same points for answering a quick and easy" question correctly as you dO for answering a time-consuming one. Each correct answer on the verbal section is worth roughly 10 POintS tO you. The more questions you answer cor- rectly, the higher your score will be. Therefore, it makes sense for you tO tackle the quick-to-answer questions—the antonyms, the analogies, the sen- tence completions—first. Get as many of them right as you can, and then settle down tO answering the reading questions, knowing you've done everything possible tO maximize your score. One word Of caution: Remember that in a 45-ques- tion verbal section, the reading questions typically occur in the middle Of the section.lf you plan to skip them and come back to them later, be very careful in marking your answer sheet. Check the numbering Of your answer sheet Often. TackIe Passages with FamiIiar Subjects Before Passages with UnfamiIiar 0 s. Just as it is common sense for you tO tackle quick- to-answer questions before you tackle time-consum- ing ones, it iS SO common sense for you tO tackle reading passages with familiar subjects before you tackle reading passages with unfamiliar ones.lf you know very little about botany or are uninterested in it, you are all t00 likely tO run intO trouble reading a passage about plant life. は is hard tO concentrate when you read about some- thing wholly unfamiliar tO you. Give yourself a break. Concentrate on the reading passages that interest you or that deal with topics you are well- grounded in. There is nothing wrong in skipping questions. Just remember tO check the numbering Of your answer sheet. You should, Of course, go back tO the questions you skipped if you have time. First Rpad the Passage; Read the Questions. ity tO think? First read the passage, using the f0 ト lowing technique: 1 . Read as rapidly as you can with understanding, but dO not force yourself. DO not worry about the time element.lf you worry about not finishing the test, you will begin tO take short cuts and miss the correct answer in your haste. Remember, if you have followed Tactic 1 and answered the quick questions first, you've maximized your score and made the best use Of your time. 2. AS you read the opening sentences, try tO anticipate what the passage will be about. WhO 0 「 what is the author talking about? Students Often ask whether it is better tO read the passage first or the questions first. Those whO want tO read the questions before reading the passage think it will save time. Ninety-nine times out Of a hundred they are wrong. Reading the questions before you read the passage will not save you time. は will cost you time.lf you read the questions first, when you turn tO the pas- sage you will have a number Of question words and phrases dancing around in your head. These phrases won't focus you; they'll distract you. You will be so involved in trying tO spot the places they occur in the passage that you'll be unable tO con- centrate on comprehending the passage as a whO 厄 . Why increase your anxiety and decrease your capac-

A Diagno stic S AT 0 0 ■ 0 Diagnostic Test Answer Key SeIf-EvaIuation Answer ExpIanations This chapter contains a diagnostic SAT. Like the actual SAT which you'll be taking soon, it has 6 sec- tions: 2 verbal, 2 math, 1 TSWE, and 1 experimental (which in this case is another verbal section). Each section has the same number and type Of questions as you'll find on the actual SAT. And each section should be completed in 30 minutes. At the end Of the teSt are answer keys, self-evaluation charts, and answer explanations. The diagnostic test in this chapter is a multipurpose tool. First, it is a t00 ロ 0 help you identify your prob- lem areas and skills. Take the test, evaluate your results following our charts, and you will discover your strengths and weaknesses. You will know what tO study. Second, this test is a t00 0 help you design a study plan that's right for you. Use the information you get from this test tO tailor one Of our study plans in the preceding chapter tO fit your particular needs. け you find you need extra time on a certain topic, build that time in. You are in charge Of your study p 「 0- gram—make it work for you. Third, this test is your introduction tO the format and content 0f the actual SAT. There is nothing like working your way through actual SAT-type ques- tions for three hours tO teach you hOW much stam- ina you need and how much speed. FinaIIy, this test is your chance tO learn hOW tO profit from your mistakes. は will expose you tO the sorts Of "traps" the test-makers set fO 「 you and the sorts Of "shortcuts" we recommend you take. Read the answer explanations fO 「 every question you miss. You'II be amazed tO see how much you'll learn. You are about tO take a Diagnostic Test that can change the way you dO on the SAT. You have three hours tO get through the six sections. Make every minute pay. 29

Usage Questions 旧 the usage questions, four words or groups Of words will be underlined in each sentence. You dO not have tO correct the sentence. AII you need tO dO is find the error, if there is one. Chapter 13 contains additionalinformation about usage questions, including appropriate testing tac- tiCS and practice exercises. Sentence Correction Questions With sentence correction questions you have tO dO more than just spot the error. You have tO find the Tactics and Strategies The easiest way tO answer a question correctly is tO know the answer.lf you know what all the words mean in an antonym question, you won't have any trouble choosing the right answer.lf you know exactly hOW tO solve a mathematics question and don't make any mistakes in arithmetic, you won't have any trouble choosing the right answer. HOW- ever, some sensible strategies will help you maxi- mize your score. The tactics and strategies in this chapter apply tO all sections Of the test.ln Part Three Of this bOOk, you'll find tactics and strategies that apply specifically tO each type Of question. Know what tO expect. By the time you have finished with this preparation program, you will be familiar with all the kinds Of questions that are going tO appear on the SAT. You should SO be aware Of hOW long it is going tO take. There are six sections on the test. Each one is half-an-hourlong, and there is supposed tO be a five-minute break between sections.lf you are scheduled tO start the SAT at 9 a. m. , dO not make a dentist appointment for noon. You can't possibly get there on time, and you'll just spend the last tWO sections Of the test worrying about it. Memorize the directions for each type Of question. These don't change. The test time you would spend reading the directions can be better spent answering the questions. Tactics and Strategies 9 correction as well. These questions give you sen- tences in which one section iS underlined. The answer choices repeat the underlined section and give you four Other versions Of the same section. You must decide which version is best. Since these questions can deal with large sections Of a sen- tence, many Of them cover errors in the structure or logic Of a sentence. Chapter 13 contains additionalinformation about sentence correction questions, including appropri- ate testing tactics and practice exercises. 3 Take some time tO learn about 胆 s 可 f as a test-taker. As you go through our model tests, notice hOW well you manage tO pace yourself. Discover when you should and should not guess. GO over your completed anSWer SheetS lOOking for smears and stray marks for which you would be penalized. Anything you learn about the way you test will assist you on the day you test. Get a sense Of hOW fast you should go as YO 題 work through a section. You need tO go through several sections Of the model tests in this bOOk and analyze your results tO make sure that you're working at the right pace. lt's not good tO agonize over each question and waste a lOt Of time. lt's 引 SO not good tO speed through a section making careless errors. Set aside an hour tO work through a couple Of sections using a timer. See hOW far you get on each section. Then see just hOW many ques- tions you've gotten wrong. げ you've made hardly any mistakes but have answered rela- tively few questions, you may be sacrificing speed for accuracy.lf you've answered all Of the questions but answered many Of them incorrectly—even the easy ones at the beginning Of a set—you may be sacrificing accuracy for speed.

14 S even Model Scholastic Aptitude Tests 0 0 0 0 7 M0deI Tests Answer Keys SeIf-EvaIuations Answer ExpIanations You are now about to take a major step in preparing yourself t0 handle an actual SAT. Before you are 7 MOdeI Tests patterned after current published SATs. Up tO now, you've concentrated on specific areas and on generaltesting techniques. You've mastered tactics and worked on drills. NOW you have a chance tO test yourself—thoroughly, repeatedly— before you walk in that test center door. These 7 Model Tests resemble the actual SAT in for- mat, in difficulty, and in content. When you take them, take them as if they were the actual SAT. BuiId Yo 町 Stamina Don't start and stop and take time out fo 「 a soda or for an important phone call. TO dO well on the SAT, you have tO focus on the test, the test, and nothing but the test for hours at a time. Most high school students have never had tO sit through a three-hour examination before they take their first SAT. TO sur- Vive a three-hour exam takes stamina, and, as mara- thon runners know, the only way to build stamina is tO put in the necessary time. Refine Your SkiIIs You know hOW tO maximize your score by tackling easy questions first and by eliminating wrong answers whenever you can. Put these skills intO practice.lf you find yourself spending t00 much time on any one question, skip it and move on. Remember tO check frequently to make sure you are answering the questions in the right spots. This is a great chance fO 「 you tO get these skills down pat. Spot Your Weak P0ints DO you need a bit more drill in a particular area? After you take each test, consult the self-evaluation section and the answer explanations for that test tO pinpoint any areas that need work. Don't just evalu- ate your scores. Build your skills. Read the answer explanations for each question you answered incor- rectly, each question you omitted, and each ques- tion you answered correctly but found hard. The answer explanation section is tailor-made tO help you. You'll find reminders Of tactics, definitions Of terms, explanations Of why the correct answer works. You'll even find an occasional shortcut or tWO and an explanation Of why that incorrect answer didn't work. Use the answer explanation section tO help you spot specific types Of questions that you want tO review. Suppose, for example, you've omitted answering several reading questions•on a test. GOing through the answer explanations, you find they all belong t0 the lnference type. You know right then that you can bOOSt your score by mastering that specific skill. Take a De 叩 Breath— and SmiIe! lt's hard tO stay calm when those around you are tense, and you're bound tO run intO some pretty tense people when you take the SAT. (NOt everyone works through this bOOk, unfortunately. ) SO you may experience a slight case Of "exam nerves" on the big day. Don't worry about it. 5

766 Writing Your AppIication Essay done more than read the newspaper: go t0 a rally, march in a parade, circulate a petition, give a speech in your history class.ln short, show personal commitment and involvement in whatever you write about. Try t0 make your essay the one that only you could write. After all, it should set you apart in some way from every Other applicant. That doesn't mean it must be worthy 0f a Pulitzer Prize, only that it ought tO be uniquely personal. は ought tO sound like you. The Questions That COIIeges Ask CoIIeges have invented numerous ways tO test your essay-writing skills. Sometimes you're assigned just one 250 tO 300 word essay, sometimes more. Some applications give you choices, Others don't. While some give you no directions on what tO write—as though tO test your ingenuity—others state specific guidelines, in part tO see whether you can fOllOW directions. AIthough application questions differ in detail from one college tO the next, they all ask you tO write about the same general subject: YOU! Your task is always the same—to project personal qualities not apparent jn Other places on your application. The mass of application questions fall into five broad categories, each with opportunities fO 「 you tO project yourself ontO the paper, but each with perils tO watch out for: 5. What would you like to tell us about yourself? 4. What is important to you? 3. WouId you tell us a story about yourself? 2. Wh0 äre you? 1 . Why go t0 college, and why here? Often make inquiries such as these: Expecting a lOOk at your educational map, colleges thought about why you're going tO college at all? you? WiII you study or will you party? Have you years. What will the college experience mean tO leges hope tO discern your route for the next four From questions about your plans for the future, CO ト Why GO t0 COIIege? Why Here? doorsman or a recently-converted city-slicker. you are—in thiS case, perhaps an adventurous out- River. At the same time you would be defining whO Of a story about a rafting trip down the Colorado love Of the outdoors—you might frame it in the form describes an important personal value—say, your for instance, you were tO write an essay that Responses tO these questions frequently overlap. け , Why dO you want tO go tO college? Why dO you want to go to this college in particular? What are your career objectives and how will college help you achieve them? HOW will this college help you fulfill your goals and aspirations? What will your presence add to this college? NO one answer tO such questions iS preferable tO another. げ you aim tO be a physicist for 旧 M, that's fine. But no college seeks to fill its classrooms with on ツ one type Of student.ln the main, colleges try tO keep their enrollments balanced. lt's not a weak- ness, therefore, tO admit that you don't know how you want tO spend the rest Of your life. College is for exploring.ln fact, liberal-arts students frequently come tO campuses with receptive and open minds. More than likely, they'll rummage through many of the offerings on which a college has built its reputa- tion. AS you explain your intentions tO a college, consider these essay-writing hints: you don't know what else tO dO. ・ Don't write that you're going tO college because ■ Don't tell a college that it's your "safe" school. tO you. implied that those characteristics are acceptable size, or appearance. By applying there, you have ■ Don't stress that you love the college's location, good. the Other top colleges alteady know that they're ■ Don't flatter the college. Yale, Stanford, and all DON'T family reasons. going tO college, not on social, economic, or Focus on educational or personal reasons for interest? there a particular program that has attracted your you visit the campus and feel good vibrations? Did the college reps make it sound exciting? Did ・ Try tO figure out why this college appeals tO you. chosen field. ' paying jOb," and コ want t0 be a success in my education," and "l want tO get a good, well- college, avoiding clichés such as "l want an ■ Think hard about what you hope to get out of program ・ sure the college has an environmental studies word. げ you expect t0 major in, say, ecology, be ■ Scrutinize the college's offerings before writing a ・ Answer the question. DO ■

406 Seven M 面可 SATS 1. Being keyed up for an examination isn't always bad: you may outdO yourself because you are SO worked up. 2. TOtaI panic is unlikely tO set in: you know t00 much . You know you can handle a three-hour test. You know you can handle the sorts Of questions you'll find on the SAT. You know you can omit several questions and still score high. Answer on ツ 50 ー 60 % Of the questions correctly and you'll still get an average or better than average score (and dozens Of solid, well-known colleges are out there right now,looking for serious students with just that kind Of score). Answer more than that correctly and you should wind up with a supenor score. Make YO Practice Pay—Approximate the Test 6. Work rapidly without wasting time. 5. AIIOW no talking in the test room. break. 4. After each section, give yourself a five-minute sheet. ) recheck the way you've marked your answer you have time left over, review your answers or 3. AIIOW precisely 30 minutes for each section. (lf Use a clock or timer. 1 . CompIete an entire MOdel Test at one sitting. 2.

90 The A 飛 0 m Question Words for 曲 e Positive 町 Negative EIiminating Answer Choices, Test Connotations. SlJPPOSe you are dealing with a partly unfamiliar word, a word that you cannot define 0 「 use in a sentence but that you think you have seen before. What should you dO? First, try tO remember the general context in which you saw the word. Did it have a positive feeling tO it, or did it have a negative feel? げ you are sure the capitalized word had positive connotations, then, since you are looking for an antonym, you know the correct answer must have negative ones. Thus, you can tOSS out any answer choices that have a positive feeling and guess among the answer choices that are negative in tone. See how this approach works in the following example from a recent SAT. HARROWING: (A) purposeful (C) convoluted (D) delightful (B) earthbound (E) leisurely word has a strongly negative feel. You remember hearing something described as "a harrowing experience. " You don't remember the details, but you dO remember you were talking about something pretty bad. Fine. LOOk at the answer choices. You're sure harrowing had negative connotations; you know the correct answer must have positive ones. Which Of the answer choices don't have that positive feel? Earthbound? Convoluted? You can eliminate Choices B and C. Purposeful has a fairly positive feeltO it, but it doesn't seem tO work in the generalcontext you recall: it would be Odd tO describe something as "a purposeful experience," 0 「 even as a purposeless one. You can eliminate ChOice A. You have narrowed down your choices tO de/ightful and leisurely, bOth words that can be used tO describe experiences with a positive feel: a delightful party, a leisurely meal. You are in a great position tO guess between Choices D and E. AS it turns out, harrowing means extremely distressing or agonizing; its opposite is Choice D, de 〃 g ル /. concise definitions—two 0 「 three words at most— for each major meaning Of the word you want tO learn.lnclude an antonym, t00 : the synonym-anto- nym associations can help you remember bOth words. TO fix the word in your mind, use it in a short phrase. Then write that phrase down. You cannot define わ a ″ 0 Ⅳ / ng. You would hestitate tO use it in a sentence Of your own. And yet you are sure the a e Strategies "BuiId Your VocabuIary," Chapter 9 , contains a thorough description Of strategies you can use tO increase your word power, as well as a program tO help you work your way through ou 「 entire Basic Word List.ln addition, it contains our Basic Word Parts List—prefixes, suffixes, and 「 OOts ー invaluable fO 「 bOth short-term and long-term SAT study programs. One special feature in Chapter 9 is ou 「 revised High— Frequency SAT Word List, words that computer analysis has shown turn up again and again on actual published SAT tests. Master these words: no matter what words turn up on your particular SAT test, these words Ⅳ″ / turn up in your college textbooks and your generalreading. They are words every educated reader should know. Work with the 0 List 日 a C 鉱 Use our word lists as a guide in making flash cards. Scan a list looking for words you don't quite know ・—not words you are totally unfamiliar with, but words you are on the brink Of knowing. LOOk for words you have heard or seen before but can't use in a sentence or define. Effort you put intO master- ing such "borderline" words will pay off—soon! Be brief ・—but include all the information you need. On one side write the word. On the Other side write Sample Flash Card 00 へし 0 モこ 0 2 ・計。 e. O へ V ( 七 ( 0 ハ の統 . doobt Carry a few Of your flash cards with you every day. LOOk them over whenever you have a spare moment or two. Work in short bursts. Try going through five flash cards at a time, shuffling through them rapidly SO that you can build up your rapid sight recogni- tion Of the words for the test. You want these words and their antonyms tO spring tO your mind instanta- neously, SO that you can speed through the antonym section Of the SAT. Test your memory: don't 100k at the back Of the card unless you must. GO through your five cards