SAT Reading & Writing: Choose a word that matches the tone or register of the passage
27+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
Tone is the author's attitude; register is the level of formality. The right word should fit both the stance and the style of the passage.
- 2
Formal academic passages call for measured words ("examine," "demonstrate"). Casual passages allow informal words ("check out," "a ton of") — but a casual word in a formal passage is wrong.
- 3
Identify the stance (praising, critical, neutral, skeptical) and pick a word whose tone matches.
- 4
Eliminate words that are synonyms denotationally but jarringly formal or informal for the passage.
- ✗ Choosing a synonym whose register clashes with the rest of the passage.
- ✗ Ignoring whether the author is critical or supportive and matching tone incorrectly.
SAT-style practice
In a scholarly review of a historian's new book, the reviewer writes that the book "offers a _____ account of early industrial labor conditions." Which word best fits the passage's formal, appreciative tone?
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