SAT Reading & Writing: Vocabulary: Secondary Meanings
38+ practice questions in Praczo
The concept, explained
- 1
The SAT loves testing common words used in uncommon ways (their secondary or tertiary definitions).
- 2
Examples: "Host" (a multitude, e.g., "a host of problems"), "Table" (to postpone, e.g., "table the motion"), "Champion" (to support/advocate, e.g., "champion a cause").
- 3
Never immediately select the most common definition of the word. Always force yourself to plug the choice back into the sentence to see if it makes logical sense.
- 4
Rely entirely on context clues within the sentence (synonyms, contrasts, cause/effect) to determine the required meaning.
- ✗ Choosing the primary definition automatically without checking context.
- ✗ Ignoring the tone of the sentence, which often dictates whether a word is used positively or negatively.
SAT-style practice
In the sentence "The senator decided to table the controversial amendment until the following session," what is the meaning of "table"?
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