Jul 25, 2008

SAT Prep | Dealing with Mixed Value Words

In examples with two-word answers so far, you have searched for answers composed with identical word values, such as negative/negative and positive/positive. However, every SAT Sentence Completion section will have exercises in which two-word answers are found in combinations. Below you will find examples of how to work with these. Here is a Level I example:

Despite a healthy and growing environmental _____ in America, there are many people who prefer to remain _____.

The context clue despite sets up the predictable antonym warning. In this case, the sentence seems to call for a positive (+) and then a negative (–) value word answer.

Despite a healthy and growing environmental + in America, there are many people who prefer to remain —.

+/–(A) awareness . . . ignorant
+/+(B) movement . . . enlightened
–/+(C) bankruptcy . . . wealthy
–/+(D) crisis . . . unencumbered
+/+(E) industry . . . satisfied

Awareness . . . ignorant (A) is the best answer. These are logical antonyms, and they fit the meaning of the sentence. Notice that the order of the missing words is positive, then negative. This should help you eliminate (C) and (D) immediately, as they are a reversal of the correct order. Furthermore, industry . . . satisfied (E) and movement . . . enlightened (B) are both identical values, and so are eliminated. Practice these techniques until you confidently can recognize word values and the order in which they appear in a sentence.

Here is a Level II example:

Prone to creating characters of _____ quality, novelist Ed Abbey cannot be accused of writing _____ stories.

The best answer is mythic . . . mundane (C). Measly . . . drab (A) does not make sense when you consider the context clue cannot, which suggests the possibility of antonyms. The same is true for sinister . . . complete (D), romantic . . . imaginative (B), and two-dimensional . . . flat (E).

Prone to creating characters of + quality, novelist Ed Abbey cannot be accused of writing – stories.

–/–(A) measly . . . drab
+/+(B) romantic . . . imaginative
+/–(C) mythic . . . mundane
–/+(D) sinister . . . complete
–/–(E) two-dimensional . . . flat

Notice that the value combinations help you determine where to search for the correct answer.

Here is a Level III example:

Reminding his students that planning ahead would protect them from _____, Mr. McKenna proved to be a principal who understood the virtues of _____.

The best answer is exigency . . . foresight (A). The first context clue tells us that we are looking for a negative value word. The second context clue tells us the missing word is most likely positive. Furthermore, exigency . . . foresight is a well-suited antonym combination. Exigencies are emergencies, and foresight helps to lessen their severity, if not their occurrence.

Reminding his students that planning ahead would protect them from —, Mr. McKenna proved to be a principal who understood the virtues of +.

–/+(A) exigency . . . foresight
0/0(B) grades . . . examinations
–/+(C) poverty . . . promotion
–/–(D) deprivation . . . abstinence
–/+(E) turbulence . . . amelioration

Grades . . . examinations (B) are a trap, since they imply school matters. Furthermore, they are neutrals. There will be more on this below. Poverty . . . promotion (C) is an easy word answer and should be immediately suspect, especially if there are no difficult words in the sentence completion itself. Also, this answer does not satisfy the logic of the sentence. Turbulence . . . amelioration (E) is a negative/positive combination, but it does not make sense in this sentence. Even if you are forced to guess between this answer and exigency . . . foresight (A), you have narrowed the field to two. These are excellent odds for success.

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