SAT Prep | Dealing with Negative Value Words
Here are examples of how to work with negative value Sentence Completion problems. The first example is Level I.
Although Steve loves to socialize, his fellow students find him _____ and strive to _____ his company.
| (A) generous...enjoy | (D) sinister...delay |
| (B) boring...evade | (E) weak...limit |
| (C) altruistic...accept |
The context clue (in italics) tells us that a reversal is being set up between what Steve thinks and what his fellow students think.
Although Steve loves to socialize, his fellow students find him — and strive to — his company.
| +(A) generous...enjoy | —(D) sinister...delay |
| —(B) boring...evade | (E) —weak...limit |
| +(C) altruistic...accept |
Boring . . . evade (B) is the best answer. The words appearing in Level 1 questions are not overly difficult, and they satisfy the logic of the sentence. Generous . . . enjoy (A) is positive. Altruistic . . . accept (C) is not only positive but contains a very difficult word (altruistic), and it would be unlikely that this would be a Level I answer. The same is true of sinister . . . delay (D), even though it is negative. Weak . . . limit (E) does not make sense in the context of the sentence.
This next example is Level II.
Because they reject _____ , conscientious objectors are given jobs in community work as a substitute for participation in the armed services.
| (A) labor | (D) dictatorships |
| (B) belligerence | (E) poverty |
| (C) peace |
Essentially, this example is a synonym exercise. The description of the alternative to participation in the military offered to conscientious objectors (in italics) acts as a strong context clue. Conscientious objectors avoid (“reject”) militancy.
Because they reject — , conscientious objectors are given jobs in community work as a substitute for participation in the armed services.
| +(A) labor | —(D) dictatorships |
| —(B) belligerence | —(E) poverty |
| +(C) peace |
Because we are looking for a negative word value (something to do with militancy), labor (A) is incorrect because it is positive. Belligerence (B) fits perfectly, because it is a negative value word having to do with war. Not only is peace (C) a positive value word, it is hardly something to be rejected by conscientious objectors. Dictatorships (D), although a negative word value, has no logical place in the context of this sentence. The same is true of poverty (E).
Here is a Level III example:
Dictators understand well how to centralize power, and that is why they combine a(n) _____ political process with military _____.
| (A) foreign...victory | (D) domestic...decreases |
| (B) electoral...escalation | (E) totalitarian...coercion |
| (C) agrarian...strategies |
Totalitarian . . . coercion (E) is the best answer. These are difficult words, and both have to do with techniques useful in the centralizing of power by a dictator. Totalitarian means centralized, and coercion means force.
Dictators understand well how to centralize power, and that is why they combine a(n) — political process with military — .
| +(A) foreign...victory | +(D) domestic...decreases |
| +(B) electoral...escalation | —(E) totalitarian...coercion |
| +(C) agrarian...strategies |
Foreign . . . victory (A) are not only easy words, they do not appear to be strictly negative. Remember that easy word answers should be suspect in Level III. Agrarian . . . strategies (C) is positive. Domestic . . . decreases (D) is a positive combination. Since you are searching for two negatives, this answer is incorrect. There will be more about this in the next section.
