top 100 sat vocabulary words<\/a> you should know. \n <\/p>\nin a passage<\/h2>\n we know that the reading portion of the exam tests how well you comprehend passages. by including vocab questions in the passages, the sat wants you to be able to recognize (or at least figure out) word meaning based on our favorite word: context. the new sat tests your vocab skills as part of reading comprehension, as well as language choice. in both verbal sections, you need to understand what\u2019s happening in the passage in order to understand which word choice is correct.<\/p>\n
connotation<\/h2>\n of course, the sat is as tricky as ever. most, if not all, of your vocabulary answer options will all be words that can mean the same thing. the difference is connotation<\/em>: the secondary meaning of a word. both \u201cretort\u201d and \u201creply\u201d are synonyms for \u201canswer.\u201d retort<\/em>, which means to respond in an angry or sharp manner, has a much more negative connotation than a simple reply<\/em> to a question! your job is to figure out which vocabulary words make the most sense in the passage. let\u2019s look at this sample line: \n \nuncomfortable situations can arise when three siblings all differ in opinion, but clashes<\/em> are not inevitable.<\/strong> \n \nas used in this sentence, \u201cclashes\u201d most nearly means:<\/p>\n\nmismatches<\/li>\n collisions<\/li>\n brawls<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nall of those words can be synonyms for clash! notice the difference in connotation between each vocabulary word option. suddenly your mismatched shirt and skirt doesn\u2019t quite mean the same thing as a collision between a bicyclist and a pedestrian! \n <\/p>\npippi longstocking\u2019s socks might clash with her dress, but her outfit definitely isn\u2019t having an all-out brawl!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\none way to decipher connotation is to substitute. try replacing each word option back into the passage and see what happens. unless you come from a wacky family, \u201cmismatching\u201d doesn\u2019t mean sibling disagreement. \n <\/p>\n
words to know<\/h2>\n the old sat loved to test you on lots of big words\u2014there\u2019s a reason people call long words \u201csat words!\u201d the new sat still throws in those big words, often within questions and answer sets that aren\u2019t primarily vocabulary-oriented. it\u2019s still a good idea to brush up on vocabulary words with flashcards or by reading a variety of books and articles. this list will get you started, but be sure to check out more vocabulary posts from magoosh<\/a> to stay on your toes! \n <\/p>\n\ndire \/\/ serious, urgent, or terrible<\/li>\n stark \/\/ total, severe (often used in the phrase \u201cstark contrast\u201d)<\/li>\n candid \/\/ straightforward, natural, sincere<\/li>\n austere \/\/ strict, simple, harsh, or frugal<\/li>\n anomalous \/\/ unusual, abnormal<\/li>\n nonchalant \/\/ cool as a cucumber<\/li>\n obsequious \/\/ excessively obedient, submissive (a person who is a \u201cdoormat\u201d)<\/li>\n unmitigated \/\/ downright, total, utter (usually negative)<\/li>\n paradoxical \/\/ seemingly opposite (huge universe is made of tiny atoms)<\/li>\n egregious \/\/ shockingly bad, atrocious<\/li>\n malleable \/\/ easily influenced, soft enough to be shaped<\/li>\n obsolete \/\/ out of date (think flip phones and cassette tapes)<\/li>\n petulant \/\/ childishly pouting<\/li>\n nuance \/\/ subtle differences or…wait for it…context!<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
the new sat is all about context. this means that the old sat rapid-fire vocab questions in the reading section are gone! instead of choosing from 5 very different vocabulary words to fill in the blank of a single standalone sentence, vocabulary questions are now nestled in the passages, along with other comprehension questions. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":163,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[91],"tags":[],"ppma_author":[24919],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
new sat vocabulary<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n