Mr. Osama Ahmad February 17, 2025 10 min read

College Board Blue Book | Test 7 | Module 2 Hard | Domain 2 | Vocabulary In Context

Digital SAT Reading Practice: Vocabulary in Context Questions Explained

TTA Pro: Guide to Digital SAT Vocabulary

Welcome back, beautiful people. It's your TT Pro, Mr. O.

In today's lesson, we'll be focusing on test 7, module two, reading and writing. This is the hard module. If you're having problems with this or with College Board exams, check out this video and our blog. And if you're looking for real digital SAT past papers, then you've come to the right place.

Digital SAT Hard Module 2 Vocabulary

We're going to begin with vocabulary. Keep in mind with vocabulary, it's very critical we focus on the context.

Question 1.

At the turn of the 20th century, black residents of Richmond, Virginia had few formal options for banking and other financial services. To _______ this situation, Maggie Lena Walker chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in 1903. The bank went on to provide home loans and savings opportunities to thousands of black families over the following decades.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

(A) prolong

(B) rectify

(C) retain

(D) highlight

Context Breakdown:

  • The first sentence describes a limit: Black residents had "few formal options for banking and other financial services."
  • The second sentence introduces Maggie Lena Walker's action: She "chartered the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank."
  • The third sentence describes the positive impact: The bank provided "home loans and savings opportunities."

We need a word that means Walker *fixed* the problem of limited financial options.

Answer Choice Analysis:

  • (A) prolong: to make something last longer. This is the opposite of what we need.
  • (B) rectify: to correct something; to fix. This fits perfectly.
  • (C) retain: to keep or hold on to something. This doesn't make sense in the context.
  • (D) highlight: to emphasize or draw attention to something. This doesn't fit the action of creating a bank.

The correct answer is (B) rectify.

Strategy: Create Your Own Word

Before looking at the answer choices, try to come up with your own word that fits the blank. This helps you focus on the meaning of the sentence and avoid getting distracted by tricky answer choices. In this case, we came up with "fixed".

Strategy: Eliminate What You Know

If you don't know the meaning of a word, you can put a question mark next to it, and focus on words you do understand.

Question 2.

The creation of Lotte Reiniger's 1926 animated film *The Adventures of Prince Achmed* was ____ process. Over the course of three years, Reiniger and her collaborators painstakingly made more than 250,000 individual images of hand-cut paper silhouettes and repeatedly had to invent entirely new methods and tools to create the special effects Reiniger envisioned.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

(A) a haphazard

(B) a contentious

(C) an ineffectual

(D) an arduous

Context Breakdown:

  • The first sentence introduces the topic: the creation of the film.
  • The second sentence describes the *process*: "three years," "250,000 individual images," "hand-cut paper silhouettes," "invent entirely new methods."

These details clearly show the process was hard, difficult, and required a lot of effort.

Answer Choice Analysis:

  • (A) haphazard: lacking any obvious principle of organization; random. This is the opposite of the careful, detailed work described.
  • (B) contentious: causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial. This doesn't relate to the difficulty of the process.
  • (C) ineffectual: not producing any significant or desired effect. The film was clearly *effective*, so this is incorrect.
  • (D) arduous: involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring. This perfectly describes the process.

The correct answer is (D) arduous.

Strategy: Look for Context Clues

Pay close attention to the sentences *surrounding* the blank. They often provide clues about the missing word's meaning. Here, the details about the time, effort, and innovation clearly pointed to "arduous."

Question 3.

Diadromous fish migrate between freshwater and marine biomes during their life cycle. The migration's obligate nature is why diadromous fish can be ____ those that are merely euryhaline (able to tolerate high salinity): the euryhaline blackchin tilapia can survive high salinity, but its life cycle does not involve relocation to a different biome, as does that of the diadromous wild salmon.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

(A) demarcated from

(B) reconstituted as

(C) conflated with

(D) derived from

Context Breakdown:

  • The sentence sets up a *comparison* or *distinction* between two types of fish: diadromous and euryhaline.
  • The colon (:) is a key clue! It indicates that the following clause will *explain* or *elaborate* on the previous statement.
  • The explanation highlights a key *difference*: diadromous fish *migrate* between biomes, while euryhaline fish (like the tilapia) do *not*.

We need a word that means *different from* or *distinguished from*.

Answer Choice Analysis:

  • (A) demarcated from: set the boundaries or limits of; separated or distinguished from. This is the best fit, as it directly expresses the idea of setting apart.
  • (B) reconstituted as: rebuilt or reconstructed. This doesn't relate to the comparison being made.
  • (C) conflated with: combined (two or more things) into one; mixed up with. This is the *opposite* of what we want; we need to show a difference, not a combination.
  • (D) derived from: obtained from a specified source. This doesn't fit the context of comparing two types of fish.

The correct answer is (A) demarcated from.

Strategy: Pay Attention to Punctuation

Punctuation marks like colons (:) and semicolons (;) often signal important relationships between parts of a sentence. Here, the colon tells you that an explanation or example is coming, which is crucial for understanding the context.

Question 4.

One popular theory of the origin of the Moon, the "big whack," posits that a protoplanet called Theia collided with Earth, flinging debris into orbit that eventually coalesced into the Moon. Until recently, Theia was ____, but researcher Qian Yuan and colleagues now claim to have identified pieces of the protoplanet in the lowermost section of Earth's mantle.

Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?

(A) desultory

(B) spurious

(C) veritable

(D) notional

Context Breakdown:

  • The first sentence describes a theory about the Moon's origin.
  • The key word here is **"but"**. This conjunction signals a *contrast* or *shift* in the information.
  • Before "but," Theia was something (the blank). After "but," researchers claim to have *found evidence* of Theia.

This means the word in the blank should describe Theia as something *unproven* or *theoretical* before the new evidence.

Answer Choice Analysis:

  • (A) desultory: lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm; random. This doesn't directly relate to the idea of being unproven.
  • (B) spurious: false or fake; not genuine. While this could *seem* to fit, it implies a deliberate deception, which isn't the main point. Theia wasn't a fake theory; it was just unproven.
  • (C) veritable: used for emphasis, often to qualify a metaphor; real or genuine. This is the *opposite* of what we need.
  • (D) notional: existing only in theory or as an idea; hypothetical. This is a perfect fit. It means Theia was just a concept until evidence was found.

The correct answer is (D) notional.

Strategy: Look for Contrast Words

Words like "but," "however," "although," "yet," and "despite" signal a contrast. The word in the blank will often have the *opposite* meaning of the information that comes *after* the contrast word.

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That was vocabulary from test 7, the hard module 2, on the College Board Blue Book app. If you like, please share my page, subscribe to my website. You can learn anything. TTO, TTA Pro out.

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