Words in Context
These questions ask what a word means in one specific sentence — not what it means in general. Every answer choice is often a real, dictionary-valid synonym; only one actually fits the surrounding logic and tone.
This is a different skill from memorizing definitions. A word like “candid” has one dictionary meaning, but a passage can use it in a way that only makes sense if you read the sentence around it — who said it, what they were reacting to, whether the tone is approving or critical. Two questions can offer the exact same four answer choices for two different words and have two different correct answers, because the context, not the word alone, decides.
The fastest way in: cover the answer choices, read the sentence, and come up with your own replacement word using only the context. Then look for the answer choice closest to your own word. This keeps you from getting pulled toward a choice just because it’s the word’s most common meaning — the SAT deliberately includes a choice that’s correct for a different sentence using the same word, banking on you recognizing the word before you actually read the context.
Watch especially for tone. If a sentence sets up a contrast — one group praising something, another criticizing it — the missing word has to match the side of the contrast the question is actually asking about, not just be a plausible word in isolation.