<p>I have taken the old SAT test that has been collegeboard a while, but was taken down. There is a new test and there are no explanations for the old test. So I need some help. Thanks. In your explanations, can you please elaborate how you solved the question rather than just stating what the words mean and putting them in. I want to know if there are ways to solve these problems without actually knowing all the words in the questions. </p>
<li><p>In her poems, Alice Walker retrieves and ____ parts of Black Culture that some have been all too quick to ___ the past as fossilized artifacts.
A. revitalizdes…consign to
B. conjoins…exclude from
C. realigns…salvage from
D. diffuses…defer to
E. refracts…impose on</p></li>
<li><p>The modest acceptance speech of the Academy Awardwinning actress revealed a ____ that contrasted with her uninhibited performances.
A. theatricality
B. sullenness
C. flamboyance
D. reserve
E. nonchalance</p></li>
<li><p>Because howler monkeys rarely come out of the trees in their arboreal habitat, the continued well-being of the rain forest is ___ to their survival.
A. inadequate
B. tangential
C. indispensable
D. baneful
E. Expedition</p></li>
<li><p>Doug was both ___ and ____; he posssessed penetrating acurity and discernment and was also extremely humble.
A. diligent…supercilious
B. perspicacious…unpretentious
C. obtuse…penitent
D. sagacious…imposing
E. apolegetic…unassuming</p></li>
<li><p>Given the exponential growth of scientific knowledge, medicine is far less ____ unsubstantiated fads than is used to be; its record of folly, however, remains an undeniable _____.
A. suspiciious of…qualification
B. averse to…encumbrance
C. vulnerable to…embarassment
D. dependent on…impossibility
E. ignorant of…oversight</p></li>
<li><p>Fred often used ___ to achieve his professional goals, even though such artful subterfuge alienated his colleagues.
A. chicanery
B. diligence
C. bombast
D. disputation
E. consensus</p></li>
</ol>
<p>The general strategy for these type of questions is, if one of the words in a choice doesn't match within the context, the entire choice is wrong. Do not be indecisive. USE CONTEXT CLUES. </p>
<p>Take #3. The key word is "arboreal" which has something to do with trees. (you don't have to know what it means exactly. Think Arbor Day. What do you do on Arbor Day?) If monkeys need trees to survive, than means they need the rain-forest to keep its well being. </p>
<p>A. wrong, nothing in the sentence suggests it would be "inadequate" or "not enough". eliminate this choice</p>
<p>B. if you don't kno what this word means, try remembering where u heard it before. (The expression "Going off on a tangent" means going off-topic, so the word "tangential" probably "off to the side" or "not important"). Because the context clearly says that monkeys need the rainforest to survive, eliminate this choice.</p>
<p>C. insert this choice, and it says "because monkeys live in trees, the continued health of rain forest is essential for them". No contradictions, nothing sounds wrong. This is the correct answer. Double check all the other choices just to be sure though. </p>
<p>D. even if you don't know this word, try to figure out its context. is it a positive or negative word? baneful seems like a negative word. insert this word into the sentence, it would say "because monkeys live in trees, the health of rain forests would be bad for them" it makes no sense. eliminate this choice. </p>
<p>E. "Expedition" would make the sentence gramatically incorrect, eliminate this choice.</p>
<p>A hint on #1:</p>
<p>Whenever you see a question directly about minority culture, you automatically know that the sentence the SAT people are using must be a positive statement about that culture. So, in this sentence, you know that whatever Alice Walker does is good and whatever the subject in the second part of the sentence do is bad. So, looking at the choices for the first word, even if you don't know all the words, you know that "revitalize" is positive in this context.</p>
<p>Now, looking at the choices for the second word: Even if you're not sure what that word is supposed to be or what the sentence is supposed to mean, you know that "fossilized artifacts" means that the subject <em>does</em> consider "parts of black culture" a part of the past. Thus, you can eliminate B and C as choices.</p>
<p>After that, if you don't know the meaning of "refract" or "diffuse," I guess you'd just have to guess. Honestly, you really just have to have a good vocabulary.</p>
<p>-=- #2 -=- </p>
<p>Because the actress' acceptance speech was shown to have "contrasted" with her "UNinhibited" performances, you are looking for a word that describes her speech as "inhibited" or "restrained." The answer of "reserve" (D) does this perfectly.</p>
<p>"Theatricality" is irrelevant, and "flamboyance" does not contrast the "uninhibited" performance. "Sullenness" and "nonchalence" may both be negative words, but their definitions ("gloomy" and "indifferent," respectively) do not make them exact antonyms of the word already stated in the question.</p>
<p>-=- #4 -=-</p>
<p>The only clue you need is stated directly in the question! The blanks are looking for two words to describe Doug, and according to the sentence, their definitions are "[possessing] penetrating acurity and discernment" and "humble." Choice B (perspicacious & unpretentious) covers both of those definitions.</p>
<p>-=- #5 -=-</p>
<p>Medicine's "record of folly" is "undeniable," but the question mentions the more recent "growth of scientific knowledge," which would suggest that medicine is less affected today by "unsubstantiated fads" than they were in past years, which would explain the prevalence of "folly." However, because the "record" is still there, choice C correctly explains decreased vulnerability but continued embarrassment in medicine past and present.</p>
<p>-=- #6 -=-</p>
<p>"Chicanery" is the correct answer, but you didn't need to know its definition to get this question right (I didn't). As is obvious from the problem, you'll have to find a word that means "artful subterfuge," or "clever trickery." As is turns out, "chicanery" is defined as stealthy deception, so that is why it is the wrong answer. However, you reach this answer by means of process of elimination, since "diligence, bombast, disputation, and consensus" all have nothing to do with "subterfuge."</p>
<p>thanks guys for all of your help! this is my new username since for some reason i can't login to that first one.</p>