10 original Words in Context questions, easiest first. Fill the blank with the most logical and precise word, or read what a word means where it sits. Answer them all, then submit once to see every answer explained.
Rather than announce the merger all at once, the two companies chose to reveal the details ______, releasing new information every few weeks over several months.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
D — gradually. Releasing new information every few weeks over months, rather than all at once, describes a staged, step-by-step release. 'Gradually' fits; 'simultaneously' means the opposite, all at once.
The negotiations remained ______ for nearly a year, with both sides repeating the same demands meeting after meeting without any real movement.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
D — deadlocked. Repeating the same demands without real movement describes negotiations that are stuck. 'Deadlocked' fits; 'productive' contradicts this lack of progress.
The city council's decision to delay the vote was widely seen as a ______ maneuver, intended to buy time until public opposition to the proposal died down.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
D — calculated. A delay 'intended to buy time' describes a deliberate strategic move. 'Calculated' fits; 'accidental' directly contradicts the stated intention.
Despite the drug's proven effectiveness in clinical trials, doctors remained ______ about prescribing it widely until more long-term safety data became available.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A — cautious. Waiting for more long-term safety data before prescribing widely, despite proven short-term effectiveness, describes careful restraint. 'Cautious' fits; 'enthusiastic' would contradict this hesitation.
Rather than confronting the criticism directly, the CEO's statement seemed carefully designed to ______ the issue, redirecting attention to the company's charitable donations instead.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
B — sidestep. Redirecting attention away from criticism toward another topic is a way of avoiding it. 'Sidestep' means to avoid dealing with something directly.
Certain species of octopus can instantly ______ both the color and texture of their skin, blending so completely with coral or rock that even trained divers often swim past without noticing them.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
C — alter. Instantly changing color and texture to blend in describes a rapid transformation. 'Alter' fits; 'preserve' means the opposite, and 'publicize' and 'measure' are unrelated.
Critics initially found the building's exposed pipes and ductwork ______, arguing that a well-designed structure should conceal its mechanical systems rather than put them on display.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
A — unfinished. Critics arguing systems should be hidden, not displayed, implies they viewed the exposed pipes as looking incomplete. 'Unfinished' fits; 'invisible' directly contradicts 'exposed' and 'on display.'
The company's quarterly report used carefully ______ language to describe its declining sales, avoiding words like 'loss' in favor of phrases such as 'temporary market adjustment.'
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
B — euphemistic. Avoiding harsh words like 'loss' in favor of softer phrasing is the definition of euphemistic language. 'Blunt' describes the opposite, direct style.
The negotiations remained ______ for months, with neither side willing to make the first concession, until an unexpected shift in public opinion finally forced both parties back to the table.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
B — stalled. Neither side making concessions for months, until an outside event forced renewed talks, describes negotiations that were stuck. 'Stalled' fits; 'productive' and 'amicable' both contradict this description.
Unlike her mentor, whose paintings were meticulously planned in advance, the young artist worked ______, allowing each brushstroke to determine the next without any preliminary sketch.
Which choice completes the text with the most logical and precise word or phrase?
B — spontaneously. Allowing each brushstroke to determine the next, with no preliminary sketch, describes an unplanned, in-the-moment approach. 'Spontaneously' fits; 'methodically' describes the opposite, planned approach attributed to the mentor.
Score:
Every question above is now marked up: the correct answer is highlighted, any wrong option you picked is flagged, and each explanation is open.
No. Every question here is original, written to the College Board's published Digital SAT Reading & Writing specification for the Words in Context skill. No retired or copyrighted College Board material appears anywhere on this site.
Words in Context gives you a short passage with a blank, and asks which word or phrase completes it most logically and precisely — or, less often, what a word already in the passage means in that specific sentence. It is not a vocabulary-recall question: the tested words are ordinary academic words, and the difficulty is entirely in reading what the sentence commits you to.
Read the whole sentence before looking at the choices, and cover them if you have to. Find the structural signal — a colon, a semicolon, "but", "although", "however", "because" — because it tells you whether the blank agrees with what came before or reverses it. Predict a word of your own, then pick the choice closest to your prediction. Going to the choices first is what turns an easy question into a coin flip between two words you half-recognise.
No, and deliberately so. This drill is 10 Words in Context questions back to back; a real Reading & Writing module is 27 questions in 32 minutes drawn from all eleven skills. Use a drill to fix one weakness, then take a full module to practice the real thing.
No. The SAT has no penalty for a wrong answer — a blank and a wrong guess both score zero — so answer every question, including the ones you have to guess.